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How do the things that happen to us and the choices we make when we are young impact us later in life? How do our parents, our friendships, and our careers define our lives and contribute to where we end up? My guest is author Andrea Simon with “DID YOU HAVE THE LIFE YOU WANTED”, an insightful tour of over 50 years of American cultural history as seen through the eyes of a Jewish feminist in New York City. Andrea Simon is the author of five award-winning books, including the historical novel ESFIR IS ALIVE and the memoir BASHERT: A Granddaughter’s Holocaust Quest.

The NYC Bird Alliance, (formerly NYC Audubon), is a non-profit organization protecting urban birds and strengthening biodiversity across New York City. Director of Advocacy and Engagement Saman Mahmood talks about bird counts, volunteer opportunities and free programs, and details some of the best sites for bird watching across the five boroughs.

It’s estimated that up to 80% of people will experience low back pain at some point during their lifetimes -- and winter conditions are a frequent trigger. My guest is Dr. Brian McHugh, a Long Island based board-certified neurosurgeon, for a conversation about common issues related to snow shoveling and falling on ice, proper shoveling technique, and avoiding injuries.

While transgender athletes only account for 1% of all sports participants, hundreds of bills banning trans athletes have been introduced by politicians in recent years, and the US Supreme Court is preparing to hear two cases on the issue. Ellie Roscher, writer, former coach, and co-author of the forthcoming book, FAIR GAME: Trans Athletes and the Future of Sports addresses the myths and fears behind trans athletes’ exclusion from organized sports with the latest data and research, and with interviews from 20 trans athletes.

From NY Times bestselling author Dr. Ian Smith, THE LAST 15: SAY GOODBYE TO THOSE MOST STUBBORN POUNDS breaks down how metabolism adapts, why quick fixes backfire, and offers a seven week strategy to finally overcome the hardest weight to lose. Dr. Ian Smith is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling books, SHRED: THE REVOLUTIONARY DIET, and SUPER SHRED: The Big Results Diet, BLAST THE SUGAR OUT, and numerous other books. Dr. Smith was appointed by President Obama to the prestigious President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. He is currently the medical contributor and co-host of the nationally syndicated television show The Rachael Ray Show.

The affordable housing crisis in New York City is about more than the price of rent. How did we get here, what is happening in housing right now, and what are ways that nonprofit developers are trying to close the affordable housing gap? My guest is Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of Fifth Avenue Committee, a Brooklyn-based development nonprofit, serving thousands of low- and moderate-income New Yorkers each year. Michelle De La Uz brings more than 25 years of public and community service experience and has held prominent civic leadership roles, including service on the New York City Planning Commission and appointment to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Community Advisory Group.

Across the country, Catholic schools are facing serious enrollment challenges—and many have closed—including seven New York City schools last year. How are surviving Catholic schools evolving, and even thriving, despite trends? Our guest is Livia Angiolillo, president of The Mary Louis Academy in Queens, a 90-year-old Catholic School that has strengthened enrollment, in part, by expanding access to all-girls education and appealing to families from a wide range of backgrounds.

Nearly 80 years after its founding, the internationally acclaimed Georgian National Ballet “Sukhishvili" made it’s Carnegie Hall debut in January with a one-night-only performance at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. With a return planned to our area this fall, our guest is the event’s producer, Salome Liluashvili-Parks, to discuss the landmark event and the Georgian Diaspora in NYC.

New Year, new you? According to our guest lasting change requires not only intention, but a sustained practice of making conscious choices that have impact. Jon Rosemberg is a is UPenn-trained positive psychologist and author of the book, A GUIDE TO THRIVING: The Science Behind Breaking Old Patterns, Reclaiming Your Agency, and Finding Meaning. Through his personal story, Jon Rosemberg has learned firsthand that growth begins when we courageously reclaim our agency. Jon is co-founder of Anther, a firm dedicated to transforming uncertainty into possibility. He previously led high-impact initiatives at Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Indigo, and GoBolt. Jon holds an MBA from Cornell University and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

With both affordability top of mind, and the elderly population growing faster than any other age group—including in New York—our guest is Gayle Horwitz, the new CEO of JASA, The City’s go-to non profit supporting older New Yorkers. We discuss how affordability and housing demand is impacting older residents and what retirement looks like for low-to-moderate income New Yorkers. Founded over 50 years ago, JASA is NYC’s largest nonprofit manager of senior affordable housing, and a leading expert and innovator in aging services.  

All at once, it seems as if AI and Music are intertwined: It’s being used for everything from restoring old recordings, to generating entire songs from prompts. For musicians, is AI a tool or a rival? Emmy Award-winning composer and producer, Lucas Cantor Santiago was commissioned by one of the largest technology companies in the world, to collaborate with artificial intelligence in an experiment to finish Franz Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. The project led him to question his long-standing assumptions about music, technology, and how both evolved together through history. Lucas Cantor Santiago’s book is UNFINISHED: The Role of the Artist in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.

How does music connect to people even with dementia, and allow them to connect with memories that they might not otherwise recall? Our guest is Dr. Kendra Ray, a renowned expert and the dementia program director of the not-for-profit MJHS Menorah Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. MJHS is the last not-for-profit Jewish nursing home, providing short-term, subacute rehabilitation and long-term nursing care. For more, visit mjhs.org. 

By 2035, the number in the people in the US over the age of 65 will outnumber the people under 18 for the first time history. As our population is rapidly aging, one of the greatest challenges of aging is being socially isolated. In HEALTHY TO 100: How Strong Social Ties Lead to Long Lives, longevity expert Ken Stern reveals the key components that globally contribute to longer, more enriching lives. Ken Stern is a nationally recognized expert on longevity and aging. He is the founder of the Longevity Project and hosts the popular “Century Lives” podcast from the Stanford Center on Longevity.

NYC Pride, the organization most notable for producing The New York City Pride March in June, has a new executive director. Im Lynde talks about the significance of Pride for him, what’s in store for 2026, and how they’re responding to the significant challenges facing DEI projects and the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Christmas has arrived early at Catholic Charities in Paterson, NJ, with two recent ribbon-cuttings:  A new location for Murray House, the longest running group home in the state for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and a new state-of-the-art drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, Straight and Narrow.  Our guest is Scott Milliken, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson. 

Perhaps 40% of the everyone in the world has headaches, but they’re remarkably under-studied and misunderstood. Tom Zeller Jr. is author of THE HEADACHE: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction and a Search for Relief, a deeply reported journey into the world of headaches and an exploration of what it means to live with severe, unexplained, and recurrent head pain. Tom Zeller Jr. is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Undark, a nonprofit digital magazine exploring the intersection of science and society. Previously, he was a reporter and columnist at the New York Times, an editor at large for National Geographic and a Knight Science Journalism fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Joining us to celebrate Hanukkah is writer and former New Yorker, Jean Meltzer - also known as - “The Queen of Jewish Romance.”, for her new book THE EIGHT HEARTBREAKS OF HANUKKAH. Jean is also announcing a groundbreaking first-ever 3-day event called Jewish Joy Con, celebrating the best in Jewish pop-culture, storytelling, and creativity, scheduled for next March in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Prior to becoming an author, JEAN MELTZER studied dramatic writing at NYU Tisch and built a successful career in television, earning multiple accolades including a National Daytime Emmy Award. She is the recipient of several writing honors, a Booklist Top Ten Romances for 2023, a starred review in Kirkus, a starred review in Booklist, and LibraryReads.

Ready or not, AI has arrived. Rather than avoid it, how can we embrace it, and use it to our advantage? For the next few minutes, we talk about AI in the classroom, and how can it can help teachers amplify — not replace — human coaching. Carolyne Quintana is the new CEO of Teaching Matters and former Deputy Chancellor of Teaching and Learning at the NYC Department of Education. Teaching Matters works with schools to enrich professional learning for educators that is evidence-based, culturally responsive, and proven to increase teacher effectiveness.

Dr. Devorah Heitner’s book, GROWING UP IN PUBLIC: Coming of Age in a Digital World, is designed to help caregivers, educators, and kids navigate growing up in a world where nearly every moment of their lives can be shared and compared. Dr. Devorah Heitner’s writing on kids and technology has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Fast Company and others. She earned a PhD in Media/Technology and Society from Northwestern University.

New York State has one of the largest populations of adults over 60, and the older adult population is growing faster than any other group.  AARP-NY State Director Beth Finkel returns to discuss accessing benefits, caregivers, and while it’s a year-round topic, during the holidays it’s especially important to talk about scams and fraud prevention for seniors.