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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.

The Fresh Air Fund is a New York City institution, a 150-year old nonprofit known for summer adventures for urban kids with their signature Volunteer Host Family programs and free sleep-away camps. Among their year-round programs is the College Connections Program for high schoolers which hosts workshops to help students with the college application process. Bentley Gordon is the Director of the College Connections Program.

EPIC Players, New York’s leading neuro-inclusive theater company, led by Founder and Executive Artistic Director Aubrie Therrien, presents the world premiere of the original play “BUM BUM (or, this farce has Autism)”, by award winning playwright Dave Osmundsen, Dec 4 - 14 at Here Arts Center in Manhattan. Epic Players is a nonprofit, neuro-diverse theater company dedicated to creating professional performing arts opportunities and supportive social communities in the arts for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists.

While healthcare is top of mind for so many, we speak with a New York State organization focused on children’s health. Kayleigh Zaloga is the president and CEO of the New York State Coalition for Children's Behavioral Health, a statewide association of children's service providers. CCBH represents 50 provider agencies with 21,000 employees who serve nearly 200,000 children and families. We discuss the fight for access to behavioral health services, and the reality of mental health services for children in New York State.

iHeartRadio NY is once again teaming up with WhyHunger for Hungerthon. Hungerthon is an annual radio tradition, organized by Why Hunger to educate and raise funds to confront the root causes of hunger in America, and defend the right to nutritious food for all. You can take action, donate or bid on exclusive iHeartRadio auction items at Hungerthon.org now through Dec 9th. WhyHunger works with community-based organizations across the country that are tackling the systemic injustice at the root of hunger through creative, local solutions. Our guest is Denny Marsh, Executive Director of Neighbors Together, a Brooklyn based soup kitchen, social service and community advocacy center that Why Hunger has been proud to work alongside for over a decade. 

THE PERIOD BRAIN:  THE NEW SCIENCE OF WHY WE PMS AND HOW TO FIX IT, by research psychologist, professor, leading advocate for women’s health Dr. Sarah E. Hill, answers questions about the hormonal changes that regulate women’s bodies, and what’s true and not true about PMS.    

Dance/NYC is a service organization for the dance industry promoting the appreciation, practice, and knowledge of dance in the NYC metropolitan area. Interim Executive Director Sara Roer details their new fund providing direct support to freelance dancers.

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about hospice and palliative care and celebrating the professionals and volunteers who provide this essential care. Our guest is Dr. Linda Valentino, Chief Nursing Officer at NY City-based Calvary Hospital. Calvary is the country’s only hospital dedicated to providing hospice and palliative care to adult patients with advanced cancer and other life-limiting illness.

The Street Vendor Project, a program of the Urban Justice Center, advocates for New York City’s 20,000+ street vendors, championing the rights of vendors as small businesses to earn a living and contribute to the culture and life of New York City. SVP’s Managing Director Mohamed Attia talks about the organization’s initiative to improve air-quality for both vendors and residents, via The Street Vendor Electrification Project, with a goal of converting carts from gas-powered generators to rechargeable batteries.