Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Karen Mulvaney writes about her father—a man who did cartwheels in a cornfield when her mother said "Yes!", who woke his kids with pots and pans at dawn so they could be first on the ski mountain, and who stood by his family through everything that came their way. She reflects on what defined his life: steadfastness, a welcoming heart, and the belief that showing up for others—family, friends, or strangers—is the key to everything. Even when grief and illness reduced him to a wisp of himself, he still showed up. It's about the kind of love that doesn't waver, the kind that makes everyone feel like they matter, and the way a big, wide-open heart lives on in the people left behind. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly had a dream. Over a decade, the dream started to seem stupidly out of reach so she went about her business raising money for non profits. But in a surprise twist involving two crushing diagnoses, a new version of the dream started to look possible and she leapt at it.  Here are 6 takeaways to inspire and motivate, including embracing desires, recognizing personal biases, finding motivation, sharing dreams selectively, taking small steps, and embracing failure - and the case for engaging in five beats.  This episode is a great share. Consider it a loving kick in the backside for anyone who can’t seem to find their way forward. (Previously aired) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly and Kate Bowler return for their annual, end-of-the-year "Crappy Happy" tradition—this week, the crappy. They wade into the losses that don't announce themselves all at once: the thinning of what used to feel full, the realization that some struggles are life sentences, and the slow unraveling of institutions that once felt solid. Kate reflects on what it costs to do slow, unglamorous work in a world that no longer values it and Kelly considers what happens when systems built to protect everyone start serving only one. They talk about acceptance as a form of hope, the surprising need to be bone tired, and how to tell the difference between people fighting for their side and people protecting what shelters us all. It's an honest, grounding conversation—with the happy coming next week. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Colleen Gilroy tells the story of her mother, Mary Pat—a woman who stayed up deep into the night knitting Christmas stockings, thinking about each recipient as her needles clicked in the stillness while everyone else slept. Mary Pat was a night shift NICU nurse who cared for thousands of fragile babies and their frightened parents, a leprechaun of a woman who never let the truth interfere with a good tale, someone who poured 30 hours of attention into every stocking she made—holding each person in her heart as she worked. Colleen shares what unfolded at the funeral when the family lined the church pews with their stockings, then processed out to the sound of thousands of tiny bells ringing at once, each one marking a life Mary Pat had touched. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it take to truly see someone before they're gone? Kelly shares an essay she wrote for an evening celebrating awe, reflecting on attention as a practice—learning to notice in wild places with a guide who insists you look closer, then bringing that same discipline to a quiet room where it matters most. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices