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According to studies, people tend to be happier, healthier, and more successful when they have a balance of the “Big Five” personality traits:  Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. But can we change our personalities to suit? Olga Khazan is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at The Atlantic covering science, health, and psychology. In her book ME, BUT BETTER: The Science and Promise of Personality Change, she reveals the science behind lasting personality change, and how anyone, at any age, can seize the reigns of their destiny.

This year's National Assessment of Educational Progress shows only 31% of New York's fourth graders are reading at grade level.  It's a dismal number mirrored in many states—and one that drops significantly for students from economically disadvantaged communities. In response, New York City’s Public Schools and other districts have increasingly embraced "The science of reading” instruction model—in part, a throwback to earlier decades of teaching. Our guest is Dr. Katie Pace Miles co-founder of CUNY Reading Corps and The NYC nonprofit The Reading Institute providing teacher training and resources.

Founded by Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, The Flag Award For Teaching Excellence recognizes and celebrates extraordinary New York City public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. Our guests are 2025 Flag Award Winners Alhassan Susso, a Social Studies teacher from International Community High School in The Bronx, and Emily Chandler a special education teacher at District 75 school, PS 371K Lillian Rashkis in Brooklyn. For more on this year’s winners and applications for 2026, visit flagaward.org

June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month. Guns are the leading cause of death in the United States for people ages 1 through 17. Dr. Katherine Hoops talks more about the dangers and what you can do to promote gun safety, even if you don’t own a firearm. For more, visit The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

For Pride Month, we feature A PLACE FOR US, by medical doctor and author Patricia Grayhall. Her book is LGBTQ+ romance set against the backdrop of the 1980s and early 2000s, which draws on her own quest to find a country where she could legally reside with her British partner – long before the U.S. extended immigration rights to gay couples. For more, visit patriciagrayhall.com.

Is your smart phone a useful tool, or a colossal waste of time? What does long term freedom from your phone really look like—and is it sustainable for people with… you know… jobs? Based on his experience of a year’s sabbatical from his smart phone, Richard Simon is author of UNPLUG: How to Break Up with Your Phone and Reclaim Your Life. Richard Simon directs the website strategy at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C., and is a former reporter and webmaster at Baltimore’s The Daily Record.

As Lincoln Center’s Summer In the City Series continues through August 7, we preview free public events and performances with David Dorfman Dance, from June 25-27, including the ever-popular Silent Disco. For more, visit DavidDorfmanDance.org and lincolncenter.org.

One in four adults has some form of arthritis, and osteoporosis-related fractures affect one in two women over fifty. Yet very few resources bring together the full picture of how to prevent and treat these conditions through everyday choices. Our guest is Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke University School of Medicine, specializing in sports medicine and co-author of THE COMPLETE BONE AND JOINT HEALTH PLAN: Help Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis and Arthritis.

We’re in an election season, where the word debate most likely will make you think about a politician taking cheap shots. But in the classic sense, speech and debate are about articulating ideas and analyzing complex issues with clarity, confidence and purpose. In an educational setting, it's meeting students where they are, and guiding them on how speak up on issues that matter to them. Our guest is KM DiColandrea, a.k.a. DiCo, Co-Founder/Executive Director of Brooklyn Debate League, which provides affordable access to coaching and competitions for students speech and debate students. For more, visit brooklyndebateleague.org.

The New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud exists to educate everyone about different types of insurance fraud—from medical fraud to workers comp fraud—and it’s enormous cost to every New Yorker.  This year, our conversation with Frank Stzuk centers on rear-end accident scams. For more, visit FRAUDNY.com.

City Year New York is a trailblazing, youth-powered organization, now expanding their partnership with SUNY—State University of New York—to prepare more young people to enter an increasingly competitive job market for bachelor’s degree holders. Our guest is Executive Director Annie Kessler for details on the expanded partnership, and how they are pivoting following federal budget cuts as an Americorps program. For more, visit www.cityyear.org/new-york/.

2025 marks the 50th Anniversary of the National Dance Institute. Founded in NYC by the late, renowned dancer and teacher Jacques d’Amboise on the belief that every child should have access to learning in and through the arts, NDI impacts the lives of thousands of children in New York City and worldwide. Our guests are Executive Director Jermaine Jones and Artistic Director Kay Gayner. For more, including details on their Father’s Day weekend performances open to all, visit nationaldance.org.

It’s a staggering statistic: One in three adults and nearly half of families with children experienced food insecurity in 2023. While food pantries are one of the main resources for those in need, those food pantries are serviced by food banks. Our guest is Greg Silverman, CEO of the non-profit West Side Campaign Against Hunger, on how food banks are combining resources to respond to challenges such as increased demand and inflation.  For more, visit WSCAH.org.

Whether you believe the U.S. is on it’s way to becoming great again, or things are going terribly wrong, most of us would agree, we’re having trouble talking to the other side. Yet, our guest has strategies to do just that:  Gabriella Timmis is Director of Communications at Braver Angels, a non-partisan organization with a mission of bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic. For more, visit braverangels.org.

A Fair Shake for Youth is the city’s longest-running therapy dog program in public schools in Brooklyn, The Bronx and Manhattan.  For their 15th anniversary, founder Audrey Hendler talks about how the idea took root with a prison rehabilitation program, and how NYC dog owners can volunteer for kids alongside their own pets. For more, visit afairshakeforyouth.org.

If you’re watching the news, you know thousands of workers in the federal government are being laid off.  But some are leaving their jobs voluntarily—stepping down from responsibilities, often in protest of specific policies and new rules. Whatever your job or role, what is the ethical red line that might cause you to leave? What is the balance between financial needs and moral considerations? Our guest Dr. Anne Klaysen is Leader Emerita at The New York Society for Ethical Culture. For more, visit ethical.nyc.

What do NYC’s best after school programs offer and how can they help tap into a child’s potential?  Our guest is Sheila Duke, Chief Executive Officer of Roads to Success, a nonprofit that empowers future leaders by helping young people discover their potential and pursue their dreams.  Founded in 2001, Roads to Success serves over 7,000 youth and young adults annually. For more, visit roadstosuccess.org.

Our guest is Sarah March, Program Director of Samaritan Daytop Village’s Young Mother’s Program, where women who are in recovery have the opportunity to keep their children with them—a program model proven to improve recovery outcomes. For over 60 years, Samaritan Daytop Village has been improving the quality of life for New Yorkers, serving over 33,000 people annually at more than 60 facilities. For more, visit samaritanvillage.org.

Ballet Hispanico, the nation’s largest Latine/x/Hispanic dance organization and recognized by the Ford Foundation as one of America’s Cultural Treasures, presents Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's masterwork CARMEN.maquia at New York City Center from May 29-June 1, 2025. Our guest is Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro.  For tickets and more, visit ballethispanico.org and nycitycenter.org.

May 4-10, 2025 is Survive Stroke Week: An annual event to educate Americans about the symptoms of stroke and the lifesaving treatment options available. Stroke is the fifth most common cause of death in America and the leading cause of adult disability. In 2025, The focus is on the Hispanic Community in the U.S., where stroke ranks as the fourth leading cause of death for Hispanic men and the third for Hispanic women. Our guest is Dr. Adrienne Moraff, a board-certified neurosurgeon in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and is Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Dartmouth. For more, visit getaheadofstroke.org, founded the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS).