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The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, founded by Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, recognizes and celebrates extraordinary New York City public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. Our guests are 2024 Manhattan Grand Prize Winner Dr. Gifty Asamani, from The High School for Math, Science and Engineering, and Queens Grand Prize Winner Aaron Lober, from Halsey Middle School 157. For more details, including 2025 application information, visit flagaward.org.

Journalist Johann Hari takes a deep dive into Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs in new book MAGIC PILL: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight Loss Drugs. Johann Hari is the author of three New York Times best-selling books: Chasing The Scream, Lost Connections, and Stolen Focus. His TED talks have been viewed more than 90 million times.

Lynnae Brown and Toshia Parks represent non-profit Community Access' preeminent job training program, Howie The Harp. Named for its late founder, Howie, the program trains New Yorkers with a history of mental health concerns for jobs as "peers" in the human services sector, working with others who are experiencing similar mental health needs.  For more, visit communityaccess.org.

79 years ago the first nuclear weapon was detonated in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in a test that ushered in the age of nuclear warfare. Since then, the US has been closer to nuclear war many more times than most Americans would guess. Should nucelar war come to pass…what would happen? Is there such a thing as being prepared? Annie Jacobsen’s new book is Nuclear War: A Scenario.  Jacobsen is the author of the Pulitzer Prize Finalist in History THE PENTAGON'S BRAIN, the New York Times bestsellers AREA 51, OPERATION PAPERCLIP, and other books.

The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, a National Historic Landmark, is not only one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries, it is renowned for arts and cultural programs. Our guest is composer and pianist Adam Tender, The Green-Wood Cemetery’s Artist-in-Residence, presenting Exit Strategy, an installation that explores the ephemerality of our own lives and the physical belongings we leave behind. For more, visit green-wood.com and adamtendler.com.

Women’s hormonal problems have sky-rocketed in the past 3 decades. At present 80% of women will struggle with some form of hormonal problem in their lifetime. Not only that - our daughters are entering puberty earlier than ever. Dr. Aviva Romm is a Yale trained physician with a specialty in women’s health and obstetrics, a midwife, and herbalist. Her book is HORMONE INTELLIGENCE:  The Complete Guide to Calming Hormone Chaos and Restoring Your Body’s Natural Blueprint for Wellbeing.

Lincoln Center’s "Summer For The City" Series continues through August 10th, including over 200 free and choose-what-you-pay events. Shanta Thanke, Executive Vice President and Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, highlights performances during India Week, July 10-14. For more, visit LincolnCenter.org.

Frank Sztuk is Senior Vice President of Investigative services at Delta Group, and Chair of the Public Outreach Committee for the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud. We chat about types of crimes on the rise, and ways to identify and protect ourselves from insurance fraud at home, on the road, and elsewhere. For more, visit Fraudny.com.

The New York City area is home to thousands of professional dancers on working Broadway, as company members, as teachers, and as freelance performers. What are dance careers like in NYC, right now? Our guest is Candace Thompson-Zachery, Co-Executive Director of Dance/NYC, an advocacy group for dancers, with details from their NYC Dance Industry Census, and their campaign to address industry challenges. For more, visit dance.nyc.

At just 16, Payalm Zamanie escaped religious persecution in Iran by crossing 1500 miles of desert, with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur in the U.S. Just ten years after he arrived, he was the founder of a record-breaking, billion-dollar IPO. Payam recounts his incredible story of survival, faith, optimism and grit in his book CROSSING THE DESERT: The Power of Embracing Life's Difficult Journeys. Payam Zamani is a serial entrepreneur, internet pioneer, angel investor and the founder of One Planet Group.

In 2024 there are a record number of jobs in New York City, and entrepreneurship is vibrant – 1 in 7 businesses were started in the past year, a rate four times higher than the 2019 average. In the fall of 2020, the five borough-wide chambers of commerce launched the Small Business Resource Network (SBRN) – a comprehensive approach to small business resiliency, offering free, personalized guidance and support to help businesses grow and thrive. Our guest is Tom Grech, President and CEO, Queens Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Small Business Resource Network. For more visit nycsmallbusinessresourcenetwork.org.

Imagine the journey to becoming a mother without a partner. Our guest made the choice to take fertility into her own hands, and tells her story, while reporting on the fertility industry, for her memoir INCONCEIVABLE: Super Sperm Donors, Off-the-Grid Insemination & Unconventional Family Planning. Valerie Bauman is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience. She is an investigative reporter at Newsweek. Previously, she was a senior investigative reporter and senior legal reporter at Bloomberg Law, where she covered pharmaceutical litigation. 

The non-profit El Sistema USA works to ensure very child has access to high-quality music education that celebrates their voice and potential, by supporting a national network of organizations and educators. Our guest is Elizabeth Moulthrop, Executive Director of El Sistema USA. For more, visit elsistemausa.org.

For over 50 years, the legendary NYC Pride March has been a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ presence in our community. Heritage of Pride is the non profit organization that plans and produces New York City's official Pride events each year. For a backstage pass to this year's events, we're joined by Samantha Johnson, Associate Director of Entertainment and Events for Heritage of Pride. For more, visit nycpride.org.

Anxiety and OCD therapist Natasha Daniels joins us with a new workbook just in time for summer break! CRUSHING OCD WORKBOOK FOR KIDS: 50 Fun Activities to Overcome OCD with CBT and Exposures. Natasha Daniels is an anxiety and OCD child therapist and has published five other books including How to Parent your Anxious Toddler and It’s Brave to Be Kind. For more, visit ATparentingsurvival.com.

Social workers are real life superheroes who can help people navigate mental health challenges and trauma. Budy Garcia-Whitfield is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at JCCA, one of the great NYC organizations helping young people every day, particularly those in underserved communities and foster care.  For more, visit JCCANY.ORG.

Jodi Wellman, Founder of Four Thousand Mondays, a UPenn positive psychologist, and an executive coach, is author of the new book YOU ONLY DIE ONCE: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets. Jodi Wellman is a former corporate executive turned executive coach. She has a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she is an instructor in the Master’s program and a trainer in the world-renowned Penn Resilience Program. 

The Fresh Air Fund is a New York City institution, providing summer adventures for urban kids, through a number of programs, including free sleep- away camps, and their signature Volunteer Host Family Program. Right now is the season to sign up!  Fresh Air Fund’s CEO Lisa Gitelson has details for campers, counselors and host families. For more, visit freshair.org. 

For more than 35 years, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $70 million to support programs that help farmers thrive. Farmer Services Network Manager Alexandria Ward to talks about their potentially life-saving health initiative aimed at helping ALL farmers in distress. FARM AID’s MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE is 1-800-FARM-AID.  Find out more at farmaid.org

Samaritan Daytop Village, the largest provider of support services for veterans in New York,  provides shelter, mental health, and substance use recovery services.  Assistant Vice President for Residential Treatment and former U.S. Air Force member Deirdre Rice-Reese explains some of the challenges veterans face after their service.  For more, visit samaritanvillage.org.