Jill Bolte Taylor PhD

Kathryn interviews Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor PhD, NY Times Bestselling author of “Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life.” During these times of increased social and economic distress, many of us are suffering from anxiety and fear about our future. Creating our 'new normal’ is all about identifying what is possible. When we understand who we are, we are empowered to make better choices. According to renowned neuroanatomist, NY Times Best-Selling Author, stroke survivor and one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People Dr. Jill, we have much more power over what is going on inside of our brains than we've ever been taught. She debunks the myths that we use only 10% of our brain as well as the idea that our right brain hemisphere is our emotional brain, while our left brain houses our rational thinking. Dr. Jill gave the first TED talk that ever went viral on the Internet and was the premiere guest on Oprah Winfrey’s Soul Series. Kathryn also interviews Gigi Georges PhD, author of “Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America.” Based on four years of rigorous and intimate reporting, she chronicles the lives of five young women coming of age in Washington County, ME, one of the most challenging and geographically isolated regions on the Eastern seaboard and an illuminating microcosm of the changing rural landscape across America. As they reach adulthood, they discover that despite significant challenges, there is much to celebrate in “the valley of the overlooked.” Their stories remind us of the value of timeless ideals: strength of family and community, reverence for nature’s rule, dignity in cracked hands and muddied shoes and the enduring power of home. A former White House special assistant to the president and communications director for the New York City Department of Education, Georges has taught political science at Boston College and served as program director for the Harvard Kennedy School’s Innovation Strategies Initiative.