Podcast #268 – Susannah Cahalan

The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Time and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary is the latest book by this New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and public speaker. It was published by Viking in April 2025. Cahalan’s first book, Brain on Fire, sold over a million copies, was translated into more than twenty languages, and was made into a Netflix movie. Her second book, The Great Pretender, was named a best book of 2020 by Time, The Guardian and The Sunday Times, and it was shortlisted for the Royal Society’s 2020 Science Book Prize. Her advocacy work concerning brain disorders and mental health awareness has earned her speaking engagements around the world, and she received the American Brain Foundation’s Ambassador Award for this work. Susannah Cahalan was interviewed at BIO’s 2026 conference in New York City by fellow biographer and BIO member Sonja Williams.