PODCAST · health
House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy
by Office of the U.S. Surgeon General
Do you believe conversations can heal? I do. I’m U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. When I was growing up, my father would make “house calls,” bringing medical care to patients at home. The relationships he built with his patients through conversation were an essential part of healing. On House Calls, I carry forward this tradition. In each episode, I take my guests off-script to explore how they navigate the messiness and uncertainties of life to find meaning and joy. By sharing openly what’s on our minds and in our hearts, we can find strength and healing through connection.
Episodes
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Goodbye, House Calls!
As Dr. Murthy's term as the 21st U.S. Surgeon General comes to a close, House Calls is ending, too. In this final episode, Dr. Murthy and House Calls producer and friend Ann Kim reflect on their journey to creating House Calls and discuss why this podcast has been an important part of the Office…
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Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Conversation With My Moai
As Dr. Murthy prepares to conclude his term as Surgeon General, the moment is , the moment is bittersweet: serving as Surgeon General has been the honor of his lifetime, and saying goodbye is hard. For this second-to-last episode of House Calls, he calls on his my moai – friends and fellow...
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Aamir & Ira Khan: Healing Together: A Father-Daughter Mental Health Journey
On a recent trip to India, the Surgeon General sat down with the delightful and inspiring father-daughter duo of Aamir and Ira Khan. Aamir is a renowned and beloved actor and producer, appearing in some of India’s biggest films. Ira Khan is founder of the Agatsu Foundation, a peer support and...
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Phillip Lim: The Beauty of Becoming Who We Are
“You can re-imagine anything.” This was life advice that fashion designer Phillip Lim was given by his mother. His family escaped the Khmer Rouge and came to America as refugees. They had no resources and had to start over from scratch. Somehow, Phillip rose to become one of the most successful...
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Dr. Francis Collins: How Can We Restore Our Faith in One Another?
Do you feel you can no longer talk with people who hold different opinions? Has anger become the predominant tone? If we want this to change, how can we as individuals, change the way we talk and connect when we differ? Dr. Francis Collins is a pro at stepping into spaces that many of us are...
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BONUS | Sadhguru: How Can We Find Fulfillment in the Modern World?
How do we find that fulfilment in a modern world where so many of us often feel lonely and unsure of our self-worth? For this bonus episode of House Calls, we share excerpts from a conversation between the Surgeon General and yogi & spiritual leader Sadhguru as they discuss what it means to live…
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Sarah Harmeyer: Is There Room At Your Table?
Have you ever wanted to gather people, but then something stops you? What if I burn the apps? What if the house is a mess? Will people bring something, or chip in? Or, the biggest fear of all – what if nobody shows up? Sarah Harmeyer, the founder of Neighbor’s Table, calls herself a “people...
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Ada Limón: How Can Poetry Help Us Make Sense Of The World?
For Ada Limón, the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate, poetry is her way of connecting — to others, to ourselves, to our natural world. Ada’s work is deeply personal, inspired by gratitude for loved ones, awe and nature, and her struggles with scoliosis and infertility. In this conversation with the Surgeon...
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Best of House Calls: Supporting Parent Mental Health
How does parents’ mental health influence their kids’ mental health? Why are parents today feeling so overwhelmed? How can parents let go of trying to be the perfect parent? As the father of two young kids, parenting is a common theme the Surgeon General explores with guests. Given the resonance…
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Kayla Barron: An Astronaut's Guide To Living On Earth
What can life in space teach us about living well on earth? As an astronaut, Kayla Barron she has lived this very question. As a member of the NASA’s mission to the International Space Station, she and her crew spent 177 days in orbit. In that time, she performed two space walks. Before becoming…
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BONUS | Dr. Ruth: How Can We Stand Up to Loneliness?
What does Dr. Ruth have to say about facing loneliness? Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a legend who broke taboos around talking about sex and relationships. At her core, she cared deeply about human connection. In 2023, she was named the nation’s first honorary Ambassador to Loneliness for the state of...
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Parents Are Under Pressure – And We Can All Help
Parental well-being is linked to the well-being of kids – it affects kids’ health, their learning, and, ultimately, their futures. But right now, parents and caregivers are incredibly stressed. That stress is harder to manage when you feel you’re on your own, which is why it’s concerning that...
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Chloe Kim: How Do You Separate Success From Self-Worth?
What does it mean to succeed when you’ve reached the Olympic podium? How do you separate that success from your sense of self-worth? The world knows Chloe Kim as one of the greatest athletes ever. At 17, Chloe was the youngest person to win an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding. She was the first...
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Sebastian Junger: How Can Death Make Us Think About Life?
What does coming close to death teach us about living? Sebastian Junger is not a stranger to danger and death. As an award-winning journalist and author of “The Perfect Storm,” and “Tribe,” he has spent his career covering humans in harrowing situations, from massive storms at sea to the front...
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Ann Kim: What Does Friendship Mean To Us?
In celebration of World Friendship Day, the Surgeon General invites an old friend and House Calls producer to talk about how their deep connection has seen them through the best of times and the worst of times, sustaining them both personally and professionally. (00:28) House Calls gets personal…
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BONUS | Selena Gomez: Setting the Stage for Mental Health
The Surgeon General and Selena Gomez, singer, actress, and founder and creator of Rare Beauty and the Rare Impact Fund, take the stage at the Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit to talk about loneliness, connection, and the power of talking about our mental health. (02:42) Why is bringing people...
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Adam Grant: Is A Fulfilling Life Different Than A Successful One?
What makes us successful? What makes our lives fulfilling? Are they the same things? We’re exposed to so many ideas of what is success, it’s not always easy to be clear on what path best serves us. This episode’s guest, Adam Grant, is an organizational psychologist and expert on what motivates…
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Dr. Abraham Verghese (Part 2): On the Healing Power of Writing
In this part 2 of their conversation, the Surgeon General explores Dr. Abraham Verghese's craft as a writer -- what is his creative process? And what is the relationship between his writing and his work in medicine? The episode closes with Dr. Verghese sharing one of his favorite poems. (02:56)…
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Dr. Abraham Verghese (Part 1): When There Is No Cure, How Can We Heal?
For doctors who spend years training to make their patients better, what happens when there is no cure? This is how Dr. Abraham Verghese came of age as a physician. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, he treated a rural population of dying young men, men his own age, who had no future and were...
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Sara Bareilles & Celia Keenan-Bolger: How Do Art and Friendship Set the Stage for Our Mental Health?
In this special episode, Dr. Murthy sits down with Sara Bareilles, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and actress, and Celia Keenan-Bolger, Tony award-winning singer and actress. You may know more about them as performers than you do about their experiences with mental health, but this...
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Dr. Aliza Pressman: Why Parent Mental Health is Essential for Our Kids
As a parent, have you ever worried about whether you’re doing a good enough job? Do you feel the pressure to be perfect? Have you felt drained by the demands of parenting? In this deeply personal conversation, the Surgeon General (and dad of 2) and psychologist Dr. Aliza Pressman put the…
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Shankar Vedantam: How Do Our Minds Help (or Hinder) Finding Connection & Purpose? (Part 2)
What is our purpose, both individually and collectively? What lies in the balance of who we are now and who we will become? In Part Two of this episode, the Surgeon General and Shankar Vedantam, host of “Hidden Brain,” go deep into conversation about our individual and national quest for meaning...
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Shankar Vedantam: How Do Our Minds Help (or Hinder) Finding Connection & Purpose? (Part 1)
Have you ever had a moment when you’ve wanted to reach out to someone you haven’t seen in awhile, but something stops you, like the worry you’ll say the wrong thing? Or have you had the experience of assuming that someone who disagrees with you must also dislike you? It turns out, our mind can…
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Rebecca Solnit: Why Is Hope So Powerful?
What is hope and why is it so powerful? For writer Rebecca Solnit, hope is a commitment to possibility in the face of uncertainty. While many of us react to the unknown with anxiety or worry, Rebecca sees the opposite: that inherent to unpredictable circumstances is the possibility people can…
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Encore | Kate Bowler: Learning to Live When Life Falls Apart
What lessons does life’s uncertainties offer? Kate Bowler’s stage IV cancer diagnosis ushered her into a world of fear and pain. Living in 60-day increments, her future held no promises. Angry about losing the life she had created, the love of family, friends, and her faith community helped Kate...
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Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen: Q&A on Becoming a Healer
In this special Q&A episode, the Surgeon General sits down with his long-time medical school mentor, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, to talk about their journeys to becoming healers. Dr. Remen is the creator of a medical training course called “The Healer’s Art,” which Dr. Murthy took as a medical…
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Rabbi Sharon Brous: The Power of Showing Up for Each Other
What does it mean to show up for someone? What does it mean to sit with another person’s pain? And if we are hurting, why can it be so difficult to ask for help? Part of being human is learning how to accompany people through hard times. Yet our culture looks at pain as a sign of imperfection…
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Meditation for Connecting with Loved Ones
Do you have times when you miss your loved ones and just want to feel more connected? Maybe a friend or family member is sick and you can’t connect in person. Maybe you’re traveling or are away for school. I know I have these moments. And when I do, I have a meditation I turn to, one that helps…
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Dr. Lisa Miller: How Does Spirituality Protect Our Mental Health?
Can spirituality enhance our mental health? That is the question that psychologist and researcher Dr. Lisa Miller has pursued through her career. During her clinical internship after graduate school, she observed how while some of her patients had symptoms of major depression that required...
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Jon Batiste: How Do You Build the Confidence to Connect?
Do you wish it felt easier to make connections with others? In this episode, recorded live from the Barclays Center in NY, the Surgeon General and Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and composer Jon Batiste share their experiences with reaching out to others. Even with complete strangers or…
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Matthew McConaughey: What Does Success Really Mean?
Do you know someone who is struggling with loneliness? Do you ever feel the definition of success you’ve been sold your whole life isn’t right? These are some of the questions the Surgeon General and our guest, actor Matthew McConaughey, posed recently to an auditorium full of students at the...
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How Will You Connect?
Do you want to improve your mental and physical health? Deepen your friendships? Help reduce loneliness? Our relationships are an important part of our health and well-being. In this bonus episode, the Surgeon General announces the 5-for-5 Connection Challenge: to take 5 actions over 5 days to...
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Encore (Student Edition) | Laurie Santos: What Makes Us Happy?
In this episode, we re-visit a conversation with Dr. Laurie Santos, professor of Yale University’s famed “happiness” course (which has been adapted into a free online course taken by 4+ million people). As we address a youth mental health crisis, the U.S. Surgeon General and Dr. Santos talk about...
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Yo-Yo Ma: How Music Heals Us (Part 2)
Yo-Yo Ma and the Surgeon General continue the conversation about the power of music. Yo-Yo reflects on how music was an antidote to his father’s loneliness while trapped in Paris during WWII, and how Yo-Yo shared his music to comfort people during the pandemic. Continuing with personal stories...
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Yo-Yo Ma: How Music Heals Us (Part 1)
Healing can come in many forms. For world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, he sees his music as a way to create touch between humans. Tirelessly performing around the world, Yo-Yo shares his musical gift generously and collaborates with many musicians, knowing that music brings healing, solace and...
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Baratunde Thurston: What Can Nature Teach Us About Connection?
Nature matters to our ability to connect — with each other and ourselves. In this episode of House Calls, we explore how being in nature – whether it’s your local green space, or a national park, or somewhere in between – can build deep and important connections. Who better to take us on this...
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Ashley Judd & Friends: Finding Chosen Family
In this episode of House Calls, the Surgeon General talks with actress and activist Ashley Judd, who brings along three friends she calls sisters in her chosen family. This five-way conversation explores the meaning of friendship, trust, and supporting one another in times of joy and hardship.…
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Encore | Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary: Can Anxiety Be Good For Us?
The end of summer and the arrival of fall marks a time of transition. Vacation time ends and school begins. No matter your age, for many of us, these kinds of transitions mean change, and change can give rise to anxiety. We all have anxiety. It’s part of being human. The question is whether we…
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Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen: Can We All Be Healers?
How can we become healers? In these times of disconnection, we all search for sources of healing. One powerful, often untapped source is the healing we can provide for each other. For this conversation, I turned to my long-time medical school mentor, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen. Rachel is widely known...
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Encore | Susan Cain: How Do We Navigate the Joy and Sorrow of Being Human?
As we enjoy the final swing of summer, we’re sharing one of our most memorable episodes. What is the feeling you get when a sad, familiar song tugs at you? Or the exquisite pain that comes with the awareness of passing time and loves lost? Best-selling author Susan Cain identifies the…
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Encore | José Andrés: Recipe for Connection
As we enjoy the final swing of summer, we’re sharing one of our most memorable episodes on building connection. Why is food a foundation for human connection? Chef José Andrés has spent a lifetime of cooking for friends & family at home, in his many restaurants, and for people stricken by…
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Rainn Wilson: Walking A Spiritual Path In A Lonely World
Note: This episode was recorded in June 2023, prior to the SAG-AFTRA union declaring a strike. Rainn Wilson describes himself as an actor and an artist, who writes some books about spirituality on the side. As well-known as Rainn is on the screen and stage, particularly for playing Dwight on the…
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Richard Reeves: Why Are Boys And Men Struggling For Connection?
As we face an epidemic of loneliness in our country, how are men and boys struggling for connection? What’s driving the increasing rate of suicide among men? And how does our culture affect the ways in which men and boys form friendships? The Surgeon General and scholar Richard Reeves explore…
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Meet My Moai, A Powerful Friendship Tradition
Friendships don’t just happen; they take nurturing to grow and deepen. This episode is dedicated to friendships and the meaningful ways friends make our lives better. In this episode, the Surgeon General is joined by his two pals Sunny and Dave. Together, they have what’s called a moai. Moais are…
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Judy Woodruff: What Does It Mean To Really Listen?
Judy Woodruff is not done asking questions. A decorated and respected journalist, she anchored the PBS NewsHour for 15 years until she stepped down in 2022. Now, at age 79, she is traveling the country to answer: what is at the root of the division and disconnection our country faces today? And…
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Dr. Lisa Damour: How Can We Protect Teen Mental Health?
Whether it’s watching a young person struggle with a social situation, lose sleep to social media, experience loss, feel school stress, consider self-harm, or try to support a friend, so many adults worry about how kids are coping emotionally in an increasingly complex world. How can we adults...
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Eric Nam: Yes, Vulnerability is a Superpower (Even For Pop Stars)
How can vulnerability and openness help us through our darkest times and find our truest selves? For Eric Nam, a voice loved by millions around the world, this was not an easy question to answer. In his rise to K-pop stardom he wrestled with mental health, experiencing feelings of anxiety,...
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You’re Not Alone in Feeling Lonely
Loneliness is an experience so many of us have. But what’s surprising is how loneliness impacts both our mental and physical health. To mark this week’s release of a groundbreaking new Surgeon General’s advisory on loneliness & social connection, Dr. Murthy answers the most common questions he’s...
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Dr. Rangan Chatterjee: What's at the Core of Your Happiness? (Part 2)
How well do you balance your ideas of success with your happiness? And do you really understand what makes you happy? In Part Two of their conversation about stress, the Surgeon General and Dr. Rangan Chatterjee talk about how our culture of striving for more can undermine our happiness. But if…
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Dr. Rangan Chatterjee: How Stressed Are We? (And What Can We Do About It?) (Part 1)
How do you experience stress? Does it come from a hard day at work? Or being stretched too thin supporting others? Worrying about food? Living in a difficult environment? So many factors can contribute to stress, and we’re all feeling it. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee believes our stress levels are…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Do you believe conversations can heal? I do. I’m U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. When I was growing up, my father would make “house calls,” bringing medical care to patients at home. The relationships he built with his patients through conversation were an essential part of healing. On House Calls, I carry forward this tradition. In each episode, I take my guests off-script to explore how they navigate the messiness and uncertainties of life to find meaning and joy. By sharing openly what’s on our minds and in our hearts, we can find strength and healing through connection.
HOSTED BY
Office of the U.S. Surgeon General
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy have?
House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy about?
Do you believe conversations can heal? I do. I’m U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. When I was growing up, my father would make “house calls,” bringing medical care to patients at home. The relationships he built with his patients through conversation were an essential part of healing. On House...
How often does House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy release new episodes?
House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy?
You can listen to House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy?
House Calls with Dr. Vivek Murthy is created and hosted by Office of the U.S. Surgeon General.
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