The Listen Podcast

In this month’s episode, David reflects on the values and principles that shape ethical behavior, from lessons learned in childhood to the difficult decisions we face later in life. Through stories from family life, medical training, and decades of medical practice, he explores the difference between knowing the right thing to do and actually doing it, especially when circumstances make the choice less clear. Together, we examine how ethics are taught, how culture influences our sense of right and wrong, and why many of life's most important moral questions exist not in black and white, but in shades of gray.

In this episode, David reflects on how his early experiences with money shaped the way he understands security, work, and self-reliance. Through stories from his childhood and adult life, he considers the habits that endure long after circumstances change: the instinct to repair rather than replace, to save rather than spend, and to measure wealth not by excess but by having all your needs met. Together, we explore the meaning of “enough,” the habits formed by hardship, and the complicated relationship between success, self-worth, and the fear of going without. 

In this conversation, David reflects on work and purpose across a lifetime, from childhood chores on a farm to decades as a surgeon and an active retirement. He considers what it means to feel truly useful, the satisfaction of developing skills, and the instinct to restore what’s broken or neglected. Together, we explore the discipline of practice, the value of perseverance, and the deeper fulfillment that comes from doing something well, especially when it matters most. 

In this third conversation, David reflects on education—not only as schooling, but as a lifelong process shaped by opportunity, inequality, discipline, and curiosity. He considers how the playing field shifts after childhood, why some students flourish while others struggle, and what it really means to learn across a lifetime. We explore the fragility of attention, the responsibility of teachers, and the evolving wisdom that comes from experience, humility, and continued growth.

In this second conversation, David looks back on the relationships that shaped him —from the quiet confidence instilled by his mother to teachers, mentors, colleagues, and even the animals who helped forge his path. We explore how encouragement, trust, and shared effort create lasting bonds, and how tending relationships gives life meaning over time. 

In this first conversation, David reflects on a lifetime in medicine, from his early ideals as a young doctor to the realities of practicing healthcare over decades. We talk about what society misunderstands about health, what still matters most, and what technology has given us… and quietly taken away.

Are you curious about what coaching is, and how it can help youto open new possibilities in your life? Have a listen to this samplecoaching session to see how this powerful exploration might beright for you.

A young man pursues the career he thinks he wants, but begins tofeel farther and farther from his center. Feeling he’s lost his way,he begins to study and practice ontological coaching, and in theprocess his confusion and sadness turn into light and focus.

Following stage 4 cancer, an executive decides to revamp her life,get to know herself and discover how she can contribute to thegreater good. She finds everything she is looking for inontological coaching.

After experiencing the loss of her first son, just eight days after his birth, a young mother learns to grow around her grief – first by bringing her second son into the world, and then by becoming a life and loss coach, dedicated to helping others transform the pain of loss into strength.

When a young newlywed is diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and her journey to motherhood is put on hold, she decides to look at the challenge as an opportunity to learn all about pregnancy and postpartum, and launches a new podcast in the process.

A British journalist living and raising her children in Barcelona embraces the unknowns of motherhood by founding MumAbroad, one of Europe's leading online resources for international families.

A holistic health counselor opens up about menopause, the importance of educating the men in our lives, and removing the taboos around this key transitional moment.

After casting aside the limits imposed by her Scottish immigrant parents and practicing law for decades, a woman embraces the joy she feels while working in the garden and decides to go back to school for a Masters in Applied Theology at age 62.

A lifetime of letter-writing inspires a retired French professor to compile her unsent correspondence to her favorite authors in the book Letters to Men of Letters.

A journalist collaborates with artists of all types to get the word out about a wide variety of crimes taking place on the world’s oceans.

A war correspondent overwhelmed with the pain and suffering surrounding her on assignment in the Middle East takes action by founding INARA - an NGO providing medical care to child victims of war.

After falling in love with the internationalism and common humanity of Greenpeace, a young woman returns to her native Greece to advise the government on environmental issues, and then founds an online magazine and podcast.

After spending his childhood and young adulthood working with wood, a craftsman is ready for a challenge. When he sees an unvarnished instrument hanging in the window of the Welsh School of Violin Making, his course is set.

A boy in rural Indiana discovers the joy of singing in a barbershop quartet, and is launched into a life of music.

As a university student, a young trumpet major is told that if hewants to be a great band director, first he’ll have to become agreat musician.

It was his grandmother who told him to observe nature carefully.Then she named him after his grandfather, who owned his ownland and livestock in Kenya, and all of these elements began topop up in his artwork.

After her animated short for Cartoon Network receives overwhelming acclaim and over 5.5 million views on YouTube, a writer and storyteller is asked to bring her talents to the new  animation division at Netflix.

Growing up in a home bursting with creativity – music, literature,theatre and more – a young boy begins to draw and discovers thatit is the source of his own joy.

The Listen Podcast will be taking a breather while we cook up more episodes! Meanwhile, if you’ve missed a week or two, now is the perfect time to catch up. There are nearly 50 cross-cultural interviews available wherever you get your podcasts, and you’ll find links to Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify on our website at www.thelistenpodcast.com. We’ll be back before you know it with more thought-provoking interviews exploring the stories of Americans abroad and how they got there.

She began as a reader on the bookmobile in her small New Jersey town. Her next chapter was as a writer, but these days she lives on an olive farm in Italy, and she’s back to reading in her role as a coach, guiding authors through the process of writing their own books.

As a young man, author Noah Charney dreamed of living in Europe. Anywhere in Europe. In fact, he tried out life in some six different countries before landing in Slovenia, the country that would steal his heart.

A mother based in Spain is offered a monthly book subscription from her children’s grandmother in the US. Offput by the shipping charges and red tape, she decides to start a company that offers the same benefits for kids in Europe. Amazingly, she launches the business while on lockdown in the early days of the pandemic.

She’s thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. She’s trekked in Nepal with a 3- and 5-yr-old. She’s taught all over the world. But the groundwork for these adventures was laid when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central America.

Raised in the Belgian Congo, a young American signs up for the Peace Corps and is assigned to a feedlot project in Lesotho. She plans to employ her animal husbandry skills, but finds she is called by her faith to care for vulnerable children.

A young woman volunteers for the Peace Corps straight out of college. The skills she develops there – speaking French, becoming resilient, learning the local customs – will pave the way for her career as an expert in African democracy and development.

A young couple flies to Lesotho to meet the little boy they’ve adopted, but all the clothes they’ve brought will have to wait until he grows into them because as it turns out, he’s only 18 months old. Just a year or two later, it’s the Democratic Republic of Congo that awaits when they make the trip to meet their daughter.  This time around, they’re expecting a 5-year-old and are met by an 8-year-old.

Fresh out of college, a young writer accepts a job with an NGO, which takes her to Africa on several trips. The connections she makes there – with primates, with nature, with local communities – will give her a new perspective that lends her writing a sense of joy and delight. 

A college senior suffers a stroke just weeks before her graduation. After four years of rehabilitation, she feels called to take a “victory lap,” visiting every continent on earth, including Africa.

Two 20-somethings with a dream of teaching overseas hop on a plane to Spain and hope for the best. What they find is far more than they could have expected, leading them on adventures to Turkey, the UAE, Taiwan and beyond.

When Laura Kitchin decided to move to Barcelona, she knew she would be teaching English there. What she didn’t know was that she would be enjoying three-hour dinners, traveling to several countries each year, and getting an up-close look at the independence movement in Catalonia.

Five weeks after his 1991 wedding, Willie White and his new bride were working in Saudi Arabia. Over the next 30 years, they would travel, live and work in more than 50 countries, she as an engineer, he as an English teacher.

As a child, Phyllis felt embarrassed by the food her mother packed in her lunchbox, and rebelled against the Chinese school she had to attend on Sundays. But now, she seeks these same experiences for her young son, striving to find the right balance between her parents’ culture, her husband’s culture and American culture. Phyllis…

As a young girl growing up in LA, Jacqui took it for granted that she was Hispanic. Then came a questioning, a trying on of other labels like Chicana and Latina, and ultimately the feeling that identity is fluid in essence. Jacqui Amezcua is an alum of Dickinson College, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she…

A young Punjabi bride raises her daughters in Maryland under a cloud of fear. As the girls grow up, they embrace their independence while continuing to respect their parents’ traditions, including the prospect of arranged marriage. Sisters Bhavneet and Taranjit Athwal are the co-hosts of the Drive With Us Podcast. (Check out Kate’s interview on…

When Emily Powers was in 5th grade, her mother Nicole Powers (S11, E2) turned herself in for forgery, after stealing from her employer to support her drug addiction. Incredibly, the way Emily responded to this crisis was to lean into her studies, to such an extent that she was honored with a nomination to West…

As a young single mother, Nicole Powers slid down a slippery slope from alcohol and pot to an addiction to pain pills after they were prescribed for shoulder problems. It wasn’t long before she was introduced to heroin. After stealing from her employer to support her drug habit, she turned herself in on forgery charges…

When Purdue Pharma began to coach physicians to include pain as the fifth vital sign, it led to over-prescription and ultimately, the worst drug crisis in American history. A retired physician, Dr. Jetmore currently serves as the Health Officer in Wayne County, Indiana. In his interview, he talks us through how the opioid crisis began…

This interview was a real eye-opener. Ana described what a life-changing experience it was to leave her native Spain for Finland, where she finished her architectural studies and worked designing learning environments. She also talked us through the overwhelming influence of built space on the behavior and well-being of all humans. “Space is a teaching…

A solid foundation is laid over four years at Juilliard, and incredible experience is gained over 25 years working on the stage and screen. Now, an actor uses her hard-won perspective and wisdom to coach her clients. My dear friend Lauren and I could talk for hours, and sometimes we do! So glad we could…

A single mom self-soothes by going through the drive-thru and eating alone in her car, but the pounds pile on. After many failed attempts at losing weight, she reaches out for help, vowing to break the cycle. Jen Pendleton has lost and gained more pounds than she cares to count. In 2014, she reached an…

Michelle and I used to tell other people’s stories as actors in NYC, but she has found her own voice as an author, and she’s using it! My son loved the first two books in her trilogy The Girl, the Pendant and the Portal, and is eagerly awaiting the release of the final novel. She…

Jennifer Niven thought James Bird would be a perfect fit for The Listen Podcast, and she could not have been more on point! James has a strong sure voice, and he is using it – to speak up for indigenous people, for children, and for all those who need our support.  “First I wanna connect…

My conversation with Jennifer did not disappoint! Like two Hoosiers sitting around catching up, we touched on lots of subjects, shared some belly laughs, and came to some common insights. An author plans to hole up and write on a remote island, but on the very first day she meets and falls in love with…

Welcome back to The Listen Podcast! Join us on Monday, October 5th as we kick off Season 9, a series of interviews featuring Writers of Young Adult Fiction.  Meanwhile, if you've missed any episodes from our first eight seasons, now is the...