Revealing, intimate conversations with visionaries and leaders in the arts, science, technology, public service, sports and business. These engaging personal stories are drawn from interviews with the American Academy of Achievement, and offer insights you’ll want to apply to your own life.
Latest episodes
-
47 min
Ashley Gorley: 12 Note Genius
He has written more #1 songs than anyone... 83 of them to be precise... most of them country. Ashley Gorley's songs have been recorded by many of the biggest names in Nashville, in…
-
53 min
Katie Ledecky: The Call Of The Water
She sent shockwaves through the world of competitive swimming, when she won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, beating out the favorites by a wide margin. She was 15 years old. Kat…
-
42 min
Cindy Sherman: Illusions of Identity
Cindy Sherman, one of the world's most renowned contemporary art photographers, started posing for her own photos in the 1970's, long before the advent of selfies. But she says her…
-
50 min
Tara VanDerveer: A Vision for Victory
She is one of the greatest basketball coaches in history, and an inspiration to generations of young women. Tara VanDerveer was head coach of the Stanford Women's Basketball team f…
-
51 min
Billie Jean King: Racquet Revolutionary
She is a sports icon and a trailblazer for women. She won 39 Grand Slam tennis titles during her career, and she fought for equal pay and equal opportunity for women in the game. S…
-
35 min
Jane Goodall In Memoriam: A Dedicated Pursuit
As a girl in England, Jane Goodall dreamed of traveling to Africa to study animals in the wild. In 1960, that dream brought her to Tanzania, to observe the wild chimpanzees at Gomb…
-
59 min
Lotte Bjerre Knudsen: Shivering with Curiosity
Ozempic is one of the most important new medications in a generation. The driving force behind it is the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, which has been invested in GLP-…
-
51 min
Gustavo Dudamel: The Power of Music
When he was just 26 years old, Gustavo Dudamel arrived from Venezuela to become conductor and music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He immediately became one of the world…
-
20 min
BestOf(2024)_Johnny Cash: True To His Own Voice
Johnny Cash had a voice that could make a mountain quake. And his impact on the world of music is so legendary that this week a new 11 feet tall bronze statue of the singer, guitar…
-
33 min
In Memoriam_James Earl Jones: The Voice of Triumph
In honor of James Earl Jones, who has died at the age of 93, we bring you this encore episode. James Earl Jones had a voice like no other. It reverberated so deeply that you could…
-
50 min
In Memoriam_Edna O'Brien: Love, Loss and Literature
In honor of Edna O'Brien, who died this week at 93, we invite you to listen to this re-broadcast of our episode. Edna O'Brien's first novel, "The Country Girls," was banned in Irel…
-
59 min
Pete Townshend: Who I Am
One of the greatest and most admired rock n’ rollers of all time talks about his long and fascinating life in music. Pete Townshend, guitarist and songwriter for The Who, now 79 ye…
-
26 min
Willie Mays: For the Love of the Game_In Memoriam
We invite you to honor and celebrate the great Willie Mays, who died this week at the age of 93, by taking a listen to the stories he told about his life on this episode. It was on…
-
45 min
Jeff Koons: Contemporary Art Phenomenon
Jeff Koons is one of the most successful artists of our time. For 40+ years, his iconic works have brought a sense of playfulness to museums worldwide, and sometimes a bit of contr…
-
58 min
Best of (Nobel Prize Edition) - Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman: The Vaccine Revolution
The COVID-19 vaccine came out at warp speed because of the work of these two scientists. This week, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In celebration, we…
-
42 min
Best Of - Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind
Gordon Lightfoot has died, at the age of 84. He spoke with the Academy of Achievement last year, and we featured that interview in an episode. To honor the legendary singer and son…
-
59 min
T.J. Stiles and David Blight: The Epic Life
These two Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers have spent their careers delving into the lives of Americans who changed the course of U.S. history. T.J. Stiles and David Blight talk…
-
1 h 09
Best of - Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding: Jazz Invention
Wayne Shorter was a legendary saxophonist and composer whose career began in the 1950's and spanned the development of modern jazz. Mr. Shorter died this week, at the age of 89. To…
-
59 min
Best Of - Neil Sheehan and David Halberstam: Truth Seekers
Fifty years ago today (January 27, 1973), the United States' military involvement in the Vietnam War came to an end, with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. We mark that occas…
-
33 min
Best Of - Maya Angelou (Part 2): In the Spirit of Martin
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we treat you to a re-broadcast of this episode from 2017. Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King Jr. were close friends, years before Angelou b…