Audacious with Chion Wolf spotlights the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood. Guided by deep curiosity and genuine compassion, the team behind Audacious creates space for the kinds of stories that rarely get told - and the kinds of questions we're often afraid to ask. From those speaking publicly for the very first time to voices already known around the world, every guest is met with care, and every story is honored as both deeply personal and profoundly human. For more: ctpublic.org/audacious
Latest episodes
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49 min
Audacious Live! Show & Tell in Hartford: From dragon eggs to JFK’s cake
A robot Christmas ornament. A clay golem from Prague. A piece of JFK's inauguration cake that's been around for more than six decades. No, this isn't the inventory of a particularl…
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49 min
From deathbeds to skyscrapers: The extraordinary power of the harp
How can a harp be both one of the most intimate - and one of the most enormous - instruments in the world? Tony Pederson plays his harp at the bedsides of people who are dying, lis…
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49 min
Discover a hole lot of life lessons hiding within a mini golf course
For most people, mini golf is casual. A little windmill, a little ice cream, maybe some light family trash talk. But in this episode, you'll meet competitive players who practice f…
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49 min
Secret Mall Apartment: The story behind four years of hiding in plain sight
Some people go to the mall to shop or meet up with friends at the food court or get a good walk in. Some people work there. Michael Townsend secretly lived in a mall. For four year…
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49 min
What two suicide attempt survivors want you to know about staying alive
Meet two men who survived suicide attempts, and built lives around helping others imagine a future beyond despair. Kevin Hines, one of the few to survive a jump from the Golden Gat…
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49 min
The Big E: What it takes to create 17 days of magic
Wander with the Audacious crew through 175 acres of wonder and delight to meet the people who bring The Big E to life! From a Lost & Found sage, to a fairy from the Florence Griswo…
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49 min
What is a life worth? One 9/11 widower’s fight for fairness
After Charles Wolf’s wife, Katherine, was killed in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, he found himself taking on an unlikely new role: activist. Wolf became a tireless…
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49 min
A trip to Brimfield Antique Flea Market, where old things find new people
Welcome to the Brimfield Antique Flea Market! Thousands of buyers and sellers descend on a small Massachusetts town three times a year, filling fields with furniture, vintage cloth…
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1 h 05
'I Will Always Love You': Jada Star’s musical bond with her aunt Dolly Parton
In honor of Dolly Parton, we’re rebroadcasting a conversation with her niece, singer/songwriter Jada Star. Jada shares what it was like growing up with Aunt Dolly, watching the res…
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49 min
Playboy: Two women revisit the very different lives behind their centerfolds
The Playboy Bunny is one of America’s most recognizable symbols, but it never represented a single experience. Candace Jordan was both a Bunny and a Playmate in the ‘70s, and remem…
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49 min
Journalist Scott Wallace on protecting the Amazon's last uncontacted tribes
For decades, journalist Scott Wallace has traveled the world documenting conflict, culture, and extraordinary lives. But nothing compared to a ten-week expedition through one of th…
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49 min
Our gift to you: Pinch me moments that remind us how beautiful life can be
Most days fade into the next. You make the coffee, answer the emails, run the errands, fold the laundry, try to keep up. But every once in a while, life gives you a moment that blo…
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1 h 04
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse speaks his truth. We’re listening.
When someone tells you they’ve survived sexual abuse, the conversation can feel tender for everyone involved: the person choosing what to share, and the person trying to respond wi…
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49 min
The kidney was just the beginning: Unexpected gifts after transplants
What happens when a Brooklyn woman who identifies as queer, liberal, vegan, and an atheist donates her kidney to a conservative Christian man from Virginia? Kerry Kennedy and Joey…
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49 min
A drummer, a rapper, and a violinist on disability and the art of adapting
How do you play the violin without a right hand? How do you drum after losing a leg? How do you rap and create beats when you can only move your head and shoulders? Adrian Anantawa…
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49 min
No stage? No problem! Stand-up comedy in offices, ferries, prisons, and nursing homes
When you go to a comedy club, you know what you’re there for. But what happens when comedy shows up somewhere else? Meredith Dietz describes doing stand-up in a New York City offic…
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49 min
The minds, hearts (and stomachs) of competitive eaters
Some people savor every bite. Others eat 30 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Welcome to the world of competitive eating! Visit Lake Compounce for a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest qu…
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49 min
Joe Stone, wheelchair rugby, and the full-contact art of resilience
Joe Stone grew up playing volleyball, skateboarding, and breakdancing. Then, in 2012, a car crash left him paralyzed. Doctors told him he would likely never move anything below his…
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59 min
A baby’s hot car death, a mother’s grief, and the brain science behind these tragedies
Stephanie Salvilla so deeply loved - still loves - her baby boy, Gannon. In July 2009, after a week of disrupted routines and sleepless nights, her brain went on autopilot. She dro…
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49 min
It all adds up: The joy of micro-philanthropy
When you hear “philanthropy,” you might think of millionaires, black-tie galas, or buildings named after donors. But what if you could be a philanthropist without being wealthy? In…