Get Connected

Dr. Jocelynne Rainey is President and CEO of Brooklyn Org, making local philanthropy more accessible, democratic, and community driven. Each year, Brooklyn Org partners with area residents to invest more than $5 million in high-impact nonprofits advancing racial justice at every level across the borough. Our conversation tackles the racial disparity between leadership and the workforce in the human services sector. For more, visit Brooklyn.org.

Dr. Tovah Klein is a child psychologist and researcher who has spent the last three decades working with families of children and teens, with a recent focus on childhood trauma. Her new book is RAISING RESILIENCE:  HOW TO HELP OUR CHILDREN THRIVE IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY. 

One of the premiere events in tennis, The US Open kicks off with FAN Week, August 18 to August 25.  It’s a singular event in sports, where grounds of The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center are entirely free and open to the public with activities for all ages. Our guest is USTA’s Nicole Kankam, Managing Director, Pro Tennis Marketing and Entertainment.  For more, visit USopen.org.

The coming school year will see even more demands on NYC teachers, with a looming cell phone ban to enforce, a potential universal dress code and a teacher shortage. Should prospective teachers take a detour into public service?  Our guest is Annie Kessler, Executive Director of City Year New York, an education based non-profit, recruiting and developing young Americorps members to become student success coaches. For more, visit cityyear.org.

On Saturday, September 14th is BIKE HSS, hosted by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the top-ranked orthopedic hospital in the nation. BIKE HSS a one-day cycling ride in and around Westchester County to support better mobility. We get ready for the ride with Dr. Joel Press, Physiatrist-in-Chief at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. For more, visit HSS.edu

In PARENTING AT YOUR CHILD’S PACE:  A parenting guide backed by science and rooted in holistic health practices, by Dr. Joel Warsh, offers practical answers to modern health questions, using a blend of Western and holistic medicine. Dr. Joel Warsh (a.k.a. Dr. Gator), is an award-winning integrative and holistic pediatrician in Los Angeles, CA. For more, visit parentingatyourchildspace.com.

NYC’s Battery Dance performs on the world’s stages and builds bridges through international cultural exchange programs—to date, in over 70 countries. In summer, Battery Dance plays host to dancers and companies throughout the world via the Battery Dance Festival. The free, outdoor festival is August 11-17 at Rockefeller Park, Battery Park City, NYC at 7PM ET. Our guest is founder and Artistic Director of Battery Dance, Jonathan Hollander. For more, visit BatteryDance.org.

As climate change tops the list of public health concerns, we’ll take a look at how extreme changes in temperature affect our mental health and behavior. Our guest is Dr. Joseph Galasso, Clinical Psychologist and Chief Executive Officer at Baker Street Behavioral Health. Baker Street Behavioral Health offers psychology, sport psychology, neuropsychology and psychiatry for children, adolescents, adults and families in New Jersey, and telehealth and online sessions to patients in more than 35 states. For more, visit bakerstreetpsych.com.

The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence, founded by Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, recognizes and celebrates extraordinary New York City public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. Our guests are 2024 Manhattan Grand Prize Winner Dr. Gifty Asamani, from The High School for Math, Science and Engineering, and Queens Grand Prize Winner Aaron Lober, from Halsey Middle School 157. For more details, including 2025 application information, visit flagaward.org.

Journalist Johann Hari takes a deep dive into Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs in new book MAGIC PILL: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight Loss Drugs. Johann Hari is the author of three New York Times best-selling books: Chasing The Scream, Lost Connections, and Stolen Focus. His TED talks have been viewed more than 90 million times.

Lynnae Brown and Toshia Parks represent non-profit Community Access' preeminent job training program, Howie The Harp. Named for its late founder, Howie, the program trains New Yorkers with a history of mental health concerns for jobs as "peers" in the human services sector, working with others who are experiencing similar mental health needs.  For more, visit communityaccess.org.

79 years ago the first nuclear weapon was detonated in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in a test that ushered in the age of nuclear warfare. Since then, the US has been closer to nuclear war many more times than most Americans would guess. Should nucelar war come to pass…what would happen? Is there such a thing as being prepared? Annie Jacobsen’s new book is Nuclear War: A Scenario.  Jacobsen is the author of the Pulitzer Prize Finalist in History THE PENTAGON'S BRAIN, the New York Times bestsellers AREA 51, OPERATION PAPERCLIP, and other books.

The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, a National Historic Landmark, is not only one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries, it is renowned for arts and cultural programs. Our guest is composer and pianist Adam Tender, The Green-Wood Cemetery’s Artist-in-Residence, presenting Exit Strategy, an installation that explores the ephemerality of our own lives and the physical belongings we leave behind. For more, visit green-wood.com and adamtendler.com.

Women’s hormonal problems have sky-rocketed in the past 3 decades. At present 80% of women will struggle with some form of hormonal problem in their lifetime. Not only that - our daughters are entering puberty earlier than ever. Dr. Aviva Romm is a Yale trained physician with a specialty in women’s health and obstetrics, a midwife, and herbalist. Her book is HORMONE INTELLIGENCE:  The Complete Guide to Calming Hormone Chaos and Restoring Your Body’s Natural Blueprint for Wellbeing.

Lincoln Center’s "Summer For The City" Series continues through August 10th, including over 200 free and choose-what-you-pay events. Shanta Thanke, Executive Vice President and Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, highlights performances during India Week, July 10-14. For more, visit LincolnCenter.org.

Frank Sztuk is Senior Vice President of Investigative services at Delta Group, and Chair of the Public Outreach Committee for the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud. We chat about types of crimes on the rise, and ways to identify and protect ourselves from insurance fraud at home, on the road, and elsewhere. For more, visit Fraudny.com.

The New York City area is home to thousands of professional dancers on working Broadway, as company members, as teachers, and as freelance performers. What are dance careers like in NYC, right now? Our guest is Candace Thompson-Zachery, Co-Executive Director of Dance/NYC, an advocacy group for dancers, with details from their NYC Dance Industry Census, and their campaign to address industry challenges. For more, visit dance.nyc.

At just 16, Payalm Zamanie escaped religious persecution in Iran by crossing 1500 miles of desert, with a dream of becoming an entrepreneur in the U.S. Just ten years after he arrived, he was the founder of a record-breaking, billion-dollar IPO. Payam recounts his incredible story of survival, faith, optimism and grit in his book CROSSING THE DESERT: The Power of Embracing Life's Difficult Journeys. Payam Zamani is a serial entrepreneur, internet pioneer, angel investor and the founder of One Planet Group.

In 2024 there are a record number of jobs in New York City, and entrepreneurship is vibrant – 1 in 7 businesses were started in the past year, a rate four times higher than the 2019 average. In the fall of 2020, the five borough-wide chambers of commerce launched the Small Business Resource Network (SBRN) – a comprehensive approach to small business resiliency, offering free, personalized guidance and support to help businesses grow and thrive. Our guest is Tom Grech, President and CEO, Queens Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Small Business Resource Network. For more visit nycsmallbusinessresourcenetwork.org.

Imagine the journey to becoming a mother without a partner. Our guest made the choice to take fertility into her own hands, and tells her story, while reporting on the fertility industry, for her memoir INCONCEIVABLE: Super Sperm Donors, Off-the-Grid Insemination & Unconventional Family Planning. Valerie Bauman is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience. She is an investigative reporter at Newsweek. Previously, she was a senior investigative reporter and senior legal reporter at Bloomberg Law, where she covered pharmaceutical litigation.