“On Being has been the sonic accompaniment to millions of people, myself included, as we move through our days, as we’re stuck in traffic, cooking dinner, raising families, or alone in the private dark in the wee hours of the morning. It has become the backdrop of life, bolstered by the life-giving, deeply erudite, and spiritually rich conversations. In this way, the show proves that to be and to live are two sides of the same coin — and, for so many of us, it is the coin of the realm.”

Listen to Ocean Vuong’s On Being episode, “A Life Worthy of Our Breath”

“There have been many episodes that have made me just stop in my tracks — literally. (I pause the episode on my phone in the middle of the sidewalk, hit rewind, and listen to the sentence again and again, capturing it on my notes file in my phone!)

One episode that has stayed with me was Krista’s conversation with Paulo Coelho. In it, he says people ask him how he’s been married to the same woman for 40 years, and he says, ‘Simple, she’s not the same woman. (And I’m not the same man.) We’ve both changed.’ He compares their marriage to a house, and when the house no longer fit, they changed the walls. I loved this so very much, because it was such a powerful and simple way to capture love and change and conflict and re-formation.”

Listen to Priya Parker’s On Being episode, “Remaking Gathering: Entering the Mess, Crossing the Thresholds“.

“John O’Donohue was a very good friend, not only to myself, but through his words, his diction, and his bird-of-paradise vocabulary, to many thousands of listeners and readers around the world. This interview, drawn out so beautifully and with so much conversational virtuosity by Krista, is a gorgeously distilled, single malt essence of his mind, his heart, and the sheer living, consoling, inviting, restful, almost overwhelming intimacy of his beautiful voice.”

Listen to David Whyte’s On Being episode, “Seeking Language Large Enough“.

“On Being allows me to slow down and hear more possibilities for how to be in this world. Colette [Pichon Battle] is one of the incredible teachers I love slowing down to learn from. She helps me feel grounded in what is right now, and how much we are capable of.”

Listen to adrienne marie brown’s On Being episode, “We are in a time of new suns“.

“I’ve been a devoted listener to On Being for more than ten years, especially here in my two-room apartment in suburban Japan. It’s what keeps me company on dark winter nights. I love the fact that I can hear 89 minutes of intimate conversation—which in this case allows me to listen to two friendly monks chat about science fiction before they know Krista is already listening and then, at the end, hope that they won’t get excommunicated.

Where else will I ever get to spend an hour and a half with Vatican astronomers, who are not much in the public eye, even if they are the eyes of us all? Both have asteroids named after them, and one took part in astronaut training—as Krista pointed out. But all that excites them seems to lie beyond what they know, in the heavens and in the heart. Listening to the show, more than once, reminded me of the words of the great, Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk: “The world is ecstasy to those who truly see.”

Listen to Pico Iyer’s On Being episode, “The Urgency of Slowing Down“.

“I own a mirror and married a very honest person, so I maintain a healthy knowledge of my shortcomings as a human. And one of the greatest sources of medicine to keep me feeling okay about myself with that knowledge is the On Being podcast, created and hosted by this award-winning person. It’s just an incredible, never-ending conversation about spirituality and curiosity and creativity with touches of science and nature. And so, I remain an ardent fan.

I’m very grateful [Krista Tippett] helps us figure out what it means to be human and, and how we should interact with one another as family members and neighbors and, and citizens. For example, I’m very good at shoveling and carrying luggage, and by listening to On Being, I’m able to use those skills to my best advantage.”

Listen to Nick Offerman’s On Being episode, “Working with Wood and the Meaning of Life“.

“Again and again the conversations in On Being open windows in my thinking and let the wind blow through. I can feel my imagination stretching. The genuine curiosity and questioning between Krista and her guests is organic and palpably mutual — it reminds me of sitting with a wise friend, watching the clouds and sharing what we see.”

Listen to Robin Wall Kimmerers’ On Being episode, “The Intelligence of Plants“.

“There’s something slow and sometimes digressive and caring about the listening that tries to happen on that show, which is something I am grateful, and so hungry for. Slow, digressive, caring listening. Listening that can abide the silence, and the ‘I don’t know.’ It’s just occurring to me that some of my favorite episodes — Teju Cole, Robin Wall Kimmerer — I listened to while gardening, which at its best is also patient, digressive listening. Also known as care.”

Listen to Ross Gay’s On Being episode, “Tending Joy and Practicing Delight“.

“On Being conversations continue to enliven and awaken me to new ways of seeing. This episode with John O’Donohue may well be my favorite. The musicality and color of his language is a delight.”

Listen to Rick Rubin’s On Being episode, “Magic, Everyday Mystery, and Getting Creative“.