Ep. 165: John Palfrey, Defender of the Arts (Brought to you by the MacArthur Foundation).
Grief Is My Side HustleShow Notes
As Meghan always says, "Art may not solve all your problems, but it CAN save your life." There's definitely a few champions of this philosophy in the world, of course- certainly artists themselves.
Today, however, we are lucky enough to be hosting the remarkable John Palfrey, President of the MacArthur Foundation. The MacArthur Foundation is famous for many things, namely their eponymous grant of $800,000, awarded to fellows of extraordinary talent so that they may support their work long-term.
John Palfrey is an educator, scholar, and law professor. His areas of focus include emerging media, Internet freedom, online transparency and accountability, and child safety. In short, he's a defender of miracles, and we're so lucky to hear from him on this episode about how important it is to not lose sight of our original point: ART SAVES LIVES.
Thank you for tuning in, this week and always. If you like what you hear, please rate and review us where possible and tell a friend!
More about John:https://www.macfound.org/ https://www.instagram.com/johnpalfrey/
More from Grief Is My Side Hustle
Danielle Crittenden is a journal who's world was cleaved in two: into the life before her daughter Miranda was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment, and the life after. In this luminous memoir, Crittenden maps the territory of profound loss with the clarity of a foreign correspondent filing reports from a country no parent ever wishes to visit. She is a journalist, author, and former host of the podcast The Femsplainers, known for her incisive and original commentary on women, family, and modern life. In addition to writing a popular monthly newsletter on Substack, her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and more. She is the author of five books, including What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman, praised by Vanity Fair as the work of "one of the most important new thinkers about women and family." Her novel Amanda Bright @ Home was the first modern work of fiction to be serialized in The Wall Street Journal. She is also co-author of the cookbook From a Polish Country House Kitchen, written with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Anne Applebaum. Born in Toronto, she now lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, journalist and author David Frum.
Today Meghan sits down with the extraordinary Paolo Presta to talk about how honoring his beloved mother's life and death informs the passion and purpose he and his husband, Patrick pursue daily. Paolo has always been a big dreamer. Growing up in a large Italian family in Chicago, his dream was always to be a part of the entertainment business in Hollywood. It seemed impossible at the time, so he knew he needed a little help. For years, Paolo wrote to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" asking Oprah to help him fulfill that dream. Finally, in November of 2004, Oprah Winfrey surprised Paolo at his father's grocery store and gave him a speaking role on NBC's "Will & Grace". His reaction is regarded as one of the greatest surprise moments in "The Oprah Show" history! He then moved to Los Angeles where he transitioned from acting to working behind the scenes in the world of daytime talk shows ("The Ellen DeGeneres Show" & "The Talk"). All of those experiences brought Paolo to fulfill his greatest life-long dream of hosting his own talk show. His greatest mission is to show people that with a big dream and a lot of hard work, anything is possible!
Helping People and Organizations Navigate Change with Resilience, Connection & Purpose Kate Doerge is a USA TODAY bestselling author, motivational speaker, certified grief coach, and founder of Penny’s Flight Foundation. Through heartfelt storytelling, research-backed insights, and practical strategies, Kate inspires audiences to navigate change, embrace resilience, and lead lives filled with greater purpose and connection. After losing her father, her mother, and her 16-year-old daughter, Penny, Kate made the choice to transform unimaginable loss into a movement centered on hope, action, and possibility. That journey became the foundation for her bestselling book, Reimagining Grief, and the keynote presentations she now shares with organizations, leadership teams, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and conferences across the country. Kate’s presentations are emotional without being heavy, inspiring without being cliché, and always grounded in practical tools audiences can begin using immediately.
Today Meghan Talks talk Work Health with Ellen Kelsay.
Amanda McCracken dated over 100 men by her late thirties, certain she was doing everything right to find lasting love. She wasn't. At 39, her therapist handed her the word that finally made sense of it all: limerence — an obsessive, addictive longing that feels like love but runs on fantasy instead of reality. Ten years of research (and a lot of hard-won self-honesty) later, Amanda is a journalist and self-described "limerence expert" whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Vogue, National Geographic, and NPR. Her new memoir, When Longing Becomes Your Lover, blends neuroscience, cultural criticism, and raw personal story to unpack why we chase people who can't love us back — and how to stop. She hosts the podcast The Longing Lab, gave a TEDx talk on the subject, and coaches writers and speakers out of Boulder, Colorado, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Social handles