Conversations / Hosted by Ted Hesser
Time to follow a question somewhere interesting. Long conversations with scientists, filmmakers, entrepreneurs and explorers about what they know, how they came to know it and what they are still trying to figure out.
Science & possibility
From programming DNA with Andrew Hessel to Jim McKelvey’s ideas about clinical trials, conversations that make room for technical depth and larger questions.
Exploration & conservation
Journeys into the deep ocean, remote landscapes and the history of exploration, with guests including Victor Vescovo, Mark Synnott and Wade Davis.
People & their work
Entrepreneurs, writers and filmmakers on the decisions behind their work. The successes, the uncertainty and the ideas that keep them moving.
21 episodes · Newest first · Includes one archived recording
Business · May 20, 2025
The Enduring Ventures cofounder makes the case for buying overlooked businesses and owning them for the long term. Drawing on Better World Books and Zola Electric, Xavier examines permanent capital, the limits of venture funding, and the difficult relationship between profit and purpose.
Exploration · Apr 21, 2025
A vanished Arctic expedition opens a conversation about what sends people into the unknown. Mark retraces the Franklin mystery through Inuit oral history and his own Northwest Passage journey, then turns to Everest, expedition relationships, and the pull between family and risk.
Conservation · Mar 24, 2025
From Patagonia’s early days to national parks in Chile and rewilding in Argentina, Kris traces a life spent turning convictions into action. She shares the stories behind Pumalín and the return of species to Iberá, and the teamwork required to make conservation last.
Business · Jan 30, 2025
The Square cofounder connects entrepreneurial timing with decisions made inside the Federal Reserve during economic crises. Jim also explains his ambitions for faster clinical trials, considers machine learning in lending, and reflects on why wealth, frugality, and happiness do not fit a simple formula.
Science · Jan 3, 2025
Happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky examines how gratitude, kindness, culture, and the goals we choose shape daily wellbeing. Ted and Sonja also explore rumination, meaningful spending, and the questions AI and virtual reality raise about our pursuit of a happier life.
Film & culture · Dec 7, 2024
Tara Palmeri examines the tension between personal convictions and the demands of covering presidential politics. The conversation follows shifting party coalitions, media trust, and the rise of independent reporting.
Archived episode · Recording currently unavailable.
Film & culture · Nov 6, 2024
The director of An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for Superman reflects on the career setbacks, relationships, and creative decisions behind his work. Ted and Davis discuss access to powerful people, the criticism that comes with political filmmaking, and what AI might mean for the craft.
Business · Oct 24, 2024
Belkin began with a practical problem: connecting the first generation of personal computers. Founder Chet Pipkin retraces the decisions that grew a garage business into a global brand, including manufacturing overseas, building lasting relationships, and putting service at the center of leadership.
Science · Sep 2, 2024
Writing DNA brings the language of computing into biology. Andrew Hessel explores synthetic viruses, personalized medicine, and digitized laboratories, while considering the biosecurity, transparency, and international cooperation needed as the ability to engineer living systems expands.
Film & culture · Aug 16, 2024
Leslie Odom Jr. recalls leaving a lucrative television deal to join Hamilton, then turns to the work that happens away from the stage. Fatherhood, the song Loved, race, mentorship, and the fleeting nature of live performance become ways into a conversation about art and practicing love.
Business · Aug 8, 2024
Building d.light meant navigating financial crises while trying to bring solar power to people beyond the grid. Nedjip Tozun discusses the decisions that kept the mission alive, the place of faith in his life, and his outlook on fusion, carbon capture, and the future of energy.
Science · Aug 2, 2024
Colossal’s plans for the mammoth, thylacine, and dodo put a provocative question on the table: what should we do with the ability to rewrite biology? Ben Lamm discusses de-extinction, skepticism, conservation, and the potential medical applications of research into elephants and cancer.
Exploration · Jul 16, 2024
National Geographic photographer Cory Richards reflects on reaching the top of the adventure world and the mental health challenges that led him to step back. Drawing on his memoir The Color of Everything, this conversation between friends explores trauma, healing, and the place of art in making sense of a life.
Business · May 22, 2024
Peak Design’s founder examines the choices behind building a company without outside investors and putting employees, customers, and the environment into its decisions. The conversation gets specific about carbon offsets, greenwashing, PFAS, employee compensation, and what a brand’s values demand in practice.
Exploration · Apr 30, 2024
An intimate conversation with a friend and fellow photographer, moving from their Kuril Islands expedition to faith, family, and life online. Chris discusses raising children in a digital world, advocating against open-net salmon farming, and his family’s move to Iceland.
Science · Apr 10, 2024
Science writer David Quammen connects viruses, contagious cancers, and conservation through the possibilities and limits of synthetic biology. The discussion moves from zoonotic spillover to genetic engineering, weighing scientific ambition against ecological consequences, public health, and individual liberty.
Science · Nov 28, 2023
Climate scientist Mark Jacobson’s work brings scientific conviction into direct contact with public policy and academic criticism. Ted explores his research on black carbon, his case for renewable energy, and the disputes that raise difficult questions about advocacy, evidence, and disagreement in science.
Exploration · Nov 8, 2023
From Navy SEAL training to mountain speed records, Jack Kuenzle offers a window into the mind behind extraordinary endurance efforts. With Denali, Rainier, Shasta, and the Bob Graham Round as reference points, Ted explores how Jack trains and keeps pushing through hours of exertion in thin air.
Film & culture · Sep 19, 2023
Wade Davis follows the connections between plants, cultures, and the paths a life can take, from Harvard to the Amazon. Stories of botanical exploration and psychedelic history open into a conversation about cultural knowledge, human relationships with nature, and the chance encounters that shape a career.
Film & culture · Aug 29, 2023
The author of The Art Thief examines the strange intimacy of writing about people who break the rules. Mike Finkel discusses his departure from The New York Times Magazine, rebuilding a writing career, and the balance between narrative power, access, and truth in nonfiction.
Exploration · Aug 29, 2023
Victor Vescovo brings a deep-ocean explorer’s perspective to the limits of technology and the choices that shape exploration. Ted and Victor discuss submersible safety after the Titan tragedy, asteroid versus seabed mining, biotechnology, and lessons from his years in Navy intelligence.
New projects
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