What drives a person to spend a lifetime fighting for others, and what does it cost them? Dr. Suzanne Ross, clinical psychologist and lifelong activist, traces her path from wartime refugee to courtroom advocate, exploring how identity, love, and community sustain activists through fear, loss, and exhaustion.
Deception is not a human failing but a survival strategy woven through all of nature. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti trace mimicry and camouflage from animals and flowers to human imposture, fictitious illness, and the social masks people wear, asking when self-presentation becomes pathology and how to find the rare relationships where none of it is necessary.
Legendary alto saxophonist Sonny Fortune joins Armand DiMele and Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, to trace how Fortune went from corrugated box factory worker and teenage father in Philadelphia to one of jazz’s most celebrated voices. The conversation moves through early perseverance, the power of mentors, and what separates artists who endure from those who walk away.
Belonging requires more than membership. Armand DiMele draws on University of Michigan research to argue that fitting in matters as much as formal ties to family, work, or country. Callers share how volunteering, nature, and shared love (not shared hatred) create genuine connection.
Healthy self-love and pathological narcissism are not the same thing. Armand and psychiatrist Dr. Frank Yeoman trace the spectrum from perfectionistic collapse (illustrated by the poem “Richard Corey”) to envy, aggression, and celebrity worship, arguing that most narcissistic suffering stems from an inability to feel genuinely good about oneself.
Romantic partnership has never been more varied or more confusing. Clinical psychologist Dr. Annalisa Erba traces love and marriage from ancient Greece through Christianity to today, while Armand DiMele argues that real partnership requires knowing yourself first and that staying single is often the wiser choice.
Legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins talks with Armand and Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, about growing up on Sugar Hill, marching alongside his activist grandmother, the role of artists in social change, and the deep grief of losing his wife of 40 years, Lucille. Music and loss intertwine throughout.
Monogamy is a theory without a practice, argues Armand DiMele alongside biologist Roberta Mariotti. They unpack genetic, sexual, and social monogamy, explore why no species is truly monogamous, and discuss polyamory and the emotional baggage no relationship structure can dissolve.
Men are trained as warriors from birth, and that mission is killing them. Armand DiMele argues that male burnout, emotional numbness, and early death trace back to a broken model of manhood. Author Neil Chetnik joins to discuss his research on father loss and how absent fathers leave sons hungry for male validation throughout their lives.
Magic as a human need, not just a trick. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti welcome conjurer and actor Eric Walton, who performs an original narrative poem about Houdini before discussing how illusion works by engaging all five senses to suggest a sixth, and why audiences hunger to be astonished.
