In a Tell Me More podcast, Tufts experts explore the nature of attention, from the trouble with multitasking to the cost of sometimes staying too focused.

How to Pay Attention

From people to fine wine to TV shows, a Tell Me More podcast explores the good and bad of changing over time.

Does Everything Get Better with Age?

A Tell Me More podcast shares stories about choosing what’s worth holding onto, from Dad’s books to old home movies to endangered animals

How to Decide What to Keep and What to Let Go

In a Tell Me More podcast, experts predict that tomorrow's meals will marry familiar favorites with radically new ingredients.

Foods of the Future

In a Tell Me More podcast episode, explorers plumb the depths to better know our watery planet, from sea-level rise to shipwrecks to giant squid

The Ocean Gives Up Its Secrets

Visual artist Angela Lorenz offers insights into artistic experimentation, discusses graffiti in ancient Rome, and relates an artistic tragedy involving graham crackers. Lorenz’s work Victorious Secret, a re-envisioning of an often misinterpreted Roman mosaic, is on view at Tisch Library. She dedicated the artwork to celebrate 40 years of Title IX and came to Tufts as a guest of the Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora.

Visual Artist Angela Lorenz on Artistic Experimentation

Congressman Joaquín Castro, a Texas democrat representing the 20th Congressional District, talks about civic life, the importance of the youth vote, the role of the United States in foreign affairs—and the best way to reach your elected officials.  Castro also serves on the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees, and is First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He came to Tufts as a guest of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Tisch College of Civic Life.

Congressman Joaquín Castro on Civic Life, the Youth Vote, and the Role of the US in Foreign Affairs

On average, we lose three rhinos every day to poaching. At this rate, rhinos in the wild may become extinct within a decade. In this episode, Matt Lindenberg, founder and executive director of the Global Conservation Corps, offers the drivers behind rhino poaching, the value of rangers—the unsung heroes of conservation—and the unique approach that Lindenberg’s organization is taking to curb the crisis.

Matt Lindenberg on Why Rhinos Are Facing Extinction and How to Help

The week before the death of President George H.W. Bush, former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu, who served as President Bush’s chief of staff from 1989 to 1991, reminisced about his time spent with the late president while Bush campaigned for the all-important New Hampshire primary.  Sununu also shares his predictions for the 2020 presidential race, weighing in on whether a republican should contest President Trump for the GOP nomination.

Former N.H. Governor John Sununu on Working With President George H.W. Bush, and U.S. Politics Today

Professor and author Dr. John Rich talks about applying a systems approach to tackling the consequences of trauma in the lives of young African-American men. Dr. Rich is the author of "Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men." Now a professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health, Dr. Rich previously served as medical director of the Boston Public Health Commission, and as a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center.

Dr. John Rich on Fixing Institutional Racism in Health Care

Life is Good president and Tufts graduate Lisa Tanzer emphasizes the importance of knowing what you stand for when it comes to the corporate brand, and she gives essential advice to students and business leaders alike, including the most important lesson she’s learned in her career.

Life is Good President Lisa Tanzer Shares Essential Advice

Time magazine named Temple Grandin one of the world’s 100 most influential people for her work to improve the quality of life of beef cattle and for her powerful advocacy for neuro-diverse individuals. In this episode of Tell Me More, Grandin shares how growing up with autism helped her understand the different ways animals experience the world, why she believes we need to fix how we socialize with dogs, and some of the most important lessons she’s learned over her pioneering career.

Animal Behaviorist Temple Grandin on Autism and Understanding Animals

Singer-songwriter Gotye’s best-known song, Grammy-winning “Somebody That I Used to Know,” is about the pain of being treated as an inconsequential thing of the past. When it comes to music, Gotye, whose real name is Wally De Backer, has great respect for things of the past. Specifically, he has a passion for old electronic instruments, and is determined to show that they matter.

Gotye Has a Passion for Forgotten Electronic Instruments

Artist Lynda Cutrell wants to change how people look at mental illness. In an exhibit on display at Tufts, she uses photography, painting, sculpture and video to challenge what we think we know about people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder while highlighting what scientists have actually discovered about these illnesses. It’s a subject close to her heart. In this episode of Tell Me More, Cutrell, a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts, talks about how her own family’s struggles with mental illness pushed her to make art that was not just beautiful, but meaningful.

In Exhibit, Artist Lynda Cutrell Challenges What We Think We Know About Mental Illness

As America gets closer to the 2020 presidential election, everyone wants to know, “Who will run?” But there’s another important question to ask: ”Who will turn out to vote?” There’s a gap in voter turnout between white people and people of color -- a gap that has an impact on election outcomes, and on our democracy. So where does this turnout gap come from? Who votes, who doesn’t vote, and why? Indiana University’s Bernard Fraga wrestles with these questions in his new book, "The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America." Here, Fraga explores the historical roots of these disparities and argues that it’s up to politicians, parties, and us to fix them.

Who Votes, Who Doesn’t Vote, and Why? Professor Bernard Fraga on Why Minority Voting Turnout Matters

Michael McFaul, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014 under the Obama administration, shares in a wide-ranging conversation his view on Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election as well as his fears about a new arms race, and what it has meant for him to be banned from returning to Russia. McFaul is the author of "From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador In Putin's Russia."

Former U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul on Russian Election Interference and Vladimir Putin’s End Game

Deke Sharon, often called “the father of contemporary a cappella,” has made it his life’s work to bring vocals-only music to the masses. As director of the Tufts ensemble the Beelzebubs in the early 1990s, his experimental take on a Peter Gabriel song—with voices standing in for instruments—inspired a new era in a cappella performance. Sharon has also helped popularize a cappella through movies like "Pitch Perfect," television, and even Broadway. Earlier this year, Sharon was back at Tufts for a residency where he coached nine singing groups, culminating in a first-of-its-kind all-Tufts a cappella concert. In between rehearsals, he sat down to talk about his career and his mission to create harmony through harmony.

How Deke Sharon Became the ‘Father of Contemporary A Cappella'

Artificial intelligence has the potential to enrich our lives. But it can also drive people apart and cause tremendous harm. Olaf Groth, a professor at Hult International Business School and CEO of the Cambrian Group, explores how this technology is reshaping societies in his new book, "Solomon's Code: Humanity in a World of Thinking Machines." He co-authored the volume with Mark Nitzberg. In this episode, Groth, an alumnus of Tufts’ Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, talks about artificial intelligence — both its promise and its perils.

Can Artificial Intelligence Make Us Smarter?

Blumenthal, A02, talks about how he bakes social activism into his eyeglass business—and listens to his customers.

Warby Parker Co-Founder Neil Blumenthal on Doing Well in Business by Doing Good

What’s it like to be a conflict photographer who travels the globe—often in harm’s way—to record the strife and turbulence of our times? In this episode, Tufts alumna Nichole Sobecki — an award-winning photographer and filmmaker based in Kenya — shares stories of her work.

Photojournalist Nichole Sobecki in the War Zones

Tufts undergraduate George Behrakis interviews Will Hurd, a Republican Texas Congressman leaving the House of Representatives next year, about his now-famous livestreamed road trip with fellow Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, the lessons Hurd learned from his experiences in the CIA, and his decision not to seek reelection in 2020.

Congressman Will Hurd on Crossing the Political Divide

From 2013 to 2019, Beto O’Rourke represented the 16th Congressionaldistrict of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. In March 2017, he launched a historic campaign to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Running the largest grassroots campaign the state had ever seen, O’Rourke ultimately received more votes than any democrat in Texas history. Now a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, O’Rourke visited Tufts recently, as a participant in a Presidential Town Hall hosted by the Tisch College of Civic Life.

Beto O'Rourke on Cybersecurity, the Humanitarian Crisis at the U.S. Border and More

Tufts students have a wide-ranging conversation with Justice Sotomayor as she addresses a crowd of almost 3,000 at the university in September, sharing a variety of advice and insights about the need for diversity of life experiences on the Court, the power of confidence, and the importance of listening to others, even if we don’t agree with them.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor: 'If You Deal With People Out of Respect, You Can Disagree Agreeably'

Now a candidate for the Republican nomination for president, the former Massachusetts governor visited Tufts recently as a participant in a Presidential Town Hall hosted by the Tisch College of Civic Life. In this episode, he talks about his stance on immigration and impeachment and his plan to win the nomination.

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld on Immigration and Impeachment

How much credit should political advisor Karl Rove get for Donald Trump’s White House win? In 2016, Rove — the man who helped architect George W. Bush’s successful gubernatorial and presidential campaigns — gave candidate Trump a lesson on how he did it. In this episode, Rove, who served as Bush’s senior advisor and deputy chief of staff, also talks about how the Republican Party has changed since his time in the White House — and what kind of Democrat could beat Donald Trump in 2020.

Karl Rove and Election Strategies

Chef and humanitarian José Andrés’ talks food stamps, chowder recipes, and how he fed a devastated island. Andrés is an internationally recognized culinary innovator, New York Times best-selling author, educator, humanitarian, and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup.

Chef José Andrés’ Life Is “the Story of One More Immigrant”

Mary Otto, journalist and author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality and the Struggle for Oral Health in America," speaks about the struggles and barriers that Medicaid and uninsured patients face to receive necessary oral healthcare.

Mary Otto and the Silent Epidemic in Oral Health

Former Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder talks about being smart on crime, making life and death decisions, and what the average person can do to make our nation a little bit better.

Eric Holder on the Arc of Justice

A Buddhist monk, a long-distance hiker, and other seclusion-seekers give advice for getting by in times of isolation.

How to Be Alone Without Feeling Lonely

Tufts experts talk about the wonders of renewal, from animals that regrow body parts to people who rise from tragedy.

Seven Stories of Regeneration

Brief conversations with the thinkers, artists, makers and shapers of our world. Their insights on dozens of different topics are enlightening, provocative, and always surprising. Listen and learn something new every episode.

Tell Me More

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