Family Secrets

Family Secrets

Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.

Episodes

November 30, 2023 29 mins

When Sarah is a young child, her parents vanish at sea. They are never found. How does she mourn what she cannot remember? 

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Daniel grows up idolizing William, his friend and future brother-in-law. William is adventurous, effervescent and inspiring. But William has other attributes, too—secrets locked inside himself and when they come out, Daniel’s world unravels.

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November 22, 2023 3 mins

Happy Thanksgiving to our Family Secrets family. 

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November 16, 2023 67 mins

It started with a wreck – a car accident steeped in the history of Cassandra’s family. When she learns about the accident and the secrets it bore, she can at last begin to understand who she is, and who she will become.

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November 9, 2023 53 mins

Nobody thinks they’re joining a cult. Certainly not the children who are born into it. When, over time, Mikel learns the truths about his childhood, a whole world of information can finally crystalize.

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November 2, 2023 2 mins

Join us on November 9th for new stories of resilience, memory, and the way in which long-held family secrets so often need out.

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October 19, 2023 35 mins

Today’s Great Minds bonus episode features scholar of bioethics and founder of The John Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Dr. Ruth Faden. She and Dani take a deep dive into the thematic waters of a powerful family secrets story from our second season.
 

Take a listen to 'The Loving Choice' here.

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October 12, 2023 2 mins

Tune in next week for our next Great Minds bonus conversation with renowned scientist, academic, and founder of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Ruth Faden. We’ll be speaking about an unforgettable family secrets story from our second season. Take a listen to that episode in advance here!

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October 5, 2023 26 mins

For this week’s Great Minds bonus episode, Dani sits down with bestselling author Kris Carr to explore the moving themes and meanings woven into a Family Secrets story from Season 6.

 

Listen to Trent Preszler’s episode, ’Taxidermied Duck’ here.

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Next week’s bonus conversation is with bestselling author and wellness leader, Kris Carr. We’ll be unpacking a moving and memorable Family Secrets episode from Season 6. Take a listen to that episode in advance!


Listen to Trent Preszler’s episode, 'Taxidermied Duck' here.

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September 21, 2023 38 mins

As part of this special bonus series, Dani and great mind Dr. Mark Epstein explore the powerful themes that underscore a memorable Family Secrets story from our third season. 

Listen to David Kacyznski's episode, 'What's Wrong With Teddy?' here.

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Next week’s bonus conversation is with one of our favorite writers and thinkers, about an unusual and unforgettable Family Secrets episode. Listeners are encouraged to revisit the past episode in advance!

Listen to David Kacyznski's episode, 'What's Wrong With Teddy?' here.

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In the first episode of this special bonus series, Dani and great mind Dr. Galit Atlas unpack the themes presented in a memorable Family Secrets story from our third season.

Listen to Adam Frankel's episode, 'Bubbe and Zayde and Grandma and Pa' here.

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August 31, 2023 1 min

Dani announces a new bonus series of conversations with great minds coming soon!

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In this bonus episode, Dani sits down with Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Jennifer Senior about her latest cover story in The Atlantic  - ‘Those We Sent Away’ - which explores her own family secret. 

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July 14, 2023 1 min

As we prepare for Season Nine, Dani pauses to say hello to our Family Secrets family.

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July 6, 2023 32 mins

In the second part of this inspiring two-part episode, writer and musician Jessica Willis Fisher finishes her powerful story of survival.

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June 29, 2023 56 mins

In the first part of this harrowing two-part episode, writer and musician Jessica Willis Fisher courageously speaks the unspeakable truths of the abuse she faced at the hands of her father. But this is just the beginning.

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June 22, 2023 68 mins

From the outside, Priscilla’s family life looks dazzling. Her parents are both revered in the literary community and she and her sister grow up in an artistic home. But things change when their parents decide to do something they said they never would: they divorce. After this, their father’s hidden life begins to rise to the surface.

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June 15, 2023 37 mins

Kyleigh and her older sister Kait couldn’t be closer. They lean on one another all throughout childhood. But at a certain point, Kait’s mental health begins to fray and with it, so does Kyleigh’s grip on her relationship with her beloved sister. When Kait disappears, Kyleigh is left to grapple with incredible loss and the painful reality of questions that can never be answered.

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