Life in Seven Songs
What songs tell your life story? Host Sophie Bearman asks this question of some of the world’s most fascinating people. Through seven songs, guests reveal the milestones—and the music—that have shaped their lives. New episodes every Tuesday.
Episodes
October 7, 2025 • 33 mins
Sonia Manzano knows you think of her as Maria on Sesame Street – and that’s exactly the point. Growing up in the South Bronx in a household “ruled by domestic violence,” TV was Sonia’s refuge as a child – but she never saw anyone who looked like her.
Years later, when she landed the role of Maria on Sesame Street, Sonia made a choice. She wouldn’t play a character; she would be herself – on purpose. For 44 years, she served as an ...
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September 30, 2025 • 33 mins
After 25 years with American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland is taking her final bow this October. Just ahead of her last performance, the groundbreaking ballerina – who made history as ABT’s first Black female principal dancer – joins Sophie to reflect on her journey.
From a shy girl nicknamed “Mouse” who grew up without a home for much of her childhood in Southern California, to a stunning career on the stages of Lincoln Center a...
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September 23, 2025 • 38 mins
Jamie Brisick was living the California dream – a pro surfer sponsored by Quicksilver, traveling the world and competing on the ASP World Tour. But beneath the “Malibu Barbie” facade, tragedy was brewing: his brother was descending into a drug addiction that would soon claim his life. Jamie left the world of surfing and reinvented himself as a writer, with his words appearing in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Guardian....
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September 16, 2025 • 26 mins
To celebrate one year of Life in Seven Songs, Sophie answers some burning questions about the show, shares a few songs off her list, and turns the mic to you — our listeners — to hear about the songs tied to your life stories. Here are your songs:
Ronan Keating - When You Say Nothing At All
Glass Animals - Heat Waves
Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue
The B-52's - Roam
Radiohead - Paranoid Android
Carole King - B...
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September 9, 2025 • 35 mins
This week, we Willkommen actor and musician Josh Radnor! Josh is best known for playing Ted Mosby on the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother for nearly a decade. But that success came at an unexpected cost: an identity crisis that left him feeling trapped in a character he didn’t create.
In this episode, Josh talks about his formative role as the MC in his high school’s production of Cabaret, his first “almost kiss” (soundtracked by ...
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September 2, 2025 • 29 mins
Dr. Orna Guralnik broke barriers by bringing actual therapy sessions to millions of viewers through Showtime’s hit docuseries “Couples Therapy” — but her rebellious streak started much earlier.
In this episode, Dr. Guralnik talks about the songs that transformed her into a "real" teenager, the therapist who changed her life, and how music has sparked both connection and conflict in her family. Plus, she draws a surprising line b...
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August 26, 2025 • 36 mins
Keeley Hazell has lived a life that would make great television – which is probably why she inspired the beloved character Keeley Jones on Ted Lasso. In her new memoir, “Everyone’s Seen My Tits,” Keeley chronicles her chaotic childhood, her conflicted experience as one of Britain’s famous Page 3 topless models, and her journey to shed internalized shame as she reclaims her narrative.
In this episode, Keeley gets real about her int...
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August 19, 2025 • 34 mins
At 20 years old, Amanda Knox found herself alone in an Italian jail cell, falsely accused of a brutal murder, and facing 26 years in prison. She was called “Luciferina” in the courtroom – and far worse in the tabloids. But Amanda never stopped fighting to clear her name and tell her story – most recently, as Executive Producer of a new miniseries on Hulu.
In this episode, Amanda opens up about how music became a lifeline – via the...
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August 12, 2025 • 33 mins
This week, we’re revisiting a favorite – our conversation with former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who just released “Coming Up Short,” a memoir that doubles as a national reckoning. The title is a nod to his height — just under 5 feet — but also to a country that, he argues, has fallen short of its ideals. He offers a blueprint for how to find its way back.
In this episode, Bob reflects on the moments — and music — that shape...
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August 5, 2025 • 41 mins
You probably know Mary Louise Kelly’s voice as the co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered. But you may not know that the veteran journalist has faced her fair share of challenges – from discovering she had severe hearing loss at 40 to making an agonizing choice between work and motherhood while reporting from a Black Hawk helicopter over Baghdad.
In this episode, recorded live at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Sophie dives deep wi...
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July 29, 2025 • 36 mins
In our first ever live episode, recorded at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Sophie sits down with Walter Isaacson, the acclaimed journalist behind the definitive biographies of visionaries like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Leonardo da Vinci.
In this episode, Walter reveals why – despite a career spent chronicling some of the greatest minds in history – the most formative “character” in his life story might be the city of New Orleans,...
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July 22, 2025 • 38 mins
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and 2024 MacArthur Fellow who writes books for young people – but he didn’t finish a book until he was 17. Instead, Jason found his literary voice in the rap lyrics printed in cassette tape liner notes.
In this episode, Jason traces his journey from a kid disconnected from his assigned reading in school to becoming one of the most influential voices in young adult literature...
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July 8, 2025 • 36 mins
Griffin Dunne was a Hollywood insider long before he became the successful actor he is today – in fact, he might not have survived childhood if Sean Connery hadn’t pulled him from the bottom of a pool. But Griffin’s story, captured in his memoir The Friday Afternoon Club, is much more than a catalog of celebrity encounters.
In this episode, Griffin opens up about his parents’ divorce, landing his breakout role in An American Werew...
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June 24, 2025 • 36 mins
If you’ve ever wondered, “What if God was one of us?” you probably have Joan Osborne to thank. But you might not realize that Osborne didn’t actually write her chart-topping hit.
In this episode, the singer-songwriter traces her evolution from a Catholic girl in Kentucky singing in church choirs, to accidentally discovering her voice at a New York blues bar covering other artists, to finally writing her own songs and sharing hard...
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June 10, 2025 • 34 mins
As the creator and host of “Death, Sex & Money" – the hit podcast about "the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more” – Anna Sale has tackled her fair share of tough questions. In this episode, Anna shares the songs that helped her navigate life’s most uncertain moments – from leaving her home in West Virginia for Silicon Valley’s limitless possibilities, to figuring out how a radio reporter in New York City could ...
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May 27, 2025 • 35 mins
W. Kamau Bell has made a career out of asking uncomfortable questions about race in America – both as a standup comedian and in his award-winning CNN series, United Shades of America. In this episode, Kamau shares the soundtrack to his life story – from bombing onstage as a young standup to inheriting “the family hardware store” of fighting racism. Here are his songs.
Wade In The Water - Jireh Gospel Choir
Rappers Delight ...
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May 13, 2025 • 35 mins
Long before Natasha Rothwell started stealing scenes as Belinda on The White Lotus or Kelli on Insecure, she was a self-described people-pleaser and peacemaker (yes, she’s a Libra). In this episode, Natasha reveals how creating some of the most iconic characters on TV today has been a form of self-discovery – one that has transformed her from a military kid trying to fit in into a creative force who has fallen deeply in love with h...
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April 29, 2025 • 35 mins
Damian Woetzel got addicted to dance when he was 11 years old. While his “dirty secret” is that ballet was never that hard for him, his experience as a young boy in the world of dance wasn’t always easy.
In this episode, Damian takes us backstage on his remarkable journey from being called “twinkle toes” in high school, to becoming a principal dancer and choreographer for the New York City Ballet, to his influential second act as...
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April 15, 2025 • 32 mins
At the age of 16, David Archuleta captured hearts as the runner-up on American Idol. But behind the charismatic performer on stage was a young man struggling to reconcile his Mormon upbringing with his queer identity. In this episode, David shares how he nearly got married to women several times, contemplated suicide, and ultimately let go of everything he’d been taught it meant to be “good.” Here are his songs:
Fast Car - Tracy ...
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David Sheff’s memoir Beautiful Boy became a #1 New York Times bestseller and a major film, chronicling his son Nic’s harrowing battle with meth addiction. But before that, David was a music journalist who interviewed legends like John Lennon and Yoko Ono—an encounter that unexpectedly shaped his future as a father. In this episode, David traces how music once brought him joy, then grief—and, ultimately, a way back to his beautiful...
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