Alive with Steve Burns
There are a thousand podcasts you can listen to. This one listens back. Alive with Steve Burns continues the conversation you began all those years ago. Back then it was letters and numbers and graham crackers. Now it’s death, sex, taxes, and all the big, messy questions of being alive. Why does money stress us out? Is the American dream dead? What’s the future of truth? Each week, a new guest drops by Steve’s window for a genuine and respectful dialogue between two people just trying to figure it out, together. Funny, tender, and just a little weird, this show invites you to sit down and think with Steve once again and wonder… what it really means to be Alive. Alive with Steve Burns premieres September 17. New episodes every Wednesday wherever you get podcasts, and full video at www.youtube.com/@AlivewithSteveBurns
Episodes
April 22, 2026 • 60 mins
What if grief isn’t something to fix but something to understand? In this episode, psychotherapist Megan Devine breaks down the truth about loss, why we’re so uncomfortable with it, and how our culture gets grief completely wrong. From the myth of “moving on” to the pressure to feel better on a timeline, this conversation challenges everything we think we know about healing. Steve and Megan explore how tryin...
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April 15, 2026 • 53 mins
Blake Mycoskie opens up about building TOMS Shoes, chasing success, and still feeling empty. He unpacks the hidden cost of validation, the crash that followed, and how he’s redefining purpose, connection, and what it actually means to feel like enough.
Together, Steve and Blake dig into the quiet pressure of chasing validation, how identity gets tangled up in achievement, and the crash that can follow when external rewards s...
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April 8, 2026 • 62 mins
Steve sits down with media psychology expert Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster to break down parasocial relationships, the one-sided connections we form with TV hosts, creators, and public figures. From childhood TV to social media, they explore why these connections feel real and how easily we trust them.
They also look at how these connections can comfort, teach, and even help us feel less alone – and where they can drift into u...
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April 1, 2026 • 43 mins
Megan helps Steve approach the anxieties, fantasies, and obsessions we bring to our relationship with money.
Dr. Megan McCoy is an Assistant Professor at Kansas State University’s Department of Personal Financial Planning. Received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Georgia. She is also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, an A...
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March 25, 2026 • 49 mins
Adam Savage sits down with Steve to discuss the future of facts, the scientific method, busting myths, and he gives us a peek inside his legendary workshop.
Adam Savage is a veteran special-effects artist and maker whose early film work led him to co-host MythBusters, where his blend of engineering chops and gleeful chaos became a cultural staple. Currently he hosts Tested, his workshop-driven platform for builds, pr...
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March 18, 2026 • 54 mins
Is depression actually increasing or are we misunderstanding what it really is? Steve Burns sits down with psychiatrist and bestselling author Dr. Jessi Gold to unpack why depression is often confused with everyday sadness, burnout, or stress.
Is social media and modern life shaping the way we talk about mental health?
Why do so many people seem “fine” while quietly struggling?
And how i...
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March 11, 2026 • 54 mins
Nearly 30% of households in the United States are now single-person homes. In this episode, Steve Burns talks with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg about why more people are living alone than ever before - and what that shift means for relationships, happiness, and society.
From the psychology of solitude to the role of technology and dating apps, they explore how our relationships are evolving and why living alone doesn&rs...
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March 4, 2026 • 67 mins
Angela Santomero and Traci Paige Johnson, the creative forces behind Blue’s Clues, join Steve Burns for a 30-year reunion that goes far beyond nostalgia. They go deep behind the scenes to share never before heard stories.
Why did they cast Steve?
How the show almost didn’t make it to air.
The spinoff you never heard about.
They also discuss why pauses mattered ...
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February 25, 2026 • 51 mins
Malala Yousafzai joins Steve Burns for an intimate, wide-ranging conversation about surviving the Taliban, winning the Nobel Peace Prize at 17, and growing up under a global spotlight as “the bravest girl in the world.” Malala also opens up about college life, falling in love, online scrutiny, panic attacks, and therapy. In a candid look at mental health and public expectations, she redefines bravery. It’s a...
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February 18, 2026 • 46 mins
The legendary Bill Nye joins Steve Burns for an honest, fun, and - occasionally unsettling - conversation about one deceptively simple question: how do people decide what’s true? Nye breaks down why intellectual shortcuts are so tempting, why conspiracy thinking spreads so easily, and why the scientific method remains the most reliable tool for separating fact from fiction.
And they reflect on whether they failed their...
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February 11, 2026 • 39 mins
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In this episode of Alive with Steve Burns, Steve sits down with journalist and firearms expert Stephen Gutowski for a calm, clear-eyed conversation about how guns came to occupy such a powerful place in American life and identity.
Together, they unpack how firearms shifted from practical tools into national mythology - and where that has landed us ...
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February 4, 2026 • 46 mins
[Original air date: September 17, 2025] Steve and Jamie discuss what it means to be real and be human in a world of manufactured authenticity.Jamie Lee Curtis is an actress, producer, and children’s author. She has won numerous awards (Academy Award, BAFTA, Primetime Emmy, among others) and is considered one of the original scream queens. She is known for her iconic roles in the Halloween franchise, A Fish Called Wanda, Perfe...
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January 28, 2026 • 49 mins
In this episode, Steven talks with death doula Alua Arthur about how to prepare for the end of life before it becomes an emergency, and why doing so is one of the most generous things you can do for the people you love.
They walk through what end-of-life planning actually entails: wills, advance directives, healthcare proxies, power of attorney, medical decisions, and how to have these conversations with your family before...
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January 21, 2026 • 47 mins
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What does masculinity actually mean in a world where the old rules no longer seem to apply?
Social scientist Richard Reeves joins the show for a clear-eyed, data-driven conversation about why so many men feel untethered - and why the loudest online answers are mostly wrong. From “strength under control” to the quiet crisis facing boys and young men, this i...
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January 14, 2026 • 50 mins
Why are we so easily persuaded by charisma? In this episode, historian and writer Molly Worthen talks about the strange, magnetic force we call charisma and why it’s having such a moment right now.
Why aren’t facts more persuasive?
When does inspiration slide into manipulation?
How do you know when a story is moving you or using you?
This isn’t abou...
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January 7, 2026 • 44 mins
What does happiness mean and why do negative emotions matter more than we think?
In this thoughtful conversation, Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author of The Happiness Project and host of the Happier podcast, joins Steven Burns to explore what it really means to live a meaningful life. Rather than chasing constant positivity, Gretchen makes the case for embracing the full emotional spectrum - sadness, envy, regret, and ...
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December 31, 2025 • 38 mins
Steve was a recently guest on the podcast Origin Stories and we wanted to share the episode with you. Origin Stories is the ultimate podcast for anyone curious about the workings of the creative mind. Each week, journalist Matthew Shaer talks to a different writer or director about the creation of a work close to their own hearts (and to ours). Nothing is off the table: not the frustrations and the joys, not the setbacks and the su...
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December 24, 2025 • 57 mins
This week, we’re taking a deep breath for the holidays, so we’re sharing an episode of Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know. Hasan sits down with documentary legend Ken Burns for a conversation that feels a bit like American history class — if history class were funny, generous, and quietly profound. Ken joins Hasan to talk about his new film on the American Revolution, the stories we choose to tell about ourselves as ...
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December 17, 2025 • 45 mins
Daryl shares his incredible experience of engaging right-wing extremists with Steve—and how he convinced many of them to open their worldview.
Dr. Daryl Davis is a blues musician, author, and activist. Daryl received awards and acclaim for his book Klan-Destine Relationships and his award-winning film documentary Accidental Courtesy. As a musician, he has performed with Chuck Berry, The Legendary Blues Band, Elvis Pr...
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December 10, 2025 • 51 mins
Steve and Cas get silly as they discuss the serious work of play and how it shapes and enriches our lives.
Cas Holman is a toy designer, writer, and expert on design. She developed the renowned Rigamajig line of toys. Cas was previously a professor at Syracuse University and the Rhode Island School of Design. She was featured on Netflix’s Abstract: The Art of Design.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com...
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