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Making The Most of The Time We Have

Join author, educator, and learner, Annmarie Kelly as she laughs, cries, and kvetches with the writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and wanderers who inspire all of us to reach beyond our divisions and discover what it means to be wild, precious, and brave.

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All Episodes

Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghost with Crystal Wilkinson

Wild Precious Life
Crystal Wilkinson is the award-winning author of several books including Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generati...
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Broughtupsy with Christina Cooke

Wild Precious Life
Christina Cooke was born in Jamaica and is now a Canadian citizen who lives and writes in New York City. BROUGHTUPSY is her debut novel....
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The Familiar with Sarah Kain Gutowski

Wild Precious Life
Sarah Kain Gutowski is the author of Fabulous Beast and along with interdisciplinary artist Meredith Starr, she’s co-creator of Every Second Feels...
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Faltas with Cecilia Gentili

Wild Precious Life
Originally from Argentina, Cecilia Gentili came to the U.S. pursuing a safer life as a transgender woman. She lived undocumented for 10 years. Aft...
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Splinters with Leslie Jamison

Wild Precious Life
Leslie Jamison has written two essay collections, The Empathy Exams and Make It Scream, Make It Burn. She also gained prominence for her critical ...
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Warrior Girl Unearthed with Angeline Boulley

Wild Precious Life
An enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Angeline Boulley is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in M...
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The Loneliness Files with Athena Dixon

Wild Precious Life
Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Athena Dixon is a poet, essayist, and editor....
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Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing with Olga Mecking

Wild Precious Life
Olga Mecking is a writer, journalist, and translator based in the Netherlands, and she’s the reporter who made Niksen (“doing nothing”) go viral....
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When They Tell You to Be Good with Prince Shakur

Wild Precious Life
Prince Shakur’s debut memoir, When They Tell You to Be Good, is a political and personal exploration of his coming of age as a writer and activist...
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The People Who Report More Stress with Alejandro Varela

Wild Precious Life
Alejandro Varela is the author of THE TOWN OF BABYLON, a finalist for the National Book Award, and THE PEOPLE WHO REPORT MORE STRESS, which The Ne...
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I Fell in Love with Hope with Lou-Andrea Callewaert

Wild Precious Life
Lou-Andrea Callewaert was a chronically ill child who learned to write through her pain. She’s the author of I FELL IN LOVE WITH HOPE, the story o...
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This Is Salvaged with Vauhini Vara

Wild Precious Life
Vauhini Vara’s debut novel, THE IMMORTAL KING RAO, has been published around the world, is being adapted for television, and was a finalist for th...
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Radiant Rebellion with Karen Walrond

Wild Precious Life
Karen Walrond is the author of THE LIGHTMAKER’S MANIFESTO and THE BEAUTY OF DIFFERENT, and she’s out now with a new book, RADIANT REBELLION, in wh...
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The Heart of It All with Christian Kiefer

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Christian talk about love stories, goose attacks, and how any of us manage, in an increasingly divided America, to find a sense of fa...
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In Memoriam: Echo Brown

Wild Precious Life
On Sept. 16, 2023, one of our beloved guests, Echo Brown, passed away. We were incredibly saddened by the news, this is for her....
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The Leftover Woman with Jean Kwok

Wild Precious Life
Jean and Annmarie talk about the immigrant experience in this country, the joy of ballroom dancing, and the emotional truth at the core of the bes...
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Alive at the End of the World with Saeed Jones

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Saeed talk about weaving both joy and sadness into poetry and what it means to speak each other’s language in grief....
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That’s a Hard No with Heather Drago

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Heather discuss how to set healthy boundaries, saying NO, and what might be possible when we make a little more room for ourselves in...
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The Way Life Should Be with William Dameron

Wild Precious Life
Bill and Annmarie talk about second-chance love, the various delights of both fiction and nonfiction, and why Annmarie needs to stop using idunno1...
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Owner of a Lonely Heart with Beth Nguyen

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Beth talk about the uncertainty of growing up without a strong tie to your biological mother, and the way other people can step in to...
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Time’s Mouth with Edan Lepucki

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Edan grapple with fleetingness and nostalgia. What if we could go back in time? What might be better? What might be worse? They also ...
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let's have a House Party with justin a. reynolds

Wild Precious Life
justin and Annamarie talk about wrangling authors, making the move with Marvel, and the best cereals of our childhood....
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I Kick and I Fly with Ruchira Gupta

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Ruchira talk about her nonprofit Apne Aap, her debut novel I KICK AND I FLY, and what it would take to create a world where no child ...
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Fat Talk with Virginia Sole-Smith

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Virginia talk about how to navigate anti-fat bias in schools, doctor’s offices, and around our dinner tables and how to learn to love...
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Much Ado About Nada with Uzma Jalaluddin

Wild Precious Life
Uzma and Annmarie talk about writing, rom-coms, and representation, and how important it is to read widely and wisely to learn the multitudes cont...
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Stash: My Life in Hiding with Laura Cathcart Robbins

Wild Precious Life
Laura and Annmarie talk about Laura’s journey through addiction to sobriety and how she found her way back to her most authentic and vulnerable se...
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Chaos Theory with Nic Stone

Wild Precious Life
Nic and Annmarie talk about neurodivergence, antiracist teaching, and how to build a connection with absolutely anybody you sit next to on an airp...
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You Could Make This Place Beautiful with Maggie Smith

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Maggie talk about love and divorce, Gen X and mixtapes, and what it’s like to settle into yourself again after coming through a storm...
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I Take My Coffee Black with Tyler Merritt

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Tyler talk about their shared love of musical theater and how to choose love over hate in a world that too often encourages the oppos...
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The Last Beekeeper with Julie Carrick Dalton

Wild Precious Life
Julie and Annmarie talk about the cuteness of bees, the blessings of loving and supportive parents, and how to open our eyes more fully to the bea...
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Get Out of Your Own Way with Sara Read

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Sara talk about mom guilt, flute-making, and how to reclaim a part of ourselves that has laid dormant for too long....
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I’ll Take Everything You Have with James Klise

Wild Precious Life
Jim and Annmarie talk about elementary school film strips, high school book clubs, and the importance of young people finding themselves in a stor...
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The Sleep Prescription with Dr. Aric Prather

Wild Precious Life
Aric and Annmarie talk about the importance of sleep health, strategies for ensuring good rest, and advocating for sleep as a basic human right....
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Change the World One Word at a Time with Kwame Alexander

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Kwame talk about shooting and missing, and how you have to keep playing the game and always keep taking your shot!...
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Somebody’s Daughter with Ashley C. Ford

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Ashley talk about surviving family trauma, setting healthy boundaries, and how to trust the people in our lives to do their own menta...
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Bonus Episode #3 – Gather Your Starlings with Jen Dotsey

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Jen discuss soul friendships, giving grace, how to speak difficult truths, and the ways that our communities can be an antidote to ho...
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Bonus Episode #2 – Lift Up a Friend with Melissa McCaverty

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Melissa discuss the quest for peace, afternoon karaoke, and following your dreams no matter how long it takes....
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Bonus Episode #1 – Relentless Compassion with Sarah Frauenzimmer

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Sarah discuss the therapeutic necessity of self-compassion, the way happiness is often outward bound, and how going to the bathroom a...
Listen to Bonus Episode #1 – Relentless Compassion with Sarah Frauenzimmer

The Emotionally Exhausted Woman with Nancy Colier

Wild Precious Life
Nancy and Annmarie talk about healthy boundaries, self-care, and how to develop lasting vitality and truth in a world that too often feels like it...
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Listen with Your Heart, with Ryan Lee Wong

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Ryan discuss intergenerational activism, transgender pronouns, the wonder of strip malls, and home....
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How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water with Angie Cruz

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Angie discuss the importance of community, representation in literature, and how magic and connection are possible when we sit and fu...
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Get Smitten in Your Kitchen with Deb Perelman

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Deb and Annmarie discuss grandma's cooking, how lasagna might save your marriage, and how shared recipes can foster love, underst...
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Get Lost and Find Adventure with Andrew Sean Greer

Wild Precious Life
Andrew and Annmarie discuss foiled plans, dashed hopes, and how to discover new longings and brighter dreams when we wander–or even tumble–off the...
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Survive and Thrive with Dr. Ebony Butler

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Dr. Ebony discuss vulnerability, the dangers of diet culture, and how we can destigmatize mental health services in minority communit...
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Our Missing Hearts with Celeste Ng

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Annmarie and Celeste discuss banned books, miniatures, and whether the world can, in fact, be divided into Order Muppets or Chaos...
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Thrill, Squelch, and Growl with Ben Percy

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Ben and Annmarie discuss Wolverine, sharks, and “cussedness,” how to be stubborn in the face of rejection, and what it takes to p...
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Get Schooled with Stephanie Jankowski

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Annmarie and Stephanie discuss back-to-school survival tricks, the value of educating the whole child, and how parents and teache...
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No One Crosses the Wolf with Lisa Nikolidakis

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Annmarie and Lisa discuss trauma writing, open-heartedness, talking to horses, and how all of us are imperfect survivors of our o...
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Be a Promised Land with Echo Brown

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Echo discuss inequity, community, and the need to be a promised land for one another....
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Make Me Disappear with Jessica Payne

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Jessica discuss their shared love for the Pacific Northwest, juggling writing and family life, and how any story truly comes to be....
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Be One-in-a-Million with Monica Wood

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Monica and Annmarie discuss found families, where stories come from, and why strivers make the world go ‘round....
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Claim Your Inheritance with Teresa K. Miller

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Teresa and Annmarie unpack that story, compare family legacies, and ponder what truly makes a life worth living....
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Defy Expectations with Kirstin Chen

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Kirstin chat about luxury purses, fanny packs, daily yoga practice, and the dangers of the model minority myth....
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Travel Through the Pages with Jennifer E. Smith

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Jennifer discuss summoning courage, paying attention to small moments of joy, and how to travel the world both in and out of the page...
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Have a Good Talk with Mira Jacob

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Mira discuss racism, social justice, and how to encourage our kids to ask difficult questions even when we don’t have all the answers...
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Embrace Your Weird with Carrie Harris

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Carrie reminisce about high school hijinks and discuss the importance of unleashing the superhero inside of each one of us....
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Translate Love and Compassion with Haleh Liza Gafori

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Haleh talk about the timelessness of this 13th century mystic, how Rumi’s work offers “liberating and nourishing perspectives” still ...
Listen to Translate Love and Compassion with Haleh Liza Gafori

Climb Your Mountain with Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Silvia and Annmarie talk about the healing power of mountain climbing and how women can work through trauma by putting one foot i...
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Unlearn Your Lessons with Elizabeth Lesser

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Annmarie and Elizabeth discuss the roles females have played throughout history, religion, and mythology, and how now is time for...
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Surrender and Live with Barb Roose

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Barb reminisce about growing up in a small town and how to move through the Wilderness Season we will all find ourselves in from time...
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We Are All We Need with Bodhi Calagna and Wilson Rodriguez

Wild Precious Life
Bodhi Calagana and Wilson Rodriguez have something in common: a love of sound. Specifically EDM or Electronic Dance Music. In this episode, Bodhi,...
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Adopt Love and Understanding with Julia Brewer Daily

Wild Precious Life
n this episode, Annmarie and Julia discuss the heartache, love, and joy involved both in loving a child and letting her go....
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Look to the Future with Laura Maylene Walter

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Laura discuss love and loss and the power of manifesting our dreams through storytelling....
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Keep the Flame Alive with Thrity Umrigar

Wild Precious Life
At the age of 21, Thrity Umrigar left India to study journalism in the United States. Decades later, she is the acclaimed author of more than a do...
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Embrace Self-Love with Megan Logan

Wild Precious Life
In this episode we are talking to Megan Logan. Megan is a therapist, mom, and author of the SELF-LOVE WORKBOOK FOR WOMEN....
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Dream with Your Eyes Open with Naki Akrobettoe

Wild Precious Life
Naki and Annmarie talk about the tricky balance of creativity and parenthood, the need for safe mental health practices, and the power of finding ...
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Never Run Out of Stories with Rebecca Makkai

Wild Precious Life
Rebecca and Annmarie talk about the parallels and differences between battling Covid today and fighting HIV in the 1980s, as well as the lessons w...
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Make Sense of Your Self with Derdriu Ring

Wild Precious Life
Derdriu Ring always knew she wanted to act, and when she moved from Ireland to the United States, she continued to make this dream come true....
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Chase Your Dreams with Nayomi Munaweera

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie speaks with Nayomi about her immigrant childhood, teenage shenanigans, and what it really means to do the sacred work of storytelling....
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Be A Survivor with Jonathan Penner

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Jonathan talk about love stories, the creative life, and what happens after happily ever after....
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone with Lori Gottlieb

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Annmarie speaks with writer and therapist Lori Gottlieb about the power of talk therapy to transform our story....
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Reclaim Your Story with Vanessa Angélica Villareal

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, Annmarie talks to poet Vanessa Angélica Villareal about owning your truth, storytelling as survival, and the power of Dirty Danci...
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Discover Your Superpowers with Sanyin Siang

Wild Precious Life
In this episode, we catch up with Sanyin, as she teaches us that when we look for the awesomeness in others, we can also find greatness in ourselv...
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Believe in Doubt with Matthew Paul Turner

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Matthew talk about the importance of uncertainty, questions, and that doubt and belief can work together....
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Dwell in Possibility with Eliese Goldbach

Wild Precious Life
Eliese Goldbach did something completely out of her comfort zone and it changed her forever....
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Dare to Be Challenged with Mikki Kendall

Wild Precious Life
Mikki Kendall is a writer, activist, and “occasional feminist” who challenges us to rethink our perspectives on what it means to be a woman....
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Take a Soul Detour with Francisco X. Stork

Wild Precious Life
Francisco X. Stork spent thirty-three years working at one job, but felt in his heart he was called to pursue another....
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Permission to Fail with Rachel Simmons

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie talks to author, educator, and executive coach Rachel Simmons about the importance of taking risks and exercising our “failure muscles.”...
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Your Black Friend, Fred Joseph

Wild Precious Life
Whether he’s empowering kids to see Black Panther or providing food and shelter to families during the pandemic, Frederick Joseph is an agent of ...
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The Last Day Of My First Life, with Katherine Standefer

Wild Precious Life
When Katherine Standefer woke up in a parking lot with gravel in her forehead, she knew her life would never be the same....
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Just Say YES with Emily Ford

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie talks to Emily about trail magic, the kindness of strangers, and how all of us are so much stronger than we realize....
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Finding Faith with Bunmi Laditan

Wild Precious Life
Annmarie and Bunmi discuss normalizing anxiety, how humor can be born from adversity, and how to survive when children turn our worlds upside-down...
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Introducing: Wild Precious Life with Annmarie Kelly

Wild Precious Life
Introducing: Wild Precious Life with Annmarie Kelly...
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