Family Secrets

Join us for a new season of Family Secrets. We're back with 10 new stories starting May 7th.

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A message from Dani, with an update on the next season of Family Secrets.

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After being coerced into homeschool by a mother whose love threatens to consume him, Stefan must confront how an isolated childhood shrouded in secrecy will shape his life.

Stefan Merrill Block's memoir is titledHomeschooled.

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Marion and Tony are madly, deeply in love. But there are obstacles to their relationship, namely Tony’s sexual preference. When Tony loses his life to AIDS, Marion discovers just how many obstacles there really were.

This year is the 30th Anniversary of Marion Winik's memoir, First Comes Love.

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In his locked study, Dorothy’s father works on his book. For years. And years. And years. But it’s not until after his death that Dorothy uncovers the secrets in between its unfinished pages.

Dorothy Roberts is the author of The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family.

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Karen vanishes with her children to escape a violent marriage, erasing a life in order to save it. But eventually, when it’s safe—if it’s safe—she must come out of hiding.

Karen Palmer's book, She's Under Here, is out now.

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In 1998, long before Dani discovered the truth of her biological paternity, she published a story called “The Secret Wife” about the discovery of her father’s second wife, a secret marriage that had been hidden for decades. Today, she reads and reflects on this story—the uncovering of thesilent grief and buried histories that shaped her. 

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When Francesca sets out to understand her father’s past, she is faced with a world of crime, silence, and denial. But it’s not just his past she must reckon with; it’s her present, her inheritance of a story no one wanted to tell.

Francesca Fontana is the author of The Family Snitch.

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Sam grows up without knowing his biological father. As he enters adolescence, he begins to resemble Bob Dylan. A lot.So when Sam learns his mother had a brief relationship with Dylan in the 70s, the cascade of questions begins to flow.

Sam Sussman's book, Boy from the North Country, is out now.

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After centuries of ancestral trauma, Julian must listen closely to the stories of his family —stories of survival, memory, myth and generations of erasure—in order to discover the story of himself.

Julian Brave NoiseCat's book, We Survived the Night, is out now.

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When Amanda’s parents’ eccentricities take a dark turn toward hoarding, scheming, and secret-keeping, the walls begin to literally close in on her. As the chaos and deceit grows in volume around her, she must figure out how to escape.

Amanda Uhle's book is titled Destroy This House.

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When Kate begins to recover haunting memories, she must confront a family history shaped by silence and generational harm. What follows is her quest to piece together the truth and reclaim a stolen childhood.

Kate Price's book, This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, is out now.

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Ari’el has spent his life playing characters, trying on different identities. But at a certain point he must discover who—beneath all these competing selves—he truly is. 

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Thursday, November 13th. New Secrets. New Stories. New Season. Join us next week for our thirteenth launch!

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Author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin joins Dani to talk about aphorisms and family secrets.

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Updates, Workshops, and Special Guests!

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A ninety-year old father and his youngest daughter come together to unpack a secret that altered—and ultimately made sense of— the shape of each of their lives.

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Not every member of a family is told the same story. Elissa wrestles with the necessity of claiming her voice, even as telling her own singular truth may exact a painful price.

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A box of letters. A hidden life. A history rewritten. Susan must reckon with how to move forward—how to be a daughter, a sister, a mother—after so much staggering change.

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As E.A. takes to the road on a route once taken with her mother, she must confront the stories we inherit, the ones we choose to tell, and the one’s we don’t.

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What does it mean to be a family of one? Steven examines his search for belonging in the wake of disappearance, loss, and profound mystery.

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Marian’s body knows something her brain does not. It takes years before she finally has the language to define herself. To be herself. 

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Erin grows up in and around violence and anger. But nothing could have prepared her for the tragic discovery she makes at age twenty-seven.

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Through the dual lens of a devoted sister and parent, Julie explores the emotional terrain of family illness and secrecy, puzzling over how she can care for others without losing herself entirely.

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As Sarah navigates the world as an artist and writer, she must confront the genetic history—its myriad patterns and traumas—at the heart of her story, her very self.

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Brando’s father is an American Indian incarcerated political activist. Or is he? His mother tells a lot of stories. It’s almost impossible to know what’s true and what isn’t.

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We're back with a new season of extraordinary stories. Join us next Thursday, My 29th for the premiere of Family Secrets Season 12.

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 Catching up with our Family Secrets family.

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Griffin grew up in a family whose illustrious life defined them. But beneath their fame were the secrets that shaped his world.

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At the age of sixteen, Jill began a relationship that lasted most of her life with her much-older professor. Twenty-five years ago, she wrote a memoir. But with time comes new memories, new clarity. She’s realized something: it's time to tell the story again, and differently.

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In her quest for answers about her biological mother in South Korea, Tracy finds more—and in some ways, less—than what she’s bargained for.

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When Sacha looks back to her childhood, she sees the branches of a gnarled and tangled family tree. But through art, reflection, storytelling – and just the right therapy – she finally begins to pry the pieces apart. 

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Growing up in Ahmedabad, one of India’s fastest-growing cities in the early 2000s, Zara’s world ignited –both literally and figuratively.

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When Garth was growing up, he managed to hide his struggles from his parents. But when Garth becomes a parent himself, he must decide when—and if, at all—to come out of hiding.

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Nabil’s dad is not exactly in the picture when he grows up. But he is in other pictures, many in fact. He’s a famous jazz musician and throughout most of Nabil’s life, he’s only a stone’s throw—and yet, a world—away.

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After years of keeping her abortion a secret, Honor discovers the power of telling.

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What’s in a name? And what’s not? With a splintered identity and a voracious hunger for truth, David travels far and wide for answers.

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Two fires. Two Anitas. Countless questions. In order to understand her mother—and herself—Nina must reckon with a difficult and diffuse past.

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Season 11 of Family Secrets premieres next Thursday, November 7th.

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Dani updates the Family Secrets family about our Season 11 launch and an upcoming workshop at Kripalu Center.

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Hi Family Secrets family, this week we're bringing you a podcast we think you'll enjoy: You Probably Think This Story's About You. Dani also gives an update on the release date for the next season of Family Secrets.

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Dani shares an update with the Family Secrets family at the end of our tenth season.

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Susannah was 758; that was her identifying number as a research subject in an academic study—and a psychological experiment— that spanned thirty years of her life. In adulthood, Susannah can finally uncover the myriad secrets woven into her life under the microscope.

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It’s not until well into Darren’s adulthood that he discovers the truth of his father’s secret past. And what does he do with his father’s secrets? He keeps them. But only for a while.

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David’s mother is a fantasist with a secret. But hers is the kind of strange secret that’s out in the open…sort of. As David grows up, he finds the intersection between drama and comedy in this tangled history.

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The cult is a secret to most people she knows. Her very identity is a secret to most people she knows. But at a certain point, Lauren needs to be herself. She needs to tell her story and corroborate it. She needs to set herself free.

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Reed grew up with a camera in his hand. At first, the videos he made with his brothers were just for fun. But when their mom goes missing, the boys embark on a cinematic journey to solve the complex mystery of their mom’s disappearance.

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When Molly’s secret longings and buried desires become the basis of her marriage, she must decide how—and how much—to disclose. To her husband, her children, and herself.

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Deep in Dina’s family lore is a story of a fire; someone burned a house down. But who? And why? After a lifetime of wondering, Dina finally hunts down the truth.

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When Michelle gets a knock on her door one day in 2017, her life—and the lives of her loved ones—will be forever changed. What she learns that day will send her and her beloved sister down a harrowing and unforeseen path.

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Barrett and his wife Jane are both oncologists – they share a social world, a professional world, and a rich life together. But one thing is not shared—a secret that’s as heartbreaking as it is cataclysmic.

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Growing up, Whit was extremely close with her mother. But when she becomes pregnant in her twenties, her mother extracts herself entirely; she spends the rest of her life pretending as if Whit simply does not exist. Why? To answer this burning question, Whit must dig and dig and dig.

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Welcome to the 10th season of Family Secrets. Join us starting June 6th for new stories about identity, connection, and how we all long for the truth.

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Season 10 will launch in June; in the meantime, here’s an update on all things Family Secrets, some of which hit quite close to home.

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Alice’s upbringing is one of simultaneous excess and absence, and in the deep canyon between the two, she loses herself entirely. In order to finally find herself and heal, she must confront the complicated truths and lies told by her artist parents.

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Maggie made a life for herself as a successful poet, wife, and proud mother of two. But after years of marriage, she sensed something to be terribly off. When her intuition led to a painful discovery, she could finally claim her truth and grow.

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Her paternity. Her health. Her very self. For many years, these are all mysteries to Kimberly. As she reckons with this myriad of unknowns, she learns more than she ever expected to know.

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In his journey toward self-discovery, Shane must reconstruct his past by cobbling together memories of his kidnapping, upbringing, and the enormous swell of questions which once defined his identity.

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Susan takes great lengths and risks to get answers about her biological family. But sometimes, in the world of family secrets, these kinds of answers beget more questions.

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Brittany’s early life is defined by the road; she and her mom are vagabonds of sorts, never settling for too long in one place. But at least they have each other. That is, until they don’t.

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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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Happy Thanksgiving to our Family Secrets family. 

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

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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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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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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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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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Letty’s life is laced with “shanda”—the Yiddish word for shame or disgrace. And the shanda is not hers alone; it stretches back and through many generations of suppression, secrecy, and the enormous heft of overcoming stigma and breaking the cycle for once and for all.

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Emi is a brilliant child caught in the storms of the adults around her. As such, her own troubles begin to brew and her secrets compound. From foster care to homelessness to an Ivy League education and robust career, Emi’s trajectory is an extraordinary lesson in what is possible when resilience wins the day.

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Allison knows something is fundamentally different about her. She looks different and she feels different from the other girls in school. But when her parents refuse to acknowledge just how different she is, it becomes harder and harder for her to reckon with who she is, and who she wants to become.

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Forever punctuated by shame, secrecy, and danger, Isaac's search to know himself has always been a precarious journey. But as he walks the rocky road toward self-acceptance, he must reconcile his need to be both strong and vulnerable.

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From a very young age, Sophia is taught to deflect when people ask questions. Her parents teach her this lesson, and they tell her to keep a low profile as an American living abroad. When she finds a letter she’s not supposed to read, she learns what her parents do for a living – and that changes everything.

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Growing up among conflicting cultures and customs, Carmen feels a profound sense of otherness. When her mother reveals their family secret, Carmen’s conflicts deepen and the puzzle pieces of her identity scatter before eventually— they finally snap into place.

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Join us starting May 4th for 10 new stories of tenacity, resilience, and the profoundly necessary excavation of long-held family secrets.

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In this special bonus episode, the tables are turned as veteran journalist and podcast host Kimi Culp interviews Dani about her own family history and the secret at its core.

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Stories from our friends at The Secrets Hotline Podcast, hosted by Nick van der Kolk.

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In this bonus episode, Dani speaks with renowned physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté about his new book,The Myth of Normal, and the ways in which we can begin to heal from our wounds and traumas.

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In this bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secrets.

Mark your calendars for the launch of season 8 on May 4th.

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In this bonus series, “Dani’s Listening”, Dani connects with listeners by responding to those who’ve called in to share their family secrets.

Mark your calendars for the launch of season 8 on May 4th.

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Dani shares a message this Thanksgiving with the Family Secrets community.

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When Judy receives a thick envelope from her father—presumably including answers to long kept secrets about his identity and past—he instructs her to burn it before opening. Despite her plaguing curiosity, she follows her father’s wishes. But later in her life, she seeks answers. What was in that envelope? And who was her father, really?

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As Tad reckons with the choices he’s made in his relationships—most prominently, in his marriage—he must confront the choices made by his father, too. And his grandmother. In uncovering staggering truths, he finds his own struggles with intimacy are part of a long string of inherited secrecy.

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Meyli Chapin shares her story and discusses PTSD with host Kimi Culp.

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Fraidy is raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community where she is forced to follow many conventions including an arranged marriage in her teens. After enduring emotional and physical abuse, Fraidy is determined to figure out a way to save herself, her children, and many, many others.

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We all know—or think we know—the wonderful journalist, news anchor, and bestselling author, Katie Couric. But behind and beyond her camera-ready exterior is the interior world of a very real individual— a daughter, sister, wife, and mother navigating the complexities of a public life.

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After Mark’s divorce, he cannot eat or sleep or function. Hesitant to pathologize these feelings, he finally acknowledges the clinical magnitude of his condition. But even after accepting that he’s suffering from depression, he keeps it under wraps; he runs a residential treatment center for homeless teens where he feels he must keep up appearances.

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