Priyanka Chopra is an award-winning actor, producer, activist, and humanitarian and, undoubtedly, one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Today, we’re revisiting this wonderful conversation from 2021, when Priyanka released her very introspective memoir, Unfinished, which was a deeply personal exploration of identity, ambition, and reinvention that traced her incredible journey from India to the U.S., and how she’s learned to leap—with both feet—into new seasons and new callings. She reminds us that failure isn’t the opposite of success—it’s part of the path. And that sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is walk away from what no longer fits.
Priyanka shares some of the secrets of her success, including:
- How much our success is attributed to luck versus hard work
- The ability to create opportunities or recognize when opportunities are present
- Having the tenacity to look through your circumstances and push forward with perseverance
- Having hunger in your belly for more
- Why a sense of risk-taking and comfort with failing will serve you well
Whether this summer finds you on the edge of something new, recovering from something hard, or wondering if it’s too late to start again—we hope this episode reminds you: your dreams are still yours. They’re still possible. And you are absolutely allowed to say yes to them.
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde is a prominent voice in modern faith leadership. As the first woman elected to serve as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, a role she has held since 2011, she will admit, on most days, “[The job] is not as glamorous or as public as people might imagine…. except for those moments when it is.” And she cultivates those moments very carefully, “because they’re sacred.”
Those moments, she alludes to, perhaps refer to her times in the national spotlight in recent years calling out the Trump administration for actions and policies that have exploited or harmed others. In June 2020, she rebuked President Trump’s photo-op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church during a time of national protest—an act she condemned as a violation of sacred space. And she captured national attention earlier this year at the inaugural prayer service when she prayed for mercy and justice for the LGBTQ+ community—with President Trump and Vice President Vance seated in the front row. She has been one of the clearest, calmest, and most courageous voices in public faith leadership in recent years.
Today, Jen and Bishop Budde talk about her journey from a small urban congregation in Minnesota to the public stage and Bishop Budde talks about where she draws her courage from to speak truth to power and to advocate for the excluded and marginalized, even when facing potential backlash herself.
Today, we’re taking a look back to a conversation that wildly changed the trajectory of Jen’s life and her career as an author. In 2016, which you might remember was already such a fun time, Jen gave an interview to Jonathan Merritt, then of Religion New Service, anticipating the same pro forma questions about her upcoming speaking tour but quickly found herself answering questions concerning her personal politics, her stance on abortion and feelings on LGBTQ+ issues. All of this was work that Jen had been doing internally for more than a year. So, while she was resolved in the answers she would give, what she was not prepared for was the backlash that would follow.
In this encore episode, we hear from Jonathan Merritt, award-winning journalist and writer, about what it was like on his side of that probing discussion with his personal friend. He and Jen also discuss Jonathan’s own parallel journey, growing up in the family of an evangelical mega-church pastor where he was taught that in regards to gay people, Christians were called to “love the sinner, but hate the sin,” an attitude which kept him from being open to who he himself might be—a gay man. Ultimately, it took an event that shattered Jonathan’s life into pieces and caused his private process to become very public, and to send him down the road of pursuing his identity, his faith, and his purpose.
If we’re lucky, most of us will live an abundant life that’s filled with a number of significant transitions. How we embrace those inevitable life changes and honor that growth can make a big difference in how we are prepared to meet future challenges.
Today, Jen and Amy have the pleasure of sitting down with Melinda French Gates to discuss how, at 60, she is stepping into this next beautiful season of life. By giving a rare glimpse into her interior life, and sharing previously untold stories included in her new memoir, The Next Day: Transitions, Change and Moving Forward, Melinda shares the heart-connecting lessons that we all can apply to the universal moments in our lives – including becoming a parent, the loss of a close friend, the loss of a marriage, knowing the right time to make a career move.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The art of letting go and beginning again and making the most of the time between an ending and a new beginning
- How growing up in a middle-class Catholic family influenced Melinda’s values and worldview
- What it looks like to loosen the bonds of perfectionism and embrace uncertainty in times of change
- The new projects, ideas and hopes Melinda has for the future
In this special SXSW2025 edition of For the Love, Jen Hatmaker sits down with Dr. Stacey Ludwig Johnson, the Senior VP and Executive Dean at Western Governors University (WGU) School of Education. As a lifelong advocate for educators, Dr. Johnson is at the forefront of reimagining how we train, support, and sustain teachers in today’s challenging educational landscape.
Jen, a former teacher herself, brings her deep passion for education into this conversation, unpacking the real issues educators face today—from teacher shortages to burnout—and discussing how innovative models like WGU’s competency-based education are transforming access to learning.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Dr. Johnson’s Path to Leadership: How she transitioned from working in corrections to becoming a pioneer in online education.
Competency-Based Education: What it is, how it differs from traditional models, and why it’s a game-changer for adult learners.
Educator Burnout & Retention: The state of teacher well-being and what’s being done to ensure teachers not only enter the profession but thrive in it.
School & Community Support for Teachers: How schools, administrators, and parents can create environments where teachers feel valued.
Future Trends in Education: How AI, technology, and apprenticeship programs are shaping the next generation of educators.
Jen first met Tressie McMillan Cottom the way most normal people meet – under the bright lights on the set of an Oprah special, invited by Ms. Winfrey to speak on a panel, along with other influential voices including Rebel Wilson, Amber Riley, Katie Sturino, Jamie Kern Lima, Busy Philipps and others to talk about diet culture, the harmful narratives we have surrounding our weight and our bodies, and how we can begin reframing the conversation away from one centered in shame to one focused on body acceptance. The entire studio was gobsmacked by Tressie which is fitting given that she is a prominent cultural commentator and Professor at UNC Chapel Hill. Her work explores the loaded and nuanced ideas like racial capitalism, beauty standards, the exploitation of higher education systems, but in a way that we ordinary Joe’s can understand. We knew immediately that she was destined to be a guest on our show and today is the day.
Friends, today’s episode is a powerhouse! We’re thrilled to have Sharon McMahon, known as “America’s Government Teacher,” joining us to share insights from her new book, Small and Mighty. Sharon dives deep into how twelve unsung heroes from American history played pivotal roles in shaping democracy—and what we can learn from their stories to impact our world today. This conversation is all about finding hope amid challenges and understanding that each of us, no matter our size or reach, can make a difference. So, buckle up for an inspiring episode that’ll remind you of your own power to effect change. Let’s dive in!
In this hope-filled chat:
- Jen and Amy discuss which historical figures they’d most like to meet and share their election night routines.
- Sharon walks us through her journey from award-winning yarn influencer to “America’s Government Teacher.”
- We break down why factual information is so critical in today’s world of fake news and disinformation.
- Sharon explains the importance of participating in state and local elections.
- We explore ways to engage in democracy beyond voting.
- And Sharon answers questions from our audience!
Mentioned In This Episode
The Henry Fite House of Baltimore
The Angry Trout Cafe, Grand Mariais, MN
The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
It’s election season, and it’s been an interesting ride to this cycle’s moment of truth! Jen and Amy dive deep into the heart of the upcoming 2024 election with the insightful women from Pantsuit Politics–Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers. The conversation centers around the distinct dynamics shaping this election, along with insight as to why it’s vastly different from 2016; sparking a thought-provoking dialogue about the evolving political landscape.
With Vice President Kamala Harris potentially on the brink of breaking barriers as our first female president, the discussion also touches on the hopes and challenges ahead. Sarah and Beth were participants at the Democratic National Convention in August, and they share what that experience was like, and how it informed their views of the current political terrain. As we look to a potentially historic outcome, Beth and Sarah share practical ways we can engage in the process and build community as we navigate this pivotal moment together.
You also won’t want to miss a new GenXcellence segment where Jen and Amy reminisce about their first voting experiences.
True crime shows actually aren’t a new thing. They weren’t invented with podcasts. Who remembers being on the edge of our seats watching America’s Most Wanted back in the day or Dateline? Or there’s some newer, really amazing, true crime documentaries, like The Staircase or Making a Murderer–I mean who couldn’t tear their eyes away from Tiger King in 2020? There’s something compelling about the true crime genre and it’s not just the “we can’t look away from the car wreck” stereotype–it has a lot to do with how technology in crime solving has developed so rapidly in the last few decades and how fascinating it is that a single strand of hair or a carpet fiber, to say nothing of the digital maps that can be utilized now, like our cell phone records, our web history, can take us straight to the guilty party. It’s such an interesting, fascinating mix of science and sleuthing. True crime stories also highlight he best and the worst of human behavior. Plus, it puts us in the seat of being the detectives. Which one of us hasn’t yelled at a program or a podcast when we could see or hear who the perp obviously was (and yes, we now use terms like “perp,” like the true detectives we are). We’ve got an amazing guest who is here to talk about the true crime podcast phenom, and she’s one of the folks that really put it on the map. Ashley Flowers is the host of the wildly popular podcast, Crime Junkies. She and her co-host Brit have spent years researching, analyzing, and solving cases. And with over 1 billion downloads, it’s easy to say they are pretty good at what they do. So, you will not want to miss one second of this episode. Jen and Ashley get into how Crime Junkies got started, their thoughts on why the true crime genre is so popular and how Ashely’s using the platform to educate as well as entertain.
