Shannon Cason is a master storyteller — seen on Snap Judgment, TEDx, and The Moth stages to name a few — and is the host of the podcast Homemade Stories. In his words, he’s also a late bloomer, and with his trademark wit, wisdom, and incredible sense of timing, he shares how the right perspective can turn life’s rough patches into life-changing art.

In this episode, we talk to the renowned historian and bestselling author Nell Painter, who left her wildly successful academic career to enter art school at the age of 65 — an experience she documented in her book, Old in Art School, A Memoir of Starting Over, which was named a National Book Critics Circle finalist. We talk about working with constraints, overcoming unfair criticism, healthy creative addictions like yarn and ink, and we even talk about the role of women without children. At 82, Nell shows no signs of slowing down. It’s an episode you don’t want to miss.

Depending on where you were in 2018, you may or may not remember former Nashville mayor Megan Barry’s story. The Washington Post’s headline said, “Megan Barry Resigns as Nashville Mayor, Weeks After Admitting Affair with the Security Chief” and The New York Times declared, “Megan Barry, Nashville Mayor, Pleads Guilty to Theft and Agrees to Resign.” It was a monumental lapse in judgment that played out on the national stage. Before this public reckoning and while she was still in office, Megan lost her only child Max to a drug overdose. So in one year, she lost two of the things she loved the most — her beloved son and her job as the mayor of Nashville. Grief, shame, and resentment nearly destroyed her marriage. But she found her way back with humility, hope, and a fantastic sense of humor. We talk about how writing her memoir “It’s What You Do Next” helped her process her trauma and heal, and the transformative power of creativity. 

We all first met Kim as the glowing young bride in the movie “Father of the Bride” with Steve Martin. She’s acted ever since, adding NYTimes bestselling author to her credits with her book “Where The Light Gets In,” which chronicles her mother’s battle with dementia. In this episode, we dive into Kim’s own health struggle — losing her voice for nearly two years, an experience that Kim says saved her life. We talk about staying resilient, finding the good in the bad, and tripping on psychedelic mushrooms — a first for this podcast!