In her early 20s, Jennette McCurdy left her childhood acting career and turned to writing. In both her memoir, ?I?m Glad My Mom Died,? and her debut novel, ?Half His Age,? she confronts the kinds of abuse and power dynamics she had to navigate long before she was ready. But she tells Rachel she has been able to move past it and find acceptance on the other side. To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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When Jonathan Goldstein sets out to help a guest on his podcast ?Heavyweight,? he always hopes he can help them feel unburdened by the end. But it?s often on the path to finding closure for a regret or deep-seated disappointment that the real healing happens. Jonathan shares with Rachel what making the show has taught him and why he believes anyone is capable of change.  To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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Jamie Lee Curtis never wanted to be an actor. She tells Rachel, despite having famous show business parents, she originally thought she?d become a police officer. Jamie talks about how she unexpectedly wound up in Hollywood, her fight against unhealthy beauty standards in the industry, and why she thinks of her children?s books as ?her best thing.? Jamie Lee Curtis is currently  in ?Ella McCay.?

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Suleika Jaouad has written extensively about what it means to live in the in-between ? the space between sick and healthy. She?s dealt on-and-off with cancer since her early 20s. Her latest book, "The Book of Alchemy," provides a guide on sustaining a creative practice through journaling. Suleika tells Rachel about eavesdropping on laughter and what she's learned from the people she's lost.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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When Malala Yousafzai went to college, the last thing she wanted to talk about was her Nobel Prize or the Taliban attack that put her on the world stage. She just wanted to be a normal college student ? taking risks, making friends and going to parties.  Malala tells Rachel it?s taken a lot of work to find out who she is beyond any titles or accolades. Her new book, ?Finding My Way,? is out now.

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Brandi Carlile sought out some alone time to work on her newest album, ?Returning to Myself,? but she came out of the experience realizing she needed the people around her more than ever. Brandi talks to Rachel about owning different sides of her identity even when they?re at odds with each other and shares her memory time machine trip with Joni Mitchell.
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Shonda Rhimes has created some of the most successful TV shows of the 21st century, but she says the secret to her success is not caring whether or not people will like her shows. The ?Scandal? and ?Grey?s Anatomy? creator is out with a new version of her memoir, ?Year of Yes.? She talks to Rachel about the freedom she feels when she writes and the imaginative potential of a pantry.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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Nick Offerman is an Emmy-winning actor, but that?s a small part of his identity. He?s also a woodworker, an author, and a devoted acolyte of the naturalist writer Wendell Berry. He talks with Rachel about the art of being satisfied, building up the courage for a home project and what he learned from a childhood that felt like ?Little House on the Prairie.?

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Matthew McConaughey likes finding the rhythm in every role he takes ? whether it?s delivering a monologue in ?The Wolf of Wall Street? or a tearful goodbye in ?Interstellar.? And now, as author of the book ?Poems & Prayers,? he is finding the rhythm and prose in his own life, and sharing what he?s learned. To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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Raphael Bob-Waksberg says working in animation lets him get away with things. He?s able to dive into heavy topics, like grief and faith, without his stories getting too dark or saccharine. It?s a skill he honed as creator of ?BoJack Horseman? and he?s putting it to use again with his new series ?Long Story Short? on Netflix.

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LeVar Burton has three roles he'll forever be known for: Kunta Kinte on the TV series Roots, Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and host of Reading Rainbow. Those roles have had profound impacts on people and he now understands, as he puts it, "my job is to be LeVar Burton." He talks to Rachel about the tension of that job, his changing definitions of success and learning to embrace the chaos. To listen sponsor-free, access bonus episodes and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at plus.npr.org/wildcard

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