About this podcast
A podcast exploring in how we develop as people through our experiences and connections between individuals, with groups, and amongst society. Our guests will choose the topic of discussion and share their journey of becoming who they are.
Join us as we explore What Makes Us...
Episodes
The newest 20 of 25 episodes
- Unapologetic with Preeti Paranjpe · 48 minMost of us apologize far more often than we need to, not because we're overly polite, but because we're trying to stay safe, liked, and accepted. In this episode, Brian Hooks…
- Seek Freedom At 50 with Geetika Goyal · 51 min · Season 2 Episode 12Turning 50 has a way of stripping things down to what’s real. Not in a dramatic, movie-scene way, but in the quiet moment where you realize you’ve spent decades meeting…
- Uncomfortable with Prakash Nathan · 54 min · Season 2 Episode 11A single sentence at a graduation ceremony can rearrange the way you see your whole life: “Learn to be uncomfortable.” That line hit our guest, Prakash Nathan, so hard that it…
- Start Again At 50 with Geetika Goyal · 43 min · Season 2 Episode 10Fifty can sneak up like a question you can’t ignore: if the roles that shaped me for decades start to change, who am I now? Brian Hooks sits down with his friend and fellow coach…
- Plan With Purpose with Clint Jasperson · 60 min · Season 2 Episode 9Money is one of the fastest ways to reveal what we really believe about safety, worth, and the future and it can either pull us into fear or push us toward clarity. Brian sits…
- an Expat with Dorothée Chareyon · 1 h 10 min · Season 2 Episode 8What if “home” isn’t where you were born, but where your habits, friendships, and values finally make sense? Brian sits down with Dorothée Chareyon, a French educator who has…
- Neuro-Spicy with Sonia Brantley · 1 h 11 min · Season 2 Episode 7Neuro‑Spicy isn’t just a catchy label—it’s a way to honor the courage it takes to move through a world designed for someone else’s brain. In this episode, Brian sits down with…
- Find Meaning with Sweta Kumari · 58 min · Season 2 Episode 6Meaning rarely arrives as a neatly wrapped answer—it comes as a signal, a nudge, a question that lingers. In this episode, Brian sits down with Sweta Kumari to trace those…
- Us with Travis Stock · 54 min · Season 2 Episode 5What shapes us more—the stories we inherit or the choices we make? Brian Hooks and coach Travis Stock dive into a candid exploration of identity, where early attachment, social…
- Seek Balance with Susannah · 53 min · Season 2 Episode 4What does balance really feel like when your job follows you down the hallway, into the courtyard, and through the night? In this episode, we sit down with Susannah…
- a "Mama" with Sue Ann · 48 min · Season 2 Episode 3Motherhood doesn’t just add a title—it rewires identity, reshapes priorities, and reorients how we move through the world. In this intimate episode, we sit down with Sue Ann, a…
- a Lighthouse with Shailendra Aswal · 55 min · Season 2 Episode 2What if support didn’t steer your life—but lit the way forward? In this episode, we sit down with Shailendra Aswal, coach and Chief Navigating Officer at My Life Kompass, to…
- Men with TJ Jourian · 1 h 8 min · Season 2 Episode 1What if masculinity isn’t innate—but taught? And what happens when we start to unlearn it? In this episode, we sit down with TJ—a queer, trans, Middle Eastern-Armenian man and…
- Curious About Life · 41 min · Season 1 Episode 11What happens when we approach life with genuine curiosity? How might our lives transform if we questioned not just the world around us, but our own deepest assumptions about who…
- Stories, Growth, and Connections: The Journey of What Makes Us · 23 min · Season 1Ten episodes in, and What Makes Us has blossomed into a tapestry of human experiences I never could have imagined when starting this journey. This special reflection episode…
- In Search of Purpose with Karen Hooks · 1 h 4 min · Season 1 Episode 10In the 10th episode of "What Makes Us," host Brian Hooks sits down with his mother, Karen Hooks, for a deeply personal conversation about life's winding paths. Karen's story is a…
- Transform with Preethi · 53 min · Season 1 Episode 9Ever wondered about the difference between change and transformation? While change is external, transformation is a profound internal shift that redefines who you are. Mastering…
- Evolve with Gusti Clark · 46 min · Season 1 Episode 8Feeling a persistent inner pull toward something different, even amidst external success? Join us for an insightful conversation with Executive Leadership Coach Gusti Clark about…
- Search for Meaning with Dr. Alvin Sturdivant · 54 min · Season 1 Episode 7In this episode of What Makes Us..., Dr. Alvin Sturdivant, Vice President of Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence at the University of Portland, guides a profound exploration…
- Friends with Annie · 40 min · Season 1 Episode 6What does real friendship look like in today's world? Not the sitcom version where everyone lives in the same apartment building, but the authentic connections that sustain us…
