PODCAST

Walks of Life

Russell Smith

Conversations with fascinating people on the walk of life. www.sa.life

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

56:03

A Conversation with Sophia and Sarah Boese of...

Walks of Life ·

2025/10/30

Welcome to Solvitur Ambulando, which means “Solve It By Walking.” On this journey, we explore the alchemic potency of walking for sorting through life’s puzzles, exploring our world, and transforming ourselves. Like a good walk, you will encounter distinctive ideas, remarkable people and gorgeous scenery. I hope you will enjoy a beautiful walk today. And if you like what you read and hear, pleaseI love tea. I love the taste, the ritual, the somatic experience of drinking tea. My favorite teas –

68:51

A Conversation With Writer and Lay Zen Teacher Sara...

Walks of Life ·

2025/10/02

Welcome to Solvitur Ambulando, which means "Solve It By Walking." On this journey, we explore the alchemic potency of walking for sorting through life's puzzles, exploring our world, and transforming ourselves. Like a good walk, you will encounter distinctive ideas, remarkable people and gorgeous scenery. I hope you will enjoy a beautiful walk today. And if you like what you read and hear, pleaseToday I am joined by one of my favorite writers, one of my favorite people – Sara Campbell. How to

56:59

We Play for the Sheer Joy of Play

Walks of Life ·

2025/08/29

Welcome to Solvitur Ambulando, which means "Solve It By Walking." On this journey, we explore the alchemic potency of walking for sorting through life's puzzles, exploring our world, and transforming ourselves. Like a good walk, you will encounter distinctive ideas, remarkable people and gorgeous scenery. I hope you will enjoy a beautiful walk today. And if you like what you read and hear, pleaseIn this episode of “Walks of Life,” we have a great treat. Joining me is Katy Bowser Hutson. Katy has

59:31

A Conversation With Debut Novelist Sarah Landenwich

Walks of Life ·

2025/08/06

Welcome to Solvitur Ambulando, which means "Solve It By Walking." On this journey, we explore the alchemic potency of walking for sorting through life's puzzles, exploring our world, and transforming ourselves. Like a good walk, you will encounter distinctive ideas, remarkable people and gorgeous scenery. I hope you will enjoy a beautiful walk today. And if you like what you read and hear, pleaseOn this episode of “Walks of Life,” I am delighted to be joined by Sarah Landenwich, whose debut novel

78:29

Having a Disability Doesn't Mean My Life is Sad

Walks of Life ·

2025/06/26

In the last episode of Walks of Life, I posted a 2022 interview with my friend Geoff Cook. We talked again last month, when he caught me up on what’s happened to him over the past 2+ years. They haven’t been years of all rainbows and sunshine for Geoff. We talk about his continuing job search, a very tough illness last summer requiring surgery, and much more. As I reflected on this second conversation with Geoff, five thoughts stood out.* I don't personally know many people stronger, tougher, more

51:21

I Want to be the Best Version of Myself

Walks of Life ·

2025/06/19

Geoff Cook and I met in late 2021 through Seth Godin’s altMBA. We became fast friends and have stayed in close touch since graduation. In this interview from late 2022, Geoff and I discuss his thoughts on the future of reaching your audience; growing up with a disability; differences between countries in how they treat disabled people culturally and legally; his experiences traveling in his wheelchair; and whether baseball will be America’s National Pastime in 50 years. Geoff is poignant and pointed

46:19

Egyptian-American Author Sherry Shenoda Discusses Her...

Walks of Life ·

2025/06/05

I could describe Sherry Shenoda in many ways: poet, pediatrician, immigrant, intellectual, mystic, mother, daughter, granddaughter, aunt, wife, Egyptian, American, Coptic Christian, muse and hearer of the muse. Yet she defies description. In a world of people clawing desperately to stand out, I find her remarkable for her desire and willingness to stand in the long flowing river of beautiful traditions, including of family and faith.Sherry and I talked two years ago, about her first novel, The

33:01

Bonsai is the Most Misunderstood Art

Walks of Life ·

2025/04/10

In 2022, prompted by, well, I don’t know what, I decided to look into getting a bonsai tree. I knew nothing about them, but something in the deep recesses of my mind urged me on. A few years before, my yoga instructor, Laurie LeCompte, had given me an air plant as a holiday gift. So I asked Laurie if she knew where I could find a bonsai.“There’s one guy in town. I only know him as the Bonsai Guy. If you Google ‘Bonsai guy Louisville,’ he should turn up,” she said.Sure enough, that search yielded

57:19

The Greatest Soldier Eisenhower Ever Knew

Walks of Life ·

2025/03/13

A short note before we get to the podcast. If you’re enjoying the essays and podcast on Solvitur Ambulando, I invite you to Pledge Your Support of this work and vision. Solvitur Ambulando is free to enjoy and I have no intention of turning on paid subscriptions anytime soon. (If that changes, I will give pledgers plenty of notice.) But knowing you savor the fruits of my efforts — to the tune of being willing to put some of your hard-earned ducats toward it — would mean, well, more than you can

41:36

An Interview With Famed Clothier Herb Melton of the...

Walks of Life ·

2025/02/06

In March 2022, on the cusp of his retirement after 46 years as a clothier, I sat down with Herb Melton of the Tom James Company. Herb has served as my clothier or tailor for more than 30 years – since my father couldn’t find me an off-the-rack suit that would fit my 5’ 9” and 105-pounds body to wear for college admissions interviews. Since then, Herb – and his Tom James colleagues in Washington, DC and Denver – have made me terrific-looking and comfortable clothes to fit my still-odd-body-shape.A

35:40

Ornithologist Sophie Osborn on the Joys, Trials,...

Walks of Life ·

2025/01/23

Last spring, my friend Bryan McGrath mentioned a new book he felt eager to read – Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds, by Sophie Osborn. Earlier, Bryan wrote about the Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell University, which had transformed my walks in nature. Suddenly, rather than merely hearing a bird singing nearby, I could quickly and easily identify it – and usually numerous other birds picked up by the app that I, too, could enjoy if I listened with a touch more attention.So

48:25

A Beautiful Conversation With Author and Pediatrician...

Walks of Life ·

2025/01/09

After meeting Sherry Shenoda at a wedding in the summer of 2022, I interviewed her about her book, The Lightkeeper, later that year. To say I love the book is a massive understatement. I found it so full of rich and beautiful themes: longing and loss; free will and its limits; and finding, coming and returning home; among many others. In our discussion, we cover fine and fertile ground: how her work as a pediatrician has affected her writing; her writing retreats with a dear friend; books on writing

57:24

A Conversation With Henry Oliver About Late Bloomers

Walks of Life ·

2024/11/21

A few months ago, I interviewed Henry Oliver about his book, Second Act, which is my book of the year.Second Act offers wonderful in-depth biographies and analyses of late blooming luminaries like Katharine Graham, Maya Angelou, Chris Gardner, Samuel Johnson, Ray Kroc, Margaret Thatcher, Frank Lloyd Wright and others. He also delves into less-heralded but no less instructive personalities, such as Audrey Sutherland, who began her solo kayaking adventures of the Arctic after age 60. It also includes

41:22

An Interview With Yoga Miracle Worker Laurie LeCompte

Walks of Life ·

2024/11/07

In 2017, coming off a health scare, I needed to become more active physically. My nutritionist suggested I reach out to Laurie LeCompte about yoga. At the time, she was offering private lessons at the Meridian Center on Wallace Avenue in Louisville. Laurie took great efforts to understand my health background – my congenital heart defect, sloped shoulders, near-scoliosis, and weak left arm. She created a yoga practice around my needs and with my aims in mind. For example, it’s good if I can improve

98:36

A Conversation with Publishing Maverick Ellen Fishbein

Walks of Life ·

2024/10/08

Over the past three years, I’ve interviewed some fascinating and accomplished people. I’ve learned much from each person. I’ve felt delighted to share their loves, laughs, trials and feats with Solvitur Ambulando readers through the edited transcripts of the conversations.But look, podcasts reign supreme in the world. Over the past 10 years, people have become accustomed to engaging with the interview format through audio or video recordings of conversations. They have less interest in reading a

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