Family Secrets

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Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.

  • 52 minutes 40 seconds
    Tangled Up in Blue

    Sam grows up without knowing his biological father. As he enters adolescence, he begins to resemble Bob Dylan. A lot. So when Sam learns his mother had a brief relationship with Dylan in the 70s, the cascade of questions begins to flow.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 48 minutes 44 seconds
    Baby X

    After centuries of ancestral trauma, Julian must listen closely to the stories of his family —stories of survival, memory, myth and generations of erasure—in order to discover the story of himself.

    Julian Brave NoiseCat's book, We Survived the Night, is out now.

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    4 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 56 minutes 9 seconds
    They Weren’t Into Consequences

    When Amanda’s parents’ eccentricities take a dark turn toward hoarding, scheming, and secret-keeping, the walls begin to literally close in on her. As the chaos and deceit grows in volume around her, she must figure out how to escape.

    Amanda Uhle's book is titled Destroy This House.

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    27 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    In The Backseat of My Body

    When Kate begins to recover haunting memories, she must confront a family history shaped by silence and generational harm. What follows is her quest to piece together the truth and reclaim a stolen childhood.

    Kate Price's book, This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, is out now.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    20 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 5 minutes
    Acting on Top of Acting

    Ari’el has spent his life playing characters, trying on different identities. But at a certain point he must discover who—beneath all these competing selves—he truly is. 

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    13 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 4 minutes 17 seconds
    New Season! Coming Soon!

    Thursday, November 13th. New Secrets. New Stories. New Season. Join us next week for our thirteenth launch!

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    6 November 2025, 11:00 am
  • 37 minutes 21 seconds
    Bonus: Dani and Gretchen Rubin

    Author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin joins Dani to talk about aphorisms and family secrets.

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    14 August 2025, 2:29 pm
  • 1 minute 54 seconds
    A Word from Dani

    Updates, Workshops, and Special Guests!

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    7 August 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
    There’s a Storm Coming

    A ninety-year old father and his youngest daughter come together to unpack a secret that altered—and ultimately made sense of— the shape of each of their lives.

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    31 July 2025, 9:00 am
  • 57 minutes 26 seconds
    Which Circle Are You In?

    Not every member of a family is told the same story. Elissa wrestles with the necessity of claiming her voice, even as telling her own singular truth may exact a painful price.

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    24 July 2025, 10:00 am
  • 47 minutes 5 seconds
    Who’s the Girlfriend?

    A box of letters. A hidden life. A history rewritten. Susan must reckon with how to move forward—how to be a daughter, a sister, a mother—after so much staggering change.

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    17 July 2025, 9:00 am
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