NPR: TED Radio Hour

Why do we revere risk-takers, even when their actions terrify us? Why are some better at taking risks than others? This hour, TED speakers explore the alluring, dangerous, and calculated sides of risk. Guests include professional rock climber Alex Honnold, economist Mariana Mazzucato, psychology researcher Kashfia Rahman, structural engineer and bridge designer Ian Firth, and risk intelligence expert Dylan Evans.

Original broadcast date: January 3, 2014. We all have our struggles, whether they be mental, physical, or social. But what is it that makes some of us keep trying and striving to overcome despite the odds? In this hour, TED speakers tell their stories about overcoming a weakness and turning it into a strength. Guests include professor Temple Grandin, poet Shane Koyczan, psychologist Eleanor Longden, and educator Kakenya Ntaiya.

Original broadcast date: June 27, 2014. When is copying flattery, when is it thievery, and when is it sheer genius? In this hour, TED speakers explore how sampling, borrowing, and riffing make all of us innovators. Guests include DJ Mark Ronson, filmmaker Kirby Ferguson, media and entertainment expert Johanna Blakley, and writer Steven Johnson.

Anger is universal and complex: it can be quiet, festering, justified, vengeful, and destructive. This hour, TED speakers explore the many sides of anger, why we need it, and who's allowed to feel it. Guests include psychologists Ryan Martin and Russell Kolts, writer Soraya Chemaly, former talk radio host Lisa Fritsch, and business professor Dan Moshavi.

Many of us either cope with mental illness or know someone who does. But we still have a hard time talking about it. This hour, TED speakers explore ways to push past — and even erase — the stigma. Guests include musician and comedian Jordan Raskopoulos, neuroscientist and psychiatrist Thomas Insel, psychiatrist Dixon Chibanda, anxiety and depression researcher Olivia Remes, and entrepreneur Sangu Delle.