From A Slight Change of Plans: Theranos Whistleblower Erika Cheung

10/05/22 • 48 min

1 Listener

Today, we wanted to share a special episode from A Slight Change of Plans, another podcast from Pushkin. The show is hosted by Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist who is an expert on human behavior. It’s all about understanding who we are, and who we become, in the face of a big change. In the episode you’re about to hear, Maya sits down with Erika Cheung.

Erika is the whistleblower who worked with The Wall Street Journal to bring down the now infamous biotech company, Theranos, and its founder Elizabeth Holmes. While the experience deeply impacted her mental health, she also found herself with a greater sense of self-compassion—and cultivated a newfound resilience.

You can hear more from A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can hear more from A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Previous Episode

Writer Sandra Cisneros is a ‘Woman Without Shame’

Today we’re joined by beloved author Sandra Cisneros! We discuss her first poetry collection in 28 years, Woman Without Shame (4:40), why she chooses to write ‘dangerous’ pieces (6:18), and the significance of her poem, “My Mother and Sex” (8:38). Then, we walk through Sandra’s coming of age between Mexico and Chicago (15:16), the sixth-grade teacher that guided her entry into art (19:39), her epiphanies on class in graduate school (23:49), the “Pilsen Bario” that shaped her seminal novel, The House on Mango Street (29:05), and how Studs Terkel informed her lifelong approach to story (30:17).

On the back-half, we discuss the loves and losses that inspired Sandra’s early sensual poems (36:36), how she documented her power through “Neither Señorita nor Señora” (40:04), a painful period captured in “Year of my Death” (50:30), the day her mother visited her writer’s office in San Antonio (57:56), and why she still has more to say (and write) at age 67 (59:59).

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Next Episode

Back to School with Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary’)

Today we’re joined by “Abbott Elementary” creator and star, Quinta Brunson! On the heels of its two historic wins at this year’s Emmys, we discuss the guiding principles behind its second season (6:02), its incomparable cast (9:41), and the show's personal connection to Quinta’s upbringing in West Philadelphia (14:49). Then, we unpack her earliest comedic influences (19:21), performing in improv in college (26:31), and the solace she found in Second City Chicago (29:09).

On the back-half, Quinta reflects on moving to Los Angeles at twenty-three (33:27), the feelings of alienation that followed (35:02), and the Comedy Store performance that irrevocably altered her course (36:55) and brought her to Abbott Elementary (46:56). To close, she shares her hopes for the years to come (51:00).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.