Jamie Lee Curtis never wanted to be an actor. She tells Rachel, despite having famous show business parents, she originally thought she’d become a police officer. Jamie talks about how she unexpectedly wound up in Hollywood, her fight against unhealthy beauty standards in the industry, and why she thinks of her children’s books as “her best thing.” Jamie Lee Curtis is currently  in “Ella McCay.”Take the Wild Card survey: <a href="http://npr.org/wildcardsurvey"target="_blank" >npr.org/wildcardsurvey</a> To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/wildcard</a> Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

<description>&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Jamie Lee Curtis never wanted to be an actor. She tells Rachel, despite having famous show business parents, she originally thought she’d become a police officer. Jamie talks about how she unexpectedly wound up in Hollywood, her fight against unhealthy beauty standards in the industry, and why she thinks of her children’s books as “her best thing.” Jamie Lee Curtis is currently  in “Ella McCay.”&lt;p dir="ltr"&gt;Take the Wild Card survey: &lt;a href="http://npr.org/wildcardsurvey"target="_blank" &gt;npr.org/wildcardsurvey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at &lt;a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" &gt;plus.npr.org/wildcard&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Learn more about sponsor message choices: &lt;a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices"&gt;podcastchoices.com/adchoices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy"&gt;NPR Privacy Policy&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Jamie Lee Curtis

Mel Robbins tells Rachel that she was plagued by anxiety, trauma and “relentless self-hatred” when she was younger. Now she has a bestselling book (“The Let Them Theory”) and a massively successful podcast (“The Mel Robbins Podcast”). Her hope is that she can share the tools that have helped her better herself so that other people can improve their lives. To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/wildcard</a> Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

<description>Mel Robbins tells Rachel that she was plagued by anxiety, trauma and “relentless self-hatred” when she was younger. Now she has a bestselling book (“The Let Them Theory”) and a massively successful podcast (“The Mel Robbins Podcast”). Her hope is that she can share the tools that have helped her better herself so that other people can improve their lives. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at &lt;a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" &gt;plus.npr.org/wildcard&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Learn more about sponsor message choices: &lt;a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices"&gt;podcastchoices.com/adchoices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy"&gt;NPR Privacy Policy&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Mel Robbins

One of Apple’s top 10 podcast episodes of 2025. Jason Reynolds returns for another Wild Card question about the challenge of setting an example for children. He also speaks with Rachel about the value of being a crier and the advice about rest he got from LeVar Burton. Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

<description>One of Apple’s top 10 podcast episodes of 2025. Jason Reynolds returns for another Wild Card question about the challenge of setting an example for children. He also speaks with Rachel about the value of being a crier and the advice about rest he got from LeVar Burton.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Learn more about sponsor message choices: &lt;a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices"&gt;podcastchoices.com/adchoices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy"&gt;NPR Privacy Policy&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Jason Reynolds (Update)

Suleika Jaouad has written extensively about what it means to live in the in-between – the space between sick and healthy. She’s dealt on-and-off with cancer since her early 20s. Her latest book, "The Book of Alchemy," provides a guide on sustaining a creative practice through journaling. Suleika tells Rachel about eavesdropping on laughter and what she's learned from the people she's lost.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/wildcard</a> Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

<description>&lt;p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2.073;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;"&gt;Suleika Jaouad has written extensively about what it means to live in the in-between – the space between sick and healthy. She’s dealt on-and-off with cancer since her early 20s. Her latest book, "The Book of Alchemy," provides a guide on sustaining a creative practice through journaling. Suleika tells Rachel about eavesdropping on laughter and what she's learned from the people she's lost.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at &lt;a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" &gt;plus.npr.org/wildcard&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Learn more about sponsor message choices: &lt;a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices"&gt;podcastchoices.com/adchoices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy"&gt;NPR Privacy Policy&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Suleika Jaouad

When Malala Yousafzai went to college, the last thing she wanted to talk about was her Nobel Prize or the Taliban attack that put her on the world stage. She just wanted to be a normal college student – taking risks, making friends and going to parties.  Malala tells Rachel it’s taken a lot of work to find out who she is beyond any titles or accolades. Her new book, “Finding My Way,” is out now.To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/wildcard</a> Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

<description>&lt;p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2.073;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;"&gt;When Malala Yousafzai went to college, the last thing she wanted to talk about was her Nobel Prize or the Taliban attack that put her on the world stage. She just wanted to be a normal college student – taking risks, making friends and going to parties.  Malala tells Rachel it’s taken a lot of work to find out who she is beyond any titles or accolades. Her new book, “Finding My Way,” is out now.&lt;p dir="ltr" style="line-height:2.073;margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;"&gt;To listen sponsor-free and support the show, sign up for Wild Card+ at &lt;a href="http://plus.npr.org/wildcard"target="_blank" &gt;plus.npr.org/wildcard&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Learn more about sponsor message choices: &lt;a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices"&gt;podcastchoices.com/adchoices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy"&gt;NPR Privacy Policy&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Malala Yousafzai

Life’s too short for small talk. Rachel gets right to the questions that matter most. Once a week, famous guests pull questions from a deck of cards and open up about the kind of stuff we all think about but rarely say out loud. Actors, authors, and thinkers are prompted to talk about everything from their insecurities and dreams to grief and God. Named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New York Times, Wild Card stands out among celebrity interview podcasts. When modern life feels chaotic or overwhelming, listen to Wild Card for a joyful, grounding reminder of our shared humanity. Want to listen to Wild Card sponsor-free? Support NPR by subscribing to Wild Card+. Learn more at plus.npr.org/wildcard.

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

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