Redesigning your personality, actress Kathy Bates, restaurateur Keith McNally, and Naples' looming volcanic threat

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July 20, 2025

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The science of redesigning your personality

Writer Olga Khazan, a lifelong introvert obsessed with work, was unhappy with who she was, and so vowed to redesign her personality by living outside her comfort zone – a journey she documented in her new book, "Me, But Better."

Restaurateur Keith McNally on why he regrets "almost everything"

He opened such popular NYC institutions as The Odeon, Balthazar and Pastis. But a 2016 stroke, which caused immobility and affected his speech, led to a suicide attempt two years later. He has now penned an irreverent memoir, "I Regret Almost Everything."

What shocked "Matlock" star Kathy Bates?

The Academy Award-winning actress, who sat down with Ben Mankiewicz to talk about some of her most memorable stage and screen roles, learned a startling fact about her relationship with her mother the night she won the Oscar for "Misery."

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Life within Naples' volcanic "red zone"

There has been increasing volcanic activity around Naples, Italy (with around two thousand earthquakes in February alone). Just 30 miles west of Mount Vesuvius lies Campi Flegrei, a volcanic caldera that stretches for 125 miles underneath urban areas, where half a million people now live.

Bridget Everett on how she ended up as "Somebody Somewhere"

The actress and cabaret star put her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, on the map with the award-winning HBO series about a Midwestern woman returning home and working through grief. She returned to Manhattan, to talk about her surreal journey.

Conductor Herbert Blomstedt, a man who has cheated time

Herbert Blomstedt is still conducting major symphony orchestras around the world at the age of 98. And as Martha Teichner reports, he plans to continue doing so past 100 because, he says, "I have gifts I have to live up to."

A Civil War landmark in downtown D.C.

One little-known landmark in Washington, D.C., is an inconspicuous building that was the site of a revolutionary effort at the end of the Civil War – one that changed the military ever since – where Clara Barton worked to locate thousands of soldiers missing or dead.

Former Obama speechwriter David Litt on finding neutral ground

"Common ground" may be increasingly difficult to find when everything seems political. Instead, David Litt suggests finding "neutral ground" with others – spending time together focused on something other than our differences (like, surfing).

These United States: Yellowstone National Park

Conor Knighton reflects on the American treasure whose preservation as our first national park inspired similar conservation efforts around the globe.

The Carousel of Happiness

While under fire during the height of the Vietnam War, Marine Corporal Scott Harrison got through those dark days thanks in no small part to a vision he had, of a carousel in a mountain meadow. Years later, he made his vision a reality.

Passage: Remembering Connie Francis

Jane Pauley looks back at the career of singer Connie Francis, who became a defining voice of the 1950s and '60's with such hits as "Where the Boys Are" and "Who's Sorry Now."

Almanac: July 20

"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.

Book excerpt: "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change"

Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan, a lifelong introvert, set out to change aspects of her personality she didn't like by forcing herself outside of her comfort zone. How about trying improv comedy?

Book excerpt: "I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir" by Keith McNally

The phenomenally successful New York City restaurateur's irreverent memoir recounts a life that was battered by a stroke, followed by an almost-successful suicide attempt.

Extended interview: Restaurateur Keith McNally

In this web exclusive, the British-born restaurateur talks with Mo Rocca about writing his memoir, "I Regret Almost Everything"; how his 2016 stroke drew him to Instagram; how he learned restaurant lighting through an early job in theater on "The Rocky Horror Show"; and giving second chances.

Extended interview: Kathy Bates

The Academy Award-winning actress talks about her early attraction to the stage, and the sacrifices her parents made for her; her early films, "Taking Off" and "Straight Time"; and her performance in "Misery," for which she earned an Oscar.

Extended Nature Video: Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone

We leave you this Sunday morning at Yellowstone National Park's Mammoth Hot Springs in Wyoming. Videographer: Michael Clark.

The Book Report: Ron Charles on new summer reads (July 20)

The Washington Post book reviewer offers highlights from the season's fiction and non-fiction releases.

Book excerpt: "The Beast in the Clouds" by Nathalia Holt

In the latest book by the bestselling author of "Rise of the Rocket Girls," two sons of Theodore Roosevelt set out for China on a quest to find a mythical creature: the giant panda.

Book excerpt: "Bug Hollow" by Michelle Huneven

A summer lark turns tragic, and a shattered family must carry on, in the latest novel by the author of "Round Rock" and "Blame."

Book excerpt: "The Satisfaction Café" by Kathy Wang

In her search to overcome loneliness and build connections, a woman from Taiwan creates a new life for herself in California, in a gently witty new novel from the author of "Family Trust."

Book excerpt: "The Slip" by Lucas Schaefer

This debut comic novel, set in and around a boxing gym in Austin, Texas, pounces on issues of race, sex and gender identity in America today.

Watch the full July 20 broadcast!

Hosted by Jane Pauley.

From the archives: Martin Cruz Smith on writing mysteries

The author of such bestsellers as "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star" died on July 11 at 82. In this 2002 "Sunday Morning" profile, Smith talked with Anthony Mason about how he continued writing mysteries featuring Moscow detective Arkady Renko, despite being blacklisted by the Soviet Union.

Web extra: Conductor Herbert Blomstedt on why he fears inactivity

At age 98, Herbert Blomstedt still keeps a busy schedule conducting orchestras around the world. In this web exclusive he talks with Martha Teichner about why, even at an advanced age, he continues to keep working.