The daily news can fill us with despair. My Unsung Hero is an antidote to that despair. Each episode reveals what the news ignores: everyday acts of kindness and courage that transformed someone’s life. Listen — and renew your faith in humanity.
Recent Heroes
When Juli's car ran out of gas in the middle of the road, three men from a nearby homeless encampment rushed over to push her car to safety.
In 1980, backpacking alone to Greece, Elaine was attacked on a train. Two strangers stepped in, and stayed by her side for nearly the entire 12-hour ride.
After his dad left, Patrick’s guidance counselor taught him to tie a tie — and showed him he wasn’t alone. Years later, he passed that lesson on to his own son.
In the days after her mother's death, Ashley struggled with guilt. She had been the one to request a "Do Not Resuscitate" order, at her mother's request. Still, Ashley wondered if she'd made the right choice. Then a nurse made a phone call that changed her life.
In 1974, Surinder came out of a pharmacy to discover his car was gone. Not knowing anyone in town, he opened the phone book, and dialed a stranger with a familiar Indian last name. The man who answered went on to play a surprising role in his life.
At a resort in Mexico, Julie flew off a waterslide and hit the water hard. She was starting to lose consciousness when she felt hands grab her and pull.
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Podcast:
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Newsletter:
Go behind the scenes, see what Shankar is reading and find more useful resources and links.
If you’d like to submit an Unsung Hero for use on the show, please record it and click the button below to email it to [email protected]
Instructions:
Find a quiet room and open a recording app on your phone. (Here are tips on how to record yourself properly.)
Speaking in full sentences, please tell us about your Unsung Hero. No need to write down your story and read it from paper— speaking conversationally is best. A recording of 3-5 minutes is plenty. Your story should include (but does not need to be limited to):
- Your full name and where you’re from.
- The full name of your Unsung Hero, if you know it.
- A particular moment or event that prompted you to make this person your Unsung Hero. Tell us as much about that event as you can remember — what the scene was like, and what emotions you felt.
- Did you have a chance to thank them?
- If they were standing in front of you right now, what would you say?
- How does this person continue to impact you and your life?