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Back to TED Radio Hour

TED Radio Hour

Turning Points

Our lives are often defined by turning points. They can happen gradually or in an instant. How do we reconcile our former selves with who we've become?

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By Guy Raz • Oct 27, 2013 • 1 min read

Our lives are often defined by turning points. They can happen gradually or in an instant. But how do we reconcile the before and the after -- our former selves with who we've become?

Surgeon and author Sherwin Nuland, known for his bestselling books on the nature of life and death, describes how electroshock therapy gave him a second lease on life. Businessman Ric Elias, who had a front-row seat on Flight 1549, the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York, tells his story for the first time, including how the crash changed his approach to life, love and family. British-born Maajid Nawaz, who once recruited young Muslims to an extreme Islamist group, recounts his ideological transformation to a new life as a democracy advocate. Josh Prager, who at 19 suffered a devastating bus accident that left him paralyzed on his left side, tells his story and probes deep questions of identity, self-deception and destiny.

Learn more or listen again to this week's episode.

Banner image: Hattie Ellis/Getty Images

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    Guy Raz

    Host, 'TED Radio Hour'

    Culture
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