Welcome to Insight into Health, my radio show on listener-supported KSVY 91.3, where I explore ways to make healthy living realistic, enjoyable, and sustainable. I am your host, Allison McKeany, and these are the show notes for the live radio show that aired on January 26th, 2026.
Once again, my husband, Lyle McKeany, joined me for this episode and will be on air with me again next week, talking all about talking!
Listen to the episode:
Beyond the What: Connection through levity
This was our third discussion all about having good conversations, inspired by the book TALK: The Science of Conversation And The Art of Being Ourselves by Alison Wood Brooks.
The book explores four main themes (cleverly using the acronym TALK): Topics, Asking, Levity, Kindness.
So far, Lyle and I have explored topics and asking questions. This week was all about using levity to “infuse positive energy”1 into conversation.
I was initially resistant to the idea of levity, especially during difficult and vulnerable conversations. I worried that a joke or a laugh would deflect from the depth of a conversation, acting as a way out of feeling uncomfortable.
While levity may not be useful in every scenario (highlighting the need to “read the room” during a conversation), I now understand its power.
I learned that levity isn’t just about making a joke or getting the laugh (though it can certainly be that during more lighthearted conversations).
Well-used levity can act as a lifeline during hard conversations, allowing everyone to come up for air before diving back in. It is a way to show your conversation partner that you see they are hurting and that you want to give them relief, even if for just a moment.
The key for me, though, is that levity is not meant to distract or avoid the hard stuff. It is to make exploring the hard stuff a little less daunting. I can get on board with that.
Let’s Talk + What’s Feeling Alive?: Dave Haffner
Our friend Dave returned to continue our conversation about the atmosphere, pollution, our health, and what we can do to protect it.
We got straigtened out about what ozone actually is (a molecule containing three oxygen atoms = O3), the difference between ozone and pollution (ozone is a type of pollution, other types include small particulates and nitrogen oxides), and what actually creates ozone (the reaction between oxygen and the exhaust produced when burning fuel in vehicles, boats, powerplants, and factories).
When it comes to pollution and our health, it has long been accepted that ozone contributes to respiratory illnesses such as asthma and COPD, but only recently have we begun to understand that it may also play a role in chronic inflammation and chronic diseases that affect our heart, brain, pregnancies, and metabolic health.
It isn’t all downer news, though! Ozone levels are improving thanks to regulations, the steady transition to electric cars, and more awareness.
Below are some links Dave shared with us if you want to dive deeper into this topic, as well as monitor the air quality in your area:
Thanks for being here. Please remember to send your questions and topic inquiries to insightintohealth@gmail.com or leave a comment below.
~Allison
(Wood Brooks, pg 98)