Podcast Summary: "Mitch Albom Is A 'Walking Example Of A Second Chance'"
Fresh Air (NPR) | Host: Tonya Mosley | Guest: Mitch Albom
Air Date: October 13, 2025
Episode Overview
In this moving and candid interview, Tonya Mosley speaks with author Mitch Albom about his latest novel, Twice, his reflections on regret, love, and mortality, and how the lessons from Tuesdays with Morrie have shaped his writing and philanthropic life. The conversation explores the power and limitations of second chances, Albom's transformative friendship with Morrie Schwartz, critiques of "feel good" literature, the emotional depth of sports writing, and Albom's enduring humanitarian work in Haiti. The episode is both a personal reflection and a discussion of universal themes.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
The Premise and Themes of Twice
[02:00]–[08:12]
- Premise: Albom’s new novel Twice poses the question: "What if you could redo any moment of your life?" The main character, Alfie, can revisit moments with two main rules—he cannot change matters of the heart, nor can he stop anyone from dying when it’s their time.
- Why Write About Regret & Second Chances?
- Albom notes, “As people get older, the concrete settles a little bit more… and those switches start to turn into regrets.” [02:29]
- The universal honesty of wondering “if only,” and the philosophical challenge of "Would a second crack really be better?"
The Rules of the Second Chance: Love and Mortality
[04:12]–[08:36]
- Mortality:
- “You can’t change mortality.” [04:33]
- Scene inspired directly by Albom’s own loss—his mother died while he was flying, paralleling a moment from the novel.
- Love:
- “You can no more go back and start all over again and get that same thing back than you could take water that had run downstream from a river and say, let’s put it back upstream.” [07:47]
- Once true love is lost, it cannot be rekindled by revisiting the past.
The Value of Learning From Mistakes
[08:36]–[10:12]
- Doing things over might mean losing hard-won lessons:
“If you kept getting second chances, you wouldn’t learn a damn thing.” — Albom quoting Alfie’s grandmother, Yaya [09:57]
- Albom would not trade lessons learned from mistakes for a chance to redo them.
Living Second Chances: Albom’s Life as Reinvention
[10:12]–[13:00]
- Albom reveals his life is “a walking example of a second chance.” [10:30]
- The life-changing pivot from sports columnist to best-selling author occurred after reconnecting with his former professor, Morrie Schwartz, which led to Tuesdays with Morrie.
The Impact of Tuesdays with Morrie
[13:00]–[14:50]
- Albom describes how readers' responses shifted from "Sports Guy" encounters to deeply personal exchanges about grief and mortality:
“My mother died of cancer, and the last thing we did was read Tuesdays with Morrie together. Can I talk to you about her?” [15:03]
- He became a listener to strangers’ loss and healing stories.
Navigating Criticism and Sentimentality
[16:01]–[19:09]
- Albom addresses criticisms of his work as overly sentimental:
“It’s kind of cynical to look at something that moves people and say, ‘Oh, you’re just manipulating them.’ I don’t sit there going, ‘Oh, this will make them cry...’ I don’t have that power.” [16:52]
- He intentionally kept his writing style simple and unsentimental, focusing on authenticity.
Sports Journalism as Human Storytelling
[21:23]–[25:56]
- Albom shares the story of Derek Redmond and his father at the 1992 Olympics, underscoring his interest in stories of human emotion:
“I taught him how to run when he was a little boy. I put his feet on my feet... And that’s what I did again.” — Derek Redmond’s father [24:25]
- Albom sees sports as a “great tapestry to talk about human emotion.”
Detroit Columns: Joy, Suffering, and Community
[25:56]–[29:27]
- Reflects on writing amidst Detroit’s crack epidemic and economic decline:
- “I wrote kind of like surfing on the wave of the city… I would try to reflect the emotions of the city.” [27:00]
- Chronicles both the triumphs of local sports teams and the hardships endured by citizens.
Haiti: Charity, Danger, and Family
[30:39]–[38:29]
- Albom tells the story of how he began supporting and running an orphanage in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
- “I was so taken with the children…they were so joyous and they prayed every night and they were thankful even though they didn’t own a thing.” [32:08]
- Details the current dangers: gang violence, the need for security, and children living within the orphanage walls for years.
- The limits of individual effort:
“I don’t kid myself that I’m going to be able to save Haiti in any way. If you can save one little piece of it… and these are children.” [36:57]
Grieving and Loving Chika
[39:59]–[42:41]
- Losing Chika, a young girl from the orphanage who died at age 7, left Albom deeply changed but also prepared to open his heart again to children in need:
“We got these two amazing years in our 50s to be parents... That’s a gift.” [41:36]
Facing Mortality and Seeking Legacy
[42:41]–[44:11]
- Reflects on approaching the age Morrie was when Tuesdays with Morrie was written:
“I am trying to leave a legacy… The best compliment anybody ever gives me... is your book really made me think or made me examine my life, then I’ve created a little ripple in the pond.” [43:08]
Personal Reflections: Tonya Mosley’s Debt to Albom
[44:11]–[45:26]
- Host Tonya Mosley shares her own story of writing to Albom as a young Detroit reader, learning to write by mimicking his columns.
“You gave me a vision for what my future could be.” — Tonya Mosley [44:34]
- Albom’s legacy made visible:
“That’s it. You’re it. So what a gift this has been to me, just to—what a thing to hear.” [45:26]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Regret:
“If you said to me, in doing [things] over, you have to surrender whatever you’ve learned… then I wouldn’t trade it. Because all of those things… made me into who I am now.”
— Mitch Albom [09:00] -
On the nature of love:
“It’s not the last shot of a basketball game… You don’t get to take that love with you. When you make that decision, that’s gone.”
— Mitch Albom [07:26] -
On manipulation and sentiment:
“I think it’s kind of cynical to look at something that moves people and say, ‘Oh, you’re just manipulating them.’”
— Mitch Albom [16:52] -
On humanitarian work in Haiti:
“I think we’re put on this earth to help children and to guide them. It’s the greatest honor of my life to be in Haiti and have any kind of effect on these kids.”
— Mitch Albom [40:38] -
On legacy:
“If I can somehow influence people positively… then I’ve created a little ripple in the pond, and I’d be very content with that.”
— Mitch Albom [43:08]
Key Timestamps Reference
- Introduction & Book Premise: 00:17–04:12
- The Limits of Second Chances: 04:12–08:36
- Learning From Mistakes: 08:36–10:12
- Albom’s Life Pivot – Morrie Schwartz: 10:12–13:00
- Morrie, Tuesdays with Morrie Impact: 13:00–16:01
- Response to Criticism: 16:52–19:09
- Sports Writing as Emotional Narrative: 21:23–25:56
- Reporting on Detroit’s Highs and Lows: 25:56–29:27
- Haiti Orphanage — Origins & Current Reality: 31:00–38:29
- Finding Chika, Grief, and Parenting: 39:59–42:41
- Reflections on Mortality and Legacy: 42:41–44:11
- Host’s Personal Tribute: 44:11–45:26
Tone and Takeaways
The conversation is intimate, honest, and moving. Albom and Mosley maintain a reflective but direct tone, frequently circling back to the themes of regret, love, learning, and the power and cost of second chances. There’s a profound sense of gratitude, humility, and service woven through Albom’s responses—a testimony both to what he’s received and what he’s tried to pass on.
Listeners walk away with a deeper understanding of Albom’s writing and life philosophy: that our mistakes and losses are part of our stories; that love and mortality are immutable; and that meaning is found not in reliving the past, but in giving, guiding, and accepting life’s gifts and hardships with open eyes and an open heart.