We've all been assigned homework. Let our show help you with some of your homework.

It's depression mode. I'm John Mo. I'm glad you're here.

This homework doesn't have a due date, although if you can finish it before you die, that's

kind of a plus. Your assignment, figure out what the hell happened back there, when you were a kid,

when you were growing up, when you were being formed by the people and events around you.

Your task is to take a good, hard look at those people and events and what went down,

and then connect all that stuff to the person you ended up becoming,

your present habits and choices, the people and things and uses of time and places you invited into your life.

How did A become B? Please show your work.

The research may sometimes require exploring some really difficult stuff that you'd maybe prefer to just stuff down as long as you can, but try to face it anyway. Maybe make some phone calls, write some emails, get some answers.

It might also just require you to sit and do some thinking. Now, the assignment won't be graded,

but you may find it tremendously rewarding. It might make you feel like your footing is more solid

as you walk through the rest of your time on earth.

And like I said, we're here to help by introducing you to other students and sharing their

stories about how their research is going. We hope these stories inspire you and encourage you

as you do your work. And it's not school, of course, that I'm talking about. It's life.

Nico Case is a singer, songwriter, originally from the Pacific Northwest. She's released seven

critically acclaimed solo albums and is also part of the band The New Pornographers.

Grammy nominations, packed concert halls,

her singing voice is among the more beautiful

and powerful things that you can imagine.

She's been at work on a new Broadway musical

...