Krista Tippett
Born 1960 · Age 65
American journalist, broadcaster, author, public intellectual; creator and longtime host of the public-radio program/podcast On Being; founder/CEO of The On Being Project; National Humanities Medalist and Peabody winner.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Krista Tippett and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in the United States (Shawnee, Oklahoma area)
Krista Weedman (later Krista Tippett) was born on November 9, 1960.
Attended debate camp; discovered voice for public conversation
As a teen she participated in drama and debate which she cites as formative for her conversational and public-speaking skills.
Graduated Brown University (BA in History)
Completed Bachelor of Arts at Brown University (majored in history).
Awarded Fulbright Scholarship to University of Bonn
Received a Fulbright scholarship to study politics of Cold War Europe at University of Bonn, West Germany.
Worked in The New York Times bureau in Bonn
During her Fulbright year she worked in the NYT bureau in Bonn.
Became stringer for The New York Times in divided Berlin
Established herself as a freelance foreign correspondent reporting from Cold War Berlin for NYT and other outlets.
Published essay in Die Zeit: ‘They Just Say ‘Over There’’
Wrote about experiences in Rostock/East Germany; published by Die Zeit (German-language piece).
Published 'Weimar's Poets in Residence' in The New York Times
Byline in The New York Times on cultural reporting from Germany.
Interview/profile in The Berlin Observer about NYT stringer work
Featured as a New York Times stringer reflecting on life in East Germany.
Special political assistant to senior U.S. diplomat John C. Kornblum (West Berlin)
Served as a special political assistant to the senior United States diplomat in West Berlin.
Chief aide to the U.S. Ambassador to West Germany, Richard Burt
Promoted to chief aide in Berlin to the U.S. ambassador; an experience that shaped later spiritual and ethical interests.
Published 'Berlin by Night' in The New York Times
Feature/reporting piece from Germany published in The New York Times.
Witnessed the Fall of the Berlin Wall on her 29th birthday
Was in Oklahoma visiting on Nov 9, 1989 and watched events of the Wall's fall — formative for sense of history and meaning.
Conducted global oral-history project at the Collegeville Institute
Worked on a global oral-history project for the Collegeville Institute — where the idea for a radio show was developed.
Earned Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Yale University
Completed a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School (degree conferred 1994).
Proposed a radio show about religion to Minnesota Public Radio
After Yale and her research she pitched a program focusing on religion/spiritual life to Minnesota Public Radio (late 1990s).
Launched monthly radio series 'Speaking of Faith'
The radio program debuted as a monthly series at Minnesota Public Radio in 2001 (pilot/early run).
Spoke of Faith became weekly national program via American Public Media
In 2003 the program moved to weekly national distribution, purposed to explore religious/spiritual life for a broad public.
Launched Speaking of Faith with help from Pew Charitable Trusts and MPR/APM
Funding/support from Pew Charitable Trusts and Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media supported the launch and distribution.
Produced episode 'The Ecstatic Faith of Rumi' (award-winning)
Episode on Rumi later cited when the show won a Peabody; work recognized for excellence in broadcasting.
Received Webby Award(s) for electronic media
On Being/Speaking of Faith received Webby recognition (listed as 2008 Webby honoree; site references three Webby awards overall).
Peabody Award for 'The Ecstatic Faith of Rumi'
Krista Tippett and producers accepted a George Foster Peabody Award for the Rumi episode (67th Annual Peabody Awards).
Delivered Francis X. Cheney Lecture in Pastoral Theology (Yale Divinity School)
Presented Yale Divinity School’s Francis X. Cheney Lecture in Pastoral Theology (2008).
LIVE from the New York Public Library: 'For Play' conversation (with Stuart Brown)
Public event at NYPL (January 29, 2008) featuring a conversation Krista curated/hosted as part of her public events history.
Published 'Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters—and How to Talk About It'
Memoir and reflection on the public conversation about religion (Penguin; often cited as 2007/2008 release).
Live event: Einstein's God conversation at NYPL with Andrew Solomon
Public event 'Einstein's God' at the New York Public Library (March 3, 2010) — live conversation drawn from book content.
Published 'Einstein's God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit'
Book of interviews on science and spiritual inquiry; became a New York Times bestseller.
TED talk: 'Reconnecting with Compassion' (video published)
Delivered a TED.com talk about compassion and public conversation (video published November 2010).
Created the Civil Conversations Project
Launched the Civil Conversations Project to foster healing of fractured civic spaces via shows and public events.
Left American Public Media; co-founded Krista Tippett Public Productions (KTPP)
Spun On Being and Civil Conversations Project out of APM into an independent nonprofit production company and social enterprise (studio on Loring Park, Minneapolis).
Formal founding/launch of The On Being Project (independent nonprofit)
On Being moved into independent nonprofit status as The On Being Project to grow media & public-life work.
Established On Being studio and work/studio space in Minneapolis (Loring Park)
The independent production moved into a work/studio/event space on Loring Park in Minneapolis as part of the nonprofit launch.
Received media & cultural honors beyond Peabody (Four Freedoms Medal referenced)
On Being/ Krista cited as recipient of a Four Freedoms Medal from the Roosevelt Institute (date not always specified in bios).
Featured story 'Gaggy's Blessing' on The Moth Radio Hour
Personal story 'Gaggy's Blessing' aired on The Moth Radio Hour (Feb 18, 2014).
Keynote: Political Dialogue & Civility in an Age of Polarization (Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program)
Delivered a keynote address on political dialogue and civility at Harvard (March 25, 2014).
Awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama
Received the 2013 National Humanities Medal at the White House (awarded in July 2014) for work delving into mysteries of human existence.
Gave a talk 'The Art and Mystery of Living' at Yale Institute of Sacred Music (literature & spirituality series)
Delivered a public talk as part of Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music series (2015).
Guest on Everyone's Agnostic Podcast (Episode 70)
Appeared as guest on Everyone's Agnostic podcast.
Featured in New York Times and other major outlets about civic healing work
Profiled in national press for On Being and Civil Conversations Project work (e.g., NYT pieces in 2016).
Published 'Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living'
Released Becoming Wise (Penguin); New York Times bestseller; book synthesizing decades of interviews and reflection.
On Being recognized across podcast industry (press acclaim)
On Being named a 'best podcast' or highlighted by outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic (recognition consolidated by late 2010s).
Listed as Global Advisor for Acumen
Profiled as a Global Advisor to Acumen (advisory role tied to ethical/public-life work).
Named Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor at Stanford University
Served as the 2019 Haas Center Distinguished Visitor at Stanford University.
On Being carried on over 400 public radio stations
On Being grew from two initial stations to distribution on over 400 public radio stations across the U.S.
Lucas Johnson invited to lead social-healing work at The On Being Project
Krista invited Lucas Johnson (introduced by Vincent Harding) to expand and center commitment to social healing across the organization.
Listed speaker fee range reported by Gotham Artists
Industry booking page lists Krista Tippett's speaking fee in the range USD 30,000–50,000 (typical modern range for keynote engagements).
Pandemic: organizational reorientation and discernment at On Being
Krista and leadership engaged in deep discernment about reorienting the work and organization in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity by Yale University
Yale conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity on Krista Tippett at the 2022 commencement/honorary degrees ceremony.
Featured in The New York Times Magazine profile
Profiled in The New York Times Magazine (July 2022) reflecting on her career and influence.
On Being podcast passed 350 million+ downloads (reported)
Yale and On Being reporting cite the podcast as having been downloaded over 350 million times (cumulative by 2022).
Continued public-facing work and ongoing book project
Krista continues to work on a new book about moral imagination and remains active in public conversation and events.
Named a Chubb Fellow at Yale University
Selected as a 2025 Spring Chubb Fellow at Yale University (appointment announced/recognized).
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Krista Tippett and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Yukihiro Matsumoto
Born 1965 · Age 60
Japanese computer scientist and software programmer, chief designer of the Ruby programming language and original author/maintainer of MRI (Matz's Ruby Interpreter).
Robert Scoble
Born 1965 · Age 60
American blogger, technical evangelist, video blogger and author; founder of the Scobleizer blog; longtime Microsoft evangelist; later worked at PodTech, Fast Company, Rackspace (Building 43), UploadVR; co-author of Naked Conversations.
Dan Carlin
Born 1965 · Age 60
American podcaster, political commentator and former radio/TV reporter. Host of Hardcore History, Hardcore History: Addendum, and Common Sense. Author of The End Is Always Near (2019).
Michael Dell
Born 1965 · Age 60
Founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies; entrepreneur and philanthropist who built a leading global IT company from a dorm-room startup and led major M&A and strategic transformations.
Brené Brown
Born 1965 · Age 60
American research professor, author, speaker and podcaster known for research on shame, vulnerability, empathy and leadership; author of multiple #1 NYT bestsellers; host of popular podcasts; holder of the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at University of Houston.
Robin Sharma
Born 1965 · Age 60
Canadian self-help author, leadership expert and speaker; best known for The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari series and founder of Sharma Leadership International.