Grammar hounds might despise it, but “like” is both ubiquitous and necessary in our everyday speech. Megan C. Reynolds, editor at Dwell magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss one little word that defines so much of modern speech: like – from approval on social media to, like, the way we all casually talk today – and why we should all give it a s…

President Trump is determined to shift manufacturing jobs back to American soil — but that’s a monumentally difficult task. Rachel Slade joins host Krys Boyd to discuss challenges small businesses face when they want to source American-made products, how regulation gets in the way, and why labor unions might help bring jobs back. Her book is “Makin…

Happiness may feel elusive, but there are some proven strategies to get you there. Arthur C. Brooks is Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School. He is also a columnist at The Atlantic, where he writes the weekly “How to Build a Life” column. He joins host Kry…

For the first time in decades, the U.S. is facing a brain drain of the nation’s top researchers and scientists. Ross Anderson, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how Trump administration funding cuts, ideological stances and immigration crackdowns are opening up opportunities for foreign countries to offer well-equipped l…

One in 20 deaths in Canada are the result of Medical Assistance in Dying, the country’s legalized euthanasia. Elaina Plott Calabro, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the MAID law has made medically assisted death more common than Alzheimer’s and diabetes deaths combined, why that’s taken advocates by surprise, and wh…

Attorneys who practice immigration law have been busy with the Trump administration’s policies. Tekendra Parmar joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how immigration attorneys are approaching their workload now that stricter regulations and procedures are in place, the types of immigration practices that have sprung up to help confused clients, and why i…

If the 9-to-5 grind gets you down, maybe it’s time to do more with your life. Rutger Bregman, historian and co-founder of The School for Moral Ambition, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why so many people feel like their jobs don’t make a difference in the world and how we can instead use our talent and education to focus on the world’s biggest prob…

The modern notion of the ideal man involves a lot of lean muscle mass — but why does our culture demand so much bulk from men whose lives for the most part no longer revolve around manual labor? Washington Post classical music critic Michael Andor Brodeur is a lifelong lifter, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his examination of modern masculi…

There’s a cottage industry of self-help books for dealing with a narcissist. But what if you are the narcissist? Nick Keppler joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how narcissistic personality disorder is diagnosed, the people who genuinely want to change and why we find it so hard to offer compassion to this subset of mental illness. His article “Narcis…

The “Big, Beautiful Bill” promised no tax on tips, but that might actually keep service-industry wages lower. Eyal Press is a contributing writer for The New Yorker, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why restaurant owners will benefit most from eliminating income taxes on tips, why the minimum wage for restaurant workers is so incredibly low a…

When a loved one passes away, it can be difficult to find the right words. Enter A.I. Drew Harwell is a technology reporter for The Washington Post, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise of obituary-writing artificial intelligence, how funeral homes are eager to embrace it – and if a computer can find the right words to truly capture a hu…

More than 44,000 flights take off and land daily in the U.S., which means we need air traffic controllers more than ever. Washington Post transportation reporter Ian Duncan joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the rates of completion for federally funded FAA training programs are so low, the toxic culture in air traffic controller apprenticeships, a…

At the request of President Trump, Texas Republicans are considering redistricting the state to pick up five congressional seats, which could trigger a chain reaction around the country. Samuel Wang, professor of neuroscience and leader of Princeton's The Gerrymandering Project, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss gerrymandering efforts in Texas and be…

Very few job candidates will be candid about their greatest weakness, but it’s actually their greatest strengths that could leave them hamstrung. Martin Dubin, clinical psychologist, entrepreneur and business coach, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the skills business school can’t teach you – from interpersonal workplace relationships to goal settin…

How often do political parties actually trust voters to know what’s best for them? Curtis Bram, a political scientist at The University of Texas at Dallas, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the two sides of modern governing: elitism and populism, and questions whose job it is to actually protect democracy —voters or politicians? His book is “Elitism …

Sleep tracking technology can tell you how long you slumbered, but it can’t get you there. Jennifer Senior, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss sleep anxiety, why we find it so hard to get a good night’s rest, and why hunting for the best how-to articles on the topic might be making things worse. Her article is “Why Can’t …

A diagnosis of schizophrenia is devastating — but what if the doctor got it wrong? New Yorker staff writer Rachel Aviv joins host Krys Boyd to discuss a woman diagnosed with severe mental illness for years before doctors realized it was an autoimmune response, her hard road back to health and the difficult process of repairing relationships once sh…

Workers are reluctant to go back into the office five days a week, but hybrid arrangements still need mastering. Peter Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management at the Wharton School and the director of its Center for Human Resources. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why hybrid work holds workers back in terms of promotions, employ…

The violence in El Salvador has come to American attention with the deportation of accused gang members to a notorious prison there. Viet Thanh Nguyen, professor of literature at the University of Southern California, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his trip to El Salvador, which coincided with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip, and how their v…

The U.N. says people in Gaza are under “famine-like conditions.” Ciarán Donnelly, SVP for International Programs with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), joins host Krys Boyd to discuss starvation in the Gaza strip, how it’s especially impacting children and what’s keeping food aid groups from helping. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.pr…

The English language is full of words that both communicate and confound. Martha Barnette, co-host of the popular radio show and podcast “A Way with Words,” joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her love of language and all the myriad ways words bring us joy, how words can surprise and delight us, and why the meaning of some words can often be tricky to …

Organ transplants save lives, but rushing into them could harm donors nearing the end of their own lives. Brian M. Rosenthal, investigative reporter at The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how some donors, thought to be deceased, have shown signs of life just before vital organ harvesting, why one particular harvesting method could b…

Dogs suffer from cancer similarly to how humans do – and they may hold the keys to curing us. Bob Holmes, contributor for Knowable Magazine, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the biomedical bond between dogs and people, why dogs develop cancer more quickly and how that can help researchers test treatments without lengthy clinical trials. His article …

There’s a podcast for everything these days — and maybe that’s the problem. Liel Leibovitz is editor-at-large for Tablet. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the very saturated podcast market is making us silo ourselves even further from one another, how the onset of the Covid pandemic made us lean into podcasts as a means of connection, and why…

Labeling a child a psychopath can be incredibly harmful, but there might be ways to treat these unsettling personality traits early. Maia Szalavitz, author and contributing opinion writer for the The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss children who are behaving in “callous, unemotional” ways and how early interventions are proving helpf…