Best USA TODAY | Wondery Podcasts (2025)

1
The Whole Foods Rebellion | Tiny Acorns, Mighty Oaks | 2 45:01

4d ago45:01

45:01

CEO John Mackey is on a mission to take Whole Foods national. But he is about to run into major opposition. And to succeed in his quest, he must face down rebellious employees, ambitious rivals, animal rights activists and his own father. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https:/…

1
In an Age of Anxiety, How to Stop Worrying and Raise Less Stressed Kids (with Dr. William Stixrud) 47:51

5d ago47:51

47:51

Janet’s guest is Dr. William Stixrud, a clinical neuropsychologist and co-author of "The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives." Bill Stixrud's decades of experience counseling children and their parents have led to conclusions that complement and support Janet's own parenting philosophy, especia…

1
The Whole Foods Rebellion | Vision Quest | 1 36:38

11d ago36:38

36:38

When Texas hippie John Mackey opens an organic supermarket, he gets high on running a business. But when his ambitions sink its profits, sparks fly between him and his co-founders. They clash over the question of whether to chase a bigger dream or enjoy the money they’re already making. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated …

1
Discipline That Works - Your Best Responses to Your Kids' Behaviors 22:24

12d ago22:24

22:24

Respectful, effective discipline can be challenging for us to learn, and experience is our best teacher! With that in mind, Janet shares several encouraging success stories from parents who faced frustrating or infuriating, sometimes alarming challenges with their kids. Subjects include disobedience, bedtime struggles, tantrums, aggressiveness, hit…

1
Price Wars: The Fall of Dollar Stores | Duped | 3 42:05

17d ago42:05

42:05

Not everything you buy from the dollar store is going to be a winner, and Wirecutter editor Annemarie Conte knows this firsthand. Today, Annemarie joins David to share tips for shopping smarter at these discounters, and which items you should probably leave on the shelf. Later, David investigates dupes — cheaper, nearly identical versions of popula…

1
Price Wars: The Fall of Dollar Stores | Shrinkage | 2 39:30

18d ago39:30

39:30

After 10 years of rapid growth, the dollar stores hit big trouble. Rats, burglars, unhappy workers, online agitators and inflation erode their profits. And a new online dollar store makes inroads. Can they survive these existential threats? Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https…

1
How to Stop the Screaming 25:15

19d ago25:15

25:15

There's nothing unusual about a child screaming, but sometimes it can become a go-to response to any situation. Janet responds to a parent who says her 3-year-old has become "stuck on screaming... She screams at her friends in the park, at my mom, at my dad, at my husband, at strangers..." And because of this parent's childhood environment, her dau…

1
Price Wars: The Fall of Dollar Stores | Billionaire Tug of War | 1 39:40

25d ago39:40

39:40

We’re exploring how dollar stores went from Wall Street darlings to the problem children of the stock market. But first, we track how a re-energized Dollar General figures out how to make billions from small change, and its nearest-rival Family Dollar becomes a takeover target. But can Dollar General’s CEO steer the family business into the right h…

1
Play That Builds Skills and Bonds Us (with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson) 43:50

26d ago43:50

43:50

Janet’s guest is Dr. Tina Payne Bryson. Her new book “The Way of Play” (co-authored with play therapist Georgie Wisen-Vincent) illustrates how playing with our kids in a receptive manner for even just a few minutes each day helps us to better understand them, while also encouraging their development of social skills, emotional regulation, resilienc…

1
Listen Now: Don’t Cross Kat 6:02

27d ago6:02

6:02

Kat Torres has the insta-perfect life. She is rich, gorgeous and not ashamed to share it. Her posts about witchcraft and “alien baths” drew in over a million followers, all chasing the dream of a lifestyle like hers. But as she gathers more followers around her, the secrets beneath her fame grow darker and more dangerous. One woman sets out to brin…

1
Spanx vs Skims | Kim-Oh-No | 2 40:07

1M ago40:07

40:07

For over a decade, reality star Kim Kardashian was one of Spanx’s biggest boosters. She frequently spoke of wearing the product on the red carpet and on her social media pages, even if she was cutting it, dying it, and sewing multiple pieces together to make it work for her. And in 2017, she decides that’s time to take her deep knowledge of shapewe…

1
Crying at Separation 25:51

1M ago25:51

25:51

Is it ever okay to say no to our child's requests for closeness or attention, to separate when that makes them upset? What if these requests are frequent, or even seem to evolve into a habit of unreasonable, seemingly over-the-top demands? In this episode Janet responds to two notes from parents who feel they may be in this predicament. One shares …

1
Spanx vs Skims | Not Your Grandmother’s Girdle | 1 41:34

1M ago41:34

41:34

In 1998, a young office equipment sales rep named Sara Blakely can’t find anything to wear under a pair of tight fitting white pants. Everything she tries on makes her feel unattractive. In a moment of inspiration, she cuts off the feet of a pair of pantyhose, saving the outfit and the day. She realizes she’s not the only woman who might like a pro…

1
When to Let Kids Quit 23:54

1M ago23:54

23:54

Enrichment classes, lessons, sports, Sunday school, and community events like Library Story Time can benefit our kids in many ways, but what do we do if our kids won't cooperate or participate? What if they seem okay with it at first, but then later want to quit? The questions raised by a parent's letter in this podcast are common ones: If our chil…

1
What Killed Red Lobster? | Chain Reaction | 3 38:37

1M ago38:37

38:37

Chain restaurants are making a comeback — from Chili’s to Red Lobster, the spots we once passed over are cool once more. But why? Is it due to TikTok? Inflation? Millennial nostalgia? Eater reporter Amy McCarthy joins David to explore the recent ‘chain-aissance’ and whether it can help revive Red Lobster. Later, Jordan Myrick, host of the grocery r…

1
What Killed Red Lobster? | Swimming with Sharks | 2 32:13

2M ago32:13

32:13

Red Lobster’s new owners dream up a bold plan to revitalize the chain. And they’ve got a Hail Mary — the lure of endless shrimp. But they’ve failed to recognize just how much shrimp Americans can down in one sitting. Celebrities and TikTokers send up a rallying cry to save the chain — but is it enough? Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest po…

1
It's Not Too Late to Stop Yelling or Spanking (with Lavinia Brown) 53:50

2M ago53:50

53:50

Janet is joined by inner child healing expert Lavinia Brown, whose previous appearance on "Unruffled" prompted a listener to write in to describe how she's struggled to control her angry and physically punitive responses to her three-year-old son's behavior. Raised in an authoritarian household in which she was spanked whenever she disobeyed, this …

1
What Killed Red Lobster? | Caught in the Net | 1 40:46

2M ago40:46

40:46

Red Lobster redefined American dining habits by making seafood accessible to people living outside the coasts. But its heyday didn’t last. Casual observers believe Red Lobster’s demise was an open-and-shut case of an all-you-can-eat deal backfiring. But there are plenty of other suspects. And as America’s #1 seafood restaurant chain fights to keep …

1
Tattling and Threats 20:57

2M ago20:57

20:57

Certain behaviors our kids display can really wind us up. In this episode, Janet offers a solution to three common ones. First, tattling—when our kids seem to have the incessant need to tell on friends or siblings for every minor thing they do. As adults, we might label this person as a gossip and steer clear. As parents, we might fear it could eve…

1
TikTok vs the U.S.A. | A Ticking Clock | 4 32:13

2M ago32:13

32:13

President Biden signs a law giving ByteDance until January 2025 to divest from TikTok or the app will be banned in the United States. TikTok decides to fight the law in court. Then the case goes all the way to the Supreme Court. But the company’s best hope to overturn the law lies in the outcome of the 2024 election — or so it thinks. Be the first …

1
Stop Whining 24:34

2M ago24:34

24:34

Our child's whining can be the most earsplitting sound imaginable and, unfortunately, our negative reactions to whining can tend to make matters worse. How do we make the whining stop? A parent writes to Janet that her 7-year-old is constantly whining, pouting, and repeatedly asking her mom for new stuff. "Instead of playing with the entire Toys R …

1
TikTok vs the U.S.A. | Too Big to Fail | 3 32:18

2M ago32:18

32:18

TikTok realizes its attempts to prove to American lawmakers that the Chinese government doesn’t have access to American user data aren’t working, and they need to change tactics. Becoming more aggressive in their lobbying, TikTok taps into the millions of Americans who use the app to urge lawmakers not to ban TikTok. But their efforts come up short…

1
Mean Kids 26:58

2M ago26:58

26:58

A parent writes to Janet that she's alarmed and heartbroken about the wedge that's developed between her and her 4-year-old son, "a very sweet, genuine, kind little person," due to his increasingly unkind, hurtful behavior. This mom feels she's tried everything and yet her son continues to hit, kick, pinch, scratch, and run away from her and her pa…

1
TikTok vs the U.S.A. | Reeling | 2 33:55

2M ago33:55

33:55

TikTok scrambles to respond to President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring ByteDance sell the app to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. But the election of Joe Biden in November 2020 offers the company a brief reprieve. TikTok works to make a deal with the new administration, but reports come out that TikTok may not have been completely hones…

1
The Joy in Letting Babies Move Freely (with Elsa Chahin) 38:33

2M ago38:33

38:33

Elsa Chahin, President/CEO of Pikler/Loczy USA, has dedicated herself to carrying on the mission of visionary pediatrician and researcher Dr. Emmi Pikler, which is to promote "respectful and harmonious relationships between the youngest child and the adult." Like Janet, Elsa is also RIE Associate who studied under Pikler protege Magda Gerber. Elsa …

1
TikTok vs the U.S.A. | Trending Upwards | 1 32:01

3M ago32:01

32:01

In 2018, Chinese tech company ByteDance launched TikTok in the United States, determined to make the app one of the top entertainment platforms in the country. And by spring 2020, ByteDance achieved its goal, thanks, in part, to a global pandemic that sees people spending more time on their phones. But while TikTok faces competition from other soci…

1
Too Needy, Too Stubborn, Too Emotional, Too Bossy, Too... 24:41

3M ago24:41

24:41

Parenting and worry seem to go hand-in-hand. Because we care so much, we watch our kids closely and can tend to perceive their traits and behaviors in a needlessly negative, worrisome light. In this episode, Janet explains why traits like sensitivity, bossiness, a toddler's insistence on doing it himself, and another child's seemingly constant need…

1
The Unraveling of Boeing | Landing the Plane | 5 38:29

3M ago38:29

38:29

Would you fly on a Boeing 737-Max plane? Ed Pierson won’t. He’s a former Boeing senior manager who blew the whistle on safety concerns with the 737-Max project. Today, Ed is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety, and he joins David to discuss Boeing then and now, and where it all went wrong. Later, Sharon Terlep, aerospace re…

1
The Unraveling of Boeing | Blow Out | 4 35:03

3M ago35:03

35:03

With losses from the 737 Max scandal spiraling into the billions, Boeing’s new CEO Dave Calhoun is looking to bring the crisis to a swift end. But he’s about to face major headwinds. Headwinds that threaten to destroy the entire company. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://…

1
I Don't Like My Kids, and That Breaks My Heart (A Parent Consultation) 26:56

3M ago26:56

26:56

Janet consults with a distressed parent of two boys who feels stuck in a destructive pattern. She describes how she's struggling with feeling constantly irritated, overwhelmed, and just angry. “I love my kids more than anything,” she says, “but they’re driving me crazy.” Janet agrees with the mom that boundaries are a big part the issue and suggest…

1
The Unraveling of Boeing | Jedi Mind Tricks | 3 35:15

3M ago35:15

35:15

Boeing scrambles to improve its bestseller, the 737, as its competitor Airbus brings an upgraded rival plane to market. To create the 737 MAX, Boeing has to figure out a way to fit modern jet engines onto the 737’s aging airframe. When the MAX encounters problems, Boeing then creates a computer system to fix them. But their lack of transparency wit…

1
If Consequences Aren't Working, Try This Instead 30:17

3M ago30:17

30:17

A parent with 2 children, 4 and 1.5-years-old, writes to Janet feeling disappointed and concerned that he's letting his children down. This dad admits that he’s very sensitive to his both children’s emotions, especially if they’re upset. In order to deal with their typical, rambunctious behaviors, he’s attempted to set reasonable boundaries with co…

1
The Unraveling of Boeing | Change of Destination | 2 38:16

3M ago38:16

38:16

It’s the late 1990s and the seeds of Boeing’s business disaster are being sown. An aerospace mega-merger and fierce competition from its chief rival Airbus are about to transform Boeing in ways that will lead to tragedy. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonder…

1
Resolving Our Kids' Annoying Behaviors 26:47

3M ago26:47

26:47

Janet addresses messages from parents who are feeling defeated and helpless in the face of their kids' persistently uncooperative, annoying and, in one case, hurtful behavior. All of these parents admit they are struggling, and that the approaches they've tried just don't seem to be working. "... I am constantly getting at my child, telling her 'No…

1
Behind the Scenes | 5 46:51

4M ago46:51

46:51

In this special episode, we're taking you behind the scenes of the show. We'll delve into how we chose our host and how the first season got off the ground. Then we'll explore how we bring the story to life with sound. And comedian Josh Gondelman will give David Brown a bit of a grilling. Plus, David reflects on a listener's message. Be the first t…

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