On this season of How to Talk to People we explore the barriers to relationship building and why—in a world of endless potential for connection—so many people still feel alone. From the the struggle to prioritize non-romantic relationships, to just feeling uncertain of what to talk about with strangers, host Julie Beck and producer Rebecca Rashid unravel the complexities of putting yourself out there—in hopes of revealing the rewards of showing up. Produced by Rebecca Rashid and hosted by Julie Beck. Editing by Jocelyn Frank. Fact-check by Ena Alvarado. Engineering by Rob Smerciak. Special thanks to A.C. Valdez. The executive producer of Audio is Claudine Ebeid; the managing editor of Audio is Andrea Valdez. Music by Tellsonic (“The Whistle Funk”). Talk to How to Talk to People—by “talk,” we mean write to us—at howtopodcast@theatlantic.com. To support this podcast, and get unlimited access to all of The Atlantic’s journalism, become a subscriber.
58 episodes transcribedWhat is “real life,” now that the internet and AI are integrated into so much that we do? In the new season of The Atlantic’s popular How To series, c...
It can be tough to face our own mortality. Keeping diaries, posting to social media, and taking photos are all tools that can help to minimize the dis...
Time can feel like a subjective experience—different at different points in our lives. It’s also a real, measurable thing. The universe may be too big...
Between making time for work, family, friends, exercise, chores, shopping—the list goes on and on—it can feel like a huge accomplishment to just take...
Before laptops allowed us to take the office home and smartphones could light up with notifications at any hour, work time and “life” time had clearer...
Many of us complain about being too busy—and about not having enough time to do the things we really want to do. But has busyness become an excuse for...
Co-hosts Becca Rashid and Ian Bogost explore our relationship with time and how to reclaim it. Why is it so important to be productive? Why can it fee...
Why can it feel like there’s never enough time in a day, and why are so many of us conditioned to believe that being more productive makes us better p...
A lot of people are plagued by the feeling that society used to be better, that neighbors were more helpful, that strangers once talked to you. Some p...
The values of individualism that encourage us to go it alone are in constant tension with the desire for community that many people crave. But when at...
Are commitment issues impacting our ability to connect with the people who live around us? Relationship building may involve a commitment to the belie...
What motivated two families to engage in the organized chaos of shared living and how did they learn to talk through, and shape, new expectations for...
The terms of friendship are both voluntary and vague—yet people often find themselves disappointed by unmet expectations. In this episode of How to Ta...
Coffee shops, churches, libraries, and concert venues are all shared spaces where mingling can take place. Yet the hustle and bustle of modern social...
Making small talk can be hard—especially when you’re not sure whether you’re doing it well. But conversations are a central part of relationship-build...
On How to Talk to People we explore the barriers to relationship building and why—in a world of endless potential for connection—so many people still...
Holy Week: The story of a revolution undone. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, is often recounted as a conclusion to a...
We often follow a misguided formula for happiness—pushing us toward material wealth and other worldly successes. But when our expectations set us down...
The mandates of modern parenting can be dizzying. But in the effort to optimize our parenting, we may lose sight of the values we hope to impart to ou...
From how we build our cities to how we shop, it can seem as though our natural human tendency is to add. But a culture of accumulation may be exactly...
