Death, Sex & Money

By WNYC Studios

What's Death, Sex & Money about?

Death, Sex & Money is a podcast about the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation. Host Anna Sale talks to celebrities you've heard of—and to regular people you haven't—about the Big Stuff: relationships, money, family, work and making it all count while we're here.

WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, The Experiment, The New Yorker Radio Hour and many others.

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LAST EPISODE

Hold On: Should I Tell My B...

05.27.2023

In the final episode of Hold On, a national call-in show about our mental health, Anna talks to organizational psychologist Melissa Doman, author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work...Here's Why (And How To Do It Really ...

Death, Sex & Money episodes:

05.27.2023 Hold On: Should I Tell My Boss I’m Depressed? In the final episode of Hold On, a national call-in show about our mental health, Anna talks to organizational psychologist Melissa Doman, author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work...Here's Why (And How To Do It Really ...
05.24.2023 Hold On: When Shame Keeps You From Therapy In this episode of Hold On, our live national call-in series about mental health, we asked listeners to call in if the idea of getting therapy was something they felt excluded from, either because of how they were raised, what ...
05.20.2023 Hold On: Let’s Talk About Psych Meds 1 in 5 American adults are taking medication to treat their mental health, that’s more than the number of people in therapy. Anna talks to sociologist Daniel Tadmon, and psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus, about how the field of psychiatry is ...
05.17.2023 Hold On: My Diagnosis, My Self Anna talks to psychology professor and researcher Dr. Craig Rodriguez-Seijas, about his work studying bias in mental health diagnostics, and takes listener calls about how a diagnosis has shaped their sense of identity, for better or worse. Plus, Aneri Pattani, ...
05.13.2023 Hold On: How to Support our Teens' Mental Health Anna takes calls from teenagers, and people who love teenagers, about adolescent mental health, along with psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour. Find resources here (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/articles/hold-mental-health-resources). Hold On will be in your podcast feeds all month long, but you can also listen ...
05.10.2023 Hold On: How Therapists See the Mental Health Crisis Anna takes calls from mental health professionals along with psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus, and you offer your tips for accessing care. Find resources here (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/articles/hold-mental-health-resources). Hold On will be in your podcast feeds all month long, but you can also ...
05.03.2023 Leaving the Extreme Right, and a Marriage, Behind Anna and Micah Loewinger, correspondent for On the Media, travel to Montana to talk to Tasha Adams about her decades-long marriage with Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers. Plus, Tasha sits down with Kelly Jones, ex-wife of far-right ...
04.26.2023 The Voice of NYC's Subways Comes Out as Trans Voiceover artist and journalist Bernie Wagenblast shares her journey to coming out as a trans woman. Listen to our episode with Jane Fonda here: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/episodes/death-and-divorce-gave-jane-fonda-strength Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money ...
04.12.2023 John Green on OCD, Writing, and Loving Middle-Age The writer talks about longing to fall in love, his life with mental illness, and why adulthood is underrated. This episode originally aired in 2018, and contains a description of suicidal ideation. If you find yourself in a moment of ...
04.05.2023 The Movies That Taught Us What Sex Could Be Your stories about the beloved – and complicated – movies you saw that taught you about sex. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note ...
03.29.2023 Alice Wong On Medicaid, Rage, and “Good Care” Anna first talked with disability rights activist Alice Wong in 2020 about self-advocacy, as well as how she manages money, Medicaid, and her and her parents' futures. But after a health crisis, Alice shared an update. You can read more ...
03.22.2023 Kate Bowler on Shame, Productivity, and Living with Chronic Pain The professor and Everything Happens podcast host talks about growing up in a Mennonite community, living with chronic pain, and the small things that bring her joy. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex ...
03.15.2023 How to Face Your Fears With Steve-O, Laurel Braitman, and Rev. angel We asked you to tell us about the fears in your life that are holding you back. In this episode, we share your stories and questions with Steve-O, Laurel Braitman, and Rev. angel Kyodo williams. Each of them, in one ...
03.08.2023 A Trans Parent’s Adoption Journey Anna first talked with Liam and Marisa about their love story back in 2014. Nine years later, we hear about the next chapter of their relationship: becoming parents. Update: We changed the title of this episode after publishing to be ...
03.01.2023 My Sex Life Became A Screenshot. Then I Lost My Job. Erick Adame was a TV weatherman. Then someone sent pictures to his employer, his mother, and his boyfriend of him performing sex acts on a webcam. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
02.27.2023 Introducing La Brega Season 2, the Puerto Rican Experience in Eight Songs Anna talks with La Brega host Alana Casanova-Burgess about the new season of her dual-language podcast that explores the culture, history and spirit of Puerto Rico through its iconic music Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for ...
02.22.2023 How to Say Goodbye to Your Pets Your stories of loving—and losing—your beloved animal companions. Plus, an end-of-life veterinarian offers advice on knowing when to say goodbye. Some of you also shared resources for dealing with the loss of a pet. Here are a few of those ...
02.15.2023 Your One Night Stand Stories, Revisited Today, we're celebrating the very short-term romance: the one night stand. Those moments in life when someone appeared in a flash, you connected, and then you went your separate ways. *This episode originally ran in 2021. Did you know we ...
02.08.2023 Gabrielle Union Completes Herself The actor talks about having agency over her body, her relationships and her career, even as she lives with the trauma of sexual assault and infertility. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
02.01.2023 Margo Price After Cheating and Drinking The country musician talks candidly about loss—of a generational family farm and the death of her newborn—and coping with infidelity and an abusive relationship with alcohol. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & ...
01.25.2023 Your Estrangement Calls Answered Live This week, we bring our estrangement series to an end with a live call-in show co-hosted by Anna Sale and WNYC’s Kai Wright, host of the Notes from America podcast. Kai and Anna heard from listeners all around the country ...
01.18.2023 From Fan to Friend: The Unlikely Friendship Between Pico Iyer and Leonard Cohen Pico Iyer, author of "The Half-Known Life," reflects on deliberately walking away from his dream job, his decades-long friendship with Leonard Cohen, and surrendering to the unknown. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex ...
01.11.2023 Why the Creators of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" Treat Their Partnership Like a Marriage Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known as Daniels, on their friendship, learning to play to their strengths, and making their hit film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex ...
01.04.2023 Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp Talk About Their Divorce, Anxiety, and Slowing Down The co-creators of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On talk about collaborating while getting divorced, navigating grief, and finding joy in the everyday. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every ...
12.28.2022 Trevor Noah Talks Depression, Radical Honesty, and Braiding Hair The former host of The Daily Show sometimes struggles to get out of bed. But he's comfortable saying that with a smile. *This episode originally ran in 2019. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, ...
12.21.2022 Radiolab’s Lulu Miller Steals All Her Best Ideas From Her Kids Anna talks with Terrestrials host and creator Lulu Miller about becoming a parent and being inspired by her kids’ curiosities. Plus, a clip from Terrestrials’ “The Water Walker.” We recommend you check out the whole incredible series here. Did you ...
12.14.2022 Estrangement’s Alternate Endings In our last episode, we look at how estrangement changes shape over the course of a life: how it can bend or harden, and how it affects new relationships, old memories, and the idea of family. Did you know we ...
12.07.2022 Then I Blocked Them: How Estrangement Became Official When we first asked for your stories on estrangement, we wondered if it was like a slow pulling away, or like a flipped switch? In episode two of our three-part series, we talk to four listeners for whom estrangement might ...
11.30.2022 Estrangement Purgatory Brian is on the fence. On the one hand, he no longer believes in the religion he was raised in, “It’s high control,” he told us, “rules on everything from what to watch on TV," and "what you do in ...
11.23.2022 Fran Lebowitz’s Guide to Life (And Parties) The writer shares her thoughts on talent versus luck, her vendetta against hiking, and how she’s made and kept friendships over the years in a live conversation at the Berkeley Repertory Theater. Did you know we have a weekly email ...
11.21.2022 Estrangement: We Were Close, Now I Don’t Know You In Death, Sex & Money’s new three-part series about estrangement, we talk to listeners about cutting family ties, leaving religion, and ending friendships. We also talk to listeners on the other side of estrangement, still desperately wishing for contact, and ...
11.16.2022 Race and Friendship After 2020: An Update “Some conversations I’m just not willing to engage in anymore.” Check out Matt’s photo series of other Korean adoptees, Where are you really from?. And Chrishana and Sarah talked about reading Big Friendship, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman’s book – ...
11.09.2022 Between Friends: Stories About Race and Friendship "Friendship is our only social relationship that is purely voluntary. Someone can just walk away at any time." Today, we're sharing your stories about how race, identity, and racism have impacted your friendships. And listen to the episode from our ...
11.02.2022 An Update from the Sex Worker Next Door Emma was a single mom and supported her family with the income she made from sex work. The money was good. But she struggled with the secrecy, and the shame. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for ...
10.26.2022 Sandra Cisneros on Sex, Aging, and the Paranormal Sandra Cisneros has picked “some real doozies” as lovers. But at 67, she says she’d rather write a new book of poetry than waste her time with men who aren’t on her level. Did you know we have a weekly ...
10.19.2022 Singing in the Pain: Hrishikesh Hirway on his Mother, Grief and Creativity Musician and “Song Exploder” host, Hrishikesh Hirway, remembers his mother, Kanta, who died in 2020, and the music that’s helped him move through grief. You can listen to Hrishikesh Hirway’s new solo music inspired by Kanta here, the podcast, “Song ...
10.12.2022 Conversations with My Dead Mother Rachel Matlow’s mother refused to get the surgery that could have saved her. That often left her and Rachel trying to love each other while bitterly at odds. You can listen to the full audio piece Rachel made here, and ...
10.05.2022 I Wanted To Be A 'Good Girl' Andrea grew up attending an evangelical church in Texas, where she was taught to abstain from sex until marriage and keep herself sexually "pure." That early sex education—and her decision to have premarital sex anyway—had long-lasting impact, well into her ...
09.28.2022 India Walton: I Knew It Was Gonna Be Tough, But I Didn't Expect it to Get Nasty In 2021, India Walton won, then lost, the Buffalo mayor’s race. She continues to work and grieve in her city. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send ...
09.21.2022 Inside John Waters' Home (But Not Inside His Colon) The delightful and rebellious writer-director welcomes us into his apartment to talk about money, family, friendships, and colonoscopies. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast ...
09.14.2022 How Clothes Help Us Find Our People and Ourselves Your stories about how your personal style has changed in the last few years, and the impact on not only what you wear, but how you see yourself and how you connect with others. You can check out Bill's art ...
09.07.2022 Lucinda Williams Says Whatever the Hell She Wants In her sixties, musician Lucinda Williams is more successful than ever. But with age has come a lot of loss. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send ...
08.31.2022 Big Freedia Bounces Back Big Freedia is a reality TV star and fixture on New Orleans' bounce scene. But days after Hurricane Katrina, she was sleeping on the street outside of the city's convention center. This episode originally aired in 2015. Did you know ...
08.24.2022 Finding Meaning After My Husband's Public Death In 2018, David Buckel died by self-immolation to protest climate change. His husband Terry talks about respecting David's message while grieving him, and finding new joy in his own life. For more Terry, listen to him on Vox’s Today Explained, ...
08.17.2022 Knock Knock, Who's There? Bob the Drag Queen The stand-up comedian and drag star tells me about growing up around her mom’s queer club, bringing drag to small American towns, and all the people who pushed her to succeed. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter ...
08.10.2022 What's Going On With Student Loans? We took some of your burning student loan questions to our favorite expert on the topic, Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors. If you have a question that was not answered in this episode, you can ...
08.03.2022 "This Isn't Just About Abortion": What the End of Roe Means to You Your reactions to the end of Roe, plus, a conversation with Mississippi-based reproductive justice activist Laurie Bertram Roberts about how their work has shifted, and what's remained the same. Over the years, we've featured many conversations about navigating change and ...
07.27.2022 Bottled Up: Your Stories About Alcohol We asked you about your relationships with alcohol—why you drink, or don't, the strategies you use to manage your consumption, and what alcohol brings you besides a buzz. Here's what you told us. If you or someone you know is ...
07.20.2022 The Highs and Lows of Being a Starbucks Union Organizer The Starbucks union is having a moment. We talked to three workers in three different states about the victories and the very real consequences of going up against a multi-billion dollar company. Did you know we have a weekly email ...
07.13.2022 “No Call Goes Unanswered”: A Lifeline in Wyoming As the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline becomes a 3-digit number, 988, I visit a call center in Wyoming, which had the highest suicide rate per capita in the US in 2020. If you or someone you love is at risk ...

Older episodes

Death, Sex & Money

What's Death, Sex & Money about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Death, Sex & Money episodes:

Hold On: Should I Tell My Boss I’m Depressed?

Hold On: When Shame Keeps You From Therapy

Hold On: Let’s Talk About Psych Meds

Hold On: My Diagnosis, My Self

Hold On: How to Support our Teens' Mental Health

Hold On: How Therapists See the Mental Health Crisis

Leaving the Extreme Right, and a Marriage, Behind

The Voice of NYC's Subways Comes Out as Trans

John Green on OCD, Writing, and Loving Middle-Age

The Movies That Taught Us What Sex Could Be

Alice Wong On Medicaid, Rage, and “Good Care”

Kate Bowler on Shame, Productivity, and Living with Chronic Pain

How to Face Your Fears With Steve-O, Laurel Braitman, and Rev. angel

A Trans Parent’s Adoption Journey

My Sex Life Became A Screenshot. Then I Lost My Job.

Introducing La Brega Season 2, the Puerto Rican Experience in Eight Songs

How to Say Goodbye to Your Pets

Your One Night Stand Stories, Revisited

Gabrielle Union Completes Herself

Margo Price After Cheating and Drinking

Your Estrangement Calls Answered Live

From Fan to Friend: The Unlikely Friendship Between Pico Iyer and Leonard Cohen

Why the Creators of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" Treat Their Partnership Like a Marriage

Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp Talk About Their Divorce, Anxiety, and Slowing Down

Trevor Noah Talks Depression, Radical Honesty, and Braiding Hair

Radiolab’s Lulu Miller Steals All Her Best Ideas From Her Kids

Estrangement’s Alternate Endings

Then I Blocked Them: How Estrangement Became Official

Estrangement Purgatory

Fran Lebowitz’s Guide to Life (And Parties)

Estrangement: We Were Close, Now I Don’t Know You

Race and Friendship After 2020: An Update

Between Friends: Stories About Race and Friendship

An Update from the Sex Worker Next Door

Sandra Cisneros on Sex, Aging, and the Paranormal

Singing in the Pain: Hrishikesh Hirway on his Mother, Grief and Creativity

Conversations with My Dead Mother

I Wanted To Be A 'Good Girl'

India Walton: I Knew It Was Gonna Be Tough, But I Didn't Expect it to Get Nasty

Inside John Waters' Home (But Not Inside His Colon)

How Clothes Help Us Find Our People and Ourselves

Lucinda Williams Says Whatever the Hell She Wants

Big Freedia Bounces Back

Finding Meaning After My Husband's Public Death

Knock Knock, Who's There? Bob the Drag Queen

What's Going On With Student Loans?

"This Isn't Just About Abortion": What the End of Roe Means to You

Bottled Up: Your Stories About Alcohol

The Highs and Lows of Being a Starbucks Union Organizer

“No Call Goes Unanswered”: A Lifeline in Wyoming

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