Priya Parker has spent decades thinking about what makes groups work. And she says keeping groups together requires skills most of us never learned. She tells Anita about her personal journey to unlearn the idea that “good people don’t fight” and why a group can be just as damaged by unhealthy peace as they can by unhealthy conflict. She offers guidance for figuring out whether a fight is worth having and then how to actually have it — whether it’s in your book club, work team or extended family. 

Meet the guest:

- Priya Parker is the author of “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters” and “The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict” 

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For many of us, a formal education about sexuality begins during puberty and only really gets going during adolescence. But in reality, exploration of our bodies and relationships can begin long before that — as early as our first years of life. So how can we set kids up to feel empowered, safe and free from shame when they are older? A sexuality educator shares advice for parents and caregivers on navigating some of the common challenges that come up as kids are learning about their bodies and relationships. Plus, a writer breaks down her childhood to determine where shame and desire became intertwined.

Meet the guests:

- Nadine Thornhill has a doctorate from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality and is one of the hosts of the web series “Every Body Curious”

- Tyler Wetherall is the author of "Amphibian"

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When Jessica Slice was 28 years old, a bout of heat exhaustion triggered an underlying neurological disorder that led to permanent physical disabilities. In the 14 years since, Jessica met her now-husband David Yourdon and started a family. They talk to Anita about how their parenting experience has been one of adaptation and creativity — from learning how to separate their worth from external standards to accepting that all bodies have changing needs that require attention and care. They share the nitty gritty of their parenting life, with wisdom that’s relevant for all families.

Meet the guests:

- Jessica Slice, author of “Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World"

-  David Yourdon, Jessica's husband 

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Please note: This episode originally published July 10, 2025. 

Anita is heading out on parental leave, but the show isn't going anywhere! This fall you'll still get an episode of Embodied in your feeds every week, including some conversations hosted by writer and podcaster Carvell Wallace! Before he takes the mic, Anita sits down with him to talk about identity, love, and what he is excited to bring to the show this fall.  

Meet the guest:

- Carvell Wallace is a New York Times bestselling author, memoirist and podcaster who hosted the 10-part series "Finding Fred" and the co-host of Slate's "How To" podcast

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More than half of American men between the ages of 18 and 49 have an active online sports betting account, and for the past year Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins was one of them. But what started as a reporting assignment quickly spiraled into something else. Anita talks to him about how sports betting pulls you in, even when you think you’re immune. Plus, how the rise of sports betting culture is fundamentally changing sports and fandom. 

Meet the guest:

- McKay Coppins is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of “Sucker: My Year as a Degenerate Gambler.”

Special thanks to Rob Minnick for his contributions to this episode!

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This summer’s heat waves have been brutal. But there’s one thing helping all of us make it through the soaring temperatures: sweat. Our bodies need to sweat to survive – and yet we spend billions of dollars trying to combat it. Science journalist Sarah Everts explains why sweat is a biological superpower, and she and Anita dig into how it became so stigmatized. Then, Caryn Toriaga shares what it's like to live with hyperhidrosis, an excessive sweating condition that can take her hands and feet and from dry to dripping in 60 seconds.

Meet the guests:

- Sarah Everts is a science journalist and the author of “The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration”

- Caryn Toriaga lives with hyperhidrosis and has blogged about her experience

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Despite a decade of restrictive behavior and a career path in mental health counseling, Alishia McCullough had never associated herself with the phrase eating disorder. She’s not alone – while eating disorders affect all races and ethnicities at similar rates, people of color are less than half as likely to receive a diagnosis than their white counterparts. She talks to Anita about how an aha moment in grad school led her to better understand how to treat eating disorders in Black women’s bodies — starting with her own.

Meet the guest:

- Alishia McCullough is the author of "Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within" and a licensed mental health therapist

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Please note: This episode originally published March 20, 2025.

Updates: Alishia is creating a workshop around leaving the U.S., launching a weekly BIPOC postpartum moms support group and working on a clinical reflection card deck. You can keep track of all of these offerings on her Instagram page. 

What does becoming a mother do to your brain, body and sense of self? Anita — currently in her third trimester —  puts that question to science writer Lucy Jones. Lucy spent years studying matrescence, a word for the shift that happens during pregnancy, childbirth and becoming a parent. They talk about Lucy's own path through motherhood and why we need new ways to support mothers through this transformation that never really ends. 

Meet the guest:

- Lucy Jones is the author of “Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood”

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Imagine sitting down in a theater only to be distracted from the performance by armrests digging into your sides. Or arriving at the doctor’s office to find the patient gown won’t fit. For tens of  millions of Americans in larger bodies, experiences like this are part of everyday life. Anita talks to two people who argue this is a design problem, not a personal one. Artist Suzy Hooker is building a free, searchable directory that rates the accessibility of everyday spaces and designer Margarita Zulueta is reimagining how places like airplanes could be built with fat bodies in mind. 

Meet the guests:

- Suzy Hooker is an artist, fat activist, cohost of the podcast "Thunder Thighs and Bedroom Eyes" and the founder of Fat Fab Free

- Margarita Zulueta is a product designer whose thesis is about designing towards fat liberation

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When Philip Hoover and his wife Lauren Hill-Hoover tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022, they thought they knew what to expect. But then Philip’s symptoms persisted, morphed and intensified. They talk to Anita about how an illness that’s affected tens of millions of Americans upended their life and forced them to confront big, existential questions, like: What does caring for each other in sickness and in health *really* mean?

Meet the guests:

- Philip Hoover is a writer who has long COVID

- Lauren Hill-Hoover is Philip's wife

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Dig deeper:

Philip's Modern Love essay

Please note: This episode originally published August 7, 2025.

Updates: Philip and Lauren have now moved into their own place, and Philip is starting graduate school in the fall to pursue his Master’s of Social Work. He still lives with long COVID, and there are still no FDA-approved treatments for the condition.