How to Be a Better Human

By TED and PRX

Education

What's How to Be a Better Human about?

Join How to Be a Better Human as we take a look within and beyond ourselves.

How to Be a Better Human isn’t your average self improvement podcast. Each week join comedian Chris Duffy in conversation with guests and past speakers as they uncover sharp insights and give clear takeaways on how YOU can be a better human.

From your work to your home and your head to your heart, How to Be a Better Human looks in unexpected places for new ways to improve and show up for one another. Inspired by the popular series of the same name on TED’s Ideas blog, How to Be a Better Human will help you become a better person from the comfort of your own headphones.

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Re-release: How learning ab...

11.27.2023

What’s your favorite dish — and what culture originated that recipe? Whether you’re thinking about grilled cheese, burritos, curry, pho… (we would go on but we are getting too hungry) trying something delicious opens you up to new experiences and ...

How to Be a Better Human episodes:

11.27.2023 Re-release: How learning about indigenous foods can open up your worldview (with Sean Sherman) What’s your favorite dish — and what culture originated that recipe? Whether you’re thinking about grilled cheese, burritos, curry, pho… (we would go on but we are getting too hungry) trying something delicious opens you up to new experiences and ...
11.06.2023 Lessons from 102-year-old swimmer Maurine Kornfeld Maurine “Mighty Mo'' Kornfeld will soon turn 102 years old, and most days, you can catch her doing laps in a Los Angeles public swimming pool. And that’s not just because she regularly competes in – and wins – world ...
10.30.2023 What do our guests do to be better humans? This show is all about growth – and it’s always inspiring to know that the amazing guests we bring on still see room in their own lives to become better humans. This season TED Audio Collective+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts ...
10.23.2023 The perks of listening to the sounds of the world (w/ Dallas Taylor) Keyboard and mouse clicks, the song of an ice cream truck, a neighbor’s yapping dog – what kind of noises soundtrack your life? Today’s guest, Dallas Taylor, is the host and creator of the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast, a show ...
10.16.2023 How comedy helps us deal with hard truths (w/ Roy Wood Jr.) There’s a saying that comedy is tragedy plus time. Perhaps that’s why some of our biggest problems feel easiest to manage with a dose of humor. Comedian, journalist, and actor Roy Wood Jr. has spent his career finding silly in ...
10.09.2023 How to solve your problems through drawing (w/ Liana Finck) Liana Finck’s cartoons explore life’s big predicaments: what to make for dinner, how to leave a party without being rude, how to feel like more than a snack machine once you have a child. In today’s episode, Liana shares how ...
10.02.2023 Why you should try birding (w/ Christian Cooper) If you ask Christian Cooper, a science writer, editor, and the host of the show “Extraordinary Birder With Christian Cooper”, birding can teach us all kinds of lessons about life, self-acceptance, and joy. In this episode, Christian shares what he ...
09.25.2023 How do I know what my future self wants? (w/ Shankar Vedantam) How well would you say you know yourself? Do you feel like the same person you were 10 years ago? Today’s guest, Shankar Vedantam, loves these kinds of questions and what they reveal about what we believe about ourselves and ...
09.18.2023 How to build better relationships between kids, parents, and ourselves (w/ Dr. Becky Kennedy) One of the most important things that humans do is learning how to relate – to ourselves, one another, and, crucially, to our parents. Dr. Becky Kennedy, who was deemed the “Millennial Parenting Whisperer” by Time Magazine, might understand this ...
09.11.2023 What vision loss helped Andrew Leland gain When he was a teenager, Andrew Leland was diagnosed with a condition that causes a gradual loss of vision. Over the years, Andrew’s literal view of the world has narrowed – but the ways in which he can explore and ...
09.04.2023 How labor unions create worker power (w/ Margaret Levi) (Re-release) If the ongoing television writers' and actors' strikes -- and other labor organizing efforts happening across the world -- have been on your radar, this is the episode for you. It's also for you if you are a fan of ...
08.28.2023 How changing your story can change your life (w/ Lori Gottlieb) Lori Gottlieb believes we all have an inner narrator. In this episode, she explains why the story you tell yourself is key to your happiness (or lack thereof). She also discusses the stages of change, why relationships are a dance, ...
08.21.2023 Why your brain is an unreliable narrator (w/ Aparna Nancherla) Impostor syndrome is one of many therapy-speak words that have gone mainstream in the past few years — but what is it, really? Aparna Nancherla knows all about it. Aparna is a comedian and the author of Unreliable Narrator: Me, ...
08.14.2023 How to Love Criticism \| WorkLife with Adam Grant What if you could tell your co-workers what you really think of them? At one of the world’s most successful hedge funds, everyone is rated and ranked constantly – in front of everyone. They’ve figured out how to embrace negative ...
08.07.2023 Episode 1: The Internet’s First Main Character? \| The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks is a new show from the TED Audio Collective, hosted by Dylan Marron. It’s 1999, and sixteen years after its original release, a new Star Wars is finally coming. Fans have been camping out ...
07.31.2023 How To Love Your Face (from Slate's How To!) This is an episode from a podcast we think you'll love. It's called How To! and it's from Slate Podcasts. Earlier this year, our listener, Rell, nearly failed a promotion. Not because she was unprepared or unqualified, but because she ...
07.24.2023 Do we have something to learn from conspiracy theories? (w/ Peter McIndoe) There was a time when Peter McIndoe might see you on the street and ask: have you ever seen a baby pigeon? If you said no, he’d probably grin and say, of course you haven’t, because birds are actually spy ...
07.17.2023 How can art hold space for your pain? (w/ Jessie Reyez) Jessie Reyez isn't afraid to make you cry when you listen to her music. The R&B; artist, who was born in Toronto to Colombian immigrants, has amassed more than a billion streams globally, performed at Coachella, and been nominated for ...
07.10.2023 Why we should rethink what mental health means (w/ Sandy Allen) It feels like talking about mental health, in our workplaces, homes and schools, is not as unusual – or as risky – as it may have been until very recently. But what do we really mean when we talk about ...
07.03.2023 Fixable: “How do I deal with a communication breakdown?" This is an episode of Fixable, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective hosted by Anne Morriss and Frances Frei. Kelli is a nurse at a leading teaching hospital where communication issues are not only leading to resentment – they ...
06.26.2023 How to travel without even leaving home (w/ Saleem Reshamwala) Whether you’re going somewhere new and exciting for the summer or taking a well-earned staycation, there are endless ways to venture into our world and plug into wonder. Saleem Reshamwala is a filmmaker, journalist, podcaster – and an expert world ...
06.25.2023 Listen to Ten Percent Happier ft. Get Fit Sanely series Do you want to live longer, exercise smarter & eat better? Ten Percent Happier has a series of podcast episodes to help you do just that, featuring experts in science and Buddhism. Listen here: https://link.chtbl.com/vX0o7hLd.The Ten Percent Happier podcast is ...
06.19.2023 What will you do with your one wild and precious planet? (w/ Bill McKibben) Most of us get that climate change is a global problem we need to solve, fast. But that can feel incredibly overwhelming when most of us don’t even know where to start. Bill McKibben is an environmentalist, author, and journalist ...
06.12.2023 How to embrace – and challenge – the idea of “beauty” (w / Elise Hu) Humans have always been captivated by beauty, and for almost as long, we’ve been marketed products and new technologies to help us achieve certain beauty standards. Elise Hu is a journalist and the author of “Flawless: Lessons in looks and ...
06.05.2023 How to be an adult – and how to raise one (w/ Julie Lythcott-Haims) Whether it’s grades and test scores, cushy jobs or big salaries, our ideas of “success” tend to be incredibly narrow and often start incredibly early. Julie Lythcott-Haims is a New York Times bestselling author and former Dean of Freshmen at ...
05.29.2023 What we can learn from great salespeople (w/ Colin Coggins) Selling products, ideas or even yourself is a task that can feel daunting, or maybe even a little uncouth for some people. But Colin Coggins, author and adjunct professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business, believes that anyone can learn ...
05.22.2023 How to set boundaries and find peace (w/ Nedra Glover Tawwab) Telling other people what you want – or need – can be a really difficult thing to do! Nedra Glover Tawwab is a therapist and New York Times bestselling author who helps people create healthy boundaries with themselves and others, ...
05.15.2023 How to dive into your fears (w/ Jill Heinerth) Jill Heinerth is a professional cave diver who faces threats big and small constantly – from dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never-before-seen ecosystems inside Antarctic icebergs. Jill recounts her incredible experiences in maneuvering through challenging ...
05.08.2023 How to stop finding your self-worth through your job (w/ Gloria Chan Packer) For some of us it’s easy to lose ourselves in our work. But a lack of boundaries between your personal and work life is something mental wellness educator Gloria Chan Packer would warn you twice about. Gloria speaks about the ...
05.01.2023 The secret to making new friends as an adult (w/ Marisa G. Franco) Making friends as an adult can feel like a baffling obstacle course. Why was it so much easier to connect as kids? To help you find well-rounded and fulfilling friendships, psychologist Marisa Franco discusses science-backed tips on how to make ...
04.24.2023 The difference between easy and difficult beauty (w/ Chloe Cooper Jones) Chloe Cooper Jones knows how it feels to be complicit. The critically acclaimed author has moved through life with a rare disability that brings incredible physical pain and plenty of outward judgment. And she’s even guilty of judging herself. But ...
04.17.2023 ALOK is microdosing creativity and rejecting norms ALOK doesn’t quite get the term multihyphenate – but how else to describe the internationally acclaimed author, poet, comedian, and public speaker? From exploring belonging and the human condition, to fighting to degender the fashion and beauty industries, ALOK is ...
04.10.2023 How to keep house while drowning (w/ KC Davis) Let’s face it: if chores were fun, they probably wouldn’t be called that. Because for most people, life can be overwhelming – and that means it doesn’t always look like a cleaning commercial where everyone is dancing their way to ...
04.03.2023 Fixable: Kelli - “How do I deal with a communication breakdown? Kelli is a nurse at a leading teaching hospital where communication issues are not only leading to resentment – they could also be affecting patient care. After hearing from Kelli about the larger problems at play in the healthcare space, ...
03.27.2023 Stephen Satterfield wants his meals to match his ideals Stephen Satterfield, the host of Netflix docu-series “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” thinks the bananas in the U.S. are gross. Sure, they’re convenient to produce and ship commercially, but they’re fibrous, bland and maybe worst ...
03.20.2023 Julissa Arce on why success isn’t worth her assimilation When do you feel like you've reached "success"? Julissa Arce is an acclaimed social justice advocate, the author of four books, a former vice president at Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, and was named a 2019 Woman of the Year ...
03.13.2023 Why Kim Scott thinks you need to ask for feedback You know what they say about unsolicited advice (don’t give it!) but when it comes to SOLICITED feedback, author and executive coach Kim Scott says: bring it on. Kim believes that when it comes to improving your life at home, ...
03.06.2023 Cord Jefferson's creativity is fueled by mental health Television writer Cord Jefferson has written for the kind of shows that crack hearts open. From The Good Place to Watchmen, Station Eleven to Master of None, Cord has spent his career wrangling human emotions in the writers’ room – ...
02.27.2023 Anne Helen Petersen on changing your relationship to work and the guardrails that can prevent burnout What does "burnout" even mean anymore? If you're asking yourself this question, you've come to the right podcast. Anne Helen Petersen is the writer who helped popularize the term and she thinks people are missing the big picture. In this ...
02.20.2023 Pardon the Interruption… But Did Sports Debate Shows Change the World? From risky snowboard halfpipe runs, to 400m sprints where every second counts, to high-stakes archery tournaments, performing well in sports requires mental toughness as much as physical toughness. How do athletes get “in the zone”? And what can we all ...
02.13.2023 Why love –and therapy– means going in a direction you don’t yet know (w/ Dr. Orna Guralnik) In her critically acclaimed Showtime docuseries, Couples Therapy, clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik thinks deeply about relationships, emotions, and connection. In this episode, Dr. Guralnik explains why she believes psychoanalysis helps us love better, dispels myths about the ...
02.06.2023 Jody Avirgan learned everything from sports When it comes to sports, it might seem like there are two kinds of people. Those who are religious about their love for the game and those who only see Super Bowl Sunday as a vessel for an epic halftime ...
01.30.2023 Andrew Marantz doesn’t want you to give up on the internet The internet can be a wonderful, but also a terribly unpleasant place. Andrew Marantz knows this well. He is a staff writer at The New Yorker who spent three years embedded in the world of internet trolls to understand how ...
01.23.2023 The science of happiness (w/ Laurie Santos) The phrase “comparison is the thief of joy” might be the kind of cliche that makes you roll your eyes – and yet, it’s an idea that is, scientifically, pretty accurate. In today’s episode, psychologist Laurie Santos – a Yale ...
01.16.2023 How to care for the people who take care of us (w/ Ai-jen Poo) Activist, and MacArthur Genius, Ai-jen Poo believes that caring for others is one of the fundamental acts that make us human. But from nannies to elder-care workers, house cleaners to living assistants, single parents and beyond, globally, caretakers do not ...
01.09.2023 There is no “grief starter pack” (w/ Michael Cruz Kayne) There’s one thing that connects all living beings – an experience so profound yet so common. Today’s guest, Michael Cruz Kayne says it best: “It's gonna happen to you, to the people you love – even to the people you ...
01.02.2023 You can do better than a New Year’s resolution (w/ Gretchen Rubin) Why do so many of us wait until a new calendar year to start setting our goals? For today’s guest, Gretchen Rubin, “there really is no magic to January 1st”-- and the best time to start a healthy habit is ...
11.28.2022 How to answer your biggest questions—with data (w/ Mona Chalabi) Whenever we have a question – about ourselves or the world around us – it can be helpful to visualize our answer in order to really understand it. But how do you conceptualize something as big as inequality, as complex ...
11.21.2022 How to have curious conversations in dangerously divided times (w/ Mónica Guzmán) When was the last time you really connected with someone who disagrees with you? Or saw a post on social media that challenged your views? Or listened to a newscast from across the political aisle? Modern life places us in ...
11.14.2022 How to take charge of your money (w/ Wendy De La Rosa) We hardly ever talk openly about our money. Today’s guest Wendy De La Rosa thinks that’s a costly mistake. She is a behavioral scientist who helps people understand and rewire their relationship with money. A former private equity investor at ...

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