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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How to be an adult – and ho...

06.05.2023

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 ...

How to Be a Better Human episodes:

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 ...
11.07.2022 How free solo climber Alex Honnold faces fear \| ReThinking with Adam Grant In 2017, Alex Honnold did what even the world’s best rock climbers thought was impossible. He climbed to the top of El Capitan– a granite rock mountain more than 3,000 feet high– without a rope, harness, or net. His audacious ...
10.31.2022 How labor unions create worker power (w/ Margaret Levi) We don't know about you, but we are fans of weekends. And social security. And health insurance. And the end of child labor! And all of these workplace protections exist because of the advocacy of labor unions. In this episode, ...
10.24.2022 How to stand up for what you believe in (w/ Luvvie Ajayi Jones) Most positive change starts with a challenge to the status quo. But going against the current and speaking up for the right thing can be a challenge–especially if you’re the only one voicing your concerns. Luvvie Ajayi Jones is a ...
10.17.2022 How to tell your authentic story (with Noor Tagouri) Do you remember a time you ACTUALLY felt represented in pop culture? For Libyan American journalist Noor Tagouri, those moments of being portrayed in a way that feels real can actually be an important catalyst for positive social change. Noor ...
10.10.2022 How to get workplace gender equity now (with Sara Sanford) There are more opportunities for women in the workplace today than there ever have been. But with stagnant wage gaps, limited parental leave, and enduring bias in recruitment, have modern businesses changed THAT much?? Gender equity expert Sara Sanford says ...
10.03.2022 How to have great sex (with Siphumeze Khundayi and Tiffany Mugo) Sex is a normal part of human life, but it can also get complicated–whether you’re having it or not! The way we approach, think, and engage with our sexuality varies widely our culture, community, identity, and more. But one thing ...
09.26.2022 TED Tech: Why people and AI make good business partners \| Shervin Khodabandeh What happens when the data-driven capabilities of AI are combined with human creativity and ingenuity? Shining a light on the opportunities this futuristic collaboration could bring to the workplace, AI expert Shervin Khodabandeh shares how to redesign companies so that ...
09.19.2022 How to be perfect (with Michael Schur) Humans face ethical dilemmas big and small every day: Which product is the most sustainable? Can you separate the art from the artist? Should you really share your streaming platform passwords? Today’s guest, Michael Schur, has spent a lot of ...
09.12.2022 How to get motivated - by losing?! (with Monica Wadhwa) If you’ve ever daydreamed o standing at an Olympic podium or delivering a big award speech, you probably pictured yourself as a winner. But according to today’s guest, marketing professor Monica Wadhwa, maybe you should imagine yourself as a runner-up. ...
09.05.2022 How to be okay when things are not okay (w/ Mollie West Duffy and Liz Fosslien) Humans: we've got Big Feelings. From happiness to regret, delight to frustration, we all experience a rollercoaster of emotions. But while it's become more acceptable to talk about and even embrace them, it still feels like there is a stigma ...
08.29.2022 How to embrace rejection (with Jia Jiang) We experience rejection all the time–in job interviews, while dating, when pitching a story or even trying to join a new club or activity. But if rejection happens so often, why is it so scary? And worse, what if our ...
08.22.2022 How to let go of being a "good" person (with Dolly Chugh) Most of us want to be good people–but what even makes a person “good?” And is our fixation on whether or not we ARE good holding us back from becoming even better? Dolly Chugh is an author and social psychologist ...
08.15.2022 The TED Interview: How to predict the future with Jane McGonigal Future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal ran a social simulation game in 2008 that had players dealing with the effects of a respiratory pandemic set to happen in the next decade. She wasn’t literally predicting the 2020 pandemic—but she ...
08.08.2022 How do you approach gender as a parent? (with LB Hannahs) Thinking and talking about gender is complex for anyone, and for some people it’s a frequent conversation–especially for parents. In today’s episode, LB Hannahs, a genderqueer parent, shares their experience of parenting and discusses why they try to center authenticity ...
08.01.2022 How to make transformative ideas happen (with Frans Johansson) You often hear that “there are no bad ideas” when brainstorming–but why is that? In those instances, doesn’t it feel inevitable that someone’s going to pitch a bad idea? Frans Johansson is a writer who argues that in fact, innovation ...
07.25.2022 How to discover your humanity… through math? (with Francis Su) Every day, we humans do math. Whether we are obsessed with a logic puzzle on our smartphones or even just calculating a morning alarm that gives you 8 more minutes in bed, our daily lives are full of numbers, quantities, ...
07.18.2022 How to find your voice (with Greta Morgan) What would happen if the thing that defined you disappeared overnight? Whether it’s our job, our abilities, or output—many of us meld our identities with the things we do, and often forget who we are in the process. Greta Morgan ...
07.11.2022 How to make yourself more human in an automated world (with Kevin Roose) Humans can have a complex relationship with technology: tools like smartphones make our lives easier, but they can also be a source of anxiety or dependence. The internet can be an amazing place, or it can be a doom scrolling ...
07.04.2022 How to Find the Comedy in A Messed-Up World (with Maeve Higgins) On a list of the least funny topics imaginable, the global refugee crisis, border disputes, and questions of citizenships are probably close to the top. And yet comedian Maeve Higgins has spent her career finding ways to make jokes about ...
06.27.2022 How to unite people through art (with JR) Art can move us in deep, meaningful ways. A beautiful song, a good book, or a great film can change our perspectives and attitudes toward ideas, and sometimes people. Where does that magic come from–and how can we channel it ...
05.30.2022 Body Stuff: Do you really need 8 hours of sleep? We all know a good night’s sleep is essential, but for many people, sleeping well (or falling asleep at all) can be difficult and even stressful– and there’s no shortage of tales about what prevents people from catching their ZZZs. ...
05.02.2022 How To Pitch Your Best Ideas \| WorkLife with Adam Grant Great pitches can seem like genius or magic. But you don’t have to be a great salesperson to give a great pitch. Whether you’re floating an idea at a team meeting, looking for investors for your startup, or applying for ...
03.21.2022 How to talk to a colleague who offended you Dionna and Denise had a professional relationship that mostly worked–until it didn’t. After a string of mishaps in their workplace, a comment Denise made online sparked a fallout between the two coworkers. In this episode, we hear from both women ...
12.20.2021 How to find gratitude everyday As the year draws to a close and the collective mood turns reflective, we asked you—our listeners—to pick moments from the first season that stuck with you and inspired you. In today’s episode, we yield the floor in gratitude and ...

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