As Thanksgiving’s heaping helpings loom, it might be good to remember both obesity and food waste are linked to your plate’s portions. Hank Cardello is Chair of the Portion Balance Coalition and executive director of the Leadership Solutions for Health + Prosperity program at Georgetown University’s Business for Impact. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how restaurant meals and prepared foods have doubled in size since the 1970s – and why cutting them back down would be good for the planet and people. His research paper on the topic is called “The Power of Portions.”

The election might have been won or lost on the price of eggs, but beyond inflation, there are other reasons your grocery bill is so high. Jesse Newman is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the middleman between producers and supermarket shelves – grocery distribution companies – the razor-thin margins the industry operates on even as prices rise for the consumer, and how everything we eat is brokered by these distributors. Her article is “The Mysterious Fees Inflating Your Grocery Bill.”

 The process to be officially considered Native American, can be complicated – and heartbreaking for those who identify but don’t qualify. Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina who spent seven years working in the Obama Administration on issues of homelessness and Native policy. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why tribal membership is so difficult to achieve, why thousands of acknowledged tribes each have their own enrollment criteria, and what it means to win that recognition. Her book is called “The Indian Card: Who Gets to Be Native in America.”

 A novel about the glass trade in Murano, Italy, finds magic in characters that age hundreds of years and never die. New York Times bestselling author Tracy Chevalier joins guest host Courtney Collins to discuss her enduring characters who live and work in the decorative glassmaking trade outside Venice, why the author chose to follow one family continuously from the Renaissance to modern life and the beauty found in small moments. Her book is “The Glassmaker.”

 You’ve got to get your 10,000 steps in today, right? Except that’s not based on any real science. Courtney Rubin writes about medicine, health, fitness, and wellness and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the myth of the 10,000 steps came to be, why science is complicating that number and what you should know when you hit the pavement for that daily walk. Plus, we’ll consider the joys of walking. The article, “The accidental step-count scam,” was published in Women’s Health. 

 The NFL knows that concussions are a risk for its players – and it’s largely the players who carry the burden of protecting themselves. New York magazine features writer Reeves Wiedeman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how the league’s approach to concussions has affected high-profile players like Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, why CTE is still a major concern, and why the NFL is changing its positioning on the matter. His article is “The End of the NFL’s Concussion Crisis.” 

One surprising trend that’s come out of the higher education demographics: white college-age Americans are ditching school. Katherine Mangan, senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why white student enrollment has been declining for years, why administrators are just now catching on to this fact, and the delicate balance of recruiting underrepresented groups while maintaining a baseline of traditional students. Her article is “Where Are the White Students?”  

As the world goes electric, drilling for fossil fuels will increasingly be replaced by digging for metals. Journalist and author Vince Beiser joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the increased demand for cobalt, nickel, copper and other metals to fuel everything from batteries to the wires that transfer energy – and how access to those resources feeds geopolitical relationships. His book is “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future.”

After polls teased a close presidential race, swing-state votes offered a sharp rebuke to the Democratic party. Wall Street Journal reporter Ken Thomas joins host Krys Boyd to discuss what some Democratic strategists are calling a disaster for the party, why the Left’s cultural issues aren’t bringing in the votes, and who the party might turn to next. His article, written with Annie Linskey, is “Harris’s Loss Triggers Soul-Searching, Recriminations Within Democratic Party.”

If you’re someone who always thinks the sky is falling, chances are you’re not very happy. Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why cynicism leads to not only a more dismal outlook on life, but deleterious health effects. Plus we’ll hear why a little dose of hope can inject joy into everyday living. Zaki’s book is “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness.”

This episode originally aired on September 6, 2024.