Life Kit

By NPR

What's Life Kit about?

Host Kelly McEvers takes a story from the news and goes deep. Whether that means digging into the Trump administration's past, the stories behind police shootings caught on video, or visiting a town ravaged by the opioid epidemic, Embedded takes you where the news is happening.

4.5

1,259 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Thinking About Returning To...

01.21.2020

"Should I go back to college?" If you're asking yourself this question, here are tips to help you figure out how to do it — whether it's to change jobs, make more money or finish something you started.

Life Kit episodes:

01.21.2020 Thinking About Returning To College? Here's How To Start "Should I go back to college?" If you're asking yourself this question, here are tips to help you figure out how to do it — whether it's to change jobs, make more money or finish something you started.
01.16.2020 How To Quit Smoking, With Help From Science Trying to quit smoking can be hard. The good news is the science behind how to quit smoking is very clear. This episode gives you strategies to help boost your chances of success.
01.14.2020 How To Start A Book Club That Actually Meets Here's how to start a book club that actually meets, has a focus, fosters good discussion and steers clear of logistical nightmares.
01.09.2020 The Right Way To Quit Your Job Whether you're completely fed up or just ready for the next thing, quitting a job can be stressful and complicated. You don't want to quit a job without a game plan, so consider this episode your checklist before putting in ...
01.07.2020 Making Art Is Good For Your Health. Here's How To Start A Habit Professional artists aren't the only people who can make art. In this episode, learn how to weave art into your everyday life. Because whether you're doodling, making pottery or embroidering, creativity is good for you and your health.
01.02.2020 6 Ways To Take A Break From Drinking Thinking about taking a break from drinking? Here are ways to help you make a plan, navigate tricky social situations and reassess your relationship with alcohol so you can experience the benefits of dry January.
12.31.2019 How To Have A Good Weekend So many weekends get filled up with too many errands, plans, and, yes, work. Never getting time to relax means feeling like a zombie come Monday. Say no to burnout by making your two days off into a mini vacation ...
12.26.2019 Choose The Best Diet For You There are so many food tribes out there — everything from vegan to Keto. We help you understand how to choose a diet approach that's right for you.
12.24.2019 This 22-Minute Workout Has Everything You Need If you've got 22 minutes, you can get an effective total-body workout. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg's personal trainer Bryant Johnson walks us through an interval session and explains why it's so effective.
12.19.2019 How Do I Get This Out? Your Guide To Stain Removal There are so many different kinds of stains — grass stains on your shorts, a wine stain on your carpet or a grease stain on your shirt — but with the help of some household products and chemistry know-how, you ...
12.17.2019 Tips For Talking To Kids About Sex Sex, genitals, consent, self-touching — it's tricky to talk to younger kids about these topics. This episode helps parents get past the confusion and embarrassment around sex education so they can raise healthy, responsible kids.
12.12.2019 How To Reduce Food Waste Tossing out overripe avocados, wilted greens and sour milk isn't just costing you money — it's also contributing to climate change. In this episode, learn how to reduce your food waste with composting strategies and creative recipes that will help ...
12.10.2019 How To Manage Emotions At Work Anger. Excitement. Frustration. Pride. Hurt. Emotions are everywhere in an office, so why do we pretend they don't exist? Life Kit producer Meghan Keane interviews co-authors of the book No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power Of Embracing Emotions At Work ...
12.05.2019 Not A Regular Reader? 4 Strategies To Make Reading A Habit If you've given up on reading, for whatever reason — you feel slow, distracted or like you're not enjoying the books you tried — don't give up! These four reading strategies will help make reading a little easier and more ...
12.03.2019 How To Read More Books Got an intimidating tower of unread books looming on your nightstand? This episode will help you pick up more books and get through them quicker.
11.28.2019 Is It OK To Lie About Santa And The Tooth Fairy? Magical thinking is part of childhood, and when it comes to characters like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, parents often play along with elaborate charades. But what should grown-ups do when kids start aging out of the magic and ...
11.26.2019 A Saner Mindset For Weight Loss The way many of us think about weight loss is totally counter-productive. Focus on healthy habits you can sustain instead of the numbers on the scale.
11.21.2019 Planning A Trip? Pack And Plan Like A Pro We asked three road warriors to share their traveling expertise. The result? Seven tips to help you pack light and plan a trip, like a pro.
11.19.2019 Dealing With Holidays At Work: Forced Cheer And Awkward Parties Holiday parties, gift exchanges — dealing with the holidays at work can be awkward and fraught. Alison Green of Ask a Manager shares advice on workplace etiquette around the holidays.
11.14.2019 Holiday Survival Guide: Family Style The holidays can be joyful and celebratory. They can also cause stress and unearth familial trauma. Life Kit talks to Dr. Andrea Bonior, a licensed clinical psychologist, to equip you with some strategies that will help you minimize holiday stress ...
11.12.2019 The Truth About Carbs And Calories Carbs get a bad rap. Here's the science behind why eating too much starch isn't good for you — and tips to eat carbs wisely. (You don't have to give them up!) Recipes inside!
11.07.2019 Be The Master Of Your Budget For many, it's a dreaded task: making a budget to keep track of money. Guess what? You can do it, and we show you some tools that can help — maybe even make it fun.
11.05.2019 Trust Your Gut: A Beginner's Guide To Intuitive Eating Knowing when and what to eat may sound simple, but dieting can mess up our connection to hunger cues. The practice of intuitive eating can help people make peace with food.
10.31.2019 Fake News: How To Spot Misinformation Where can you find accurate news? Life Kit wants to empower you to become a savvy, critical media consumer. This episode has five takeaways that will help you ask important questions to spot fake news and take steps toward correcting ...
10.29.2019 How To Help A Child Struggling With Anxiety When a child is scared of the dark or being left alone, it can be hard for adults to know the difference between an age-appropriate fear and full-blown anxiety. This episode is full of tools to help parents better understand ...
10.26.2019 When Is Snoring A Sign Of A Serious Health Issue? When is snoring just annoying or the sign of a bigger health issue? Life Kit's Allison Aubrey and Maddie Sofia, host of NPR's new daily science podcast, "Short Wave" get answers from a doctor, as well as some tips to ...
10.24.2019 How To Talk To Kids About Climate Change Today's kids are bombarded with the realities of climate change — whether through extreme weather or in the news. These tips will help you and your kids cope with the overwhelming feelings to move beyond helplessness and toward action.
10.22.2019 How To Vote In An Election Life Kit is getting you ready for Election Day. We explain how to register, where to vote, how to vote early and how to make sure your vote counts.
10.17.2019 How To Run For Office You're motivated to make a change and run for office. But where do you even begin? NPR politics reporter Miles Parks explains how to navigate campaign fundraising, door-knocking, and building a "kitchen cabinet."
10.15.2019 The Key To Raising Brilliant Kids? Play A Game We all want our kids to succeed, but that doesn't mean running math drills. Author Kathy Hirsh-Pasek explains the "six C's" that kids need to thrive and why raising brilliant kids starts with redefining brilliant.
10.09.2019 6 Food Rules That Could Help You Live Longer Healthy eating can be easy if you follow a few simple rules. We guide you through three types of healthy food you should add to your diet, and three not-so-nutritious foods to cut back on.
10.02.2019 Mortgage Secrets That Will Save You Money It's hard to imagine a more boring (and dreaded) word than "mortgage." But if you know where to look, you might find a mortgage that will save you thousands of dollars a year or discover that you qualify for a ...
09.25.2019 Paperwork, Appointments And Repairs: Managing Adult Responsibilities Life seems full of ever-increasing piles of paperwork – bills to pay, appointments to make, school forms to sign, carpools to organize. Here's how to conquer all the responsibilities on your to-do list so you can get back to real ...
09.18.2019 From First Phones To Online Porn: Answers To Your Screentime Questions NPR's Life Kit answers parents' questions about their kids' screen use. Education consultant Ana Homayoun says it's all about empowering your kids to make good decisions when you're not around.
09.11.2019 How To Save For Your Kid's College Education Don't let the sticker price of college paralyze you. This episode gives you smart saving strategies — including how to prioritize your own retirement savings, choosing a 529 plan and what financial aid offices really look at — so you ...
09.06.2019 How To Get A Job After College Before you earn your diploma, you need to focus on a different piece of paper: a resume. Here's how to think about what you want to do, and then go out and get a job — maybe even a career.
09.04.2019 How To Do Well (And Be Happy!) In College Should you hand-write your notes or use a laptop? What about flashcards? Does highlighting even do anything? Here's how to improve your study habits and remember what you've learned — and keep college stress under control.
09.03.2019 College Checklist: Ace Your Freshman Year Congratulations! You've been accepted into college. Now you've got to find your way around campus, pick out classes, make new friends and figure out a plan to graduate. — on time. Here's how to make it easier.
08.23.2019 How Men Can Have Better Friendships The typical definition of masculinity is the polar opposite of what makes strong friendships. In this episode, we talk to men about their struggles with friendship and looking for answers with some celebrity experts.
08.21.2019 When Friendship Changes, How To Cope In this episode, we show how to manage friendships as your life changes — and as your friends' lives change, too. You'll get practical advice on keeping friends throughout the years and even a few instructions on how to — ...
08.19.2019 Make New Friends (And Keep Them) Friendship is hard, but the best way to tackle it is to talk about it. In this episode, you'll learn from the experts about how to make new friends and deepen your existing relationships.
08.09.2019 Rx For Medical Debt One in 5 Americans struggles with medical bills. Here are things you do to get medical bills reduced — or even forgiven.
08.07.2019 Crush Debt Fast (While Staying Motivated) It is possible to get out of debt fast, but it's a gritty marathon to get to a better place. Here's how to keep up the momentum.
08.05.2019 7 Strategies For Digging Out Of Debt If you're in debt, you're not alone. Here's how to make a plan and get yourself out.
07.26.2019 Why Travel? Find Joy When You Leave (Or Stay) Home What is all our wandering for? In this episode, we find meaning in the journey, not just the destination, with help from a professional traveler and an artist whose expertise is doing nothing at all.
07.24.2019 Group Travel: How To Keep The Peace In this episode, Life Kit shows you how to handle personality clashes and thorny social problems when you travel together.
07.22.2019 Planning A Trip? Pack And Plan Like A Pro We asked three road warriors to share their traveling expertise. The result? Seven tips to help you pack light and plan a trip, like a pro.
07.16.2019 Millennials And Money In this special episode, Sam Sanders of NPR's "It's Been A Minute" talks with financial journalist Hannah Seligson and Aminatou Sow from the podcast "Call Your Girlfriend" about why millennials are so financially intertwined with their parents.
07.12.2019 How To Be A Better Caregiver When A Loved One Gets Sick None of us is prepared to be caregivers — the role is thrust upon us. More than 40 million Americans are caring for an elderly parent or loved one. Here are six tips to make the caregiving burden more sustainable.
07.10.2019 Take Control Of Your Care When You're Seriously Sick Finding out you have a serious medical condition can leave you reeling. These strategies from medical and lay experts will help you be in control as you navigate our complex health care system and get the best possible care.

Older episodes

Life Kit

What's Life Kit about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Life Kit episodes:

Thinking About Returning To College? Here's How To Start

How To Quit Smoking, With Help From Science

How To Start A Book Club That Actually Meets

The Right Way To Quit Your Job

Making Art Is Good For Your Health. Here's How To Start A Habit

6 Ways To Take A Break From Drinking

How To Have A Good Weekend

Choose The Best Diet For You

This 22-Minute Workout Has Everything You Need

How Do I Get This Out? Your Guide To Stain Removal

Tips For Talking To Kids About Sex

How To Reduce Food Waste

How To Manage Emotions At Work

Not A Regular Reader? 4 Strategies To Make Reading A Habit

How To Read More Books

Is It OK To Lie About Santa And The Tooth Fairy?

A Saner Mindset For Weight Loss

Planning A Trip? Pack And Plan Like A Pro

Dealing With Holidays At Work: Forced Cheer And Awkward Parties

Holiday Survival Guide: Family Style

The Truth About Carbs And Calories

Be The Master Of Your Budget

Trust Your Gut: A Beginner's Guide To Intuitive Eating

Fake News: How To Spot Misinformation

How To Help A Child Struggling With Anxiety

When Is Snoring A Sign Of A Serious Health Issue?

How To Talk To Kids About Climate Change

How To Vote In An Election

How To Run For Office

The Key To Raising Brilliant Kids? Play A Game

6 Food Rules That Could Help You Live Longer

Mortgage Secrets That Will Save You Money

Paperwork, Appointments And Repairs: Managing Adult Responsibilities

From First Phones To Online Porn: Answers To Your Screentime Questions

How To Save For Your Kid's College Education

How To Get A Job After College

How To Do Well (And Be Happy!) In College

College Checklist: Ace Your Freshman Year

How Men Can Have Better Friendships

When Friendship Changes, How To Cope

Make New Friends (And Keep Them)

Rx For Medical Debt

Crush Debt Fast (While Staying Motivated)

7 Strategies For Digging Out Of Debt

Why Travel? Find Joy When You Leave (Or Stay) Home

Group Travel: How To Keep The Peace

Planning A Trip? Pack And Plan Like A Pro

Millennials And Money

How To Be A Better Caregiver When A Loved One Gets Sick

Take Control Of Your Care When You're Seriously Sick

Other shows like Life Kit: