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.

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LAST EPISODE

Why You Procrastinate — And...

01.28.2021

According to therapist Anastasia Locklin, procrastinating isn't a sign of laziness. It's your inner critic come to life. In this episode, she explains how you can kick the habit.

Life Kit episodes:

01.28.2021 Why You Procrastinate — And How To Stop According to therapist Anastasia Locklin, procrastinating isn't a sign of laziness. It's your inner critic come to life. In this episode, she explains how you can kick the habit.
01.26.2021 Setting Boundaries With Family Maintaining healthy boundaries is a way of taking care of your closest relationships, but setting those boundaries can be hard. The process starts with asking yourself what you need.
01.25.2021 Olympic Runner Alexi Pappas On Learning To Ask For Help Alexi Pappas is an Olympic runner, an actor and, now, a memoirist. In her new book, Bravey, she shares her struggles with mental health and learning to seek help.
01.21.2021 How To Relax More And Work Less When was the last time you had a meal without looking at your phone, or took a day off without answering a work email? Journalist Celeste Headlee spoke with therapist Amelia Aldao for her tips for taking a break.
01.19.2021 Get Back Into Your Home Workout Routine If your home workout routine isn't much of a routine, we're right there with you. A personal trainer joined NPR's Maria Godoy to talk tips for carving out time and space at home for exercise.
01.18.2021 Coping With Anxiety Around The News The news is overwhelming right now. Neuroscientist Judson Brewer can help. Take a break from the headlines and press play. (This episode originally ran in October 2020.)
01.14.2021 5 Steps To Get Into A Deep Cleaning Routine It's a New Year. Time to start with a clean slate — even in your home. Here's how to start fresh without getting overwhelmed.
01.12.2021 What To Say To People Hesitant About The Coronavirus Vaccine Many Americans remain unsure about whether to get the coronavirus vaccine. If you're talking to people in your life about getting it, make sure to lead with empathy and acknowledge what you don't know.
01.11.2021 The Art Of Breaking Up Breaking up is tough, no matter how sure you are in your decision. In this episode, certified dating coach Damona Hoffman walks us through the steps to go through in the process, and the small decisions that can make a ...
01.09.2021 No Recipe, No Problem: Improvising In The Kitchen Following a recipe is easy, but improvising in the kitchen takes confidence — and a well-stocked pantry. Samin Nosrat and Hrishi Hirway of the podcast Home Cooking give their advice for whipping up great meals without a recipe.
01.07.2021 What To Tell Kids When The News Is Scary When the headlines are terrifying, how can parents make sure kids get the facts without traumatizing them? Whether it's a school shooting, a global pandemic or an insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, child development experts have some advice. (This episode ...
01.05.2021 5 Steps To Saving Money On A Move Millions of Americans are relocating during the pandemic. Here's how to plan for a move — and save money in the process.
01.04.2021 How To Make A Hard Decision Making a hard decision can be agonizing. What if you pick the wrong thing? In this episode, an Oxford professor walks us through a different approach: What if there isn't a best alternative?
12.31.2020 7 Steps To Get Your Photos Organized Feeling overwhelmed by thousands of photos? Here's how to organize them, from tagging them to backing them up. We've got tips from the experts.
12.29.2020 Trying To Form A Habit? Start Small BJ Fogg's book "Tiny Habits" explains that making small changes in behavior requires just a little motivation and lots of celebrating — and can have a big impact. (This episode originally ran earlier this year.)
12.28.2020 Understanding The Biology Of Weight Loss Biology makes it hard to lose weight, so don't beat yourself up. In this episode, we won't tell you how to lose weight — or whether you even need to . But we'll explain science, which might help you be ...
12.24.2020 Want To Read More Books? Here's How 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. (This episode originally ran in 2019.)
12.22.2020 Finding Your Inner Sneakerhead Being a sneakerhead looks different in a digital world, where shoes sell out in minutes and YouTubers review new kicks. NPR's Jeff Pierre shows us how to navigate it all — and trust your inner sneakerhead.
12.21.2020 Should You Lie To Your Kids About Santa And The Tooth Fairy? 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 ask tough questions? (This episode originally ran in 2019.)
12.19.2020 Tricks To Stay Warm During Outdoor Winter Hangouts Socializing in the great outdoors is safer during the pandemic, but lower temperatures can make it tough. NPR's Sam Gringlas got some tips to stay toasty.
12.17.2020 Cutting Back On Pandemic Drinking Alcohol sales are high and Americans are drinking more during the pandemic. If you're thinking of cutting back or even taking a break, you're not alone. Life Kit talked to the experts about how to do that.
12.15.2020 How To Help A Someone At Risk Of Suicide Americans are reporting an increase in mental health challenges and suicidal ideation because of the coronavirus. If someone you know is struggling, here's how you can help.
12.14.2020 A Therapist's Advice For Getting Through Pandemic Holidays The holidays are extra stressful this year. Psychologist and author Andrea Bonior offers some tips, whether you're feeling stressed, angry, lonely or guilty.
12.10.2020 Helping Kids (And Parents) Cope During The COVID-19 Pandemic Kids and teens have had their lives upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's what parents can do to help them stay positive and feel supported.
12.08.2020 The Secret To Building Better Playlists So you're planning the perfect candlelit evening — or the perfect road trip, or the perfect afternoon at home. Where do you start? A playlist, of course. NPR Music's Bobby Carter showed us how he crafts them.
12.07.2020 Avoiding The Common Cold This Year The common cold is especially prevalent in the winter. Luckily, many steps we're taking to avoid the coronavirus help stop the spread of the cold, too. If you get it, here's what to watch for and when to call your ...
12.03.2020 Giving Thoughtful Gifts, Without Breaking The Bank Human connection can seem out of reach this year, but there are still ways to show your loved ones that you care. SELF magazine editor Tiffany Dodson joins Julia Furlan to talk about how to give better, more thoughtful gifts ...
12.01.2020 Finding Your Own Language For Loss: Grief In The Holidays As we inch toward the holidays, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith shares how she's processing grief, a subject at the center of much of her work.
11.30.2020 Lessons In The Hard Work Of Healing America is divided. How can we move forward together? Michel Martin, host of NPR's Weekend All Things Considered, speaks with leaders in mediation and conflict resolution to hear their insights about navigating conflict and finding understanding.
11.26.2020 Peter Sagal Teaches Us How To Run You don't need fancy equipment or a gym to start running. Grab your headphones and some sneakers and let Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me host Peter Sagal tell you how he keeps going.
11.24.2020 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Happier We could all use a little boost these days. Laurie Santos teaches a class on the science of happiness at Yale University, so we got her advice. (This episode originally ran in June 2020.)
11.23.2020 How To Have A Safe Thanksgiving All gatherings carry risk during COVID-19. If you're meeting with people outside your immediate household during Thanksgiving, you can mitigate that risk by taking some basic steps. NPR's Short Wave team shares advice from the experts. Find more resources at ...
11.19.2020 How To Make Better (And Prettier) Pies Just in time for Thanksgiving, self-taught baker Lauren Ko shares her tips for making better — and more beautiful — pies.
11.17.2020 Recreating A Family Recipe Making a family recipe for the first time can be daunting. Will it turn out just like you remembered? In this episode, podcaster Noor Wazwaz walks us through what to remember in the kitchen.
11.16.2020 Transforming Kids' Worries Into Superpowers Kids have anxiety — but it's not always a bad thing. Renee Jain and Dr. Shefali Tsabary have some ideas about how to help children use those feelings to their advantage.
11.12.2020 Checking In On Your Aging Loved Ones The coronavirus makes things a lot lonelier, especially if you're older and separated from family and friends. In this episode, NPR's Denise Guerra talks with science editor Malaka Gharib about how to check in on older friends and relatives to ...
11.10.2020 Improving Your Credit Score A strong credit score can make major purchases and financial transactions much easier. Here's how to make yours better and keep it high.
11.09.2020 How Using (Not Hiding) Emotions Can Help Your Career Emotions are everywhere, even at work. It might be tempting to hide them — but you can use them to your advantage. (This episode originally ran in December 2019.)
11.05.2020 How To Take Care Of Yourself This Election Season 2020 has been a lot. In this special episode from NPR's It's Been A Minute, host Sam Sanders talked with therapist Lori Gottlieb about taking care of mental health when everything feels terrible.
11.03.2020 Make Journaling Work For You There's a lot to think about right now. Journaling might help — and you don't need a fancy notebook or lots of time. Here's where to start. (This episode originally ran in June 2020.)
11.03.2020 Make Journaling Work For You There's a lot to think about right now. Journaling might help — and you don't need a fancy notebook or lots of time. Here's where to start.
11.02.2020 How To Raise Good Citizens Now is a good time to talk to the kids in your life about how to engage in civics. Here's a primer from our Life Kit parenting team.
10.29.2020 'Tis The Season: Dealing With Your Seasonal Affective Disorder It's getting darker and colder, and there's still a pandemic. Oh, and then there's seasonal affective disorder. Here's how to spot it and what you can do.
10.28.2020 Rights To Remember If Police Stop You If you're stopped or pulled over by police, remember that you're entitled to certain rights and protections. NPR's Noel King spoke with attorney Atteeyah Hollie about what to keep in mind.
10.27.2020 Coping With Anxiety From Constant Headlines Between the coronavirus and the election, the news is overwhelming right now. Neuroscientist Judson Brewer can help. Take a break from the headlines and press play.
10.24.2020 Ibram Kendi Reflects On Anti-Racism — And Wants You To Do It Too Author and renowned scholar Ibram Kendi's new book asks readers to examine their own relationship with race. NPR's Eric Deggans spoke with him about it.
10.22.2020 FAFSA 2020: Here's How To Apply For College Financial Aid The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is now open to potential college students to fill out. Here's how to fill out the form to get money for college — and why you should apply now instead of waiting.
10.20.2020 Making Social Change, With Help From Meditation When the world feels upside-down, it might seem counterintuitive to turn inward to create change. But that's exactly what meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg says we should do.
10.19.2020 Tips For Better Conversations, From A Pro Having good conversations is an art form. NPR's Sam Sanders tapped longtime radio host and podcaster Celeste Headlee for her tips for really listening and connecting.
10.15.2020 Prepping For Election Day: What You Need To Know To Vote Safely NPR's Allison Aubrey spoke with Myrna Pérez of the Brennan Center for Justice about how voters can make election day go smoothly — from what they need to bring to keeping others safe.

Older episodes

Life Kit

What's Life Kit about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Life Kit episodes:

Why You Procrastinate — And How To Stop

Setting Boundaries With Family

Olympic Runner Alexi Pappas On Learning To Ask For Help

How To Relax More And Work Less

Get Back Into Your Home Workout Routine

Coping With Anxiety Around The News

5 Steps To Get Into A Deep Cleaning Routine

What To Say To People Hesitant About The Coronavirus Vaccine

The Art Of Breaking Up

No Recipe, No Problem: Improvising In The Kitchen

What To Tell Kids When The News Is Scary

5 Steps To Saving Money On A Move

How To Make A Hard Decision

7 Steps To Get Your Photos Organized

Trying To Form A Habit? Start Small

Understanding The Biology Of Weight Loss

Want To Read More Books? Here's How

Finding Your Inner Sneakerhead

Should You Lie To Your Kids About Santa And The Tooth Fairy?

Tricks To Stay Warm During Outdoor Winter Hangouts

Cutting Back On Pandemic Drinking

How To Help A Someone At Risk Of Suicide

A Therapist's Advice For Getting Through Pandemic Holidays

Helping Kids (And Parents) Cope During The COVID-19 Pandemic

The Secret To Building Better Playlists

Avoiding The Common Cold This Year

Giving Thoughtful Gifts, Without Breaking The Bank

Finding Your Own Language For Loss: Grief In The Holidays

Lessons In The Hard Work Of Healing

Peter Sagal Teaches Us How To Run

Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Happier

How To Have A Safe Thanksgiving

How To Make Better (And Prettier) Pies

Recreating A Family Recipe

Transforming Kids' Worries Into Superpowers

Checking In On Your Aging Loved Ones

Improving Your Credit Score

How Using (Not Hiding) Emotions Can Help Your Career

How To Take Care Of Yourself This Election Season

Make Journaling Work For You

Make Journaling Work For You

How To Raise Good Citizens

'Tis The Season: Dealing With Your Seasonal Affective Disorder

Rights To Remember If Police Stop You

Coping With Anxiety From Constant Headlines

Ibram Kendi Reflects On Anti-Racism — And Wants You To Do It Too

FAFSA 2020: Here's How To Apply For College Financial Aid

Making Social Change, With Help From Meditation

Tips For Better Conversations, From A Pro

Prepping For Election Day: What You Need To Know To Vote Safely

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