Slate Advice

Puberty is changing, and we’re not talking about developing Adam’s apples and growing hair in new places.

It starts earlier and lasts longer.

Regardless of when this necessary stage of life starts, youth and their adults need support going through it.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now puberty expert Vanessa Kroll Bennett discusses the biggest ways puberty has changed for today’s youth and how best to navigate it. 

She’s co-host of the podcast This Is So Awkward with Dr. Cara Natterson and co-author of This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained.

If you liked this episode, check out: Can Kids Be Healthy at Any Size? 

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to [email protected].

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? 

Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. 

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. 

Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

As the parent of five kids, Sadie is no stranger to feeling overwhelmed. Most of her kids have left the nest, but one adult daughter has severe autism and can’t live or work on her own. Facing the end of school-based support services, Sadie has to figure out what comes next for her daughter—and for herself. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Sarah Wayland, the founder of Guiding Exceptional Parents, to talk about parenting two autistic young adults and how to ask for help. 

Links mentioned: 

If you liked this episode check out: How To Hack Any Bureaucracy, How To Date With a Disability, or How To Fill an Empty Nest.

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

How To!’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis and Sara McCrea.

Want more How To!? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the How To! show page. Or, visit slate.com/howtoplus to get access wherever you listen.

On this episode: Elizabeth, Jamilah and Zak help a member of the Slate Parenting Facebook group who's wondering how to help her seven and five-year-olds — and especially her son — learn how to listen. They’re both vibrant kids with a lot of ideas… so how do you not dull their sparkle, while also getting those lips a little more zipped?

We also check in on what’s happening in the hosts’ lives right now. And then, if you’re joining us for the Plus Playground — out now in your podcast feed — we’re discussing a column from The Guardian that says parenting is financially ruinous.

If you’re not part of the Slate Plus community, we hope you’ll consider joining! Keep reading to learn how.

Jamilah’s check-in: Midwest musings

Elizabeth’s check-in: Grand Theft Bra-to

Zak’s check-in: Noa and Eli

Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus – or try it out on Apple Podcasts.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie.

Guest Prudie Nadira Goffe is joined by actress and comedian Sasheer Zamata. Together, they answer letters about a neighbor-turned-last-minute-babysitter whose work has gone unappreciated, a widower whose family won’t stop judging his new girlfriend, and a reader struggling to balance time with their husband and extended family. 

Want more Dear Prudence? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/prudie-plus to get access wherever you listen.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, and Jenée Desmond-Harris, with help from Nadira Goffe, Maura Currie, and Anuli Ononye.

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak and Elizabeth help a listener whose son is at the perfect age to learn about the birds and the bees. There’s just one problem: he really doesn’t want to know. We’ll help our listener with some strategies for communicating the important stuff, while still respecting a shy kid’s limits. 

We’ll also circle up for a round of triumphs and fails.

Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie.

We live in a weight-obsessed world, and children are not immune.

From the moment a child is born, their weight and height are tracked and recorded. Then throughout their development, these metrics are used as one of the main factors to determine their health.

But as the Health at Every Size (HAES) philosophy continues to gain traction for some adults, is there use for it as a part of growing children’s well-being, too?

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita speak with pediatric dietitian Jill Castle and her approach to children’s health, which marries the traditional medical approach with a body-postive, HAES model.

Her latest book is Kids Thrive At Every Size: How to Nourish Your Big, Small, or In-Between Child for a Lifetime of Health and Happiness.

If you liked this episode, check out: Eating for Health

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to [email protected]

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. 

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

Erica judges other people by default. Whether they are acquaintances, co-workers, or new arrivals in a club, her first impression is often negative. “I would like to learn how to quash that part of myself,” she says, because those judgments might be ruling out potential friendships. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Dr. Terri Apter, psychologist and author of Passing Judgment: The Power of Praise & Blame in Everyday Life. Terri explains that Erica’s initial reactions are more useful than she thinks—and can help her better understand herself. 

If you liked this episode check out: How To Say What You’re Thinking

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

How To’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis and Sara McCrea.

Want more How To!? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Visit slate.com/howtoplus to get access wherever you listen.

In this episode, Sam Sanders (host of The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW) sits in as Guest Prudie with Slate’s own Nadira Goffe to answer letters from readers about making amends after spreading gossip, trying to forgive your mother after years of rejection, managing social invitations when a couple in the friend group breaks up. 

Want more Dear Prudence? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/prudie-plus to get access wherever you listen.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, and Jenée Desmond-Harris, with help from Maura Currie, and Anuli Ononye. Extra thanks to Muara Currie this week. 

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak and Elizabeth share what’s in their emergency kits and talk about their approaches to disaster preparedness. We’ll also share a dispatch from our Florida correspondent — whose family is, fortunately, safe and well. 

If you want to help Floridians recover from hurricanes Milton and Helene, check out the Florida Disaster Fund.

For more on disaster preparedness: ready.gov

We’ll also circle up for a round of triumphs and fails.

Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie.

Go to the supplement aisle at the grocery store, and the options are endless. Scroll through any Instagram or TikTok feed, and you’re bound to see videos of people claiming their latest supplement is life-changing. 

Supplements can be used for health and wellness, but it’s important to know the facts before buying the next trendy capsule, pill, tincture, or gummy.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita give you helpful tools to decide what supplements are worth the hype and which are just out to get your money.

If you liked this episode, check out – Gut Check: How to Master Your Microbiome

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to [email protected]

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. 

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.