Slate Conversations

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re unpacking medical mysteries. Science writer and Slate contributor Eleanor Cummins is joined by Allison Behringer. Allison is the host and creator of the KCRW podcast, Bodies. Now in its fourth season, every episode of Bodies digs into a person’s medical mystery. Eleanor and Allison talk about Allison’s own ‘body story,’ why female bodies contain so many mysteries, and what we can do to solve them.

In Slate Plus, using social media to connect people with illnesses. 

If you liked this episode, check out Who’s Getting Rich Off Menopause?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

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On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… if you need a Chief Diversity Officer, you’ve already failed.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) trainings are reaching ubiquity in pretty much every American workplace. There’s no doubt that discrimination, harassment and sequestering — on the basis of sex, sexuality, gender, race, age — all of that exists.

The question becomes what to do about it. And there’s an argument to be made that the trainings and buzzwords might be doing more to make workplaces worse than they do to make them better.

Cindy Gallop, entrepreneur and CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn, joins us.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can now email the show: [email protected]

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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‘I’ve got bad news’ is a sentence no one wants to hear. But at some point, all of us will either have to deliver bad news or will be on the receiving end. So what can make these gut-wrenching conversations go less horribly? On this episode of How To!, co-host Amanda Ripley brings in Dr. Robert Arnold, co-founder of Vital Talk, and Maura, a social worker at a level one trauma center to talk about how to better communicate serious news. Because just about all of us can get a lot better at it — once we learn how.

If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Solve Your Own Medical Mystery.” 

Do you have a human-sized 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.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, Kevin Bendis, and Jabari Butler.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, E. Jean Carroll won, but what now? Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth talks with Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci about the use of civil trials in cases of alleged rape and domestic violence, how the #MeToo movement influenced the trial, and what Carroll’s win could mean going forward. 

More About Carroll:

“Not My Type” by Christina Cauterucci

Lie Detector by Christina Cauterucci

There’s a Remarkable Piece of Evidence in the E. Jean Carroll Trial by Christina Cauterucci 

Make No Mistake About the $5 Million E. Jean Carroll Verdict Against Trump by Christina Cauterucci

In Slate Plus, the stupidity of one of Trump’s lies. 

If you liked this episode, check out: What Amber Heard’s Makeup Palette Says About the Legal System

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

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

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… stop with the breakfast in bed.  

As we approach the summertime season of parenting holidays in the U.S. — Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June — it’s worth remembering that these holidays’ histories are deeply political… not unlike parenting itself.

Parenting is complicated, now more so than ever. In the best of circumstances, it’s a two-way relationship with a person who didn’t ask to be here. So what can we expect from our children? 

Gabrielle Blair, founder of DesignMom.com and author of Ejaculate Responsibly, joins us to make the case that kids aren’t bound by blood to do, or be, anything. 

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can now email the show: [email protected]

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re doing a very special Mom and Dad Are Fighting crossover with host Jamilah Lemieux. Jamilah sits down with author Virginia Sole-Smith to talk about her new book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture. They discuss helping kids accept their bodies in whatever form they take, dealing with our own internalized fatphobia, and more.

In Slate Plus, answering a listener’s question on secret snacking.

If you liked this episode, check out Making Friends As An Adult.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Rosemary Belson with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

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

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… Mission Accomplished? 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of then-President Bush’s infamous address aboard an aircraft carrier, declaring that the war had been won and Iraqis were free.

We know now, of course, that the war had not been won – and in 2003, it was far from over. Many thousands of lives were lost. With the gift of hindsight, can we see the war as anything other than a costly mistake?

Iraqi-American and President of Ideas Beyond Borders Faisal Saeed Al Mutar joins Celeste to argue that the war, while mismanaged, was a victory — and that the alternatives could have been far, far worse. 

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can now email the show: [email protected]

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in America. Each tragedy can be visceral, whether it’s in your community or across the country. And it’s especially heartbreaking when your kid voices that fear directly, as our listener Allison recently experienced. On this episode of How To!, co-host Amanda Ripley brings in Melinda Wenner Moyer. Melinda is an author and science journalist with years covering gun violence and parenting issues. She’s also the author of the substack, Is My Kid the Asshole? where she shares science-based approaches to lower the possibility of gun violence, help kids feel safe, and, ultimately, change the environment. 

If you liked this episode, check out: “My Kid’s Anxiety Is Giving ME Anxiety! How Do I Fix This?”

Do you wonder how best to use your time? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, finding friends as an adult. Slate executive editor Susan Matthews is joined by author, comedian, and musician Lane Moore to talk about Moore’s new book You Will Find Your People. They dig into the necessity of healthy boundaries, letting go of old friendships that no longer serve you, and the importance of deep friendships that require work.

In Slate Plus, unpacking celebrity friendships.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

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

If you liked this episode, check out: Make Movies Horney Again.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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A self-described activist had late-stage, fallopian tube cancer. She didn’t live in one of the 11 jurisdictions that allows terminally-ill patients the choice to medically end their own lives. But rather than relocating, she argued Vermont’s residency restrictions were unconstitutional. 

Guest: Lynda Bluestein, a 75-year-old woman seeking to end her life on her terms, who successfully sued Vermont over their residency requirement in their “Patient Choice At End of Life” law.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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