Death, Sex & Money

Why I Steal

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"I want it, so I take it." A serial shoplifter explains why she steals, and how—and we hear about what's happened in her life since we first talked...

A Season to Savor

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I share some of the advice, tools, movies, and TV shows that I savored in 2021. Looking for The Favorites File from Kendra Adachi? Find it here at...

The Weight Of Love

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Your stories about how navigating weight and body size inside a relationship has sometimes made your partnerships stronger...and sometimes broken th...

Why Alan Cumming Doesn't Do Drama

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Scottish actor and I talk about body image, celebrating aging, why he isn't in a monogamous marriage, and the joys of taking ecstasy. If you or...

Becoming A Parent Of Six, At 25

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On the air, Yesi Ortiz is a warm, flirty host for a popular L.A. hip hop station. Off the air, she's a single parent of six adopted kids. Managing b...

“What I Live With”: The Aftermath of Fatal Accidents

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the U.S., nearly 200,000 people die every year from accidental injuries. But what happens when you cause one of those accidents—and you survive?...

I Love My Dad, But I Don't Love Guns

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A listener we're calling Jack wants to tell his dad that a passion for firearms is no longer something they share.  We're looking for our next int...

Order Up, Tapped Out: Life After Restaurant Burnout

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Five current and former food service workers reflect on their career changes and the future of their industry since the start of the pandemic. For mo...

Succession's J. Smith-Cameron On Old Haunts and New Normals

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I talk with the Succession actor over egg creams and omelets in New York City. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, sign up! Every W...

Dead People Don't Have Any Secrets

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda's husband Sam had a lot of secrets, most of which she discovered after his death. That made grieving, and moving on, a lot more complicated. W...

Your Infertility Stories Have Many Different Endings

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you hit speed bumps on the road to having kids? Today, your stories of IVF, IUI, adoption, choosing to not have kids and managing y...

"You Should Be Carrying This. Not Me."

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last year, a listener named Chloe had an unusual opportunity: to get on a Zoom call with the man who she says sexually assaulted her 10 years ago. ...

When A Banker Became A Nun

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sister Josephine Garrett grew up Baptist and worked her way up the corporate ladder—only to realize in her late 20s that she wanted to convert to Ca...

Decision Fatigue Is Real. We Called For Backup.

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Panelists Tayari Jones, John Paul Brammer, and Tara Ilsley share advice for listeners struggling with decision fatigue and weighing big moves, going...

Financial Therapy: A Baby, And A Plan

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Cora and Garrett's final financial therapy session with Amanda Clayman, they talk about seeing a financial advisor, and what they want to model f...

Financial Therapy: Struggling To Trust Again

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In their second session with financial therapist Amanda Clayman, a couple we're calling Cora and Garrett talk about their financial strengths and wea...

Financial Therapy: A Secret Gambling Addiction

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of three financial therapy sessions, a couple we're calling Cora and Garrett talk with therapist Amanda Clayman about the events that led...

When Grief Doesn't Move In Stages

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Radiolab producer Rachael Cusick talks together with her grandmother about their shared loss, and about their experiences with Elisabeth Kübler-Ros...

Doree Shafrir On The Out Of Control IVF Train

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I talk with the writer about going through fertility treatments in her late 30s, and why being "on the IVF train" made her get more comfortable with ...

When Indie Rockers Become Full-Time Caregivers

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When musician Johnny Solomon hit rock bottom, he turned to his mom for help. As his mom's health declines, he and his wife—and bandmate—move in ...

A Teen Musician Is Ready For His Solo. His Mom Is Not.

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Miguel Llapa's mother was told her son wouldn't live past age 2 because of a health condition. Now, he's going to college — and yearns for indepen...

"The Lying Stops Now": Your Hardest Conversations

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Talking with kids about death. Telling family that you've fallen in love with a man in prison. Breaking up with a longtime friend. Today: the hardes...

Michelle Zauner's Joy Is Rooted In Vengeance

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Japanese Breakfast musician talks about writing her memoir, Crying in H Mart, why she's moving on from making art about grief and loss, and what'...

Mahershala Ali and Rafael Casal: Envy Is A Hell Of A Drug

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this guest hosted episode, the Oscar-winning actor interviews the Blindspotting co-creator about growing up a "knucklehead," finding a creative ...

Alison Bechdel On Menopause, Mortality and Punching Pennies

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The graphic novelist on hot flashes and self-loathing, loss and grief, and one painful punching bag.  Are you new to our show? Welcome! Make sure ...

A Former Pro Climber On Enduring Chronic Illness

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former pro rock climber Mason Earle's career ended in 2018, when he was diagnosed with the chronic illness ME/CFS. He now spends most of his time...

Strictly, Entirely On The Fence About Having A Kid

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A self-described "fiery ball of ambition," Avery Trufelman of The Cut podcast wonders how she'll know whether or not she wants to have a kid. Are you...

Where Noel and Anna's Hot Girl Summer Went Wrong

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I talk with my friend and colleague Noel King about getting comfortable with uncomfortable conversations in my personal life, and why she thinks ...

The 7 Hardest Conversations I've Ever Had On This Show

28 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Making a guest mad about money. Getting called out. Digging into my own beliefs about monogamy. These are the hardest conversations I've had here on ...

When I Almost Died

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, I asked you to share your near-death experiences. You told us about car accidents...plane crashes...illness...suicide. And, you tol...

I Was In Debt. Then My Sister Offered Me $16,000.

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What happened when a 27-year-old listener deep in credit card debt asked their older sister for financial help.  If you're struggling with consumer ...

When Claudia Rankine Brought Up Race In Couples Counseling

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The poet reflects on growing up in largely white spaces in the Bronx during the 1970s, and how conversations about race with her husband have evo...

A Friend In The Execution Room

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A man steps up to participate in an American process that he doesn’t agree with: the death penalty. Today, we bring you a story about duty, faith ...

Finding Blessings and Throwing Vases

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Donna Perry has experienced tremendous loss this last year. But as she told producer Yasmeen Khan, the year has also brought "blessings," and reinf...

Masks On, Tops Off: Inside A Texas Strip Club

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Strip clubs are struggling with shutdowns, slow business and federal aid ineligibility. We hear from one Texas club's owner, and a dancer and custome...

Ugh, Dating Right Now

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Your stories about the struggles of dating right now, and a pep talk from dating expert and How To Not Die Alone author Logan Ury. For more on Ann...

I Was Your Father, Until I Wasn't

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A listener named Tony wrote to us about his deep love for his daughter, and what it was like to discover that he wasn't her biological father. Suppo...

Your One Night Stand Stories

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we're celebrating the very short-term romance: the one night stand. Those moments in life when someone appeared in a flash, you connected, and...

Getting Real About Getting Older, Live

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We opened the phones for a national radio call-in, to hear from you about life after 60 right now.  We've been sharing stories from listeners an...

What The Border Taught Norma Elia Cantú About Being Free

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The 74-year-old writer on growing up in Laredo, Texas, and the three family deaths that changed her.  Our national live call-in show, Getting Real...

Beverly Glenn-Copeland's Gifts From The Universe

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The 76-year-old musician reflects on his complex relationship with his parents growing up, finding new audiences late in life, and why he loves "bei...

Marlo Thomas Is Her Mother's Revenge

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Marlo Thomas thought marriage was "nothing that I wanted to be a part of" after watching her mother give up her singing career for her father's acti...

Just Ask Us: Your Stories About Life After 60

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We asked our listeners to get real about getting older. This is what you told us.  Tune in and call in to our live show about aging next Wednesday, ...

Death, Sex & 2020

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Death, Sex & Money team looks back on a year none of us expected. Want to revisit some of our favorite episodes this year? Check out our essen...

All That 2020 Has Taken From Us

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"I guess 2020 just cost me hope." Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at dea...

Stuck Apart, And Falling In Love

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

51 years after they went to prom together, a couple reconnects and falls in love during the pandemic. But despite being 15 minutes apart, they're wa...

Living Alone and Liking It. Sometimes.

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During a time when a lot of us are feeling isolated, we revisit your stories about living alone—with all its perks and drawbacks.  Follow our show...

Miguel Gutierrez's Strongly Worded Emails About Art and Money

25 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The choreographer talks about losing income during the pandemic, the precarity of the performing arts field in general, and how getting sober help...

I Killed Someone. Now I Study Police Violence.

18 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A former police officer talks about shooting someone, and how it led him to study why and how often police killings happen. Follow our show on Twitt...

51 Years Loving A Man Named Sissy

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We remember Sissy Goodwin, the Wyoming man who believed in and fought for gender independence. Sign up for our newsletter at deathsexmoney.org/newsl...

What’s Going On In Your Immigrant Family's Group Chat?

28 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Afi Yellow-Duke hears from listeners from immigrant families about how they're talking with their relatives about identity, race, racism...

Alice Wong On Ruckuses, Rage And Medicaid

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The disability rights activist talks with me about facing discrimination as a teenager, managing her finances, and planning for her and her parents'...

Audio We Love Fest: California Love

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our weeklong audio celebration wraps up with a conversation between a mother and son about immigrating, building a home, and appreciating Los Angele...

Audio We Love Fest: Constellation Prize

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our weeklong festival continues with a story about isolation, faith, and community from producer Bianca Giaever and The Believer Magazine. Subscribe ...

Audio We Love Fest: Goodbye To All This

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We kick off our first ever Audio We Love Festival with a brand new show about loss, love and moving forward. Subscribe to Goodbye To All This from ...

Getting Real About Getting Older

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I don’t think that as a culture, we talk enough about getting older, and when we do, we don’t often do it well. It's time to have better conversat...

Game Changer: A BMX Olympic Hopeful Looks To 2021

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chelsea Wolfe has dedicated the last four years to becoming one of the first BMX freestyle riders at the Olympics. The games' postponement has made h...

Game Changer: Whether To Play, And Protest, In The NFL

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Once you're done with football, you're done with football." Look out for more in our Game Changer series, about the ways athletes' lives and livel...

Game Changer: A Minor League Pitcher's Lost Season

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

2020 was supposed to be the year Mitch Horacek made his Major League Baseball debut. Instead, he ended up throwing baseballs into a net by himself, a...

How Maria Hinojosa Learned To Fluff Her Feathers

16 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The journalist talks about building up her confidence in the world of media, and reaching a breaking point in her marriage that led her to reevalua...

A Broadway Actor Turned Stay-At-Home Dad

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our listener Bill Army was acting on Broadway until March 12. Since then, he's been taking care of his two daughters—and bringing the world indoors ...

Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor On Racism, Insecurity and Negotiation

09 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Longtime Sesame Street actor Sonia Manzano and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talk about leaving their childhood homes in the Bronx, fac...

Drop Off: A 24-Hour Daycare's Struggle To Stay Open

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"I have to keep coming until we've exhausted everything, and we definitely have to shut the door." Are you a new listener? Welcome! Check out our sta...

Books We Love: Inside The Bubble With Akwaeke Emezi

26 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and artist Akwaeke Emezi talks with me about their childhood in Nigeria, their brief stint in veterinary school, and how, these days, they'v...

"They Rely On Me": An Update From A USPS Mail Carrier

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As the USPS finds itself at the center of a political divide, we check in with a mail carrier who wrote to us earlier this year about being an essent...

This Senator Saved My Love Life

12 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A story about what Alan Simpson, an expert on the federal deficit, taught me about love—and how it changed everything. Follow our show on Twitter...

What Keeps Wendell Pierce Up At Night

05 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While spending the pandemic with his 95-year-old father in New Orleans, the actor is thinking hard about family and parenthood.  Are you a new liste...

Rent Is Due Tomorrow

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today is July 31st—which means that for many people, rent is due tomorrow. But we know from watching recent data that a lot of people won't be able...

Books We Love: A Big Conversation About "Big Friendship"

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Authors, podcasters and longtime friends Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow on friendship therapists, awkward spa weekends and why the word "bestie" just ...

How Bobby Berk Became A Boss

22 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"I failed a lot, you know, I made a lot of wrong decisions. I just, I never let my failures end it."  Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Insta...

A Widow’s Guide To Grieving

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"My therapist told me that it was okay to be mad at him for dying, whether or not it's rational. Because nothing about this is logical or makes sense....

Books We Love: Michael Arceneaux’s “I Don’t Want To Die Poor”

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The writer joined me live on Zoom to talk student loan debt, luxury CBD drinks, and why he's not going to "pimp out [his] trauma." Tune in this Tuesd...

What Money Can't Solve

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A confession is tortured out of a suspect. He goes to prison. Back in 2016, he got a check for what he endured. But forgiveness is not part of the ba...

Skin Hunger: Part 2

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this collaboration with the podcast Love + Radio, we hear from listeners whose relationships ended right before the pandemic—or because of it.  ...

Skin Hunger: Part 1

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Along with the podcast Love + Radio, we've been asking you about how you're coping with a lack of physical touch in your lives due to the pandemic. Th...

When Six Feet Isn't An Option

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two stories on incarceration and coronavirus: an update from Lawrence Bartley, whose time sheltering in place has him reflecting on his time in pri...

An Essential Worker, Going Back In

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A conversation with Sharron, a certified nursing assistant in Virginia, who we first met in our essential workers episode this spring. Follow our ...

I Love You, But There's This Money Thing...

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From budgeting blue books to a $60,000 engagement ring: your stories about love and money. Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deaths...

"This Has Been A Long Time Coming."

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We asked you what you needed to say in this moment of reckoning with police brutality, structural racism, and grief. Here's what you told us.  We wa...

Financial Therapy: How Much Should I Help My Family?

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"It's difficult to sometimes separate myself from being the one that always has to have it together." This episode is part of a special Financial The...

What Do You Need To Say Right Now?

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What do you need to say right now? As we take in the anguish that's surfacing today—about the fact that COVID19 is disproportionately impacting com...

Financial Therapy: Why Did I Take That Risk?

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, Mathew* quit an executive job and struck out on his own to found an independent consulting firm. After months of bringing in "90% less...

Financial Therapy: What Is Our Savings For?

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Before the pandemic, Dale ran an event space in Knoxville, Tennessee. After cancelling every booking this month—which was set to be their busiest ...

Financial Therapy: Meet Amanda Clayman

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many of our financial situations have changed drastically in the past two months. We're calling on a financial therapist to help us sort through all ...

Madeleine Albright On Ambition and Obsoleteness

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The former secretary of state reflects on how now, in her 80s, she's re-experiencing a feeling she had in her 20s—after graduating from college and...

What Is A "Good Death" During A Pandemic?

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A listener named Lindsay, who works as a nurse in an ICU, is struggling with the way her patients are dying from COVID-19.  Have thoughts to share ...

Samantha Irby Is Prepared To Gracefully Bow Out

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The bestselling writer reflects on her sense of pride, and why she's got no problem going back to an hourly job "the minute it feels like this is ov...

Student Loans And The Pandemic: Your Questions, Answered

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A lot has changed in the student loan landscape since the pandemic hit. In this special collaboration with NPR's Life Kit, student loan expert Betsy M...

They Were Managing Their OCD. Then Came The Pandemic.

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Diane Davis and author John Green have spent years learning tools to manage their obsessive thoughts and fears of contamination. But COVID-19...

An Immunocompromised Love Story

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We check in with Alana Duran, who has lupus and received a donor kidney several years ago from her new girlfriend at the time, Lori Interlicchio.  W...

A Weekend Homework Assignment From Tayari Jones

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the things writer Tayari Jones has learned in isolation is mastering different forms of connection, from re-learning how to teach her college ...

Goodbye, John Prine

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"I'm just a lucky guy," John Prine told me in our 2018 interview. We will miss him.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Nobody Comes Here To Hide": Remembering Bill Withers

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Songwriting icon Bill Withers died this week at 81 years old. Today, we revisit my conversation with him—from the very first episode of Death, Se...

"We Are The Glue": Stories From Essential Workers

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A few weeks back, we created a Pandemic Tool Kit for those of us who are staying home during the COVID-19 crisis. But we also wanted to hear from th...

A Surgical Nurse On Being Essential

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We asked essential workers to write in about what they need, and what they're thinking about. Here's what one surgical nurse in Ohio told us. Not sub...

If You Can't Isolate, What Do You Need?

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re an essential worker who isn't able to stay home, we want to know what’s on your mind right now and what’s helping you. Record a voice ...

Confessions of a Nashville Power Couple

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jason Isbell was a restless guitarist. Amanda Shires was a fiddler who turned his life around. In 2014, they were a year into marriage, and discove...

What Rockstars And Sober People Already Know About Quarantine

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"It's bringing me back to early recovery....I have to think about the things that keep me sober for right now, because we have no idea what tomorrow...

We Made A Pandemic Tool Kit

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, you've been helping us build a Pandemic Tool Kit. Now we want to see it in action! Pick something to do from the kit this weekend and sen...

Ben Sinclair Is A Fan Of Endings

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The High Maintenance star reflects on his childhood, what he's learned from his divorce, and why he's starting to smoke less weed. Looking for som...