Last Day
Episodes
TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie Tells Matthew McConaughey How Success Broke Him
05 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
New series sneak peek! No Magic Pill is hosted by TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie, who fell apart after building and selling one of the most recogni...
Got a Parenting Question? Talkaboutable Wants to Hear From You
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Got a parenting problem you can’t stop thinking about? Talkaboutable, a podcast from Lemonada Media and Montage Health Foundation, is comin...
Introducing: Senseless with Erika Mahoney
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re introducing you to a powerful new podcast, Senseless with Erika Mahoney. Everything changed one ordinary Monday, when Erika Maho...
Gun Violence is a Public Health Crisis
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gun violence in America is at a crisis point. It’s now the number one killer of kids and teens – a stat that should make us all pause. But...
Last Day Presents: “Making Peace with The End” (Squeezed Ep 7)
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this Christmas Day, we’re sharing the last episode of Squeezed, fittingly about the end of life. Alua is a renowned death doula, author, an...
Last Day Presents: “Alzheimer’s Changes Everything” (Squeezed Ep 6)
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jessica Guthrie is squeezed. A decade ago, at 26 years old, Jessica unexpectedly became a caregiver for her mom, Constance, who is now living with lat...
Last Day Presents: “Caring For Her Kid, Her Parents and Herself” (Squeezed Ep 5)
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sadé is squeezed. Five years ago, she became a first-time parent. She expected her parents to help her out with the day-to-day work. But a series of ...
Last Day Presents: “Helping the Most Vulnerable Teens” (Squeezed Ep 4)
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s hard enough being Squeezed. But helping others who are, too? That’s a superpower. And Shilpa is our hero. She’s a mom to one son and also r...
Last Day Presents: "Co-Parenting Tween Triplets in NYC” (Squeezed Ep 3)
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back to share Episode 3, featuring another person who is feeling Squeezed from all sides. Matt is a native Londoner. He is also single dad co-...
Last Day Presents: “A Stay-At-Home Mom Breaks the Cycle” (Squeezed Ep 2)
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hey listeners, we’re back with Episode 2 of Squeezed. This episode features another person who is feeling very Squeezed. Jessica is a stay-at-home m...
Last Day Presents: Squeezed with Yvette Nicole Brown
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Stephanie is off in the exciting (and terrifying) world of book writing. In the interim, we want to share another show that’s near and dear to our h...
Five Years of Last Day... Now What?
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We did it, y’all. We reached the end of our countdown, which leads us back to where it all began: the very first episode of Last Day, the first-ever...
Staff Pick #2: “Was It Painful?” (Season 1, Episode 4)
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Before we finish this countdown to Last Day’s fifth anniversary, we are resharing an episode from season one. This episode was chosen by Lizzie, our...
Staff Pick #3: “Are You Feeling Suicidal?” (Season 2, Episode 12)
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To commemorate Last Day’s fifth anniversary, we are revisiting the season two finale. This episode was chosen by Jackie – one of the first people ...
Staff Pick #4: “Everyone Out Here is Armed” (Season 3, Episode 1)
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To continue the countdown to Last Day’s fifth birthday, here’s our next pick: the first episode of our season on gun violence, chosen by our senio...
Staff Pick #5: “Lina: No One’s Little Girl” (Season 4, Episode 24)
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last Day is turning five! From investigating America’s deaths of despair to featuring real-life stories of hope and change, the journey of Last Day ...
Listen Now: Love Letters
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re sharing a story from another podcast near and dear to our hearts. Love Letters, from The Boston Globe, shares stories from real lif...
Steph’s Pick: “Carrie: How Could You?”
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Carrie and Joe were college sweethearts who made a picture-perfect family. They worked and saved to pay for their kids’ sports, vacations, and every...
Steph’s Pick: “Tig: Hi, I Have Cancer”
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If comedian Tig Notaro hadn’t had cancer, her life might’ve actually been worse. In those sobering moments post-diagnosis, she got up on stage and...
Steph’s Pick: “Vinnie: The Worst Possible Sin”
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vinnie grew up in a strict, insular environment that instilled a simple message in him from a young age: who you are is fundamentally wrong. After spe...
Apple Books Pick: “Geena: Hiding In Plain Sight”
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Geena Rocero has yet to meet a stage she doesn’t like. As the reigning trans beauty queen in the Philippines, she was adored and envied with equal p...
Nikki: Setting Myself Free
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After getting engaged, Nikki Vargas was staring down a lifetime of white picket fences, suburbs, and 2.5 kids. And deep down she knew she couldn’t d...
Kat: After the Report
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Kat grew up internalizing that it was her “responsibility” to be careful around men. But when a male friend sexually assaulted her after a frat pa...
Listen Now: Stephanie on Everything Happens with Kate Bowler
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last Day listeners, today we're sharing with you Stephanie's conversation with Kate Bowler on her show Everything Happens. Kate is a professor at Duke...
Alyssa: Stop Arguing With Reality
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alyssa Elliott has always prided herself on being a responsible, by-the-book kind of person. And it was exactly those qualities that were taken advant...
Christine: In Our Crisis, We Have Opportunity
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are few modern photos more iconic than the image of Christine Blasey Ford with her hand raised in the U.S. Senate chamber, vowing to tell nothin...
Craig: The First Confirmed Case
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s early 2020. COVID-19 begins to spread around the globe like wildfire, and many people –– particularly in the US — are stunned. But then t...
Brooke: This Is Not Reality
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Four years ago, Brooke had the best day of her life — then two months later, she had the worst. The whiplash from the bliss of her wedding day to th...
Stefanie: Wine Moms
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Stefanie Wilder-Taylor was a cool mom who loved wine. As an author and blogger, she made a name for herself championing mom’s right to booze. What b...
Tamara: “My Daughter Is A Drug Addict?”
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a trip to Disney World took an unexpected turn, Tamara’s world fell apart at the so-called “happiest place on earth.” At nearly 60 years o...
Jose: Behind The Wall
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jose Lorenzo grew up behind bars, after being pulled into the criminal justice system as a child. When he re-emerged in the outside world, he longed f...
Steph’s Pick: “Kate: Sad Week™” (Season 4, Episode 1)
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re sharing one of our favorite episodes from this past year. The story focuses on a profound loss that our guest Kate experienced righ...
Lina: No One’s Little Girl
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up, Lina Martinez treasured holidays spent with her family. She remembers the food, the ornaments, the dancing, and — above all – her dad,...
Amy: A Curious Life
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Schneider has always been smart, but she hasn’t always felt like it. It wasn’t until her 30s that it became clear just how many ways of thinki...
Jen V: Everything I Swore I’d Never Be
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jen Varner grew up swearing she’d never end up like her parents, whose struggles with addiction led to her neglect. But right before her eyes, Jen’...
Carrie: How Could You?
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carrie and Joe were college sweethearts who made a picture-perfect family. They worked and saved to pay for their kids’ sports, vacations, and every...
Carmen: Everything Was A Lie
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carmen Rita Wong always had a big family, but she never thought it was the kind to have big secrets. Yet by adulthood, multiple bombshells would drop ...
Learn More: Stopping Violence Before It Starts
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, Lemonada co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs sits down with the leaders of the Coalition to Advance Public Safety (CAPS), an o...
Jen: Maybe I Won’t Die?
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For most of her life, Jen Curran liked to take it easy. She loved sketch comedy, riding in her red convertible, and dropping by JCPenney to check out ...
Leticia: Your Worst Day Isn’t Your Only Day
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Leticia Ochoa Adams lost her son Anthony to suicide, it made her rethink everything — from her previously unshakeable faith to the very place s...
Courtney: Beginning Again (And Again)
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Courtney embraces the mess. She records chaotic workout videos from home, where she’s currently raising three kids as a single mom. So why should he...
Geena: Hiding in Plain Sight
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Geena Rocero has yet to meet a stage she doesn’t like. As the reigning trans beauty queen in the Philippines, she was adored and envied with equal p...
Chandra: A World Not Built for Me
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since losing her limbs, Chandra has had to relearn everything. After a medical emergency caused multi-organ failure, Chandra received several life-sav...
Carolina & Arely: The Things We Don’t Say
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Carolina discovered all of the things her teenage daughter had been hiding from her, it set off a chain of events that threatened to dissolve the...
Alexis: I Don’t Have Time to Fall Apart
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Author and motivational speaker Alexis Jones lived her life on the road. Year after year, she kept up a relentless touring schedule, propelling her to...
Tig: Hi, I Have Cancer
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If comedian Tig Notaro hadn’t had cancer, her life might’ve actually been worse. In those sobering moments post-diagnosis, she got up on stage and...
Elyse: I’ll Never Get Used to This
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You might know Elyse Myers from her viral video about buying 100 tacos on a first date. That TikTok led to a Cinderella story of overnight fame, where...
Colin: Bring Your Grief With You Into Life
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Colin Campbell regained consciousness, seeing only the billowy white of an airbag in front of him, he had no idea what had just happened. A momen...
Melissa: The Girl Who Would Never Say No
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For Melissa Urban, the wellness icon behind Whole30, setting boundaries is the name of the game. But she wasn’t always like this. To cope with burie...
Maya: Nothing Happens For A Reason
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Life is random, nothing happens for a reason, and the universe does not have a plan. That’s at least what Maya Shankar believes. And so does Stephan...
Winn: It Became My Entire World
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Finding the thing you’re exceptionally good at — where you love doing it and others recognize your talent — is a pivotal moment in a young perso...
Vinnie: The Worst Possible Sin
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vinnie grew up in a strict, insular environment that instilled a simple message in him from a young age: who you are is fundamentally wrong. After spe...
Melissa: Running Out Of Time
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Exercise is good for you. This feels universally true. Turns out, it’s not. For Melissa Guarnaccia, running marathons in her 20s was a healthy outle...
Steve: Always On Guard
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Unrelenting anxiety can suck, but it can also make you excel on the job. For 25 years, Steve Chamberlin’s hypervigilance helped him climb the ranks ...
Laura: Gradually, Then Suddenly
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Cathcart Robbins bares it all in her new memoir, Stash: My Life in Hiding. But for most of her life, she lied. A lot. Growing up in spaces where...
Jackie: She Was Fiona
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jackie Danziger has long been a fixture of the Last Day production team. Her talents, vision, and discipline have kept pace with (and, let’s be hone...
Kate: Sad Week™
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Greene is the sister of a funny brother and the daughter of two loving parents. She’s a lot like Stephanie, especially because she lost her bro...
Coming Up On Last Day…
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last Day is back! But we’re doing things a little differently this time around, and we want to give you a sneak peek of what’s to come. Last Day i...
Introducing: Last Day Season 4(ever)
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the last day of the Last Day you know and love, and the first day for a new chapter. From now on, we’ll be bringing you new episodes weekly...
Guns 11: Two Newbies Go Hunting
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you think of a hunter, what image comes to mind? Probably not a Patagonia-clad gun safety proponent like Tim Stevens. In this bonus episode, Tim ...
Guns 10: Survivors
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“Gun violence survivor”– It’s an identity no one would ever want, but it describes more and more Americans these days. In the ...
Guns 9: What Can We Do to Stop the Shootings?
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inaction in the face of gun violence is deadly. So what can we do? This week, we meet the gun violence prevention activists who believe real change is...
Guns 8: Who is the Second Amendment For?
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who does the Second Amendment protect? In this episode, we trace its racist roots and learn why a former firearms executive blames the gun industry fo...
Guns 7: Yelling At Each Other Isn’t Working
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Suicide contagion, secure storage, and breakfast meats. This week, we figure out how to get cowboys to talk about their feelings with help from expert...
Guns 6: The Kid Who Fell Through The Cracks
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Who’s to blame in the aftermath of a tragedy? This week, we meet a family asking that question after their beloved son died when his college fai...
Guns 5: Outside the Yellow Tape
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Violent crime is up in American cities. Does that mean it’s time to return to the aggressive policing of the 90s? Not exactly. How can we make o...
Guns 4: Bullets Have No Name
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in an Atlanta neighborhood that’s been “thrown away” and “forgotten,” Derriontae’s survival hinged on j...
Guns 3: Bystander
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re pulling apart the idea of a “bad neighborhood” and learning about community trauma. We travel to Southwest Atlanta,...
Guns 2: A Love Story
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when the thing that makes your kid the happiest is also putting him in danger? Larry and Shannon Martell took the guns away after their...
Guns 1: Everyone Out Here is Armed
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 1, our team travels to Montana, where cowboy culture reigns supreme, everyone is armed, and 86% of firearm deaths are suicides. There, we m...
We’re Back: Last Day Season 3 (Official Trailer)
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Gun violence in America is a public health crisis, but the reality is that guns aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. So, how can we learn to live...
Suicide 12: Are You Feeling Suicidal?
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Season 2 Finale! We started this season on a bridge but told you not to get caught up in the romantic notion of saviors and last minute interventions....
Suicide 11: How Do I Get to Tomorrow?
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know 1 in 4 suicides involve alcohol? Some studies actually place it closer to 40%. Where is the line between having a drink to decompress and...
Suicide 10: Why Do People Cut Themselves?
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Stephanie and Jackie are switching roles to answer a simple question: Was I a suicidal teen girl? We start in a closet, revisit a high scho...
Suicide 9: Suicide Prevention Has Nothing to Do with Suicide Prevention
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It turns out, there’s more to suicide prevention than crisis hotline numbers and inspirational memes. This week, we’re looking at the conc...
Suicide 8: Overcoming Childhood Trauma
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re talking about ACEs - aka - Adverse Childhood Experiences. How do you move forward when there’s a lot of pain in your past?...
Suicide 7: A Mental Health Emergency
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you’re six months pregnant with your first child and the person you love, the person with whom you’ve built a life, wakes you up i...
Suicide 6: I Feel Nothing
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the point of going to treatment if you’ve essentially been dealt a death sentence? That’s the way some veterans feel about a ...
Suicide 5: Psychological Autopsy
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After losing a loved one to suicide, “why” is often the first question that comes to mind. But what if you had a meticulous case file that...
Suicide 4: We Don't Want to See Our Parents Unhappy
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
They don’t get a lot of attention, but seniors are the most at risk to die by suicide. In 2014, Marguerite Reynolds lost her fiercely independen...
Suicide 3: The Great Darkness
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In his TED Talk, “Be Human(e),” Dr. Jeremy Richman said, “We felt the world was spinning out of control and that if we didn't find s...
Suicide 2: Is Suicide Contagious?
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The term “suicide contagion” gets thrown around a lot in academic papers and media headlines, but what does it actually mean? The term sug...
Suicide 1: Beyond the Bridge
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We open Season 2 of Last Day with a tale of two Kevins. One is Sergeant Kevin Briggs, also known as the guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge. The other ...
Introducing: Last Day Season 2
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last Day is back for a second season, and we’re tackling another important topic: mental health and the rising rates of suicide. With her baseli...
Kind Of, Sort Of, Very, Extremely Intense
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s National Suicide Prevention Week, and that means you’re probably seeing a lot of triggering content. We can relate. The Last Day team...
Addiction Epilogue: Josh’s Last Day (with The Lumineers’ Jeremiah Fraites)
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Lumineers’ Jeremiah Fraites reflects on losing his older brother Josh to a heroin overdose in 2001 and the many ways Josh’s death has impacted...
Sneak Peek: Season 2
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We know, we know. We said we were done, but surprise! We’re back to reveal the topic for Last Day Season 2, ask for story submissions, and tell you ...
Addiction 25: Finale
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks our 25th and final episode of Last Day, Season One. Today, Stephanie and Jess sit down--virtually--to reflect on favorite interviews a...
Addiction 24: On the Front Lines
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we meet Isaac Beverly who shares his journey from 5 years in prison to a 5-year medallion. Isaac has found a solid recovery plan that inclu...
Addiction 23: Recovery For Life
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we continue our treatment tour at Eleanor Health in High Point, North Carolina. It’s a new-ish (and pretty groundbreaking) outpatient cli...
Addiction 22: 28 Days Isn’t Enough
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Addiction treatment in America is like a Rubik’s Cube. We’ve talked about this. We know this. We feel this. But good programs do exist. This week,...
Addiction 21: The Blame Game
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This whole season we’ve focused on how to help people with substance use disorders. We’ve talked about the importance of harm-reduction and human ...
Addiction 20: Love Is the Why
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
DeRay Mckesson and TeRay Ross are world-class community leaders, siblings, and the best of friends. They also grew up surrounded by addiction in both ...
Addiction 19: Mommy, Again
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Emily found out she was pregnant, her life began to snowball in a positive direction. She stopped using heroin, reconnected with family and was r...
Addiction 18: Tell Me About Your Childhood
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brandy and Wilma are two women who have a lot in common. They both grew up in California, they both experienced profound childhood trauma, and they bo...
Addiction 17: Trauma (with Dr. Gabor Maté)
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Gabor Maté is a world-renowned trauma expert who can (and will) deconstruct your happy childhood in a matter of minutes. At least, that’s what ...
Addiction 16: Doing Dopey
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dave and Chris co-hosted 142 episodes of Dopey, a recovery podcast about “drugs, addiction and dumb shit,” when the worst thing that could have ev...
Addiction 15: A Parenting Nightmare
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago, Laurie McTeague noticed her teenage son, Ian, was uncharacteristically depressed. So she went snooping around on his phone and disc...
Addiction 14: Last Day of Use
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This season started with the question: How did we get here? How did Stefano and Harris overdose and die in their early 30s? How did our country lose 4...
Addiction 13: How to Survive the Holidays
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We asked. You answered. This week, we hear from Last Day listeners about why the holidays are so hard, different, stressful, all of the adjectives. St...