Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD
Episodes
What's the deal with red light therapy?
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily and Perry shine a light on red light therapy: its origins, its heroic use of the mighty mitochondria, and the supposed countless bene...
What's the deal with GLP-1s?
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily and Perry discuss GLP-1s, those blockbuster weight-loss drugs that have taken the world by storm -- and not just what you already kno...
What's the deal with cold plunges and saunas?
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily and Perry plunge, as it were, into the temperature extremes: cold plunges and saunas. Is there any actual value to shocking your body...
What's the deal with peptides?
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Emily and Perry tackle peptides, the purported panacea for all health ailments. Can an injection of these tiny bits of protein actually boo...
What's the deal with declining sperm counts?
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In our inaugural episode, Emily and Perry talk all things sperm: if it's on the decline, how to juice its quality, the perils of tight underwear, and ...
Official Trailer: Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
GLP-1s. Colostrum. Microplastics. Red light therapy. Vaccines. There’s a staggering amount of health and wellness news and information, and it&r...
Goodbye, for now
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An announcement from Emily about the podcast.
An Expert Roundtable on Trying to Conceive
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For many people, when we start thinking about a family, we assume it'll just happen nine months from the moment we start trying. But that isn't the wa...
How to Baby-Proof Your Relationship: Navigating a new marital landscape
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you look at the data, it is true that after people have kids, marital satisfaction declines. Having a baby drastically changes everything in your...
All About Vaccines: Why they’re important, and how to make them more tolerable for your child
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shots are never a fun experience. Even if you are enthusiastic about vaccines, holding your kids as they get them is not usually a high point of paren...
Understanding Risk, Living With Uncertainty
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the last month, we've aired podcast conversations with Dr. Nathan Fox and Dr. Bapu Jena, and though the content is different, there’s an underlyi...
It’s Never Too Late for Pelvic Floor Therapy: Why it’s about more than Kegels
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For many of us, our first exposure to our pelvic floors is through the Kegel exercises we learned about in Cosmo, promising us great sex. The reality ...
Tamron Hall's Late-Night Panic Google
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning talk show host Tamron Hall dives into dressing your kids properly for the weather and overall preparedness as a parent (and why it's so ...
How to Talk to Your Doctor: Navigating important conversations about your care
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today on ParentData, we're welcoming back Dr. Nathan Fox, Emily's co-author for The Unexpected- a book about when things go wrong, or at least get com...
ParentData Presents: Raising Parents - "Should You Have Kids?"
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today on ParentData, we're airing an episode from Raising Parents, Emily's limited series podcast in partnership with The Free Press. The episode is t...
Understanding Panic Headlines: How studies that influence your parenting choices get published
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here at ParentData, we talk a lot about panic headlines. You know, the headlines that cycle through your feed about coffee and wine and sleep and lead...
Is Gentle Parenting Best? What the evidence says
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you spend any time in parenting circles, it’s hard to avoid being inundated with “types” of parenting. Parenting labels are not neutral. Some...
Researching the Importance of Paid Leave: A look into how studies are conducted
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The United States is one of the only countries in the world that doesn’t guarantee paid parental leave. We point out this fact a lot, but what does ...
Bess Kalb's Late-Night Panic Google
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and excellent social media follow Bess Kalb ruminates on the best place to move your family to prepare for climate change, giving yourself inte...
Why Is Nutrition So Stressful? The challenge of navigating “good” food choices
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nutrition, along with sleep and screens, is one of the most contentious parenting topics there is. And questions about nutrition are particularly hard...
ParentData Presents: The Lonely Palette's "Mary Kelly's Postpartum Document (1973-78)"
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., and after a fall – and a year – of divisiveness, could all use a holiday in which Americans are united in the t...
It’s Not Hysteria: How women’s health gets overlooked
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We don’t all get to learn about vaginas in school or from our families or from creating a reputation as the "Vagina Economist." And quite frankly, t...
It's The Placenta Episode!
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pop quiz: what’s the only organ that you grow from nothing and then casually discard, that magically bosses around your hormones, and actually your ...
Racial Disparity in C-Section Rates: Unpacking bias in the medical system
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When we talk about C-sections, it’s often prefaced with “unplanned” or “emergency.” About a third of all the deliveries in the U.S. are cesa...
Ultra-Processed Foods: What they are and whether we should worry
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is nothing in the world of nutrition more confusing than ultra-processed foods. Seemingly every week, there is a new headline about the dangers ...
The Power of Local Politics: How Vermont is revolutionizing child care
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the run-up to November 5th, it's easy to feel hopeless about the state of our national discourse, and what any single one of us can do to make a di...
Steve Levitt's Late-Night Panic Google
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Freakonomics economist Professor Steve Levitt joins to weave a thrilling tale about worms in poop, and advocating for your child. Warning: this late-n...
All About Midwives: What they do, and how they differ from OBs
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Midwives are having a bit of a moment. Of course, that moment is not at all new. For a very, very long time, — hundreds, possibly thousands, of year...
Shawn Johnson's Late-Night Panic Google
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gymnast and Olympic gold-medalist Shawn Johnson describes the panic of international emergencies, advocating for your children in French, and why she ...
It's A Podcast Anniversary Q&A! You asked, Emily answered
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's our one-year podaversary! We relaunched the new and improved ParentData podcast a year ago this week. We've heard from some incredible, thought-p...
Caitlin Murray's Late-Night Panic Google
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Instagram's Caitlin Murray (@BigTimeAdulting) contemplates fear of the unknown, the probability of rare childhood diseases, getting hit by meteors, an...
Phones and the Importance of Play: Are phones really to blame for the decline in kids’ mental health?
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're a parent who reads the news - and who listens to this podcast - you probably heard a lot about screens this summer. And even now, as kids go...
Chelsea Sodaro's Late-Night Panic Google
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Champion triathaloner Chelsea Sodaro talks baby wipes and the kindest way to say goodbye to your poop.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to n...
(Part Two) Kids, Screens, and Schools: How worried should we be?
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second in a two-episode series on the issue of kids and screens and schools. The first episode featured Jessica Grose of the New York Time...
Ask Bubbie's Late-Night Panic Google
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pediatrician-turned-grandma influencer, Dr. Flo Rosen - better known as Ask Bubbie - tackles the super easy issues of vaccine hesitancy, sleep trainin...
(Part One) Kids, Screens, and Schools: How worried should we be?
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When we were growing up, screens came in fixed, predictable contexts: TV, movie theaters, computer labs, Oregon Trail. But kids today use screens all ...
Myleik's Late-Night Panic Google
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Serial entrepreneur Myleik explores buttholes, pinworms, and when, as a parent, there's nowhere to go but up.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free acce...
Every Kid is a Math Kid: Debunking the myths around learning math
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us grew up dividing the world into "math kids"... and the rest of us. It can be just as scary when our kids present us with their math homewor...
Mandy Moore's Late-Night Panic Google
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Actress and singer Mandy Moore contemplates croup, toddler beds, and Bayesian statistics.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles e...
Ozempic 101: A doctor explains the data and science behind weight-loss drugs
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
News about weight-loss drugs is hard to miss. A new generation of drugs — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound — are on television, on billboards, ...
Ezra Klein’s Late-Night Panic Google
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The New York Times’ Ezra Klein asks how we can trust anything we read about parenting.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles ev...
The Value of Camp: What a tech-free summer teaches kids
04 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Color War. Underwear on the outside of your clothes. Sailing badges. Friendship bracelets. It is difficult to overstate how attached some people get t...
Jackie Oshry’s Late-Night Panic Google
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Toast’s Jackie Oshry asks about babies and honey, the efficacy of Baby Mozart, and what you can’t put down the garbage disposal.Subscribe to P...
Raising Boys: Another side of gender equality
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many, many wonderful things about parenting boys. There are also challenges that seem disproportionate. Boys often develop language later th...
Abby Phillip's Late-Night Panic Google
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CNN anchor Abby Philip asks how to keep her kid in bed all night.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven...
Why Kids Can't Read: How we missed the mark on literacy education
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Reading Rainbow. Reading is FUNdamental! Hooked on Phonics. We grew up steeped in a culture that encouraged reading. And in the past couple of years m...
Ophira Eisenberg’s Late-Night Panic Google
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian and NPR mainstay Ophira Eisenberg wrestles with changing her kid’s school, and how to clean slime.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free acce...
The Kids Are Actually Alright: Is parental anxiety too high?
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been hearing a lot about the teen mental health crisis — and there is no question that on a number of metrics, teens do seem to be strugglin...
Claire Holt's Late-Night Panic Google
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever panic-Googled a parenting question late at night? If so, you’re not alone. Most of us turn to that little search bar whenever fear or ...
Better Sleep for Older Kids—And Their Parents: Making a plan, post-crib
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our kids need a glass of water. Or an extra hug. How do we get them to sleep? So much has been written about this with advice for exhausted parents. B...
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Risk: Lessons from our book, “The Unexpected”
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Book launch alert! We’re so proud to announce that “The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications” is hitting the shelves ...
Doulas For All: How Senator Samra Brouk is changing birth in New York
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hiring a doula for your birth is, quite simply, a great idea. They’re non-clinical, cost-effective, and, as many mothers will attest, one of the mo...
Bonus Episode: Dr. Becky and the Bad Therapy Conversation
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
American kids are struggling. And there's a lot of discussion around the reasons why. Is it smartphones? Is it social media? Is it a hyper fixation on...
Parenting Trends Throughout History: We’ve always done it wrong … and also right
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a parent, it’s extremely easy to get very focused on “doing it right.” Which means, usually, doing what is considered “right” in your par...
How to Create Community: Showing up for each other in a spiritual and secular world
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We have all heard it takes a village to raise a child, but the reality is that many of us in the modern world, especially after the pandemic, are aski...
Birth Control After Kids: IUDs and vasectomies and tubal ligation, oh my!
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In January, ParentData launched a new newsletter — Hot Flash — authored by Dr. Gillian Goddard. Hot Flash covers women’s health in the post-repr...
Household Division of Labor: Making the invisible work fair, if not equal
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Invisible labor. It’s the work — in our households especially — that has to happen but that no one sees. It’s making the doctor’s appointmen...
Let’s Talk About Sex (After) Baby: Staying connected over the long term
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sex in long-term relationships, often after kids — it’s something many people struggle with. When we did a big ParentData survey on your sex lives...
Staying Active, Starting Again: Exercise in pregnancy and postpartum
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Exercise. Whether you’re an athlete or just depend on activity for a little dose of sanity, the pregnancy and postpartum periods can knock you sidew...
Learning to Speak: Understanding the babbling black box
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Through coos and cries, babbles and thbbbbts, babies are learning how to communicate from the earliest days of life. Language development is a magical...
Bonus: Telling the Truth About Marriage with Young Kids with Majka Burhardt
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this year, Emily interviewed Majka Burhardt, a professional ice climber (seriously) and the author of “More: Life on the Edge of Adventure a...
Parenting Through Grief: The impossible state of needing while giving
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Grief can mean a lot of different things, from the loss of a loved one to the loss of a much-wanted pregnancy or marriage. It’s a heavy topic for th...
Choosing to Induce: How a randomized trial gave birth to a new era in obstetrics
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Labor induction did not used to be the norm, but it increasingly is. A big reason for this change is something called the ARRIVE trial, which was desi...
Self-Care without Candles: Redefining wellness for parents
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Self-care is everywhere. Bubble baths, massages, Instagram encouraging you to “take time for yourself.” Get up early to have coffee and meditate...
How to Weigh the Risks of Social Media: A conversation with the Surgeon General
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this year, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new advisory about the effects of social media on the mental health of young people. Thes...
Let’s Talk Puberty: Supporting our kids through the cringe
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time to make things awkward! Our journey through puberty is mercifully over, but we’ve still got to help our kids through it… and it may no...
Parenting Through Divorce: The ultimate "no option C"
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even under the best of circumstances, the decision to end a marriage is often painful and always complicated - and even more so when kids are involved...
Introducing Allergens: What we've been getting precisely wrong
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You probably remember peanut butter being everywhere when you were a kid: commercials, birthday parties, packed in your school lunchbox. Now peanuts a...
High-Achieving Kids: The culture of never enough
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kids today face an unprecedented pressure to succeed, and it's pushing their mental health, and their families, to a breaking point. Today on ParentDa...
Official Trailer: Relaunching ParentData with Emily Oster
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Becoming a parent is transformative. It is also terrifying. From conception and pregnancy onwards, you’re handed a new set of rules to follow with l...
Expecting Better with Amy Schumer and Dr. Sara Reardon
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I’m thrilled to share the audio from an event we held earlier this month to mark the 10-year anniversary of my first book, Expecting Better. It was ...
Random Acts of Data with Dr. Anupam Jena
13 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I spoke with Dr. Anupam Jena, known as Bapu, who hosts the podcast Freakonomics, MD, about his new book, Random Acts of Medicine, written jointly with...
Representation in Children’s Books with Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman is a PhD student at Harvard in economics and public policy. Last year, she edited The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Brok...
Ask Emily: All Your Questions About Running With Laura Green
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When I do my weekly Q&A on Instagram (@profemilyoster), I get a lot of questions about running. Rather than interrupt the parenting content, we th...
How to Talk to Kids About Diets, Weight, and Food with Virginia Sole-Smith
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I heard about Virginia Sole-Smith’s new book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, a few months ago and was so excited I immediately insi...
One Mother's Story of CMV in Pregnancy with Megan Nix
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I speak with Megan Nix about her book Remedies for Sorrow, in which she recounts her journey with her daughter, Anna, who was born with congenital CMV...
Race, Values-based Care, and Advocating for Yourself With Erica Chidi
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I’m finishing out Black Maternal Health Week with an interview with Erica Chidi — writer, entrepreneur, doula, and more. We talk about issues arou...
Parenting Through Challenges with Dr. Kelly Fradin
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I’m excited to be joined today by Kelly Fradin, who wrote a new book called Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids Through Diagnoses, Differenc...
Ask Emily: Your Personal Questions on Parenting
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A bonus episode where Emily answers your personal questions about her journey with pregnancy and parenting — thanks for sending in so many great que...
Bonus: Book Talk with Hillary Frank (The Longest Shortest Time)
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is an audio recording from one of my recent appearances in Montclair, New Jersey. It was an amazing night. I was so lucky to be join...
Telling the Truth About Marriage with Young Kids with Majka Burhardt
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I am thrilled to feature an interview with Majka Burhardt, a professional ice climber (seriously) and the author of a new book called More: Life on th...
Ask Emily: Your Personal Questions on Career
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A bonus episode where Emily answers your personal questions about her career and more — thanks for sending in so many great questions on Instagram a...
Puberty, Postpartum, and Adaptation with Lauren Fleshman and Molly Huddle
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I am thrilled to feature an interview with two professional women runners, Lauren Fleshman and Molly Huddle. Lauren has a new book out tomorrow called...
Ask Emily: Your Personal Questions on Marriage
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A bonus episode where Emily answers your personal questions about her marriage and more — thanks for sending in so many great questions on Instagram...
Parenting in America with Jessica Grose and Yael Schonbrun
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I am absolutely delighted to feature an interview with two amazing authors. Jessica Grose is the author of the just-released book “Screaming on the ...
How to Get Kids to Eat Their Lunches with Marnie Hanel
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I talked to writer Marnie Hanel on her new, incredibly beautiful book about packing lunch boxes for your kids. When this book was first brought to my ...
Bonus: Ask a Pediatric Urologist
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I did this interview on Instagram Live with Dr. Liza Aguiar. Liza is a pediatric urologist and when we asked you to submit questions for her, you sent...
Bonus: The Power of Data & Its Limits
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm releasing a talk that I gave at this year’s SXSW EDU conference. It is my hope that everything I write gives you more confidence talking about d...
How to Talk to Kids About Sex with Miranda Featherstone
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An interview with social worker and writer Miranda Featherstone on eggs, sperm, and sex ed. How can you discuss sex and where babies come from with yo...
(Re)Creating School for Every Child with Michael Horn
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re heading into back-to-school week in my neck of the woods, and in honor of that, we have an interview with education expert Michael Horn about ...
Understanding Gun Violence with Megan Ranney
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After the horrifying events in Uvalde, many people wrote to ask about guns, about their child’s safety, about what they could do. I didn’t think I...
Pelvic Health with Emily Oster and the Vagina Whisperer
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I interviewed Dr. Sara Reardon, The Vagina Whisperer, who talks on Instagram and online about all the pelvic floor issues that we just do not talk abo...