How To! with Mike Pesca

Can a family travel around the world for a year without killing each other? Dan Kois spent a year in New Zealand, The Netherlands, Costa Rica and Kansas with his wife Alia and their two young daughters, learning how other cultures parent. The result is How to Be A Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World . What's the secret to traveling together for that long? And what do you do when ev...

How did Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman get so buff to play Deadpool and Wolverine? An up-and-coming Hollywood actor wants to know so he can land his own superhero role. We turn to Reynolds' and Jackman's trainer, Don Saladino , who says the key to six-pack abs and bulging biceps is not what you think. In fact, it's something we can all do.

Is there a right way to let kids struggle and fail? How do you raise resilient children? And most important, when should you help out, and when should you chill out? We ask Dr. Wendy Mogel , author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee to advise a Portland, Oregon couple who worry about their son getting wet in a squirt gun fight.

Have you ever wondered how you would fare in the apocalypse? Perhaps you have envisioned yourself, shotgun loaded, prepared to mete out kindhearted justice and tough-love defense in equal measure. It turns out, though, that when the next pandemic comes, it might not be exactly like the movies. We get tips from a public health expert at Johns Hopkins — and a member of the Zombie Squad . Their advic...

Matt has anxiety attacks. Every day. When he gets too many texts, when he starts worrying about his family, when the unexpected occurs: that's when the sweat starts and his mind begins racing. He's a strong guy — he was a cop — but he thinks today's problem is connected to a tragic event in the past, and he doesn't know what to do. We introduce him to Dr. Ben Michaelis , a clinical psychologist an...

A decade after Elizabeth's family left the U.S. to live in Portugal, they're wondering if it's time to move back. So, we turn to professional poker player, Annie Duke , who treats every decision like it's a bet. She says think of each choice as a wager on your future self. But how do you go all in when you're uncertain about the odds?

Jonny is a 26 year-old bachelor whose cooking often leads to heartache (and for one ex-girlfriend, a stomach ache). Jonny admits he's a klutz in the kitchen, so we hooked him up with Sam Sifton , cookbook raconteur and head of the New York Times's Cooking section , to see if we can teach our love-lorn Millennial to cook one perfect meal. Is romantic bliss just a well-browned chicken thigh away? (...

Gabe wants to fire a bad employee, but still be a good boss. We turn to Stanford professor of management science, Bob Sutton ( The No Asshole Rule and Good Boss, Bad Boss ) for help. First, Sutton says, Gabe has to act like a boss, not a friend. Then he should write a letter, focus on compassion and hide the box of tissues.

Sophie Power once breastfed her newborn during an ultramarathon, but an upcoming 268-mile race across a remote stretch of Great Britain is freaking her out. We turn to Wim Hof, aka "The Iceman," for advice. Because when you are worried about pain, you should definitely consult a Dutch extreme athlete who sits in freezing water for fun. (Really!)

Mary's mother needs a new kidney — as long as it doesn't come from Mary. What's a good daughter to do? With the clock ticking, Mary hears from Larissa MacFarquhar, author of a book on extreme altruism , to learn how to convince ourselves — and others — to do the most generous things.

How do you learn to tell the perfect joke? A pastor from Oklahoma wants to spice up his sermons. So we introduce him to Gary Gulman , a New York standup comedian who makes jokes about his clinical depression. The lesson? "Man plans, and God laughs." But only if you nail the delivery.

Joe Loya robbed over 30 banks during an 18-month span before going to jail. Charles wants to rob one bank on a Saturday afternoon, and get away scot-free. Can Joe teach Charles the tricks of the trade? Or will he shatter his dreams, and a few stereotypes along the way? Also, is it a good idea to carry a microphone while attempting a robbery?