A Thousand Natural Shocks With Gabe S. Dunn

We’ve talked about buying a better you. But how are we being sold our health and wellness during “these trying times?” Gaby talks to linguist and author Amanda Montell about the capitalistic language shifting to sell people wellness and “immunity-boosting” products of varying levels of harm during the coronavirus pandemic. What scams should we be looking out for? Is it possible to buy total safety...

Can you buy better mental health? Gaby talks to psychiatrist Dr. Imani Walker, who works primarily with homeless patients and those who’ve been convicted of crimes, about mental illness in the time of COVID-19. What is it like to see patients now? What should mental health services cost when so many more people are suffering from depression, anxiety and PTSD? And what are we realizing as a country...

Is it possible to buy perfect skin? And now, under quarantine, are we spending more on skin care products just to trick ourselves into an illusion of control? How has being forced to do beauty regimens at home changed how people are spending their money? Gaby talks to Natch Beaut podcaster and beauty expert Jackie Michele Johnson about aligning your self-care budget with your ethics, if it’s possi...

Call your Congressperson. Seriously. Gaby wants to learn more about what the U.S. government is doing for us during the COVID-19 pandemic, so she calls up California Congressman Rep. Mark Takano on Zoom. They discuss how the community comes together to fill in the gaps in social safety nets, potential upcoming legislation for those suffering financially and how to show you give a damn during a wor...

Gaby interviews reporter Olga Khazan, who wrote an article for The Atlantic about the increasingly visible class divide during the COVID-19 pandemic. What does it mean to be able to buy safety and when you do, who else are you putting at risk? As Khazan wrote, “the poor get socially close, so the rich can socially distance.” Plus, will the possible eventual revolution result in fairer wages and be...

Can good health be bought? We flashback to when Coronavirus cases were newly emerging in the states. Gaby revisits an interview she did with public health expert Dr. Abdul El-Sayed about what compels us to invest in wellness trends and how much it actually costs to be healthy. (Spoiler alert: it’s prohibitive as hell.) And later, how are health scams working in the midst of COVID-19?  Learn more a...

Gaby reflects on the meaning of success in today’s uncertain world. We flash back to our early plans for the season, including an interview with associate philosophy professor Jennifer Morton. What does it mean to be successful? What are we willing to sacrifice? After the interview, Gaby shares how her perspective on money has changed since so many lives were upended by the Coronavirus pandemic. ...

What is life right now? So many of us are overwhelmed and stressed about a future that’s feeling more and more uncertain. In season 6 of Bad with Money, Gaby Dunn explores how during a crisis, we get stuck in cycles of trying to buy our way into some semblance of personal control. But as it turns out, being safe, healthy, generous, clean, attractive and happy is really freakin’ expensive -- especi...

Gaby makes a final decision. Is it time to uproot her life and build a new one outside the U.S.? But wait! There's one more destination we want to explore as we wrap season 5. How expensive would it be to live... ON THE MOON? First, Gaby talks to scientist and aerospace engineer Kathleen Howell, a total badass who works with NASA, about the achievements and restrictions of living, working and...

After YEARS of only getting snippets of listeners’ stories on social media, Gaby finally calls up a few members of her Bad with Money family. Is it worth saving your money to move abroad? How much would you sacrifice to leave the U.S.? We hear experiences from three listeners: Madeline Christensen from Texas, Madison Walsh from Kansas and Gabriela Marrero from Pennsylvania.  Madeline has her mind...

Gaby contemplates what it’s like to live in Paris, a place most tourists would call “romantic as heck.” Why is Paris such a hub for love and how much would it cost for Gaby to take her partner Mal Blum there on a date? First, Gaby talks to Chris O’Brien, a journalist living in France, who happens to share a name with her ex-boyfriend. (Yikes!) And then she lays out a date night plan for her belove...

What’s it like to travel and live outside the U.S. when you're at high risk for harassment? Gaby talks with queer travel writer Meg Ten Eyck about what should you invest in for safety and what information you need to know before you move or even visit a new country as someone that is queer, gender non-conforming or another member of the LGBTQ community. Plus, find out why countries should be m...

Gaby plots her escape plan by talking to Malte Zeeck, founder of InterNations and a German-born expert on expat communities, about the costs of moving abroad and how to find the right place for you. Then, she hears first-hand from Danielle Roberge, an American who moved to Spain and found that lower salaries were a fair trade off for better work-life balance and social safety nets. What are the bi...

Gaby explores the lack of money taboos in Chinese culture with TV writer Jessica Gao. Gao, who was born in China, explains the ways her mother shares every last detail of how much Jessica is making. Why are people so open about how much things cost, how much they’re earning and how much they LOVE money in Chinese culture? Then, Gaby welcomes back Andrew Ti, friend of the podcast and "Yo! Is Th...

What if the answer isn’t choosing where to live, but rather choosing to live nowhere? Gaby speaks to Rachel Wilson and Natalie Frizza, two members of Australia’s nomad community -- people who have chosen to live and raise kids in converted campers, vans and buses. Gaby explores what that daily life looks like, the cost of living and who tends to be able to experience that lifestyle. (Hint: White p...

Gaby invites a Tibetan Buddhist monk to be on his very first podcast! Gyaltsen Chopel discusses how Buddhism functions to deprioritize money altogether -- and his work as a caretaker who handles day-to-day expenses and donations made to a Buddhist temple in Los Angeles. It’s not the conversation you’d expect from a monk! Then, Gaby calls India to speak to assistant professor of Hindu Studies, Dhee...

In the Philippines, kids jump at midnight to get taller. In Romania, you should pay off all your debt to ensure good fortune in the New Year. Join Gaby as she digs into New Year’s Eve superstitions -- and money superstitions -- with Philippines based writer Katrina Escalona and Romanian studies lecturer Julieta Paulesc. Come on, it can’t hurt to be a little superstitious in 2020! We need all the l...

Did you get money as a gift this year? Bet you're not alone. In this episode, Gaby explores the deeper cultural significance behind gifting money during celebrations. First, she calls up her dad, Marc Dunn, to talk through some of their own family traditions. Like, why do the Jews give money in multiples of 18? Then, she speaks with Kole Ade Odutola, a Nigerian-born professor at the University...

Gaby explores work-life balance in The Netherlands, which has some of the world's shortest work hours, and in South Korea, which has some of the longest.  First, she speaks with expat Jovi Paredes about the emphasis on vacation and mental health resources in The Netherlands. Then she talks with LA Times Seoul correspondent Victoria Kim about the persistent boss-employee hierarchy and emphasis...

As the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, Gaby explores her extremely complicated feelings about Germany. In order to take a modern look the country and consider whether she could live there today, she speaks to Berlin-based journalist Jill Petzinger about the German preference for paying in cash and distaste for debt. Then she chats with American expat Dana Newman about coming to terms with Germ...

Gaby explores the places that always top the “Happiest Countries on Earth” lists. First, she chats with writer and friend Kate Jones, a queer Vietnamese comedian who lives in Switzerland about the country’s pros (high salaries, social safety nets, beautiful scenery) and cons (racism, homophobia). Then, Gaby calls up Helsinki Bloomberg News Bureau Chief Kati Pohjanpalo to talk about money and modes...

Before Gaby searches abroad for a new place to live, she first wants to understand the whys of currency. Specifically, the whys of an American coin she has a real problem with: The penny. Gaby deviates from her “no straight cis white men guests” rule to talk about hating the penny with New York Times reporter Binyamin Appelbaum. Then, she gets into the general inaccessibility of American money wit...

We’re back and this time, Bad With Money is going international! In season 5, we're breaking down what money means around the world! Meanwhile, Gaby seriously considers whether she wants to build a new life abroad. Would she be happier and less financially stressed living in another country? In this premiere episode, we dig into the meaning of money in the U.S. with sociologist Dr. Viviana Zel...

Gaby is back! Season 5 of Bad with Money returns November 20.  This time, we're looking at what money means in America and around the world. We'll get the real scoop from foreign correspondents and ordinary folks who've started their lives over in other countries.  Anyone else ready to have their mind blown? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Advertisi...

For the finale of Season 4, Gaby gets personal and explores the big changes of the last 3 years with help from her comedy partner Allison Raskin, her sister Cheyanne Dunn, her former producer Sam Dingman, and her parents Marc and Caryn. She gets their honest assessment of how she's doing...unpacks all sorts of family drama... and talks about what she'd do if she got really rich.  This epis...