Death, Sex & Money

Albert and Sue Sommers met, fell in love and got married in their 40s. Albert is a rancher whose family has worked the same land in Pinedale, Wyoming for over 100 years, and Sue is a writer and multimedia artist who grew up in New Jersey. Since they married later in life and don’t have kids, that raised big questions about what would happen to Albert’s family ranch once they were gone.  Ranching i...

This week, we are very excited to introduce you all to one of our favorite podcasts: Heavyweight , hosted by Jonathan Goldstein. First, Jonathan chats with Anna about the art of asking difficult questions, why he loves awkward phone calls, and the emotional power of deadlines. Then, we're playing the first episode of Heavyweight’s new season. In it, Jonathan finds out his childhood best friend is...

The filmmaker behind HBO’s How To with John Wilson shares how his hobbies, like checking Craigslist ads obsessively, make him feel more deeply connected. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter...

Over the past 20 years, Adonis Williams has moved thousands of people in and out of New York City. With each move, he catches a glimpse of a life in transition.  Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmone...

Anna and Ellen Burstyn check in 9 years after they first spoke. Ellen talks about the relationships that make up her life in this moment, her dog, and finding novelty in the everyday. You can listen to the original interview here .  Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters fro...

We’re listening back to one of Anna’s favorite episodes, when actor Ellen Burstyn invited us into her apartment for a sprawling interview about her past and present.   In next week’s episode, you’ll hear a new conversation between Anna and Ellen, recorded just a few weeks ago. But until then, you can also listen back to Ellen’s conversation with journalist and feminist icon Gloria Steinem on our s...

Anna follows up with Sarah Short, the mom who became a surrogate to pay off debt. They discuss her divorce, starting her own business, and why this chapter of her life feels “freeing.” And if you're a Maria Bamford fan, Anna is interviewing her on stage in San Francisco on Saturday, October 14th, as part of City Arts & Lectures. You can get tickets to join them in person or watch remotely here...

Lawrence Bartley was first on the show in 2014 while he was still in prison. In this new episode, he talks about becoming an award-winning journalist and the negative impact of a headline from our show.  Watch Inside Story here: https://www.themarshallproject.org/inside-story   Listen to Lawrence's previous DSM episodes here: https://www.wnyc.org/people/lawrence-bartley/  Get tickets for Anna’s Oc...

The New York Times journalist talks about the difficulties of early parenthood, the lure of communal living, and why he loves Burning Man. Want more from Ezra on the topics in today’s episode? We recommend the following:  This episode of The Ezra Klein Show with scholar Kristen Ghodsee on communes and intentional communities ( https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/09/opinion/ezra-klein-kristen-ghodsee.h...

The 79-year-old musician tells Anna about coming into his gender identity, “being cared for” by his bandmates, and the joys–and pitfalls–of finding success later in life. Listen to "Transmissions" here ( https://open.spotify.com/album/6X7rxq4bKcwPTKRFgIzR30?si=BfLeHGcKRS-uC0O5T9irBA ), and you can stream his new album “The Ones Ahead” here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0AdkBNWEM8uprSOb2ah8aD . D...

We revisit our most popular episode, featuring your stories about secret hard drives, fantasy plot lines, illegal downloads, titillating Tumblr feeds, and giving porn up completely. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at...

In this episode we asked listeners if they were currently planning a wedding, and if money had become a sticking point. We heard from couples with vastly different ideas of what they wanted to spend, about opinionated parents and in-laws, tips from people who managed to spend less, and one Icelandic wedding planner’s mission to give the gift of a free wedding to a lucky, deserving couple.  Want to...

Kate Beaton was determined to work her way out of debt. But nothing could have prepared her for the experience of toiling in the Canadian oil sands. This episode is from This is Uncomfortable , a podcast from Marketplace about life and how money messes with it, hosted by Reema Khrais. You can find a more detailed episode description  here .  Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the D...

The author talks about arguing in high school English classes, learning to manage money, and his evolving relationship with the Internet. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and follow the...

Two years after Anna’s first conversation with a listener named Jack, she called him back for an update on his relationship with his dad, and his relationship to firearms. You can take our 10th anniversary survey here ( https://forms.gle/27xgjCXLcW33dMZZ7 ), and listen to our episode with Ellen Burstyn here ( https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/episodes/how-ellen-burstyn-learned-sur...

Kids look to their parents to keep them safe and to show them how much risk they can handle, but parents are often winging it as they walk that line. In this episode, Anna talks to Alexis, a parent of an 8 year-old with an anxiety disorder, about how she learned to adjust her parenting through a parent-focused therapy program directed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz, author of Breaking Free of Child Anxiety a...

Mississippi-based reproductive justice activist Laurie Bertram Roberts updates Anna on life after Dobbs. Plus, a story from the podcast More Perfect on two legal scholars’ reimagining of abortion law. You can hear Anna’s original conversation with Laurie here ( https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/episodes/abortion-dobbs-v-jackson-mississippi-death-sex-money ), and subscribe to More...

The acclaimed poet talks about falling in love with poetry in New York basements, caring for his brother, and mastering — and walking away from — writing. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newslette...

In the final episode of Hold On, a national call-in show about our mental health, Anna talks to organizational psychologist Melissa Doman, author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work...Here's Why (And How To Do It Really Well) , about how and when to address mental health issues in the workplace, and listeners call in with questions, success stories, and times disclosing a diagnosis to...

In this episode of Hold On, our live national call-in series about mental health, we asked listeners to call in if the idea of getting therapy was something they felt excluded from, either because of how they were raised, what they looked like, or expectations around masculinity and what it means to be strong. Dr. Avi Klein, psychotherapist , and Danielle Muñoz, director of Basic Needs at Californ...

1 in 5 American adults are taking medication to treat their mental health, that’s more than the number of people in therapy. Anna talks to sociologist Daniel Tadmon, and psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus , about how the field of psychiatry is changing . Plus listeners call in about the drugs they’re on, the ones they’re trying to get off, and the prescription process.  Find resources here, and our whole...

Anna talks to psychology professor and researcher Dr. Craig Rodriguez-Seijas, about his work studying  bias in mental health diagnostics, and takes listener calls about how a diagnosis has shaped their sense of identity, for better or worse. Plus, Aneri Pattani, Senior Correspondent at Kaiser Health News , explains what investments the Biden administration is making toward mental health. Find reso...

Anna takes calls from teenagers, and people who love teenagers, about adolescent mental health, along with psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour. Find resources here ( https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/articles/hold-mental-health-resources ). Hold On will be in your podcast feeds all month long, but you can also listen live on your local public radio station on Thursdays at 8p ET. Did you...

Anna takes calls from mental health professionals along with psychiatrist Dr. Kali Cyrus, and you offer your tips for accessing care. Find resources here ( https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/deathsexmoney/articles/hold-mental-health-resources ). Hold On will be in your podcast feeds all month long, but you can also listen live on your local public radio station or stream it at wnyc.org/radio on...

Anna and Micah Loewinger, correspondent for  On the Media , travel to Montana to talk to Tasha Adams about her decades-long marriage with Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers.  Plus, Tasha sits down with Kelly Jones, ex-wife of far-right radio host Alex Jones, and they compare notes on their marriages, and reflect on their secret text exchanges from 2018, when Tasha was plotting h...