How To! with Mike Pesca

Tesla owners are dumping their vehicles in protest of CEO Elon Musk—and driving down resale prices. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin talks with two soon-to-be-former owners—and with Patrick George , editor-in-chief of InsideEVs and co-host of the Plugged-In podcast . Patrick helps them figure out how to sell their Model Ys and find a ride that aligns with their practical and ideological...

On this Slate Plus episode, Carvell Wallace continues his conversation with award-winning author and memoirist Melissa Febos . They discuss the "unrules" of writing about sex—and Melissa shares advice for new writers on how to make a sex scene come alive. Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the...

To some, the act of writing a memoir might seem daunting, invasive, or navel-gazing. But excavating memories, noticing patterns, and revisiting events from other points of view can lead to healing—regardless of whether your work gets published. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Melissa Febos . Melissa is the bestselling author of five books, including Girlhood —winner of the Na...

Music streaming services like Spotify offer huge libraries of songs and albums—with recommendation engines that can feel unadventurous and repetitive. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace welcomes online tastemaker and podcast host Derrick Gee to discuss the shortcomings of music streaming algorithms. And, they sit down with R.J. and Brie—two music fans from different generations—to offer u...

The final installment of our series explores the conversations that most of us dread, like frank discussions of our differences or a negative performance review at work. We often anticipate that these chats will go badly—and end in hurt feelings or embarrassment—but there are proven ways to make them easier to navigate. Host Charles Duhigg talks with psychologist Jay Van Bavel about strategies for...

In this exclusive Quick Fix bonus episode: Co-hosts Carvell Wallace and Courtney Martin both moved to new homes recently. Ahead of peak moving season, they sit down to share the lessons learned from moving hundreds of books, sharing the responsibility of home decor, and taking the plunge into a major renovation. Plus, Courtney and Carvell share recommendations based on what they're loving right no...

For most of her life, Elizabeth was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which forbids having sex outside of marriage. But she recently left the Mormon faith, and now she's ready to have sex for the first time—at age 43. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Nicole Hardy , author of Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin to offer Elizabeth advice that's relevant...

Interviews are a time-honored way to elicit intimate insights from public figures and people in power. But at a moment when so much history is being denied or even deleted, interviewing family members and elders can be an important way to document their lives—and understand more about ourselves. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Sam Fragoso , host of the podcast Talk Easy . Sam...

Why is it that we can tell someone "I'm totally fine!" and they instantly know we're not? Gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other subtle nonverbal cues play a huge role in how we connect with one another. In this episode, host Charles Duhigg explores how we communicate without words, including a deep dive into the visual and tonal cues embedded in one of the biggest sitcoms of all t...

Can you actually make your life better? Every month, How To! producer Rosie Belson will put some of our best advice to the test. This month: optimizing sleep! Featured How To! episodes: How To Sleep How To Sleep Like a Champ How To Sleep Apart to Save Your Relationship How To Stop Snoring (and Breathe Easier) How To Beat the Dreaded Midday Slump Next month we'll be breaking up with our phones—with...

May's father nearly lost $4,000 to an online scam. How can she protect him from future fraud? On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs at AARP . She also runs their Fraud Watch Network . Kathy helps May rethink how she's talking to her parents about cyber scams—she explains steps that everyone can take to avoid becoming a crime victi...

Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask them. Stick with us here… In this episode, host Charles Duhigg examines why deep questions are so powerful and how to ask them in everyday life. He talks to Nick Epley, psychology professor at the University of Chicago and lifelong researcher of deep quest...

At nearly 40, Valerie is itching to pay off her student loans and finally become debt-free. But… how? On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Yanely Espinal, financial educator , author of Mind Your Money , and host of the Marketplace podcast Financially Inclined . Yanely breaks down the best ways to pay off your education debt without putting the rest of your life on hiatus. If you...

Ever since she started taking a new medication a few years ago, Meme is worried that she's lost her sex drive. She still has a great relationship with her husband, but she isn't interested in sex the way that she used to be, and she's worried it's hurting her marriage. On this episode of How To!, we bring on sex educator Emily Nagoski, author of Come as You Are , to coach Meme through how to revam...

In this exclusive Quick Fix bonus episode: Laurel Braitman reads a passage from her book What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love . She talks about journeying up to Alaska to learn about guilt from some badly behaved birds. Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subs...

Jeff and his family lost their home last month in the L.A. wildfires. Since then, he's been hyperfocused on insurance claims, an epic to-do list, and finding a "temporary" place to live for the next several years. But Jeff hasn't experienced the emotional punch of the devastation yet. In fact… he just feels numb. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Laurel Braitman , author of Wha...

Can you actually make your life better? Every month How To! producer, Rosie Belson, will be putting some of our best advice to the test. This month: combating the mundane with novelty. The advice was from this 2021 episode: How To Fill an Empty Nest Next month we'll be stress-testing sleeping tips from these How To! episodes: How To Sleep How To Sleep Like a Champ How To Sleep Apart to Save Your R...

Guillermo and his ex-wife divorced nearly a decade ago. They share custody of their son which, Guillermo says, lets her continue meddling in his life. He recently started dating someone and it's getting serious, but he's worried that his ex is going to destroy his new relationship. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Bill Eddy , author and co-founder of the High Conflict Institut...

Connie is feeling compelled to get involved in her local community, but she's never even attended a PTA meeting. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin enlists Eric Liu of Citizen University to explain how busy parents, introverts, and first-timers like Connie can test the waters of civic engagement in the Trump 2.0 era—without getting sucked under. Eric is the author of You're More Powerful...

For three decades, Mike has worked in a field with an uncertain future: journalism. He loves the stability of his current job mentoring student reporters, but he can't stop thinking about starting a new career—in his 50s—in astrophysics, architecture, or law. On this episode of How To!, co-host Courtney Martin enlists career coach and psychologist Dr. Dawn Graham to help Mike think through his mid...

In this exclusive Quick Fix bonus episode, learn more about what it takes to move to Portugal. In this extended conversation from our How To Become an Expat episode, Jen Barnett of Expatsi talks with Maureen and Jayna, a couple that's planning to move to the European nation later this year. They discuss the application process for becoming a resident, including the challenges of leasing an apartme...

Before the 2024 election, Maureen and Jayna had hoped to attend a historic inauguration for Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C. But when Donald Trump won the presidency, the lesbian couple scrapped their trip—and booked a fact-finding mission to Portugal instead. On this episode of How To!, they talk with co-host Carvell Wallace about their plans to leave the U.S.—and start a new life somewhere they...

Today we're going to see if one American family can flip the usual, tortured and tedious script for arguing about politics and do something more interesting. Jenn and Todd Brandel sit down with their dad, Bruce, to see if they can come to a better understanding about what has shaped their different political views. Mónica Guzmán , senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels and author of I...

Jenn and Todd Brandel have a close, loving relationship with their father, Bruce. But one thing makes their blood boil: his political chain emails. The messages are often forwarded commentary written in a provocative tone, and are an unwelcome reminder of just how far apart the family is politically. On this episode of How To!, we're joined by Mónica Guzmán , senior fellow for public practice at B...

Amid the hectic lives they lead as writers, parents, caregivers, and swashbuckling co-hosts of America's foremost advice podcast, Carvell Wallace and Courtney Martin somehow found time to read books and Substacks. (They even watched a movie or two.) In this year-end edition of Quick Fix, Carvell and Courtney offer up their favorite things of 2024—and reveal how they're thinking about 2025. Do you...