Solo – The Single Person’s Guide to a Remarkable Life

In this Solo thoughts episode, Peter McGraw introduces the distinction between A-Life and B-Life. A-Life is achievement, optimization, production, and living through goals. B-Life is presence, pleasure, engagement, and doing things for their own sake. Drawing from anxiety, sabbatical planning, retirement, Seneca, and a vintage typewriter, Peter makes the case for shifting the dial from producing a...

Peter McGraw is joined by David Jitendranath for a Solo Book Club episode on Søren Kierkegaard’s The Present Age . They discuss why this slim, difficult book feels eerily modern: a culture of reflection without action, irony without commitment, resentment disguised as equality, and “leveling” as the force that pulls down anyone who dares to stand apart. A conversation about aliveness, deep water,...

Sarah Brock, the CEO of Sarah Bee Talent , joins Peter McGraw to examine how “family-friendly” workplaces often overlook solo employees. Building on Peter’s recent article in The Conversation, they discuss scheduling, workplace culture, benefits, amatonormativity, and practical ways companies can better support Solos in an era when unmarried adults are reshaping the workforce. Love the show? ...

What does financial freedom look like when you’re climbing solo? Peter McGraw talks with  Nick Maggiulli , author of  The Wealth Ladder , about the six levels of wealth, what changes at each stage, and how singles can build money—and a remarkable life—on their own. Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.petermcgraw.org/solo/

One in four Chinese households is now a single person.  Pan Wang , Associate Professor of Chinese and Asian Studies at UNSW Sydney, joins Peter McGraw to talk about the “Are You Dead?” app, one-person hotpot restaurants, date-renting, AI companions, marriage markets, and how TV dating shows reshaped love and marriage in a single generation. Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and sh...

A high-achieving friend falls in love and suddenly finds himself in rough emotional seas. In this Solo Thoughts episode, Peter McGraw explores why calm, optimized lives can make us successful – but not truly alive – and why passion, uncertainty, and even heartbreak may be the price of a psychologically rich life. Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.petermcgraw.org/...

Heavyweight boxer turned writer Ed Latimore joins Peter McGraw to talk about his new book,  Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business —a raw meditation on violence, discipline, ego, addiction, and growth. Onwards! Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and share!  https://www.petermcgraw.org/solo

Alone isn’t lonely. Psychologist  Robert Coplan , author of  The Joy of Solitude , coined aloneliness—the distress of not getting enough time to yourself. Psychologist  Thuy-vy Nguyen , co-author of  Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone , discovered the “deactivation effect”—just fifteen minutes alone turns down the volume on your emotions. Peter McGraw talks to them...

In this re-released episode, Peter McGraw asks the question, “What if you never felt romantic love – and didn’t need to?” In this eye-opening favorite, Peter sits down with  Jessalyn Dean , an aromantic relationship anarchist living a remarkable solo life. They unpack what it means to be aromantic, how Jessalyn got off the relationship escalator, and why autonomy, not romance, is her guiding...

What happens when two charismatic creatives—and close friends—sit down with Peter McGraw to talk friendship, love, and the Solo movement? This intimate, funny, and thoughtful conversation with Chester See and Darwyn Metzger explores what it means to live remarkably, forge deep male friendships, and question the default path. A fan favorite, this episode returns for a new wave of listeners. Love th...

Why are unmarried patients less likely to receive life-saving medical treatments? Peter McGraw talks to professor and author  Joan DelFattore  about how America’s healthcare system disadvantages those who are single or outside the nuclear family model. From TEDx talks to the New England Journal of Medicine, she’s sounding the alarm on a silent crisis. If you’re Solo—and especially if you...

Whether you call it a Third Act, third season, or second life, one thing’s clear: middle-age and beyond isn’t the end. It’s a redesign. In this episode, as part of the series on aging, retiring, and dying single, Peter McGraw explores how Solos can turn aging, retirement, and reinvention into their most liberated chapter yet. Joined by  Theresa Williamson , a city planner and Solo in her own...

In this Solo Thoughts episode, Peter McGraw talks directly to you about how singles are reshaping work, housing, finance, and community. The rise of single living isn’t a passing fad— it’s a structural shift. Yet our institutions remain stuck in a world built for two. That disconnect is where the Solo Economy sits. Is the world ready? No. Join the movement:  petermcgraw.org/solo Interested in...

New to Solo? Start here! This re-release from the early days of the pod covers a concept that comes up again and again—in the podcast and Peter McGraw’s book. The “relationship escalator” is the default path of dating, moving in, marrying, and merging lives.  Amy Gahran , who coined the term, joins Peter to break it all down. We explore what the escalator is, why it’s so invisible, and how So...

It’s 11/11—Singles’ Day—and we’re celebrating Solo style. First,  Bella DePaulo  returns to talk about her new book  Single at Heart , why solo diners are more influential than you think, and what it really means to thrive alone. Then, Christina Campbell (aka CC) joins to unveil the Singles Bill of Rights—a bold call for equality in a world built for two. Onwards! Love the show?&nbs...

Sex educator and psychologist  Lisa Dawn Hamilton  returns to join Peter McGraw to build on Relationship Design and discuss Intimacy Design—the art of co-creating authentic, adventurous, and consent-forward sexual experiences. From sexual containers to eager consent, they explore how to make intimacy safer, hotter, and more intentional. Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and s...

Peter McGraw talks with  Lucy Meggeson —host of  Thrive Solo  and author of a new book  Shiny Happy Singles  (UK) /  Thrive Solo  (US)—about embracing single, child-free living as a path to freedom, joy, and reinvention. Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.petermcgraw.org/solo

In this re-release of a popular early episode, Peter McGraw talks to guests Jill Cohen and Julie Nirvelli about what it means to live a remarkable life. They explore how to break away from societal expectations and design a life that aligns with your values. The conversation touches on autonomy, identity, and the joys – and challenges – of living remarkably as a Solo. If you are interested in how...

In this milestone episode, Peter McGraw reunites with fan-favorite Julie Nirvelli to reflect on 250 episodes of Solo and the rise of the Solo movement. Together, they look back on how far we've come, celebrate the viral success of the TEDx talk Stop Telling People to Get Married, and look ahead to what’s next for a world built for one. Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https...

What does it mean to wait—especially as a single person? In this re-release, Peter McGraw is joined by guest co-host Iris Schneider, a fellow Solo and behavioral scientist, to talk with sociologist Kinneret Lahad about the overlooked power of time in singlehood. They explore how the relationship escalator shapes our perceptions of time and adulthood—particularly for women, who are often left waiti...

Why do so many people defend marriage like it is sacred – even when the data does not back it up. In this provocative episode, Peter McGraw talks to  Martin Day  about his paper on people’s committed relationship ideology – the belief system that says romantic partnership is the key to happiness, status, and success. With special guest co-host Iris Schneider, they explore how these belie...

What if your life was built around dignity – not just yours, but everyone’s? In this episode, behavioral scientist and proud Solo Cait Lamberton joins Peter McGraw to unpack how dignity shapes Solo living, partnered life, and everything in between. They explore what dignity really means (hint: it’s not just self-esteem or being nice), the everyday moments we affirm or violate it, and how to design...

Peter McGraw takes the hot seat on the Three Single Women podcast to celebrate their 6-month anniversary—and (boldly) speak for all men. This crossover episode dives into masculinity, femininity, dating, and personal growth. ✨ Special announcement: Peter’s new eBook on aging sexy is coming soon. Learn more and join the Solo community at  petermcgraw.org/solo Love the show?  Subscribe, r...

Masculinity and Manhood: What are they, what are they not, and where we’re headed? To answer these questions, Peter McGraw is joined by two friends from a recent Men’s Wellness Day for a thoughtful (and fun) conversation on strength, vulnerability, relationships, femininity, and the state of manhood and masculinity. You can find bonus content about male role models and learn about the new Aging Se...

In this re-release of a thought-provoking episode, Peter McGraw is joined by  Dr. Erin Westgate  for a lively exploration of what it means to live a psychologically rich life. Moving beyond the usual narratives of happiness and meaning, this episode introduces a third path—one filled with novelty, complexity, and perspective-changing experiences. From solo travel to one-way tickets, Pete...