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

Are you a “success addict”? Probably not, but it is okay if you are. In this episode, Peter McGraw discusses the good, bad, and ugly of a recent article in The Atlantic about “How to Build a Life.” LOVE THE SHOW?   Subscribe, rate, review, and share! JOIN THE SOLO COMMUNITY TODAY:

What’s it like to start living single—and live remarkably—after a divorce? In this episode, Peter McGraw introduces Kevin Nalty , a divorced man, to Mark Ferne , who helps divorced men and women “get back in the game.” Mark uses his Box of Rocks intake process as a starting point to help Kevin think about his transition. The conversation is uplifting and fun, especially when they talk about physic...

Are you good at going on dates? In this episode, Peter McGraw brings together two previous Solo guests—dating coach, Daliya Karnofsky, and a solo friend, Jill Cohen—to talk about “how to go on a date.” The guests present helpful advice, from the obvious, “Brush your teeth,” to the critical, “Approach your dates with a sense of adventure and authenticity.” Note: The group tackles the topic largely...

This episode examines the first season of Indian Matchmaking, a popular yet controversial new Netflix show. Peter McGraw invites his friend Roopali Malhotra , an Indian American friend who has experience using a matchmaker, to discuss the themes of the show. One issue they identify is how living solo (and living well) is barely touched on as a viable option even though some of the characters seem...

COVID got you down? Peter McGraw returns for the third installment of Solo Thoughts, where he shares ideas from his private conversation with fellow solos about how to deal with this damn pandemic. In this episode, he presents three profound observations that you are going to want to think about.   Love the show?   Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Join the Solo community today:

Once you have a healthy life as a foundation, how should you start to think about your remarkable solo life? Welcome to the second installment of Peter McGraw’s attempt to present his ideas minus a guest. In this episode, he talks about creation and consumption, “tidying up,” and the many paths to a good life. Love the show?   Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Join the Solo community today:

Immune systems are the true heroes in the time of COVID-19, right? Welcome to the first installment in Peter McGraw’s attempt to present his ideas without a guest. In this episode, he talks about health as a foundation for a remarkable life and shares his thoughts on sleep, nutrition, and movement (i.e., exercise and beyond). Love the show?   Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Join the Solo...

Do you identify as a late bloomer? A lot of people do. If you don’t, it is not too late to bloom. This week, Peter McGraw speaks to the author of a book on late blooming, Rich Karlgaard . An important theme in their discussion is that being single allows you time, energy, and financial resources to bloom later in life. They discuss how you may need to “repot” yourself somewhere else and cover the...

This episode continues Peter McGraw’s exploration of marriage and its alternatives. He speaks to Vicki Larson , an author of a book that presents models of less traditional forms of marriage. Love the show?  Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Join the I’m Not Joking community today:

As you know, more and more people are delaying marriage or not getting married at all. In the previous hundred plus years, however, nearly everyone got married, but was that always the best choice? In this episode, writer and high school teacher Mary Dahm returns to join Peter McGraw for a fun conversation that looks at some people in history who shouldn’t have gotten married. That is, if they wer...

This is the second part of Peter McGraw’s conversation with Amy Gahran , the author of Stepping Off the Relationship Escalator: Uncommon Love and Life . They delve deeply into a conversation about solo living as an alternative to the relationship escalator. As a result, Amy helps Peter better define what it means to be solo. Here is a hint: the focus is on autonomy – whether you are single or part...

This is the first of two episodes with Amy Gahran , the author of Stepping Off the Relationship Escalator: Uncommon Love and Life . Amy joins Peter McGraw to talk about what it means to ride the relationship escalator – the difficult obligations it entails yet privileges it also creates. Peter and Amy discuss what it means to step off the escalator into an unconventional relationship, which can be...

Do you have aging parents? This week’s guest, Leighann Lord , is a stand-up comic and solo caregiver for elderly parents. Peter McGraw and Leighann discuss the challenges of being a caregiver and how those responsibilities are often taken up by people who are not married with children. Leighann gives tips for caregivers, and they finish by discussing some ways to begin prepping for getting older y...

In this episode, Peter McGraw speaks to David Jay , an asexuality activist, about what it means to be asexual. They discuss the prevalence of asexuality in the population, as well as their shared perspective about the importance of being connected to a wide array of people. If you stick around to the end, they recap by defining terms that are often overlooked when talking about people’s sexual and...

Living a remarkable life should be fun, but it takes work. This episode is on the more serious side. Money Amy returns (from episode seven) to address the financial distress that some listeners are experiencing due to the pandemic. Peter McGraw and Amy talk about tactics to get your financial house in order (and your house in order, more generally). A few things to be ready for: 1) you are going t...

Single people are way cooler than married people, right? To answer this question, Peter McGraw turns to Caleb Warren , who has developed “the” theory of coolness. In this week’s bonus material, Peter presents some cool people, and Caleb uses his theory to explains what makes them cool.   Note: This episode was taped prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Yet it seems especially fitting as the pan...

In the second part of this two-part series, Peter McGraw continues his conversation with Martie Haselton , a scientist who specializes in evolutionary psychology, and Shane Mauss , a comic who has material about dating and mating from an evolutionary perspective. The guests continue their far-ranging conversation covering topics from how the modern mind has not adapted to the invention of birth co...

In the first part of this two-part series, Peter McGraw talks to  Martie Haselton , a scientist who specializes in evolutionary psychology and  Shane Mauss , a comic who has material about dating and mating from an evolutionary perspective. The guests present a primer on evolutionary psychology, and they have a far-ranging conversation covering topics from how the modern mind has not ada...

What if the hero’s journey isn’t the best story structure to describe the process of becoming unapologetically unattached? This episode examines an alternative to the hero’s journey with the unfortunate name of The Virgin’s Promise . I speak to Kimberly Kessler , who presents this alternative model as a way to escape human domestication and thrive as a single person. She also relates The Virgin’s...

Peter sits down with two solo comedians— Neal Brennan and Alonzo Bodden —for a far-reaching conversation. The guests speak frankly and unapologetically about comedy, relationships, dating, and their single lives. If you stick around to the end, they give some advice about how to have a conversation with dates about your solo lifestyle.   Note: This episode was taped prior to the coronavirus p...

As you may know, I like to ask, “Are you the hero in the movie of your life?” To make a better sense of what that means, Peter McGraw speaks to a writer, editor, and expert on story structure about the hero’s journey and what it means for you and the change you want to make — due to the pandemic or otherwise. Note: It helps to have seen the movie The Matrix, but it isn’t a deal-breaker if you have...

How are you using your quarantine? This episode was scheduled in haste after Peter McGraw received an uplifting email from a friend and SOLO listener who is using the quarantine to “sharpen his sword.” Peter’s guest talks about his nearly 60 30-day challenges and how they make him fulfilled but difficult to date.   Note: This episode was taped prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Yet it seems e...

There’s emerging evidence, anecdotal and statistical, that the quarantine is – not surprisingly – putting strains on partnerships. In this episode, Peter McGraw talks to a former divorce litigator and now divorce mediator. His guest dishes out some important advice for divorced people, married people contemplating a divorce, and single people who are contemplating marriage. In the bonus material,...

One obvious way to grow is to travel, but what if you can’t leave the house? With psychedelics, you don’t need to leave the house to take a trip. In this episode, Peter McGraw sits down with a psychedelic educator and community leader, Ashley Booth , to talk about the history of psychedelics, their potential to help with a variety of mood disorders, and their promise to be a way to help people mak...

Can you use writing to make remarkable change, create something extraordinary, or deal with difficult times? Absolutely. Peter speaks to a writer and friend about using writing to create more than you consume. They discuss how writing is not as solo an activity as you might think. Just as you need others to live remarkably, you need others to write for others. Peter also tries out a new segment ca...