“This Is Uncomfortable” will be back in your feeds with brand new episodes in May, and in the meantime, we’re sharing the first episode of “Unlocking the Gates,” a series from Marketplace and APM Studios hosted by special correspondent Lee Hawkins. He tells the story of how the Minnesota suburb he grew up in went from being a place where the housing market was inaccessible to Black families to one where many Black families found economic opportunity. And it all started with a nightti...
Mar 06, 2025•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hard to believe, but we’re celebrating 10 seasons, and five years, of “This Is Uncomfortable”! In this special episode, we’re pulling back the curtain to reveal the show’s origins, the biggest lessons Reema’s learned along the way and our favorite money tips from expert guests. Plus we’ll hear from you, our listeners, about the insights that have stuck with you through the years. We’ll be back with a new season in 2025! For special content and updates on what’s next, subscribe to our...
Oct 24, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last spring, Jay Benedith and Ben Williams matched on a dating app and quickly hit it off. But just a few weeks into their budding romance, a Venmo request started to raise questions about their future together. What happens when your partner’s approach to money clashes with yours? Can nickel-and-diming jeopardize a connection? If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter !...
Oct 17, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re sharing an episode of another podcast we think you’ll love. “ Notes From America With Kai Wright ” is a show from WNYC Studios about the unfinished business of our history, and its grip on our future. In this episode, Wright interviews choreographer Bill T. Jones about his groundbreaking dance performance “Still/Here.” Jones shares his reflections on creating such an essential piece of performance art amid the AIDS epidemic and while grieving his own partner, what he learn...
Oct 10, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast What does it mean to make a living from death? From a young age, Joél Simone Maldonado was fascinated by mortality, leading her to a career as a funeral director, embalmer and sacred grief practitioner. In the final episode of our miniseries on grief and money, Reema Khrais talks with Joél about her profession: the tough conversations around money, the toll it takes on her mental health, and why she advocates for more cultural competency in death care. Also, Joél offers tips to financially prepa...
Oct 03, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the early 90s, Mike Perry found himself in a tough spot. He was living a carefree life when he was asked to take in a black mutt named Wisdom. What began as a reluctant favor evolved into something much deeper — a bond that would reshape Mike’s financial future, even long after Wisdom was gone. This week, as part of our miniseries on grief and money, we explore how our love for pets shapes our financial decisions. Mike’s journey with Wisdom takes him from heartbreak to an unexpected win...
Sep 26, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast While sorting through her father’s belongings after his death, Amanda Petteruti came across a collection of locked toolboxes. What she discovered inside made her rethink what she knew about her family’s finances and left her with unsettling questions about her dad: Why had he spent so much money on this secret hobby? Why was it now Amanda’s burden to handle? And how do you find closure with someone once they’re gone? This episode is the first of a three-part miniseries exploring the intersection...
Sep 19, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes and reconnecting with old friends for an update. Rebecca Danigelis never planned to stop working. She was an executive housekeeper in Boston raising two kids as a single mom, and everything she earned went to making sure they got the best education she could afford. When her son Sian-Pierre was climbing the ranks as a journalist and entrepreneur, it seemed like all the overtime, frozen dinners and sacrifice were worth it. But just as...
Sep 12, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nikki Massie never had a reason to question her salary. After more than a decade with the same company, she’d earned awards, promotions and the trust of co-workers who felt like family. But then one day, she discovered she might have missed out on tens of thousands of dollars over the years. Nikki began to wonder: What do you do when you suspect you’ve been underpaid? And at what point do you consider walking away? If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfort...
Sep 05, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we reflect on 10 seasons of “This Is Uncomfortable,” Reema shares a snippet of a conversation with the show’s founder-producer, Hayley Hershman, about what they’ve learned from making the show and how their relationships with money have changed over the years. And we want to hear your thoughts, too! What’s something you’ve learned from listening to “TIU” over the years? You can tell us how your relationship with money or work has changed, or may...
Sep 03, 2024•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sisters Brittany Walsh and Nicole O’Neil have always been close. But when Nicole started experiencing mysterious health problems, her turn toward alternative treatments divided them. As Nicole spent more and more money on dubious cure-alls, Brittany was faced with a question: What do you do when you’re afraid the person closest to you might be losing themselves? If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter !...
Aug 29, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our season premiere, we’re sharing a conversation with one of our favorite writers, Hanif Abdurraqib. He joins Reema for a wide-ranging conversation about the moral judgments we’re quick to make about people’s financial circumstances, notions of success and legacy, and what it means to be “good” versus “bad” in an unequal world. Hanif also reveals one of the most challenging financial moments of his life and the reasons behind his commitment to giving away so much of his income. Hanif is an ...
Aug 22, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast “This Is Uncomfortable” returns for its 10th season (you read that right: 10th!) with brand-new episodes about life and how money messes with it. In our upcoming season, we’ve got stories about advocating for fair pay and how challenging it can be to support a loved one’s bad money choices. We’ll also explore how money complicates the way we grieve, and what it’s like to receive a huge windfall from beyond the grave. We share one man’s philosophy of how to redistribute wealth to build the ...
Aug 15, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast When we last heard from Hana Albaioumy, she was grappling with an agonizing decision. She wanted to escape Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, but it would cost her $10,000, most of her savings, to cross the border into Egypt. Hana shares a complicated update with Reema: She managed to evacuate Gaza and flee to Cairo, but the decision came with a steep financial and emotional cost. Hana explains what it was like saying goodbye to her family, shares the challenges of navigating a new life in Egypt ...
Jun 28, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you listen carefully to our credits every week? Then you might’ve heard of our “silent contributor,” Jasmine Romero, who has been editing “This Is Uncomfortable” for the past year and a half. And all along, she’s also been working on another podcast of her own, “ Sacred Scandal: Nation of Saints .” It’s a show with a lot of Uncomfortable themes — immigration, family secrets and how money messes with politics. We’re sharing the first episod...
Jun 21, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey y’all! We’re working on a new season coming at you this August, but over the summer we’re trying something new: The Uncomfortable Book Club! Every other week our newsletter will showcase a book that made us think differently about life and how money messes with it. All the details are in this episode, and when you sign up before June 15 at Marketplace.org/bookclub , you’ll be entered to win some merch from the show. Happy reading!...
Jun 07, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
