Mornings. Many of us hate them; some of us love them; all of us want to make the best of them. But how exactly do we do that? First we ask Benjamin Spall, co-author of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, about creating the ultimate morning routine. We also talk to Vanessa Marin, a licensed sex therapist (and regular “After Hours” Lifehacker contributor) about why we should occasionally ditch the routine and just do it. And Melissa quizzes Alice about the quirky (a...
Sep 10, 2018•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Whether you’re dealing with a bad boss or disgruntled employees (or a great boss and enthusiastic employees) you’ve got an opinion on the employer/employee dynamic. This week we heard from the Lifehacker audience about their worst bosses. Then Lifehacker’s managing editor Virginia Smith talks to Ask a Manager’s Alison Green about what your manager wants you to know. Finally, Alice and Melissa talk about the out-of-office auto-reply: does anyone really need it? See Privacy Policy at https://art19...
Sep 03, 2018•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hey Upgrade listeners! We want to hear your horrible boss stories, and how you solved the situation, if you were indeed able to solve it. Leave us a message at (347) 687 - 8109, or send us a voice memo at upgrade@lifehacker.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 28, 2018•33 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Want to totally change your life? Coss Marte tells us how he went from drug kingpin to fitness entrepreneur using a regimen he developed in prison, and gives us your new gym playlist for becoming a total beast. We go to Scary Corner with newsman Lawrence O'Donnell to learn about why people are so effing scared of socialism, and Lawrence joins us for Upgrade of the Week, where Melissa recommends a life-changing bike accessory and Alice announces a new fitness plan of her own. See Privacy Policy a...
Aug 27, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re back from summer vacation with writer Ottessa Mosfegh, Gilmore Girls’ Keiko Agena, a new format, new segments and a ton of new hacks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 20, 2018•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we talk to Stephen Snyder, a sex and couples therapist, and the author of Love Worth Making: How to Have Ridiculously Great Sex in a Long-Lasting Relationship. We’ll discuss why you should be sexually selfish, how the idea of “desire” can mess up your sex life, and why Stephen is against cuddling. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 13, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we talk to Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC’s Note to Self and author of “Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self.” Back in 2015, Manoush wondered if being plugged in all the time to a constant stream of entertainment and information actually made our lives worse. She noticed that we’re never bored—and she wondered, what is that lack of boredom doing to us? Manoush led her listeners through an experiment to help them unplug—and it was ...
Aug 06, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we’re talking about cults: how they operate, how you identify one, what it’s like to be in one, and how to get out. To that end, we’re talking with Rick Alan Ross, the founder and Executive Director of the Cult Education Institute and an internationally known expert on destructive cults, controversial groups and movements. We’re also talking to author Rebecca Stott, whose book “In the Days of Rain: A Father, a Daughter, a Cult” details her childhood in the Exclusive Brethren, a c...
Jul 30, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Alan Alda and The Moth’s Catherine Burns join us to talk about storytelling. What makes a good story? What makes a good storyteller? How can we use storytelling to communicate better, to sell people on our ideas, to make people like us?Actor, director, screenwriter, author and science advocate Alan Alda is the founder of the Alda Center for Communicating Science and Alda Communication Training, which trains scientists and businesspeople to use improv in order to more effectively get t...
Jul 23, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're talking about psychopaths: what exactly is a psychopath, how to identify them and what to do if you suspect you might be dating one. We talk with Jen Waite, author of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal about her marriage to someone who turned out to embody the textbook definition of a psychopath, as well Columbia University professor of psychiatry Michael Stone about the clinical and forensic applications of the psychopathy spectrum. See Privacy Policy...
Jul 16, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we chatted with Samantha Irby, comedian, writer, the mastermind behind the blog “Bitches Gotta Eat” and the author of the new collection of essays “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life,” as well as the collection “Meaty.” We crowned her as the voice of her generation, talked marriage and the Bachelorette, and found out why she dedicated her book to Klonopin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info....
Jul 09, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Michael Pollan has been writing about the the intersection of nature and culture for over 30 years. He may be best known as the guy who summed up his principles for eating thusly: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." He is the author of several books, including In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and The Botany of Desire. His latest book is How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. Se...
Jul 02, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Danny Wallace is a comedian, radio host, and author of the book F You Very Much: Understanding the Culture of Rudeness—And What We Can Do About It. We talk about why we’ve all become so rude, and the steps we can take to help ourselves and others find our inner civility. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jun 25, 2018•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Angela Garbes, author of the book “Like a Mother,” talks to us about the science and culture of pregnancy and motherhood, and why it’s so challenging for parents to find specific answers to their questions, instead of agenda-laden advice and judgment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jun 18, 2018•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The Upgrade we’re talking about resilience. You know how some people seem to have some kind of inner strength that helps them bounce back when things go wrong? Those people who, even though the world sometimes feels like a scorched hellscape seem to carry on with grit, even gratitude? Our guest today is Buddhist psychologist Rick Hanson. Rick has drawn on his forty years of clinical practice and teaching to help us cultivate resilience, to overcome the brain's negativity bias ...
Jun 11, 2018•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re talking about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with journalists Jay Caspian Kang and Aaron Lammer, co-hosts of the podcast Coin Talk. They explain the weird "Coinworld" that's grown up around blockchain technology, and who will be its winners and losers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jun 04, 2018•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Upgrade would like to share with you a podcast our colleagues at Gizmodo have been working on called The Gateway. It's a six-part series about Teal Swan, a new brand of spiritual guru, who draws in followers with her hypnotic self-help YouTube videos aimed at people who are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. Some followers move to Teal’s healing center, a spiritual startup where they produce content and manage social media accounts. Teal insists her therapy saves lives, but he...
May 31, 2018•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're live with Esther Perel, James J. Sexton, and Donald Shorter, Jr. discussing modern masculinity in the first installment of LIVEHACKER, recorded in New York City on May 16, 2018. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 28, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Author of The Career Manifesto Mike Steib talks about figuring out your purpose, taking calculated risks and finding a fulfilling career. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 21, 2018•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mel Robbins is a motivational speaker and the author of "The 5 Second Rule." She’s also the host of the new Audible series “Kick Ass with Mel Robbins.” In this episode, we talk about motivation, taming the negative voices in our head, and how we can kick our own asses to get from good to great. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 14, 2018•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nell Scovell is a comedy writer and the author of JUST THE FUNNY PARTS: And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boy’s Club. Nell’s written for The Simpsons, Newhart, The Late Show with David Letterman, and a ton of other shows. We’re going to find out how she managed to excel as a woman in a field that’s so male-dominated. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May 07, 2018•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vicki Robin is the co-author of the bestseller YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE and the godmother of a financial movement that’s becoming increasingly popular among millennials: FIRE, which stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early. Vicki talks to us about changing our relationship with money and redefining what a rich, full life actually means. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Apr 30, 2018•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Stephane Garnier is a French author whose book, HOW TO THINK LIKE A CAT, extols the many virtues of adopting a feline mindset. Obviously, when we saw this title, we had to talk to him. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Apr 23, 2018•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast James J. Sexton is a divorce lawyer who has spent his career working with couples whose marriages are dissolving. He’s learned a lot throughout the years about what sours a good marriage (or ends a relationship that's already in trouble), and now he’s using that knowledge to help the rest of us. His new book is “If You’re In My Office It’s Already Too Late: A Divorce Lawyer’s Guide to Staying Together." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1...
Apr 16, 2018•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guests Brian Lewis and Seth Scott join us this week to talk about games. Game nights, it seems, are having a moment. We’ll find out why, and get some great game-night ideas, from Seth Scott, a video game designer who frequently hosts his own game night (and promises to invite us one of these days). Then Lifehacker staff writer Nick Douglas and Upgrade producer Levi Sharpe talk with Brian Lewis, aka “The Professor,” about how (and why) to get into Magic: The Gathering. See Privacy Policy at https...
Apr 09, 2018•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we talk to Stephen Snyder, a sex and couples therapist, and the author of Love Worth Making: How to Have Ridiculously Great Sex in a Long-Lasting Relationship. We’ll discuss why you should be sexually selfish, how the idea of “desire” can mess up your sex life, and why Stephen is against cuddling. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Apr 02, 2018•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest this week is Outside magazine columnist Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. We discuss how endurance is a skill that involves drive and belief just as much as muscle--and how we all have the potential to go farther, push harder, and achieve more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mar 26, 2018•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we’re talking about the lost art of conversation-making. Joining us is podcaster and raconteur Ken Plume, who has conducted extensive interviews with the likes of Mel Brooks and John Cleese. We discuss how Ken got his start feeling comfortable talking to just about anyone, how he handles the awkwardness of a cocktail party (hint: it involves a fern)—and then we invent an acronym that will help you handle any conversational challenge. (Sort of.) See Privacy Policy at https://art19...
Mar 19, 2018•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week on the Upgrade, we spoke in front of a live audience at On Air Fest with journalist Jill Abramson, the first female executive editor of the New York Times, and the co-author of Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas. We covered a wide range of topics, including: how journalists are affected by social media, how to keep up to date with the news while maintaining your sanity, and where the “Me Too” movement is (or should be) taking us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri...
Mar 12, 2018•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Author and psychiatrist Mark Epstein's books include Thoughts Without a Thinker, and Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart. His latest book, Advice Not Given, uses Buddhism's Noble Eightfold Path as a roadmap for spiritual and psychological growth. According to Mark, Buddhism and psychotherapy arrive at the same conclusion: when we give the ego free rein, we suffer, but when the ego learns to let go, we are free. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht...
Mar 05, 2018•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
