The Best of "How To" - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Season 5 should have been launched as a new podcast, because this is presented as a totally new show. Love that it goes from the very practical to very philosophical, because it’s these philosophical questions that help put time, your life, your values, and your priorities all into perspective. Highly recommend.

I enjoy listening to this podcast because the topics are excellent and the guests they have on are top-notch. However, I find I’m continuously annoyed by the lack of perspective on the show. The “How to look busy” episode is a perfect example - the whole show assumed everyone had the ability to have tons of free time and just weren’t using it because business is a social status now. To me, a discussion on this topic feels incomplete without acknowledging the systematic elements that are keeping certain demographics chronically overworked, namely the staggering and increasing cost of living particularly for millennials and Gen Z, the longtime stagnation of wages, the breakdown to the nuclear family model and increase in living alone, the lack of childcare, healthcare, and meaningful support for disabled people, etc. Sure, some people are addicted to being perceived as busy, and if you want your show to focus on just them, maybe say that. This is just one example of a chronic issue with the show. Perhaps not a problem if upper middle class and higher is their target demographic.

Although it does not exactly give you a direction as to how to talk to people or how to live a happy life, the show has nudged me into a more positive and supportive way of thinking about life in general. Definitely a great show that I’d recommend to a friend.

Each series has struck me in such a different way. I share episodes with people all the time, and strike up conversations with people about topics from the show. I actually got so panicked at one point about the idea that this could go away some day that I did ask for a digital subscription to the Atlantic for my birthday, so I added my support in that way and now I love reading the Atlantic “for free” and doing the crosswords. Thank you so much for this podcast, it really enriches my life!

So after the debate debacle where ABC admitted to giving the Harris team sample questions ahead of time and agreeing to their demands without informing the Trump campaign-I am exhausted. And so is everyone else not involved in what y’all are calling journalism or reporting currently.
We’ve reached a place where absolutely no one trusts the media. Right or left. The lies are on both sides but really seem to be the strongest coming from the left. I am an Indeoendent and free thinker. A student of history as well. What scares me the most is not just the blatant disinformation parroted by networks like MSNBC (the worst) but really its the casual non reporting of important events, facts and details that shape our opinions.
And so now we get to your podcast supposedly telling us how to know what’s real. And I knows the Atlantic would be left leaning because well you are. But I know that so in turn I can form my opinions (pre-bunking I think you call it) in an educated way. However, when we got to the online episode (how does our brain know what’s real online) my brain finally figured out what’s real. While you talk of helping us wade through disinformation you are actually spoon feeding that very thing! If you truly want to be a light of truth in a world of bias and actual disinformation then you must do it in an ethical way. Use examples of both parties (or both sides to a story) instead of promoting (once again) your agenda. Do better Atlantic! Just label yourselves as what you are. Because to your point-uninformed and uneducated people will believe that you are speaking about How To know What’s Real and not the reality- Think What We Think. I’ll hand it to you, it took this informed and educated listener several episodes before the veil was lifted. I hope you care and I hope you make strides to change the direction of your podcast and in turn start to change the narrative around this topic. We’re tired, skeptical and deserve better.