This Is Uncomfortable
Marketplace
This is Uncomfortable is the award-winning show about life and how money messes with it. Each week, Marketplace’s Reema Khrais explores how money shapes our decisions, relationships, and sense of self through conversations that are intimate, surprising, and deeply human. From the economic headlines that hit our wallets to the choices that keep us up at night, the show digs into the money questions we’re too afraid to ask and gives listeners a way to feel less alone in this increasingly complicated world.
Episodes
Mentioned books
5 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 28min
What happens when you can bet on anything?
Hannah Horvath, a financial planner who studies money psychology, and Timothy Fong, a psychiatrist who researches gambling and addiction, discuss the rise of online prediction markets. They explore how betting has normalized, regulation gaps, personalized and wild markets, youth harm via phone betting, and how gambling reshapes risk, empathy, and inequality.
Mar 19, 2026 • 30min
What’s money between friends 😟😖😫
Alison Leiby, stand-up comedian and writer (Broad City, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and Josh Gondelman, comedian and writer, trade stories about money and friendship. They cover Venmo culture and nickel-and-dime drama. They tackle wedding and bachelorette budget stress. They debate damaged-property payback and setting boundaries around pricey gifts and referrals.
20 snips
Mar 17, 2026 • 32min
Bonus: Does Money Stress You Out? From "Happier with Gretchen Rubin"
Reema Khrais, Marketplace reporter who explores how money shapes lives, and Haley Sacks, financial educator known as Mrs. Dow Jones, join a roundtable. They discuss why money causes shame and avoidance. They talk about reframing spending as building your life, identifying financial values, tackling impulse buys, and simple habits like money dates, automation, and analyzing patterns.
Mar 12, 2026 • 31min
Can I monetize my hobby without killing the joy?
Camilla Klein, a mosaic maker who ran Etsy shops, shares her shift from craft shows to scalable resin items. Teresa Amabile, a Harvard Business School researcher on creativity and motivation, discusses how rewards can reshape creative drive. They explore the trade-offs of selling hobbies, when money helps or harms motivation, and practical ways to protect play while earning.
11 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 39min
Steve from “Blue’s Clues” has more to teach us
Steve Burns, actor and musician who became the face of a beloved kids’ show, reflects on sudden fame and imposter feelings. He recounts low pay, contract regrets, and how depression and therapy pushed him to reprioritize life. He describes moving to the woods, reshaping money values, and planning for the future.
Feb 26, 2026 • 35min
How do I cope with layoff anxiety?
Jannese Torres, a financial educator who breaks down budgeting, emergency savings and benefits. Melody Wilding, an executive coach who offers career strategies for signaling value and building optionality. Ellen Hendriksen, a clinical psychologist who explains how layoff anxiety looks and how to reframe worries. They talk practical financial steps, career positioning, and mental-health tools to handle uncertainty.
11 snips
Feb 19, 2026 • 35min
First comes love, then comes the prenup
Aja Evans, a financial therapist who helps couples talk about money, and Sahar Taylor, a family law attorney who drafts prenups, break down prenups beyond the rich-person myth. They discuss what prenups can cover, protecting against debt, overlooked clauses like wills and childbearing provisions, how to start tough money conversations, and whether prenup talks can actually strengthen relationships.
9 snips
Feb 12, 2026 • 32min
Help! My dad is dating a scammer!
Sam Sanders, KCRW radio and podcast host with NPR roots, offers perspective on money and relationships. Conversations cover spotting and handling potential scams targeting a parent, navigating polyamory and shifting payment expectations, and confronting secret investments and income gaps. Short, candid takes on setting boundaries and talking about spendable money.
12 snips
Feb 5, 2026 • 27min
Is it okay to keep money secrets in a relationship?
Jeff Guenther, a couples counselor who helps partners heal money trauma, and Randy Kessler, an Atlanta divorce lawyer who uncovers hidden assets, discuss financial secrecy in relationships. They explore why people hide money, how secrets surface during splits, privacy versus transparency, and ways to create safety so hidden finances stop harming trust.
9 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 31min
What it costs to pass down a language
Eamon Ismail, journalist and author of Becoming Baba, walks through his family budget and the decision to send his children to Islamic school to preserve Arabic. He discusses the tuition trade-offs, household money roles, and the cultural urgency behind passing down language. Short, candid, and focused on what the choice costs and why it matters.
