Life Kit

Will Messer, couples therapist, explains communication and making space for alone time. Marissa Nelson, couples therapist and travel advisor, helps clarify trip intentions and plan bonding activities. Amelia Edelman, travel reporter, walks through how travel exposes differences and how to plan with that in mind. They discuss matching expectations, balancing together and solo time, and bringing trip lessons home.

Dr. Trisha Pasricha, gastroenterologist and Harvard instructor who writes on digestive health, shares practical pooping practices. She covers timing and privacy, foods that help like kiwi and prunes, fiber and psyllium tips, posture tricks such as elevating your knees, and cutting back on ultra-processed foods to support gut health.

Mark Gallegos, a Chicago-area CPA and tax partner, joins Amanda Holden, financial educator and author of How to Be a Rich Old Lady, for a lively guide to retirement accounts. They compare traditional and Roth options. They dig into pre-tax versus after-tax money, tax shelters, income-based choices, withdrawal flexibility, and why starting now can matter more than picking the perfect plan.

Psychologist and grief therapist Mikael Harris, musician Avi Wisnia, and journalist Julia Furlan explore how to truly show up for someone in mourning. They talk about naming the person who died, avoiding hollow platitudes, offering practical help like meals or chores, and staying in touch long after the funeral.

Jenny Taitz, a clinical psychologist and author focused on practical stress tools, shares fast ways to reset when stress takes over your mind, body, or behavior. She gets into naming emotions, turning thoughts into something less powerful, using a life pie chart for perspective, trying cyclic sighing, and building small habits that ease stress over time.

Stacey Vanek Smith, an economics reporter, talks with Aja Barber, a sustainable fashion writer, and Alicia Berman, a creator who tried a yearlong no-buy challenge. They dig into debt, clutter, climate worries, shopping triggers, social media unfollows, spending rules, and the hidden cost of cheap clothes. It also explores community support and how buying less can reshape everyday habits.

Jessica Scott, exercise physiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, breaks down explosive power and why it matters for stairs, balance, stumbles and aging well. She talks about beginner-friendly moves like fast chair stands and wall push-ups, low-impact options, short fresh workouts, and how this kind of training can support sports and help lower injury risk.

Marissa Cohen, a relationship scientist and marriage and family therapist, breaks down why dating apps can feel addictive. She talks about gamification, FOMO and burnout. She covers setting swipe limits, making profiles match real intentions, moving to quick video calls, protecting sexual and relationship boundaries, and knowing when it is healthier to log off.

Brent Weiss, a certified financial planner and Facet co-founder, maps out a financial self-care routine. He gets into setting money goals around the life you want. Then it moves through savings, benefits, taxes, investments, credit, debt, and monthly money habits. There’s also a strong focus on how rest, emotions, and mindset shape financial decisions.

Leah Ruppanner, a University of Melbourne sociologist and author who studies gender, care work, and mental load, breaks down why endless invisible tasks feel so exhausting. She digs into unequal household standards, the myth of natural multitaskers, her eight categories of mental load, and ways to audit your energy, rethink expectations, and protect your time.