This Is Uncomfortable

“This Is Uncomfortable,” our podcast all about life and how money messes with it, returns for our seventh season on Oct. 6. This season, we’re looking at some of the expectations we carry with us about how life should play out, and all the ways money can interfere with the best-laid plans and lead us to a totally different reality. We’ll take a look at the roller coaster of married life, the secretive world of scam baiting, the competitive world of college esports, how we embrace the generosity of strangers and so much more. Listen to the trailer above and follow “This Is Uncomfortable” wherever you get podcasts. And to get even more Uncomfortable during the season, sign up for our newsletter. Each Friday morning we’ll bring you a note from Reema, new stories from listeners, tough money questions and recommendations from our team! Here’s the latest issue.

Carrie Mansmith and her wife, Natalia, both know they want to be moms. They fantasize about raising a baby together, fawn over onesies, and they even have a name picked out. But lately, they’ve been wrestling with a question that they each have very different answers to: How much money is enough money to bring a kid into the world?

This episode originally aired in May 2021. When Lindsey Galbraith’s marriage ended over financial infidelity, she swore she would never mix money and relationships again. Then she met someone new. This week, we look at the aftermath of betrayal and how the consequences can last far beyond that one relationship. Plus, we eavesdrop on a money conversation between her and her new partner — the kind of talk that usually happens behind closed doors.

Six years in, Sana and Adnan Akhand loved being married to each other. But sharing everything — their apartment in New York City, their money, the household duties, all their free time — shook the balance of power in their marriage, and they ended up feeling stuck. They were looking for a big reset, and found that they had to interrogate their fundamental ideas about what makes a good marriage to see their future together.

Adam had worked his way up to manager at a branch of a global bank, only to see his responsibilities double during the pandemic. After trying to make it work, the extra duties without extra pay began to compromise his well-being. Adam decided to slow down — to do only what he physically and mentally could without overworking himself. In this episode, we’ll look at what happens when workers slow down and explore the historical precedent for reclaiming your body and time at work.If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter. Each Friday you’ll get a note from Reema Khrais and some recs from the Uncomfortable team. If you missed it, here’s the latest issue.

This episode originally aired May 2021. Mira Celper had always wanted to be best friends with her mom, but their relationship grew strained once her mom started dating the mysterious David, a successful engineer. As her mom fell deeper in love, Mira couldn’t shake the feeling that something about David was off. So she set out to find the truth.If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter. Each Friday you’ll get a note from Reema and some recs from the Uncomfortable team. If you missed it, here’s the latest issue.

Growing up, Chris was bullied. He was always the heaviest kid in the class, and his peers relentlessly made fun of him and his body. But Chris had a secret — something he wanted to do with his body that he never told a soul. This week, he revisits what it took for him to finally answer his secret calling.If you like this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter. Each Friday, you’ll get a note from Reema and some recs from the Uncomfortable team. If you missed it, here’s the latest issue.

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. Just as his career was taking off, however, hers started to crumble.If you like this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter. Each Friday you’ll get a note from Reema and some recs from the Uncomfortable team. If you missed it, here’s the latest issue.

Last week, we followed Stephanie Stone’s years long journey to find her late brother Michael’s gravesite. This week, our team picks up the search. Along the way, we learned a lot about what happens to the thousands of people who die indigent and go unclaimed every year in this U.S. Later, Reema travels to Austin with Stone and a Texas bureaucrat who goes above and beyond to help families find closure.If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter.

When Stephanie Stone’s older brother Michael died, their family didn’t have the money to pay for his burial. His body went unclaimed, and the county where he was living made arrangements. Years later, Stone doesn’t know where he was laid to rest. In this episode, we follow Stephanie’s quest to find her late brother and dig into what it reveals about the economic and emotional toll of losing a loved one. Next week, we’ll join in the search.If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And to get even more Uncomfortable, subscribe to our newsletter.