The Upgrade by Lifehacker

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.

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

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.

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 and find inner peace. Finally! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

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 her critics say Teal’s death-focused dogma is dangerous. Gizmodo reporter Jennings Brown traveled to rural Utah and to the forests of Costa Rica, with extensive access to Teal and her inner circle, to understand Teal’s teachings and investigate the deaths of some of her followers. You can also listen to new episodes one week early and ad-free on Stitcher Premium. For a free month of listening, go to stitcherpremium.com/gateway and use promo code ‘GATEWAY’. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

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.

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.