
Invisibilia
Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. Invisibilia—Latin for invisible things—fuses narrative storytelling with science that will make you see your own life differently.
Latest episodes

May 6, 2025 • 55min
Proxy with Yowei Shaw
The case of George, a guy who got dumped by his bisexual wife, who left him for another woman. For her new podcast Proxy, former Invisibilia host Yowei Shaw finds a proxy to stand in for George's ex - another queer woman who left her straight relationship, former Invisibilia host Hanna Rosin. Proxy investigates niche emotional conundrums through conversations with strangers who have relevant experience. New cases every other Tuesday in the Proxy feed. You can binge episodes in the Proxy feed now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

34 snips
Feb 24, 2025 • 26min
Alternate Realities from NPR's Embedded
Zach Mack, a reporter for NPR's Embedded, shares a deeply personal journey as he navigates his father's obsession with conspiracy theories. Their contrasting beliefs have created a dramatic rift, leading them to challenge each other in a bid for understanding. The discussion unpacks the emotional stakes tied to family dynamics and misinformation. As Zach grapples with his father's radical views, themes of acceptance, belief, and the fragility of familial bonds emerge, painting a poignant picture of a family divided by alternate realities.

Aug 22, 2024 • 34min
Tested (Ep 2): Questions of a Physical Nature
We go back almost 100 years, to the beginning of women's inclusion in elite sports. It turns out that men had an odd variety of concerns about women athletes. Some doubted these athletes were even women at all. And their skepticism resulted in the first policies requiring sex testing. Tested is a six-part series, you can binge all the episodes now in the Embedded podcast and the CBC feed.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Aug 22, 2024 • 39min
Tested (Ep 1): The Choice
The podcast dives into the ethical quagmire of gender testing in sports. It highlights the extraordinary journey of Christine Mboma, a Namibian sprinter, navigating the intense pressures of new regulations regarding testosterone levels. Listeners learn about her incredible achievements, including becoming the first Namibian woman to win an Olympic medal, and the emotional toll of her choices. The discussion sheds light on broader issues of inclusion and fairness in athletics, leaving us to ponder the complexities of gender identity and the sacrifices athletes face for competition.

7 snips
Apr 27, 2023 • 50min
The Goodbye Show
In their final episode, Invisibilia searches for the right way to say goodbye.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Dec 16, 2022 • 33min
Revisiting Love and Lapses: A Conversation with Code Switch host B.A. Parker
Sometimes the holidays are filled with the people you love. Other times, they're marked by an absence. In this special holiday episode, new Code Switch co-host and former Invisibilia producer B.A. Parker tells a story about family, loss and preserving memories before it's too late. Then Parker joins Kia and Yowei to reflect on the making of this story, and what it means to her now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

21 snips
Oct 7, 2022 • 35min
Power Tools
Bad bosses. Obnoxious coworkers. Unfair compensation. There are so many reasons people feel disempowered in the workplace. But how can our feelings about power enable or disrupt the larger dynamics we hate at work? This week, Yowei Shaw seeks answers from a power researcher and a union organizer.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sep 30, 2022 • 33min
Freedom Diving
After months of working from home and retreating from the world, Kia Miakka Natisse is stuck - in her house, and in her head. In an attempt to break out of the funk, she's searching for wisdom at the bottom of the ocean with South Africa's first Black freediving instructor, Zandile Ndhlovu.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

14 snips
Sep 23, 2022 • 48min
Therapy Ghostbusters
In San Jose, California, a community clinic was stumped as to why their clients were seeing ghosts. This week, a story about grappling with ghosts of our past and one clinic's attempt to heal intergenerational trauma.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

9 snips
Sep 16, 2022 • 28min
A Little Bit Pregnant
This week on Invisibilia, could the rebrand of a familiar pill open up a new way to control fertility in a post-Roe America?Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy