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Sep 8, 2025 • 40min
Care & Feeding | The Back-to-School Game Plan
This week on Care and Feeding, Zak, Lucy, and Elizabeth are joined by Scotti Weintraub, parenting coach, creator of Reframe Parenting and host of The Unlocking School Success Podcast. Scotti answers’ back-to-school questions and offers practical advice for navigating classroom routines, working with teachers, and helping kids feel comfortable and ready to learn. It’s all about small shifts that can make the start of the year smoother for everyone.
Take Scotti’s the School Support Parenting Quiz
Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask questions, share feedback, and suggest future topics. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus.
Slate Plus members get an extra weekly grab-bag of content on the Plus Playground, an ad-free experience across the network, and support the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus — or try it out on Apple Podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 6, 2025 • 52min
ICYMI | The Gaylor Fandom Is Going Through It
On today’s episode, hosts Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by Spitfire News writer Kat Tenbarge, who came to the defense of the Gaylor fandom (people who believe Taylor Swift is secretly queer) after they were accused of “crashing out” in light of her engagement to Travis Kelce. But who are the Gaylors, really? And why are they always the butt of the joke?
Get more of ICYMI with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of ICYMI and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the ICYMI show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/icymiplus for access wherever you listen.
This podcast is produced by Daisy Rosario, Vic Whitley-Berry, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 4, 2025 • 34min
Care & Feeding | How to Help a Kid Stop Thumb-Sucking
Today on the show: What to do when your kid won’t stop sucking their thumb. Lucy, Elizabeth, and Zak offer guidance for moving on from thumb-sucking—without turning to bribes or battles—as well as alternative methods of self-soothing. In ‘triumphs and fails’ Elizabeth and Zak wrestle with airports and big international moves, while Lucy deals with a budgeting tantrum.
Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask questions, share feedback, and suggest future topics. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.
If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an extra weekly grab-bag of content on the Plus Playground, an ad-free experience across the network, and support the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus — or try it out on Apple Podcasts.
Listen to Opportunity Gap wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnk.to/opportunitygapPS!careandfeeding Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 3, 2025 • 43min
ICYMI | Is $55K Enough To Work At Your Favorite Podcast?
Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay talk about the backlash surrounding The Cutting Room Floor, a fashion podcast you may know from its Leandra Medine Cohen episode or its viral Steve Madden interview. Last week, host and creator Recho Omondi went on TikTok to hire a full-time staffer who would be an office administrator, bookings coordinator, and personal assistant. Fans were intrigued until she dropped that this role would pay a salary of $55,000 with no healthcare benefits. TikTok reacted strongly and immediately, taking issue with the low salary and bringing up the privileged candidate who could afford to take a job like this in New York City. Omondi responded by going on TikTok Live and posting a short Patreon episode she titled “$55k Gate,” but doubling down seemed to triple the discourse.
Get more of ICYMI with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of ICYMI and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the ICYMI show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/icymiplus for access wherever you listen.
This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 3, 2025 • 1h 1min
Culture Gabfest: Austin Butler Is Caught Cat Sitting Edition
This week, Steve, Julia and guest host Isaac Butler visit a pre-gentrified 1990s New York to discuss the gritty crime romp Caught Stealing directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Austin Butler (no relation).
Next, it’s off to Cooper’s Chase, an English manor turned retirement community, to take up the case of The Thursday Murder Club, Netflix’s new film adaptation of the beloved cozy mystery series. Finally, they assess what the film studio A24’s rise—and potential fall—means for the movie business in their conversation about “Empire of Auteurs,” a recent New Yorker piece by Alex Barasch.
In an exclusive Slate Plus bonus episode, they look at the rise and actual, well-documented fall of the longform narrative podcast.
Endorsements:
Isaac: The Off-Broadway show Ginger Twinsies, a hilarious, R-rated parody of the Parent Trap. Also, Emily Adrian’s new novel Seduction Theory.
Julia: The New Yorker essay “Inside the World of Great ‘British Bake Off’” by former contestant Ruby Tandoh.
Steve: The new The Beths album Straight Line Was a Lie and the essay “On Resistance” by Adam Phillips in the London Review of Books.
Email us your thoughts at culturefest@slate.com.
Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch. Production assistance by Daniel Hirsch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 3, 2025 • 1h 15min
Hang Up | Bill’s Chapel Hill Spill
Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs discuss college football’s wild week one, including Bill Belichick’s disastrous debut with the Tar Heels and Arch Manning’s early struggles. They dissect the baffling Micah Parsons trade, and later welcome Syracuse sports management professor Lindsey Darvin to explore whether the world of video gaming is boosting women's sports. Finally, Ben has an Afterball on, “unwritten rules” in tennis, and their effect on the U.S. Open.
On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the hosts pick their NFL ‘roses, buds, and thorns ' ahead of week one.
Chapel Hill Bill (2:28): Laid an egg
Micah Parsons (18:13): Jerry Jones traded away his star to turn the spotlight on himself, once again.
Women’s Sports Video Games (33:02): Are e-sports becoming more inclusive?
Afterballs (55:46): Ben on tennis’ unwritten rules.
(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.)
Get more Hang Up and Listen with Slate Plus! Join for weekly bonus episodes of Hang Up and Listen and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Hang Up and Listen show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/hangupplus for access wherever you listen.
You can email us at hangup@slate.com.
Podcast production and editing by Kevin Bendis, with production assistance from Patrick Fort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 2, 2025 • 43min
How To! | Host With Ease
Krystina used to host gatherings all the time. Then came kids and the pandemic, and the parties ground to a halt. She’s feeling a renewed urge to bring people together—specifically her inspiring, badass female friends—but every time she starts to plan something meaningful, she balks. On this episode: How To!’s Courtney Martin connects Krystina with Katherine Goldstein of the Substack and podcast The Double Shift. Katherine shares what she’s learned from her new project, The How To Find Your People Club, including a guiding principle: Don’t overthink it.
More from The How to Find Your People Club: 8 Ways to Embrace “Deep Casual Hosting” (So You’ll Actually Do It)
More Advice for the “Deep Casual” Hosting Movement!
A Research-Backed Method to Ramp Up Our Social Skills
A Nitty-Gritty Guide to Finding a Community That’s Right for You
If you liked this episode, check out How To Throw a Party They’ll Remember and How To Find Friends in Unexpected Places.
Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis and Sophie Summergrad. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob and our supervising producer is Joel Meyer.
Get more of How To! with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of How To! and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the How To! show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/howtoplus for access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 2, 2025 • 58min
Death, Sex & Money | Sex-Positive Parents, Crass Grandparents, and a Weird and Wonderful Childhood
When comedy writer Tamara Yajia talks about her childhood, she’s sometimes unsure what tone to strike. Her new memoir Cry for Me Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star depicts a very fun nuclear family with parents and grandparents who are loud, crass, and sex-positive. There are hilarious moments and situations that seem wildly inappropriate.
In this week’s episode, Tamara tells Anna about the ups and downs of her childhood, which was spent in both Argentina and the U.S., and what she wishes her parents had done differently.
This episode was produced by Cameron Drews.
To check out the episodes about Hurricane Katrina that Anna mentioned, click here:
https://www.wnyc.org/story/in-new-orleans/
Get more Death, Sex & Money with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of DSM and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Death, Sex & Money show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/dsmplus to get access wherever you listen.
If you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 1, 2025 • 43min
Care & Feeding | From How To! | How To Raise a Kid in a Polarized Family
Sarah loves her in-laws, even though their politics send her running for the exits. Now, her daughter is starting to ask questions about her grandparents’ patriarchal, conservative views. How can Sarah raise her kid to be self-assured, justice-oriented, and open-minded—without spoiling the connection between her in-laws and the grandchild they adore? On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Melinda Wenner Moyer, science journalist and author of the new book Hello, Cruel World! Science-based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times. Melinda gives Sarah strategies for talking to all parties, reinforcing values in her daughter, and avoiding an irreparable break with her relatives.
If you want more Melinda, check out: How To Raise Kids in a Nation Full of Guns.
Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob and our supervising producer is Joel Meyer.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 31, 2025 • 26min
What Next: TBD | A24 Meets A.I.
A24 rose from “small budget indie movie studio” to “one of the most respected brands in cinema” on a reputation for treating filmmakers like auteurs. But as the studio is growing and exploring how to integrate artificial intelligence, it’s at odds with some of the very directors who helped A24 establish itself.
Guest: Alex Barasch, culture editor at the New Yorker
Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices