Forgetting a name, a poorly executed hug, the 7th grade — awkwardness is part of our lives whether we like it or not. But what if we put the embarrassment aside and embraced our awkward selves? Guests include social scientist Ty Tashiro, cartoonist Liana Finck, journalist Melissa Dahl and sex and relationship counselor Erin Chen. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: December 9, 2022. We think our faces are our own. But technology can use them to identify, influence and mimic us. This week, TED speakers explore the promise and peril of turning the human face into a digital tool. Guests include super recognizer Yenny Seo, Bloomberg columnist Parmy Olson, visual researcher Mike Seymour and investigative journalist Alison Killing. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Writer Anne Lamott has garnered a cult following with her shockingly honest prose on love, death, faith, writing and more. This hour, her wisdom from a career that has spanned 20 books and 40 years. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: July 14, 2023. From the bugs in our backyards to prehistoric reptiles, animal biology and behavior are full of puzzles and conundrums. On this episode, we hear from experts solving the mysteries of the animal kingdom. Guests include paleontologist Dean Lomax, biochemical engineer Saad Bhamla, herpetologist Gowri Shankar and conservation biologist Patrícia Medici. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We know walking is good for our bodies, our communities, and our planet. But our car-centric cities and screen-filled lives keep us sitting. Can we change? This hour, ideas to get us moving. Guests include author Vybarr Cregan-Reid, computer historian Laine Nooney, exercise physiologist Keith Diaz, urban planner Jeff Speck, activists John Francis and Vanessa Garrison. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: June 30, 2023. Big problems need audacious solutions. This hour, TED speakers use data and common sense to make laws more effective, reform the foster care system and hold environmental offenders accountable. Guests include criminal justice reform activist Sheena Meade, child welfare advocates Sixto Cancel and Marquan Teetz, and ocean monitoring expert Tony Long. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Artificial intelligence is powerful, but what about natural intelligence? This hour, TED speakers explore the intrinsic genius in animal language, insect behavior, plant anatomy and our immune system. Guests include neuroscientist Greg Gage, computational neuroscientist Frances Chance, social psychoneuroimmunologist Keely Muscatell and environmental researcher Karen Bakker. We want to dedicate this episode to Bakker who passed away in August 2023, only a few months after giving her TED Talk. Her research and legacy continue to inspire. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: December 23, 2022. Our brains are magnificently complex - and highly fallible. This hour, neuroscientist and novelist Lisa Genova explains how to keep our brains healthy and what to do when something goes wrong. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

To move forward, the United States must confront its history of racial inequality. This hour, three perspectives on looking to the past to build a better future for Black Americans. Guests include author Joseph McGill Jr., Code Switch co-host B.A. Parker and opinion columnist Charles Blow. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: October 1, 2021. When stress, fear or sadness weigh on us, our hearts can suffer — even break. But there are ways to mend our broken hearts. This hour, TED speakers share stories and ideas about soothing heartache. Guests include cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar, law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen, pediatric nurse Hui-wen Sato, and climate activist Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The term can refer to a double, a ghost, a shadow. But it can mean much more. From our online mirror world, to digital simulators, to the Earth's twin--TED speakers learn from the uncanny second self. Guests include author Naomi Klein, aerospace engineer Karen Willcox, planetary scientist Sarah T. Stewart and psychologist Nancy Segal. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: April 29, 2022. From workplaces to schools to national governments, leaders everywhere are being called on to solve complex problems with humility and bravery. This hour, we consider what it takes to be a leader. Guests include executive coach Patrice Gordon, organizational psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, and educator Shabana Basij-Rasikh. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We're entering a new era of brain monitoring and enhancement, but what are the ethical implications? This hour, TED speakers explore the potential and pitfalls of merging our minds with machines. Guests include legal scholar and AI ethicist Nita Farahany, neurotechnologist and entrepreneur Conor Russomanno, neuroscientist and physician Sergiu Pașca and sous chef Kate Faulkner. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: April 8, 2022. Giving and receiving care—it's a natural part of life. But how do we offer the best possible support for our loved ones? This hour, TED speakers share ideas on reimagining caregiving. Guests include dementia care advocate Yvonne van Amerongen, attorney Diana Adams, inclusion advocate Sara Jones, and comedian Bill Bernat. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

There's a lot to keep us up at night. How do we manage our time, navigate financial uncertainty, escape a doom and gloom spiral? This hour, TED speakers help us flip the script as we face the future. Guests include time management expert Laura Vanderkam, non-profit CEO Aisha Nyandoro, environmental data scientist Hannah Ritchie and writer Emily Esfahani Smith. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In the interest of New Year's resolutions, we're bringing you this bonus episode from our friends at the Ten Percent Happier podcast. Host Dan Harris speaks with meditation expert Jon Kabat-Zinn about starting a practice and being more mindful in our everyday lives. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original Broadcast Date: January 13, 2023. Resolutions are easy to make, even easier to break. But what if a story or idea can motivate us in a whole new way? This hour, TED speakers offer different perspectives on our most common resolutions. Guests include neuroscientists Wendy Suzuki and Sandra Aamodt, science journalist Catherine Price, behavioral scientist Wendy De La Rosa, and authors Pico Iyer and A.J. Jacobs. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Original broadcast date: June 16, 2023. Who will you be in 10 years? In 20 years? Envisioning how you will evolve is very hard. This hour, TED speakers share ideas on how to better plan for the future, while allowing for the unexpected. Guests include psychologist Hal Hershfield, journalist Shankar Vedantam, journalist Bina Venkataraman and philosopher Roman Krznaric. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic Fellow who researches Blue Zones, regions of the world where people tend to live longer. His research has looked at what habits and lifestyles contribute to longevity. In this bonus episode, he shares those habits with producer Fiona Geiran, and they discuss how Dan has incorporated many of them into his daily routine. This bonus episode is normally something we share only with our TED Radio Hour+ supporters, but we're making this one available to everyone. To get access to all of our bonus content, listen to the show sponsor-free and support our work at NPR, sign up for TED Radio Hour+ at plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In some pockets of the world, people have a higher chance of living longer. So how do they do it? This hour, TED speaker Dan Buettner takes us to Blue Zones to learn how to live a long, happy life. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy