How To Be: Recent Episodes
Rory O'Toole & Matthew Schultz
The podcast where we discuss ancient wisdom, modern hacks, paperback self-help books, and pithy platitudes in the hope of figuring out the best way to live this one precious and wild life.
Do you struggle with insecurities? Are you tired of trying to fake it until you make it? If so, join us as we discuss confidence.
Are you wasting all your hard-earned cash on frivolous expenses like food, shelter and healthcare? If so, join us to learn how you can better keep a budget!
What did you eat for lunch today? A sad microwaveable panini while scrolling reels? If so, you need to upgrade your life and your lunch. Join us as we talk to author Cheryl K. Johnson about the Box Lunch Lifestyle.
Do you have dreams of making it big? Do you think life is all about the hustle? If so, join us as we discuss ambition.
Do you strive to hold your head high? Do you aim to be a respectable member of society? If so, join us as we discuss dignity.
Do you long to hear and be heard by your fellow man? Do you feel your anecdotes are leaving your listens listless? if so, join us as we discuss conversation.
Do you like to follow the leader? Are you a sucker for a man in uniform? If so, join us as we discuss Authority.
Sources:
Authority | Definition, Types & Uses | Britannica
Milgram's Experiment on Obedience to Authority
"Siren" by Etgar Keret
Ungroundable | South Park
Do you have something you want to get off your chest? A gripe you’re dying to express? If so, join us as we discuss complaining.
Do you feel the urge to record your thoughts? A desire to keep a record of your daily life? See the therapeutic benefits of writing down your feelings? If so, join us as we discuss journaling.
When it comes to life is it quality or quantity that matters? Is mortality a natural part of the human experience or an enemy to be defeated? Join us as we discuss longevity.
Subtopics include the Obama girls, mood lighting, and Interview with the Vampire.
Sources:
Live to 100: The Secrets of Blue Zones
Not Waiting to Say Goodbye
The Man Who Thinks He Can Live Forever
How Google’s Calico aims to fight aging and ‘solve death’
Timeline: The evolution of life
The long and gruesome history of people trying to live forever
Take a deep inhale in through your nose and let it out through your mouth... could it really be as simple as that? Join us as we discuss breath.
Do you trust your gut? Rely on the little voice in your head? If so, join us as we discuss intuition.
Does Halloween always leave you feeling haunted? Are you curious to peak behind the veil and see what's on the other side? If so, join us as we discuss - ghosts.
How do you like your water? Carbonated? With lemon? Blessed with positive intentions and kind words? Or stored in massive canisters in your closet in case of disaster. Join us as we discuss water.
Are you trapped in a mental prison of your own making? The answer is yes. Listen to our conversation with author Don Goewey to discover how to set yourself free with the practice of awareness.
Marriage! Some say it's a source of joy and love and mutual support. Others say it's an antiquated and sexist ritual. Join us--two unmarried spinsters--as we discuss marriage.
Do you live an isolated, individualistic existence? Are you looking for ways to connect with those around you or those who think like you? If so, join us as we discuss the lost Camelot of communal living.
Do you believe in the power of positive thinking? What about the power of a positive attitude? If so, join us as we discuss manifesting.
When there is injustice in the world, do you protest? Do you call your senator? Volunteer for campaigns? Or do you think that kind of effort is, frankly, pointless?
Are you someone who likes to primp and preen in the morning? Or do you prefer to fall out of bed, put on some baggy pants, take your greasy hair and cover it up with a backwards cap? Join us as we discuss personal grooming.
Do you love to curl up with a good book? Or do you just pretend to love to curl up with a good book? Join us as we discuss the reading life.
Do our dreams contain hidden meanings? Do they hold the key to deep secret truths? Or are they just neurochemical nonsense? Join us as we discuss dream interpretation.
Have you ever been "in the zone"? Lost time while doing an activity? Been totally engrossed in a project? You might have been experiencing a flow state. Join us as we discuss this phenomenon of total immersion.
Does what goes around really come around? Is there cosmic justice in the universe or does the universe not care what we do? Join us as we discuss karma.
Is it possible to become a more moral person? And if so, what does that look like. Join us as we discuss living a virtuous life.
Do you strive for success? Recognition? Accolades? Or are you someone who's content just to enjoy the little moments of every day life? Join us as we discuss the philosophy of making something of yourself.
In this bonus episode, SLC alums Matt and Rory do a deep dive on the new Hulu doc "Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence College."
Welcome back for season 2! Today, we're talking about digital minimalism. Can we change our relationship with mindless scrolling? Or are we doomed to be shackled to a screen forever. Join us as we discuss breaking free from the attention economy.
Do you like summing everything up? What about reflecting on the past as you look forward to the future? If so, join us as we look back at the thrilling first season of the How to Be podcast and speculate about what's to come.
Do you think of yourself as a good person? Someone interested in acts of altruism? If so, maybe you should consider donating a kidney. Join us as we discuss what is lost and what is gained when you donate this vital organ.
Is your cigarette habit becoming a drag? Are piano lessons the bane of your week? Is your job sucking joy from your life? Maybe you should consider quitting. Join us as we discuss the upsides and pitfalls of throwing in the towel.
Every day, millions of people go to the gym. Why? Are they insane? Are they idiots? Join us as we try to get to the bottom of this most perplexing human behavior.
Do you long to have money in the bank? Do you struggle to return emails and get to the airport on time? Is your bedroom floor coated in dirty and discarded laundry? If so, join us as we discuss the promise and the peril of having your shit together.
Have you ever wanted to peer into the future? Consult with a spirit on the other side? Cultivate your sixth sense? If so, join us as we discuss all things psychic.
As a child, did you feel different from other boys and ghouls? Does the full moon make you weak in the knees? Do you consider Practical Magic to be the pinnacle of American cinema? If so, join us as we discuss modern witchcraft in a very spooky Halloween episode of How To Be.
Have the French mastered the art of living? Is our American lifestyle lacking a certain je ne sais quoi? Join us as we discuss the French lifestyle trend and what is has to teach us about eating, raising our families, and being chic.
Do you work hard and deserve a little treat? Is a bubble bath what we all need to heal this weary world? Join us as we discuss both the virtue and vice that is "self care."
Is holding your fork properly simply classist? Is there something refreshing about a society that says please and thank you? Join us as we discuss the pros and cons of minding our manners.
Today we're talking about habits. Is it possible to create good ones for a lifetime and finally kick the bad? Will flossing ever be fun? Join us as we discuss building a life of habits.
Today we're talking about the Lindy Effect. Is an idea, institution or custom valuable just because it's old? How much should ancient ways inform our modern lifestyles and ways of being? Join as we explore how the past informs our present.
In this episode, we discuss minimalism. Will clearing out your closets cleanse your troubled soul?
Topics include: DALL-E; consumerism; maximalism, the perfect sock.
In this episode we discuss Live, Laugh, Love... the slogan, the wall art, the worldwide movement. Could the secret to a fulfilling life really be as simple as putting some inspirational words up on the wall?
In this episode, we discuss personality tests. Can we test ourselves into self understanding? Topics include: Myers-Briggs; the Big Five; the Unknowability of the Self; and Phrenology.
***In our first episode, we discuss the book How to Do Nothing.
Topics include: meditation, bird watching, and the attention economy.***