This week we’re talking about solo travel, from the best destinations to how to make friends once you’re there. We’ve got packing secrets, veteran travelers’ must-have apps, and a slew of magical stories from around the globe.

Calling all insomniacs, tossers, turners, blanket hogs, disco nappers and snooze button pushers! This week we are talking to the experts about how to get a good night's sleep. And our advice goes way beyond putting your devices away before bed.

Does it really take 21 days to create a habit? Is it possible to quit smoking when all your friends are smokers? Why can’t you ever get up early and go to the gym? We’re talking to productivity experts like “Atomic Habits”’ James Clear about how we can make changes to our behavior, and what it takes to actually stick with those changes.…

We could all get better at conversing with our fellow humans. It’s just so easy these days to hide behind our screens, and when we’re finally face to face with actual people, we’re often talking too much and not listening enough. How can we make the most of those one-on-one, face-to-face, in-real-life moments? We’ll hear from journalist Celeste ...…

We’re back! This week we’re learning about the ins and outs of negotiation. We’ll find out how to get someone to “yes” when they’re all about “no”; when and how the robots are going to negotiate for us; and what to do to get the raise you deserve.

Where on earth have we been?

This week Cleo Stiller, host of Fusion TV's "Sex Right Now," joins us to talk about how porn is affecting our sex lives, what happens when men get menstrual cramps, and to introduce us to a Fitbit for your penis. We also talk to sex therapist Sari Cooper about how to keep intimacy alive in long-term relationships.…

All too frequently, people who are good at making a thing get promoted to be the supervisors of the people making the thing—without any training as to how to lead. So how do you become a good boss? Do you pick up leadership skills on the job, or is special coaching required? We find out this week. First, we'll get a sense of what makes a good b ...…

We spend a lot of time worrying about death: our own, and the deaths of those we love. This week we look at our deeply held fears and assumptions about dying and see if we can't lessen some of our anxiety about it. First, we talk with cardiologists Chris Kelly and Marc Eisenberg. Their patients come to them with millions of different ailments, ...…

Financial journalist Felix Salmon joins us this week to talk about making money while doing good in the world, "Badass" author Jen Sincero tells us how she went from no money to a lot of money by changing her mindset, and we all end up rich.

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.

Mornings. Many of us hate them; some of us love them; all of us want to make the best of them. But how exactly do we do that? First we ask Benjamin Spall, co-author of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, about creating the ultimate morning routine. We also talk to Vanessa Marin, a licensed sex therapist (and regu ...…

Did you enjoy last week’s Best of The Upgrade 2018? Looking for even more great Upgrade moments? Check out our Best of The Upgrade 2017! Join us as we revisit some of our favorite discussions from our inaugural year, including how to turn awkwardness into a social asset; how to be brilliant (while being bored); how to find real love; and how to ...…

Another year in life hacks come and gone! We're celebrating our favorite moments, hacks, guests and episodes of 2018 with this, our annual Best of The Upgrade episode! Whether you're a lifelong listener taking a trip down memory lane, or new listener looking to dip a toe in the magic that is The Upgrade, we're here for you. And what would an en ...…

Buying presents can be a stressful activity. It's often hard to know what to buy for that film buff friend, or for the brother-in-law who's really into cooking these days. Fortunately, The Upgrade is here to help—just think of it as our gift to you. Listen as seven Lifehacker staffers each share three perfect gift ideas, from artful prints to w ...…

How do we even begin to find true love in a messy world of online dating, ghosting, and benching? Matchmaker Dr. Frankie Bashan tells us why people are using real-live intermediaries like herself to get dates. Etiquette expert Daniel Post Senning takes on the intricacies of Tinder etiquette. And Lifehacker’s food editor Claire Lower mixes up a ...…

It’s our first live recording of The Upgrade, performed in front of an audience at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY. Joining us are comedians Chris Gethard and Akilah Hughes, as well as Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings of Gimlet Media’s “The Nod.” We talk about how you can’t succeed without failure, and how to move past even the most embarrassing o ...…

Maybe you need to bring your heart rate down after a couple of heated Thanksgiving debates, or perhaps you’re generally feeling a little anxious because of the state of the world. We all could use a little calming down, these days. So we spoke with Dr. Craig Richard, author of Brain Tingles and founder of the ASMR University. And because it’s n ...…

It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means that many of us will find ourselves elbow to elbow with family members, some of whom may have wildly differing opinions on topics like whether cranberry sauce should be homemade or canned, and who should be president. Before things get too heated, we recommend listening to this episode. Social psychologist ...…

In this episode we’re talking about how to tell the truth—and how to know when the people around you are being less than truthful. We’ll be hearing from MSNBC host and author Lawrence O’Donnell with the story behind his book, Deadly Force—the murder of an unarmed black man and the police cover up that followed. Melissa chats with writer and sem ...…

There are so many different ways to be a dick: from being a schoolyard bully, to not mowing your lawn, to using plastic straws, to being a dick on the road. In this episode, we’re going to talk about some of the little ways we can be good to one another, to the environment, and by extension, to ourselves.…

Anne Lamott is a progressive political activist and writer, the bestselling author of such books as Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies, Operating Instructions, Plan B, and her latest, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope. We're such fans of Anne Lamott that we've decided to devote an entire episode of The Upgrade to her. We talk to Anne about almost e ...…

This week we're talking about microdosing: the use of relatively low doses of psychedelics, like LSD and psilocybin mushroom, to improve mood, focus and productivity in daily life. We spoke with author Ayelet Waldman, whose monthlong experiment with microdosing pulled her out of suicidal depression; psychedelics advocate Paul Austin; and psycho ...…

Vicki Robin is the co-author of the bestseller YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE and the godmother of a financial movement that’s becoming increasingly popular among millennials: FIRE, which stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early. Vicki talks to us about changing our relationship with money and redefining what a rich, full life actually means.…

Dr. David Burns joins us in this episode to talk about how to change your perspective. Dr. Burns is a pioneer in the field of cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, and the author of best-selling books on the topic, including "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" and "The Feeling Good Handbook." We’ll also hear from photographer Tyson Wheatley on ...…

This week we chat with Les Stroud, the creator and star of the hit TV series Survivorman. Alice and staff writer Nick Douglas talk with Les about just how one becomes an expert in surviving, as well as the one aspect of survival that he finds nearly impossible to endure. We’re also joined by our old friend, divorce attorney James J. Sexton, yes ...…

KJ Dell’Antonia—journalist and author of How to Be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute—joins Offspring editor Michelle Woo to discuss how to make your family life less stressful and even (dare we say it) fun. But first, Alice gives staff writer and soon-to-be new parent Nick Douglas an important ( ...…

This week, we’re digging into the things you're terrified of--the concrete stuff like fear of spiders and heights, as well as the more conceptual, existential anxiety we all have about just being alive. First, we interview Dean Sluyter, author of the new book Fear Less: Living Beyond Fear, Anxiety, Anger, and Addiction. Then Ben Brock Johnson, ...…

Mornings. Many of us hate them; some of us love them; all of us want to make the best of them. But how exactly do we do that? First we ask Benjamin Spall, co-author of My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired, about creating the ultimate morning routine. We also talk to Vanessa Marin, a licensed sex therapist (and regu ...…

Whether you’re dealing with a bad boss or disgruntled employees (or a great boss and enthusiastic employees) you’ve got an opinion on the employer/employee dynamic. This week we heard from the Lifehacker audience about their worst bosses. Then Lifehacker’s managing editor Virginia Smith talks to Ask a Manager’s Alison Green about what your mana ...…

Hey Upgrade listeners! We want to hear your horrible boss stories, and how you solved the situation, if you were indeed able to solve it. Leave us a message at (347) 687 - 8109, or send us a voice memo at upgrade@lifehacker.com.

Want to totally change your life? Coss Marte tells us how he went from drug kingpin to fitness entrepreneur using a regimen he developed in prison, and gives us your new gym playlist for becoming a total beast. We go to Scary Corner with newsman Lawrence O'Donnell to learn about why people are so effing scared of socialism, and Lawrence joins u ...…

We’re back from summer vacation with writer Ottessa Mosfegh, Gilmore Girls’ Keiko Agena, a new format, new segments and a ton of new hacks.

In this episode we talk to Stephen Snyder, a sex and couples therapist, and the author of Love Worth Making: How to Have Ridiculously Great Sex in a Long-Lasting Relationship. We’ll discuss why you should be sexually selfish, how the idea of “desire” can mess up your sex life, and why Stephen is against cuddling.…

In this episode we talk to Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC’s Note to Self and author of “Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self.” Back in 2015, Manoush wondered if being plugged in all the time to a constant stream of entertainment and information actually made our lives worse. She noticed that we’ ...…

In this episode we’re talking about cults: how they operate, how you identify one, what it’s like to be in one, and how to get out. To that end, we’re talking with Rick Alan Ross, the founder and Executive Director of the Cult Education Institute and an internationally known expert on destructive cults, controversial groups and movements. We’re ...…

This week, Alan Alda and The Moth’s Catherine Burns join us to talk about storytelling. What makes a good story? What makes a good storyteller? How can we use storytelling to communicate better, to sell people on our ideas, to make people like us?Actor, director, screenwriter, author and science advocate Alan Alda is the founder of the Alda Cen ...…

This week we're talking about psychopaths: what exactly is a psychopath, how to identify them and what to do if you suspect you might be dating one. We talk with Jen Waite, author of A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal about her marriage to someone who turned out to embody the textbook definition of a psychopath, as w ...…

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 ...…

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 ...…

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.

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.

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 ...…

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.

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 mo ...…

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.

Author of The Career Manifesto Mike Steib talks about figuring out your purpose, taking calculated risks and finding a fulfilling career.

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.

Nell Scovell is a comedy writer and the author of JUST THE FUNNY PARTS: And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boy’s Club. Nell’s written for The Simpsons, Newhart, The Late Show with David Letterman, and a ton of other shows. We’re going to find out how she managed to excel as a woman in a field that’s so male-dominated.…

Vicki Robin is the co-author of the bestseller YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE and the godmother of a financial movement that’s becoming increasingly popular among millennials: FIRE, which stands for Financially Independent, Retire Early. Vicki talks to us about changing our relationship with money and redefining what a rich, full life actually means.…