It's Been a Minute

It's Been a Minute

Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry. THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDS It’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today. If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

Episodes

January 19, 2026 28 mins
We're taking a trip back to the 90s and exploring the lives of single Black women and how their stories still show up in media 30 years later. 

This episode comes from NPR's Books We've Loved podcast series. Brittany joined hosts Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker to revisit Terry McMillan's classic novel, Waiting to Exhale. The three get into how the book was a blueprint for Sex & The City and how it depicts the complexity of...
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What are we missing something in the conversation around obesity and GLP-1s?

Oprah Winfrey’s new book, Enough, co-authored by endocrinologist Dr. Ania Jastreboff is one of many new narratives attempting to reframe how we think about obesity and diet culture. But host Brittany Luse thinks we’re just scratching the surface. 

She’s joined by Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson, Chair of the Africana Studies Department at Well...
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January 14, 2026 19 mins
There's a new sound of protest going viral on TikTok. What is being said, and how much impact could it have?

We're just two weeks into January, but this year has already been eventful. There's Trump's incursion into Venezuela, and last week’s ICE shooting in Minneapolis, which led to protests all across the country over the weekend. And these protests on the street are connected to some of the music we’re hearing online: a...
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Renee Good, a 37-year-old Minnesotan mother, is just one of several victims of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violence in recent months. But her death marks a turning point in the discourse around state violence.

How will her name and story be used by politicians and protestors? And how does her story line up with other moments of government violence throughout American history?

Brittany is joined by A...
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Ozempic and other GLP-1s have changed how we think of our bodies. Now, some are searching for other quick fixes for their body - far beyond weight loss.

In some Silicon Valley circles, 'Chinese peptides' are taking so-called biohacking to the next level. These unregulated injectables promise to help people who struggle with sleep, losing weight, or even making eye contact. One person even said they were searching for the "...
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Young women, more than any other group, say they would leave America. Their list of reasons is long and plentiful. 

Have you ever thought about leaving the US, and starting over somewhere else? Maybe living the hygge lifestyle in Denmark, or soaking up the sun in Costa Rica? According to Gallup – a surprising number of women are considering it. In a poll released in November, 40% of women between the ages of 18 and 44 said...
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January 5, 2026 19 mins
Is the lack of sunlight in the winter months really getting to you? Do you find yourself fighting tooth and nail to keep up with life's demands every winter? You may be dealing with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

Brittany has developed her own morning routine to combat this type of depression. Today, she's joined by Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, psychiatrist and scientist who first described seasonal affective disorder i...
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What's in and what's out in 2026? Let's set the stage for what to watch out for in the new year.

As you fill out your own bingo card for what will or will not happen in 2026, join Brittany, NPR's tech correspondent Bobby Allyn, and NPR's political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben. They are laying out the puzzle pieces of 2026 - from the politics of masculinity to the bubble of artificial intelligence to the end of Queen B...
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December 31, 2025 18 mins
From CBD leggings to Soulcycle, wellness is reshaping our relationships to our bodies and souls. But what even is "wellness?"

Well, for one, it's a global industry worth 6 trillion dollars. And it encompasses all kinds of things – including spirituality: from the spirituality of wellness practices like yoga and reiki, to treating wellness itself like a religion. As spirituality, self-care, and capitalism swirl together, w...
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December 29, 2025 15 mins
If society privileges "thin" people, should you aspire to conform? And at what cost?

Last year, online influencer Slim Kim went viral for a TikTok where she said she loves "being skinny." It sparked a debate that continued throughout 2025: how do we talk about bodies without falling into "body fascism." And with drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy flooding the market, how are the ways we talk about bodies shifting and changing?<...
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December 26, 2025 20 mins
If you want something badly enough, should you have it?

Today, Brittany is investigating so-called "manifestation." It's this popular belief that if you want something badly enough, it'll come to you. But here's the thing: our relationship to the internet and algorithms is creating a feedback loop that actually makes our own dreams seem more...possible? But where's the line between dreams, reality, and the internet?
<...
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December 24, 2025 19 mins
Christianity showed up in the mainstream in unexpected ways this year. Are we in a revival?

Take a look at this year's Billboard charts. For the first time, multiple Christian musicians charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time — and stayed there for weeks. And some of the biggest hits of the year - like Alex Warren's "Ordinary" - pull from Contemporary Christian Music sounds. Plus, Trump says he wants to defend Ch...
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December 22, 2025 19 mins
Why are Mormons so popular, you ask? Because it's part of their faith.

From Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to your favorite homemaking TikTok influencers, the women of the Church of Latter Day Saints have been gaining massive audiences for over a decade. Brittany is joined by Jana Riess, senior columnist at Religious News Service and author of The Next Mormons: How Millennials are Changing the LDS Church to discus...
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December 19, 2025 15 mins
What's it like to date a man? Ask pop stars or your friends, and you might hear it's a struggle.

From Sabrina Carpenter to Summer Walker, some of the biggest female artists on the charts today…are absolutely through with men. It’s a sentiment that has a name: heteropessimism. Coined in 2019 by the writer Asa Seresin, the term encapsulates the embarrassment, disaffection and fatigue that comes from being heterosexual. 
...
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December 17, 2025 20 mins
There’s been a lot of discourse about what “6 7” means, but what actually makes it meaningful?

The “6 7" meme was everywhere this year, online and off. Scrolling through TikTok? You probably encountered it. Sitting in math class? Your teacher probably dreaded everyone shouting out the numbers when they came up in class. NPR intern Sanidhya Sharma investigated the phenomenon by going to schools and sitting down with experts...
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December 15, 2025 29 mins
Welcome to the third annual IBAMMYs Culture Awards Show, where we reflect and honor the best and worst cultural moments of the year.

Brittany is joined by Sam Sanders, host of KCRW's The Sam Sanders Show, and Tre'vell Anderson, host of The Seated podcast. All three nominated a person or moment for each of the four categories. NPR's Culture Committee then voted on a winner. Today, we reveal the winners and losers of 2025 an...
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December 12, 2025 20 mins
Heated Rivalry - the hit HBO Max series - has it all: scintillating romance, hot guys, sports (kind of), and, most importantly, portrayals of gay love and sex that don’t hold back.

Steamy, sensual TV shows aren’t new, but the Canadian series has captured the public's attention in a way that a show hasn’t in a while. So, what’s behind its cultural resonance? What does it mean that this gay romance was written by a woman? A...
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Are we spending too much on other people’s weddings?

Going to a friend's weddings can be so fun and meaningful… but it can also really hurt your wallet. A survey by LendingTree found that 31% of people who had been to a wedding in the past five years had accrued debt to attend. So what’s driving up the cost of weddings for guests? And what makes it so hard to say no to these expenses?

Brittany breaks it down with ...
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December 8, 2025 21 mins
More women than ever are choosing to raise their children by their self. Is it time to hit reset on what we mean by "family" in America?

America has some deeply held prejudices toward single moms, but some studies show that 40% of babies in the U.S. are born to unmarried women. In this episode Brittany looks into the joy and challenges these women face - from freedom and agency to affordability and loneliness.

Bri...
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December 5, 2025 17 mins
Some say we're entering the Woke 2.0 era. Is that real or imagined?

From declining Target sales to Mamdani's election, some folks online are feeling a vibe shift. Is that feeling...woke? And if so, does that mean woke is back in style?

To answer those questions - and to dissect whether or not woke ever left - Brittany is joined by Constance Grady, senior correspondent at Vox, and Tyler Austin Harper, staff write...
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