This Is Uncomfortable

Before Ali Hazelwood’s “The Love Hypothesis” was a bestselling novel or movie, it was “Star Wars” fan fiction. And Hazelwood isn’t the only one making the leap from fan fiction to traditional publishing. Fan fiction has historically been a labor of love, and not all fans are happy about the shift to monetization, and what that means for the fandom community. Reema is joined by journalist Elizabet...

Millions of Americans leave the U.S. each year for medical care. But how do you reap the rewards of medical tourism while managing the risks? And why do some have to travel out of the country to get affordable healthcare in the first place? This week on the show, Reema is joined by Dr. Alok Patel and podcast hostTK Dutes to discuss what it’s like to travel for medical care, and how to do so safely.

Plus: another edition o...

As a special bonus this weekend, we’re revisiting one of our favorite stories from 2024, which Reema and Alice mentioned in the latest episode.

While sorting through her father’s belongings after his death, Amanda Petteruti came across a collection of locked toolboxes. What she discovered inside made her rethink what she knew about her family’s finances and left her with unsettling questions about her dad: Why ...

Who doesn’t love getting mail? This week on the show, Reema and Alice open up the mailbag and respond to your messages about questionable investments, doomspending, and caring for aging loved ones. Plus, we hear your advice on keeping weddings affordable for your guests and wedding party.

Past stories referenced in this episode:

• ”The things we leave behind”
• “Nicole Chung and the toll of caregi...

College sports has become a multi-billion dollar industry, but until just a few years ago, the actual athletes never saw a penny. It wasn’t until 2021 that the NCAA decided that college athletes could make money off of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). Guest host Alice Wilder talks to Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder (no relation), hosts of The Sports Gossip Show, to understand how NIL is changing the game for student a...

Ever look back and wish you could stop your past self from making a financial mistake? Yeah, us too. This week, Reema talks to researchers Abigail Sussman and Hal Hershfield about how to handle financial regrets, why our past choices look so much clearer in hindsight, and how our emotions and blind spots shape our financial lives. Plus, a new segment of “Alice Gets Her Life Together” on how to budget for a vacation.

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How much should parents budget for daycare? Does it make more financial sense for both parents to work and pay for childcare, or for one parent to stay home and care for their child? And why is childcare so expensive if childcare workers aren’t paid enough? In this episode, Reema shares a big announcement… She also hears from listeners and new parents about how they’re making childcare work for their families, an...

Tight grocery budget? Try a "recession recipe." Reema talks producer Alice Wilder about her trip to meet Kiki Rough, a TikTok creator who makes hyper affordable recipes. Kiki learned how to to cook on a shoestring budget while on food stamps and has gained a large following as food insecurity in the U.S. rises. But even after going viral, she’s is still struggling to feel financially secure.

How have you been stretchin...

How were you raised to think about money, and how do you know when the values you inherited no longer fit? What do we owe other people, and when is generosity a duty? Reema talks with Abigail Disney, the grandniece of Walt Disney, about family, legacy, and giving away millions.

If you like this episode, share it with a friend! And let us know what you think by calling 347-RING-TIU or emailing uncomfortable@marketplace.org

How many subscriptions are you paying for right now? Whether we’re watching TV, listening to music, or even just storing photos, it feels like we are required to rent so many parts of daily life these days. Reema talks to tech reporter Lance Ulanoff and finance writer Hanna Horvath about the origins of the subscription economy, what lies ahead, and how we can cope.

Plus, we’ve got another edition of “Alice Ge...

Is a frustrating dynamic in your workplace keeping you up at night? In our recurring advice column, “Work Drama”, we try to find answers to your sticky work questions. This week Reema is joined by Marketplace correspondent Kristin Schwab and host/correspondent Sabri Ben-Achour to answer your workplace questions – from favoritism getting in the way of a promotion to persistent recruitment for the office kickball l...

This week we’re sharing an episode of the Marketplace climate solutions podcast “How We Survive.”

The new season is all about the controversial ways humans are tinkering with nature in an effort to save the planet, from shooting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, to launching sunshades into space. In this episode, they explore the wildest intervention to date: de-extinction.

The team takes a tour of Colo...

Have you ever daydreamed about leaving your office job, moving to the countryside, and living off the land? In 2008, Laura Griggs and her husband did just that: they moved to a small farm in rural Missouri and raised their family there for nearly a decade. Reema talks with Laura about the real cost of homesteading, and why she ultimately had to leave it behind.

And later in the episode, we’ve got another edition of Alice G...

How are you supposed to juggle caring for your aging parents while also raising young children of your own? And how do you budget for those competing responsibilities? This week, Reema talks to Nicole Chung, author of “A Living Remedy,” about her experiences caring for her parents in their final years of illness, how the U.S. healthcare system failed them, and the toll it took on her both emotionally and financially.

This week, we’re sharing an episode of “Proxy,” a podcast about the emotional questions that make people feel alone — and the conversation that unfolds when you find someone who gets it.

Sam is a progressive person who suddenly has more money than friends and family — and he doesn’t know how to feel about it. He wants to be generous. He wants to be responsible. He wants to stop feeling guilty...

Marriage brings with it a slew of state and federal privileges – when it comes to taxes, inheritance, and benefits – but what if that’s not the most important relationship to you? What legal and financial options are out there for chosen family? Reema talks to LGBTQ+ legal advocate Angela Giampolo and tax expert Brixton Carothers about everything from setting up a revocable living trust to forming an LLC with a po...

Weddings are meant to be joyful milestones and a chance to show up for the people we love. But for many people today, being a part of a wedding can come with multi-day trips, expensive outfits, and financial pressure that leads to years of debt.

Reema is joined by cultural commentator Josh Lora and The Atlanticeditor Annie Joy Williams to talk about the cost of being a wedding guest, why wedding culture is getting more expensiv...

Unfortunately, a lot of us know someone who has been scammed… but how many scammers do you know?

After reporter Carlos Barragán’s mother fell victim to an online romance scam, he traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, to investigate the world of “Yahoo Boys,” as Nigerian scammers call themselves. He spent years getting to know these young men, earning their trust and reporting the most intimate details of their li...

Lots of us have dreamed about taking on a completely different career, but how do you actually make the leap? This week, Reema visits a cohort of people pivoting to the trades in North Carolina and speaks with career coach Phoebe Gavin to get her tips on making a successful pivot.

If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And let us know what you think by emailing uncomfortable@marketplace.org or calling 347-RING-TIU.