This Is Uncomfortable

Growing up, Ziwe Fumudoh wanted to be a pop star. Her parents wanted her to go into medicine or finance. She ended up as a comedian writing for “Desus & Mero.” This week we talk about her work and money.

 When you’re a kid, your parents make all the financial decisions for you. But what happens when you grow up … and don’t agree with their choices?

We’re keeping things just a little uncomfortable this week with another round of our favorite game: Financial Face-Off! But first: We need your help telling a new story.

A listener struggles to navigate all the unspoken rules of middle-class life.

When money, death and grief mix there’s no playbook for what to do. And for years, one young man has been stuck.

This episode deals with depression and suicide. If you or someone you know needs to talk, call …

Most of us tell little white lies at some point or another to make things less weird about money. But what happens when disaster strikes, and your money situation becomes impossible to hide?

Aparna Nancherla has made a career in comedy, where she often delves into her own struggles with mental health. We look at what happens when your job …

Something to think about when you’re watching the new “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” this weekend: For every piece of this family’s massive empire, matriarch Kris Jenner takes a 10% cut. And when business and family …

You tell your mom you’re broke. You pretend to have student loans. You wear knock-off couture. People tell lies about money all the time. We asked about your “white lies” — and you didn’t disappoint.

After hooking up with her roommate, one woman can’t seem to avoid him — or his spending habits, and a couple tries showing their love for each other … in a way neither of them actually loves.

Reema was on one of our favorite podcasts, “Call Your Girlfriend,” a few weeks ago to answer listeners’ tricky money questions about divorce, student debt and (shudder) investing.

Caitlin Boston asked for a raise. Her boss gave her a hard no. Then she made it her mission to figure out what she was worth… and to get paid. Plus: we teach you how to get paid too.

We’re presenting a new segment this week called “The Group Chat.” It’s when we bring in friends of the pod to address your money and job problems. …

In the cutthroat world of professional classical music, Eric Abramovitz was headed toward a shining career. Until something — or someone — got in the way.

Two couples won a chance at pregnancy, but money has complicated their journeys to build a family.

This Halloween, we have listeners’ frightening stories of impulse buys, spooky scams and a very Hungry Heart.

“Nancy” host Tobin Low and journalist Julia Furlan join us this week to give advice on office gifts, financial independence and more in the latest …

An aspiring dancer finds a way to become debt-free. All she has to do is take on someone else’s.

After a rare cancer diagnosis, one family’s battle with insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and the endless bureaucracy, teaches them about the price tag the medical system can put on a person’s life.

By the way, …

Just in time for Thanksgiving, “This Is Uncomfortable” revisits the “jobs” we take on in our families — starting with Reema’s. Plus, one couple comes …

Earlier this year, Hayden started getting these surprise gifts in the mail. Once he realized who sent them to him, he wondered just how far the gift …

Reema tries to settle a debt she’s been avoiding. And what happens when one person in a relationship has way more money?

We’re rerunning a few of our …

In the cutthroat world of professional classical music, Eric Abramovitz was headed toward a shining career. Until something — or someone — got in the …

A listener struggles to navigate all the unspoken rules of middle-class life.

This is our last rerun before we return with new episodes later this …

We’re back Jan. 30 with new stories about life and how money messes with it. You know, the light stuff, like divorce, workaholism and financial …

Money gets complicated when a marriage falls apart. First we’ll hear from a divorce lawyer who ends up representing herself. Then from a couple trying to plan for the day they hate each other.

Reema (a skeptical Libra) talks with astrologer Chani Nicholas about the booming business of astrology and together they answer listener questions …

After getting married, Angie’s husband started to scrutinize every purchase. The situation soon got so much worse. We look at what happens when money …

When a shady business partner leaves a newly married couple on the hook for over $300,000, it tests the limits of “for better or worse.”

For even more “This Is Uncomfortable,” sign up for our new weekly newsletter at …

Sam Sanders, host of NPR’s “It’s Been A Minute” and Marketplace product specialist Sarah Menendez are here give advice on salary sharing, expensive …

When WeWork acquired her company, she got executive training, fancy corporate retreats and a dope Patagonia jacket. It was almost enough to make her forget everything she lost. This week: Why we’re so obsessed with our …

Would you spot a friend money if they needed it? How about if they asked every month? This week: the limits of friendship.

The coronavirus is changing how we think about money and community. We set out to see how people are coping and put together this audio care package.

And we want to check in on you, too — let us know what you’re going …

As states across the country close all non-essential businesses, people are rethinking what it means to do the right thing. Today we hear listeners’ stories of pay cuts, layoffs and telling employers they’re putting …

There are a lot of couples stuck at home right now. Some of them are out of work or dealing with canceled plans. Today, we’ll hear from two couples trying to figure out what their future will look like.

How do I keep from fighting with my partner about money? What do I say to a friend who’s just lost a job? This week, a little financial therapy session over zoom to help us all cope with our COVID-19 anxiety.

The clock is ticking for one college student after she finds out she’s pregnant in the middle of a pandemic, in a state that’s trying to restrict …

Danni Askini fought cancer for 18 months before getting COVID-19. Their focus was on surviving, not the cost of care. That didn’t make the bill any easier to take.

A woman grapples with her shopping addiction in quarantine.

By the way, we were just nominated for a Webby! Please take a second and vote for us at wbby.co/pod09.

Kevin Harrington was exonerated last month after spending 17 years in prison for a murder conviction. He and his family are overjoyed, but the coronavirus pandemic means freedom looks a little different right now.

By …

This week, we’re showcasing a story from our colleagues at “Terrible, Thanks For Asking”: When a supporting pillar is knocked out of a family, the …

When you’re 17 or 18, you’re often making choices that can dictate the course of your whole life. Making those decisions during a pandemic is even …

Millions of Americans who are out of work don’t receive unemployment benefits. That’s by design. An episode from “The Uncertain Hour’s” pop-up season “A History of Now.”

If you liked this epsiode, you can hear more at …

A teenager protesting police brutality lands in jail, and we try to understand the tricky business of bail.

Years ago, one woman put college on hold because she couldn’t afford it. Now she faces a hard choice to keep history from repeating itself. Plus: …

One woman’s fight against Silicon Valley’s racial pay gap. Plus, why it’s so hard for Black workers in tech to get ahead

Meet the professional auditor who can’t stand to look at his own bank account. Our team goes on an adventure to help a man who’s anxious about his spending get more comfortable checking his finances.

To get a new bike, this 11-year-old signs a contract to do the thing he hates most: math. How one family is using a tactic borrowed from the business …

When WeWork acquired her company, she got executive training, fancy corporate retreats and a dope Patagonia jacket. It was almost enough to make her forget everything she lost. This week: Why we’re so obsessed with our …

There are a lot of couples stuck at home right now. Some of them are out of work or dealing with canceled plans. Today, we’ll hear from two couples trying to figure out what their future will look like.

This is a rerun …

Money messes up everything. This pandemic is widening the wealth gap, pushing thousands of people into debt, and shifting family and relationship dynamics. Why do so many of us let our careers define who we are? Who …

From restricted access mail-in ballots to poll taxes, voting rights have always been tied to power and money.

One woman’s smile becomes a marker of poverty that feels impossible to escape.

Marilyn worked hard to afford her own home. But when a sheriff showed up at her front door with a summons for eviction court, suddenly she was stuck …

Money gets complicated when a marriage falls apart. First, we’ll hear from a divorce lawyer who ends up representing herself. Then from a couple trying to plan for the day they hate each other.

Plus: Have you hidden a …

Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman are very good friends. And as hosts of the podcast “Call Your Girlfriend,” and co-authors of “Big Friendship,” they’re also in business together. This week they sit down with Reema to talk …

You find out your partner has hidden thousands of dollars of debt. Now what?

Jordan Rosenfeld is a writer. Follow her on Twitter @Jordanrosenfeld.

This Halloween, we have listeners’ spooky stories about good ideas gone bad, from giving a hormonal teen a debit card to getting into business with a scammer. Plus, a Backstreet Boys obsession that goes awry.

After hooking up with her roommate, one woman can’t seem to avoid him — or his spending habits. Then, a couple tries showing their love for each other … in a way neither of them actually loves.

This episode originally …

The WNBA is a workplace with a track record of standing up for its rights and beliefs. And this year, players went up against an unlikely opponent: a U.S. senator who co-owns one of the league’s teams. Plus, we take a …

Jessie Suren grew up hearing the same advice over and over: College would be her ticket to the middle class, even if it meant taking out tens of …

Most of us tell little white lies at some point or another to make things less weird about money. But what happens when disaster strikes, and your money situation becomes impossible to hide?

This episode originally …

One woman pursues her idea of the American dream — home ownership — only to have it completely backfire.

The pandemic has been brutal on working moms. In September alone, women left the workplace at four times the rate that men did. The numbers are shocking, but behind them are real, human experiences. This week, we hear …

We live in a world that rewards us for producing, and producing, and producing. But why is it that no matter how much we do, it never feels like enough? This week, we’re going to look at our obsession with productivity …

This season we get into those gut-wrenching, eyebrow-raising money moments and the nagging feeling that one way or another, we’re all getting …

Axton Betz-Hamilton spent 20 years trying to track down an identity thief that wreaked havoc on her family, only to discover the truth was uglier than she’d imagined.

For more “This Is Uncomfortable,” subscribe to our …

Kiara Aceves felt a little lost after graduating high school. She didn’t know what her next steps would be until she was presented with a …

After spending years fighting to get disability benefits, Amber was finally approved. But she and her wife, Diana, didn’t realize they had entered a complicated, arcane system where health care might cost you your …

Society places a big premium on looking a certain way — our cleanliness, our class status, even our mental health is judged based on our appearance. Esther Calixte-Bea was taught at a young age to hide her body hair. …

Reporting on suicide is complicated. In trying to tell the story of someone who’s no longer here, which parts do you tell, which parts do you keep private? After a young woman dies by suicide, Reema sets out to …

When Lindsey Galbraith’s marriage ended over financial infidelity, she swore she would never mix money and relationships again. Then she met someone …

Growing up in Ohio, Diana Wang dreamed of working for a fashion magazine. So when she was offered the position of head intern at Harper’s Bazaar, she thought she’d finally landed her big break. But she didn’t realize …

Growing up, Aisha Salaudeen always considered herself middle-class. But when she turned 13, her parents sent her to boarding school in Lagos, …

Mira Celper had always wanted to be best friends with her mom, but their relationship grew strained once her mom started dating the mysterious David, …

We live in a world that rewards us for producing, and producing, and producing. But why is it that no matter how much we do, it never feels like enough? This week, we’re going to look at our obsession with productivity …

Many of us feel pressure to hit life milestones by a certain age. But what if that prepackaged timeline — finishing school, achieving financial …

What if we told you there was a way to walk away from your debts with no financial consequences? There’s just one big catch.

By 21, Anthony was on …

How do you bounce back from getting scammed? Become a scammer yourself, obviously. The inside story of a young man’s transformation into an online scammer — and the lengths he goes to for money when no one is looking.

…

“This Is Uncomfortable” is a podcast about our money and our feelings. And a lot of the money stuff we have the most feelings about we also like to keep secret.

In season five, the secret’s out.

We’re revealing …

The more Morgan Curtis learned about the source of her family’s multi-generation wealth — from gold mining, to fossil fuel investment, to slave …

When Ibby Hanlon started experiencing mysterious and debilitating pain, she put her faith in the medical system to find a solution. After a series of …

What happens when you stumble on something with the potential to change your life? Oscar (not their real name) was going through a rough patch in life when they found a bag of money in their dim basement apartment in …

Matthew Chow spent his adult life trying to build a close relationship with his estranged father. But just when he felt like he made real progress, …

When Sonia Delgado divorced her husband after 30 years of a bad marriage, she thought she’d finally seized financial freedom. She’d no longer have to go along with her ex’s money decisions, which had landed them in …

This week, we’re running a story from our colleagues at the new Marketplace podcast “How We Survive.” It’s about the climate, but it’s not all doom …

When you’re a kid, your parents make all the financial decisions for you. But what happens when you grow up … and don’t agree with their choices?

…

When Dalip Singh became taxi driver in New York City, he thought it’d be his ticket to the middle class. It would take years before he discovered …

Gina Serna is helping lead Colombia’s effort to sterilize the roughly 120 invasive hippos roaming the Magdalena River — hippos that were never …

The Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles has historically been home to tightknit immigrant communities. Francisco Gonzalez had lived in an apartment a block away from the neighborhood’s Mariachi Plaza for a decade …

“This is Uncomfortable,” our show about life and how money messes with it, is back for a new season starting May 5!

This season, we’re exploring love and relationships of all kinds. Because there’s probably no close …

Nicole and Rachel were deeply, happily in love when they had their first serious fight about money. Nicole’s two-year old nephew accidentally …

When Stephanie Stone’s older brother Michael died, their family didn’t have the money to pay for his burial. His body went unclaimed, and the county …

Last week, we followed Stephanie Stone’s years long journey to find her late brother Michael’s gravesite. This week, our team picks up the search. …

Rebecca Danigelis never planned to stop working. She was an executive housekeeper in Boston raising two kids as a single mom, and everything she …

Growing up, Chris was bullied. He was always the heaviest kid in the class, and his peers relentlessly made fun of him and his body. But Chris had a …

This episode originally aired May 2021.

Mira Celper had always wanted to be best friends with her mom, but their relationship grew strained once her …

Adam had worked his way up to manager at a branch of a global bank, only to see his responsibilities double during the pandemic. After trying to make it work, the extra duties without extra pay began to compromise his …

Six years in, Sana and Adnan Akhand loved being married to each other. But sharing everything — their apartment in New York City, their money, the …

This episode originally aired in May 2021. When Lindsey Galbraith’s marriage ended over financial infidelity, she swore she would never mix money and …