We laughed, we cried, and we felt more informed, too.

This is one of our very favorite recent episodes of our own podcast—we’re downright obsessed with the book that Courtney wrote about the changing American dream (so pick that up, too).

Co-hosts (and NYT writers) Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris talk about culture and race and what’s happening in the world, always with savvy, intelligence, and charisma.

Every episode of Death, Sex & Money—which covers those three topics—is captivating, but talking sexuality with someone who was the face of Calvin Klein jeans at age 15 is especially rich.

You’ll think about this episode, about transforming a situation by responding to it in the opposite way that people would expect, for days. Guaranteed.

Zac writes celebrity profiles that are so, so much more than that, and he deep-dives into his approach here.

Ugh, these two—so crazily inspiring.

Sure, you hear about the mental effects of running and exercise in general all the time, but stories of actual people feel so much stronger than stats.

Rarely do we get to hear Terry Gross talk about herself, and this made us want more, more, more.

Juliet and our pal Amanda make you feel good—informed, even—for caring what’s happening in the lives of Taylor Swift, Drake, and Prince Harry.

If you don’t know Fun Home by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel, then what are you doing?! We’ll consume just about any media about her, but Debbie Millman’s podcast is especially good at going deep with creative types.