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How to manifest your best year yet Dec 26, 2025

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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?
Brittany calls on Tara Isabella Burton, an author and journalist, and New York Magazine's Rebecca Jennings to get to the bottom of this trend: the appeal of manifestation, its symbiotic relationship with the internet, and why it might make us less aware of our humanity.
This episode originally aired on March 31, 2025.
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How Christianity got popular again Dec 24, 2025

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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 Christians.
In the episode, Brittany talks with Christianity Today reporter Kelsey Kramer McGinnis to understand the multi-billion dollar machine behind the Christian Contemporary Music genre and how this behind-the-scenes system impacts what music you hear.
This episode originally aired on July 23, 2025.
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The not-so-secret lives of Mormon women Dec 22, 2025

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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 discuss how Mormon culture provides some of TikTok's most powerful influencers with heavenly tools for viral success.
This episode originally aired on November 12, 2024.
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The embarrassing truth of dating men Dec 19, 2025

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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.
“Men are trash” music that reflects these feelings isn’t new, but NPR Music editor Hazel Cills says it’s making a comeback. So what makes this time different? And what can we learn from this moment's heteropessimism about the realities of dating men today?
(0:00) How Heteropessimism went mainstream
(4:21) What makes this "Men are trash" moment different than the past?
(7:55) What do women want from their relationships?
(14:59) How long will we be in the "men are trash" era?
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The real meaning of "6 7" Dec 17, 2025

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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. He's here now to report back to Brittany and get into why some memes aren't for everyone.
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The Winners & Losers of 2025 Dec 15, 2025

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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 and run through the moments we want to remember or forget.
This year's categories & nominees are:
Word of the Year:
"Slop"
"Clock it"
"Labubu"
Villain of the Year:
Sydney Sweeney
Glinda the Good Witch
Billionaires
The Candle in the Dark:
PinkPantheress
One of Them Days
Liniker
Not-on-My-Bingo Card:
KPop Demon Hunters
Yolanda Adams
Katy Perry
Who will win?
(0:00) How will you look back on 2025?
(2:30) The Word of the Year: Slop, Clock It, or Labubu?
(7:51) Villain of the Year: Sydney Sweeney, Billionaires, Wicked Glinda?
(18:07) What brought you joy this year?
(23:23) Not-on-my-Bingo Card: Kpop Demon Hunters, Yolanda Adams, Katy Perry
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The secret to Heated Rivalry's success Dec 12, 2025

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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? And why are straight women and gay men equally into the sex scenes?
Michel Ghanem, TV critic and columnist of “Appointment Viewing” for The Cut, and Glen Weldon, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, join the show to get into why we’re all waiting for every new episode with bated breath.
(0:00) What is Heated Rivalry really about?
(2:40) How successful is the gay TV show?
(6:05) Why are straight women into gay romance?
(9:25) Why all audiences see something new in the sex scenes
(12:12) Can straight actors play queer characters?
(18:30) "Wait, What?!" A Pop Culture Trivia Game
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That friend's wedding is too dang expensive… Dec 10, 2025

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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 Allyson Rees, senior analyst at trend forecasting firm WGSN, and Annie Joy Williams, assistant editor at The Atlantic.
(0:00) For hosts AND guests, weddings are getting really expensive
(2:22) How much it costs to attend someone's wedding
(4:58) Men are spending just as much as women
(7:30) Weddings, social media, and "main character" energy
(11:32) Is this the one night we get to pretend we're ultra rich?
(13:42) How to say no to a friend's wedding
(17:00) Do weddings prove who your friends really are?
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Do kids need a dad? Ask single moms. Dec 08, 2025

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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.
Brittany is joined by Pallavi Gogoi, NPR's Chief Business Editor, and Danielle Elliot, writer and a single mother. You can read Pallavi's reporting here.
(0:00) Hitting reset on the definition of "family" and "single mom"
(5:42) The power & agency of being a single mom
(7:30) Does your child need a present father?
(15:11) The struggles of being a single parent
(18:29) Tips for raising a kid by yourself
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Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse
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Woke is BACK! ...really? Dec 05, 2025

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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 writer at The Atlantic and co-host of the podcast, Time to Say Goodbye.
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(0:00) When did Woke end?
(4:22) Why Woke doesn't work when racism is still on the rise
(8:50) Target, Sydney Sweeney, and America's appetite for racism
(12:08) The rise of "Dark Woke" & will it work?
(13:51) Is Zohran Mamdani a sign of a new kind of Woke?
(15:40) How MAGA made the blueprint for Woke 2.0
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