Death, Sex & Money

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Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.

3 DAYS AGO

Manhood: It’s Complicated

Six and a half years ago, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, we asked our listeners how they think about manhood–how to be, what’s hard, where they feel lost. Fast forward to 2025, and the norms and trends around manhood are even more varied and complicated. So we thought it would be a good time to revisit the stories from 2018 and provide updates on some of the men we heard from. If you are a man, or are raising a man, or love a man, and want to share more about what you’re noticing about mixed signals about manhood and masculinity today and where you get stuck, record a voice memo and send it to us at deathsexmoney@slate.com. Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus. And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

50 min
FEB 12 · BONUS • SLATE PLUS ONLY

Bonus: Is Addiction a Disease or a Choice?

Dr. Nzinga Harrison, addiction medicine specialist and author of "Un-Addiction: 6 Mind-Changing Conversations That Could Save a Life", talks about what the latest scientific research says about why people start using drugs and how to support them if they do. Dr. Harrison also hosts a podcast called “Un-Addiction” (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/un-addiction-with-nzinga-harrison-md/id1708986521) and she’s the co-founder of Eleanor Health (www.eleanorhealth.com/), an outpatient drug treatment program. Listen to Anna’s episode with James T. Morrison from last summer here - https://slate.com/podcasts/death-sex-money/2024/07/drug-policy-debate-health-sobriety-recovery Dr Harrison's book - https://www.amazon.com/Addiction%2DMind%2DChanging%2DConversations%2DCould%2DAddiction/dp/1454950870 This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock this episode, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/dsmplus to get access wherever you listen.

50 min
FEB 11

After Sobriety, Chasing Goosebumps Instead of Highs

When the poet and writer Kaveh Akbar likes something, he really likes it. As a high school student, he got hooked on poetry. In college, it was alcohol. This week, Kaveh talks to Anna Sale about the factors that led to his sobriety, and he explains exactly how he manages a life that’s full of healthy, wonderful obsessions as well as problematic ones. Kaveh’s critically acclaimed novel Martyr! is now available in paperback. You can read about his temporary fixation on collecting basketball cards in GQ. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus. And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

49 min
FEB 5 · BONUS • SLATE PLUS ONLY

Bonus: Why I Narrated an Audiobook About a Green Energy Fight

Recently, DSM host Anna Sale came across a book she liked so much that she offered to narrate the audio version. The book is by Amy Gamerman, and it’s called The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West. It tells the real story of a down-on-his-luck cattle farmer who decides to build wind turbines and the wealthy newcomers who try to stop him. In this Slate Plus episode, Anna talks to the author about what makes this story so special and so critical. We’re also sharing a brief excerpt of the audiobook. The full audiobook, narrated by Anna, is available here -- https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Crazies/Amy-Gamerman/9781797186603 Podcast production by Cameron Drews. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive bonus episodes of Death, Sex & Money—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Death, Sex & Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/dsmplus to get access wherever you listen.

38 min
FEB 4

The “Chest-Clenching Fear” of My Ex-Husband’s Jan 6 Commutation

In 2023, Anna and On The Media’s Micah Loewinger traveled to Montana to talk to Tasha Adams, the ex-wife of Stewart Rhodes, who founded the far-right paramilitary group, the Oath Keepers. Stewart had been charged with seditious conspiracy for his participation in the January 6 Capitol riots, and Tasha was eagerly awaiting sentencing: “I need him to stay locked away so my kids can legally cut contact with him when they’re 18.” Tasha described their decades-long marriage, from their courtship in a ballroom dance class in Las Vegas, to abuse and isolation as Stewart became transfixed on politics and apocalyptic ideas. She and her six kids managed to escape in 2018. And shortly after our conversation there was some good news for Tasha: her divorce was finalized, and Stewart got a long sentence – 18 years. Then Trump was re-elected, and on his first day in office he issued nearly 1,500 pardons and commuted the sentences of 14 of his supporters in connection with Jan. 6. Among them was Stewart. This week we’re replaying our 2023 conversation with Tasha, as well as a portion of a follow-up conversation we recorded with her right before Trump’s inauguration. Watch: Trailer for ‘King of the Apocalypse’ Podcast production by Zoe Azulay Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus. And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

59 min
JAN 28

The Kind of Man a Bullied Boy Becomes

Comedian Gary Gulman is used to dealing with bullies. He grew up with older brothers, who he describes as "aggressive" and “unenlightened,” and he’s witnessed plenty of unkind behavior from his peers in the New York City comedy scene. This is all despite being, in his words, “very, very sensitive.” This week, Gary talks about managing that sensitivity, standing up for his principles, and becoming more secure in who he is as a comedian and a man. Podcast production by Andrew Dunn. Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus. And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

51 min
JAN 22 · BONUS • SLATE PLUS ONLY

Bonus: What Was ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Really For?

Slate senior writer Scaachi Koul joins the show to discuss her reporting on the porn company Girls Gone Wild and its founder Joe Francis. Scaachi is co-executive producer of a new docuseries on Peacock called Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive bonus episodes of Death, Sex & Money—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Death, Sex & Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/dsmplus to get access wherever you listen.

34 min
JAN 21

‘Babygirl’ Director Wants Women Not to Suppress Their Beast

Babygirl, the new erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman, features an age-gap romance and a power imbalance. But according to the filmmaker Halina Reijn, it’s more about “what part of us is civilized…and what part of us is still driven by primal forces.” It’s also extremely entertaining, sexy, and dryly hilarious. This week, Halina Reijn talks about why she wrote the movie, her decision to move away from a very successful and decades-long acting career, and her mission to get us all talking more openly about our sexual desires. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus. And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

58 min

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7,313 Ratings

Love DSM And Anna - Hate Slates Choices of Advertisement

Jan 28

Katie Skaw

Okay I’ve been listening to DSM for almost a decade. Anna Sale is an interview goddess - she is truly such a unique talent for seeing and being seen. However - in the Babygirl episode - which is all about women embracing their inner beast and not subscribing to societal pressures - each commerical was a freaking female directed weight loss app, method, etc. I have whiplash from going from the feminist discussions to “LOSE WEIGHT WITH HERS”. The transparency of Slates Marketing and Comms team assessing the demographic market of DSM and selling to this companies is comically ridiculous. Anna Sale and DSM are awesome, Slate be better with your targeted marketing.
Bring back old episodes

Feb 11

Meg Reynolds1983

Do you have any new episodes or just repeats??? You ask us to subscribe to listen to… episodes we have already heard???? The valentines episode is the 3rd time you have played that episode. Seriously? Another rerun with no new content this week. Replaying old episodes with zero new episodes is not podcasting. Most episodes are still just repeats I don’t get it. Why not have new episodes based on the content you used to do rather than interviews with random people no one has heard of. Such a dumb move. I’m miss when you talked about things like death, sex, and money. Now it’s just boring interviews with people no one has ever heard of. Bring back the juicy episodes! So many reviews say this, you gotta listen to us Anna! Stop interviewing boring people. Every week it’s a rerun or an interview with the world’s most boring person who has less than nothing to say.
Forever listener

Jan 17

JamieBeesknees

I have listened to Death, Sex & Money since it was on NPR and I’d have the driveway moment of being unable to leave the car until the show was over. Anna Sale has been my companion for so many years. I love her calm demeanor and her ability to Admit when she’s made a mistake. Thank you for years of thoughtful interviews and conversations.
Flawless

12/13/2024

doodlehere

The pacing, along with the wide range of subject matter and the steady hand of host anna sale make this a truly great show. No notes.