IT'S BEEN A MINUTE+

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It's Been a Minute

NPR

Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

  1. So you've changed. Will it stick?

    15h ago

    So you've changed. Will it stick?

    What makes us change – or not change? Change happens to all of us – but what actually happens to us when we change, and how does that change stick? Sometimes there isn't a clear answer, but Benoit Denizet-Lewis, associate professor at Emerson College and author of the book You've Changed: the Promise and Price of Self Transformation, tried to find out what makes change happen. He followed bullies who became Buddhists, gay atheists who became straight evangelicals, political party switchers, people in personality disorder therapy, and prisoners seeking parole.Brittany is joined by Benoit to find out how change happens to us – and how we understand personal transformation in our culture. (00:00) What makes change happen to us?(02:29) When your friend changes - and you don't recognize them anymore(05:47) Can we intentionally change our core personalities?(11:38) How social media shapes our understanding of change(18:17) Parole hearings and the performance of change in the prison system(21:11) Should we spend time trying to change ourselves, or trying to change the world? For more episodes about how we change or how to make it happen, check out:This is your summer of self-loveFree will and the cult of "high agency"How to survive a millennial midlife crisis Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    25 min
  2. What does freedom actually look like?

    3d ago

    What does freedom actually look like?

    What does freedom mean today? Happy Juneteenth! For those not in the know, today commemorates when U.S. federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed – a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated all over the country, especially in Texas and across the South, where Juneteenth parades, cookouts, festivals and pageants happen every year. Two weeks from now, the country will celebrate the Fourth of July – and its 250th anniversary. For many Black Americans, there’s always been a tension between these holidays – and their two different ideals for what it means to be free. As voting rights protections are rolled back and Black history is being scrubbed from government websites, what does freedom look like for Black Americans today? To get into it, Brittany is joined by Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson, chair of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. For more episodes about the quality of Black life in America, check out:Jesse Jackson & the end of the civil rights superheroIs the economy slowing? Ask Black women.What to expect when you're expecting racism Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    20 min
  3. Why Queer Third Spaces Matter

    5d ago

    Why Queer Third Spaces Matter

    Where do queer people gather? In honor of Pride Month, we're looking at those sanctuary spaces where LGBTQ+ people can celebrate, strategize, and simply exist…especially amidst a hostile political climate and lackluster feelings about corporate Pride. Brittany is joined by Erik Piepenburg, author of Dining Out, First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants and Diners, and Lucas Hilderbrand, author of The Bars are Ours: Histories and Cultures of Gay Bars in America, 1960 and After to bring us out of the bars and into diners, crafts circles, book clubs, and other third spaces where queer folks are finding community and joy. For more episodes queer life? Check out these episodes: In search for a safe space to cryThe Pride month vibes are off, but there's still hope. Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    25 min
  4. Generative AI's race problem

    6d ago

    Generative AI's race problem

    Generative AI has been creating race-based content, and the results are...uncomfortable. Brittany’s been getting served a lot of AI generated videos of older Asian men, who seem to be feng shui experts of some kind, espousing the benefits of having a “lazy wife” in your household. But it doesn’t stop there. Today’s guest, Bridget Todd, host of There Are No Girls on the Internet and author of the audiobook, Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, has been ringing the alarm about AI generated videos featuring Black women. Some are AI slop, while others perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Black women -- and there’s a market for it. Bridget joins the show to get into how generative AI has skewed perceptions around race, gender, and privilege online. Bridget's first audiobook, Love at First Prompt: AI and the Future of Intimacy, is available for pre-order now from LoveAtFirstPrompt.AI and comes out July 14th from Simon & Schuster.  Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    35 min
  5. Why Gen Z is movie-maxxing

    Jun 15

    Why Gen Z is movie-maxxing

    What’s bringing Gen Z to the theaters? Backrooms and Obsession are two recent horror films that have done massive numbers – and their success has been driven, in large part, by Gen Z. Even beyond these films, Gen Z is now the largest moviegoing audience, according to a couple of recent surveys. But what’s bringing the short-form video generation to theaters? And what makes a movie… a Gen Z movie? To get into it, Brittany is joined by Sam Adams, staff writer at Slate, and Reanna Cruz, entertainment journalist and critic. (00:00) The Gen Z movie moment(03:47) Obsession vs. Backrooms(11:06) What's bringing Gen Z to movie theaters(15:04) Doomer vibes and digital worlds: what makes a movie a Gen Z movie(21:40) Will we see more Gen Z movies after Obsession and Backrooms? For more episodes about where film or Gen Z culture, check out:Gen Z is afraid of sex — and for good reasonWomen deserve revenge. Do they get to have it?Onscreen cannibalism and our hunger for love Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    23 min
  6. Who needs to know where you are?

    Jun 12

    Who needs to know where you are?

    Is location tracking building relationships? Or ruining them? Four in 10 U.S. adults share their locations with at least one person. But while it's convenient, is it also a violation of privacy? And who really needs to know where you are? We're getting into how location sharing became a norm, the pros and cons, and how to turn it off without making things weird. Brittany breaks it all down with Gina Cherelus, New York Times styles reporter and writer of their Third Wheel dating column, and Tatum Hunter, internet culture reporter at The Washington Post. This episode first aired on December 3, 2025. For more episodes about where culture, tech, and relationships meet, check out:The Coldplay kiss cam & moral surveillanceMe and my partner don't see eye-to-eye about AI. Now what?The joy of breaking up with dating apps Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    19 min
  7. What makes a song a ‘millennial song’

    Jun 10

    What makes a song a ‘millennial song’

    What song best defines the millennial generation? On this episode from our friends at All Songs Considered, NPR Music editors Hazel Cills and Sheldon Pearce join host Robin Hilton to weigh the options and attempt to pick the one song that best captures the Millennial experience, from the dizzying highs of the dot-com boom, when anything seemed possible, to the post-9-11 bust, the "hope and change" of the Obama years, and prolonged period of generational disillusionment. Want more on the culture of pop music?The D-List pop star purgatoryBad Bunny redefined what "America" means Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    30 min
  8. How do you heal from 'Church Hurt?’

    Jun 9

    How do you heal from 'Church Hurt?’

    The church has long been a site of healing and hurt. Is that changing? While some have found community, joy, support, and love in their church home, others have faced isolation, shame, abandonment, and even deep traumatic wounds. But if you don’t necessarily want to give up your religion or leave the church - what does repair look like? What does spirituality look like for those who have ‘church hurt?’ To get into it, Brittany is joined by Candice Marie Benbow, theologian and author of Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough, and Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, author of Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging. Candice and Timothy show Brittany how ‘church hurt’ stretches out from the pulpit and into cultural norms around gender, sexuality, acceptance. And they teach Brittany what it means to create a spiritual relationship on your own terms. Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus. Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

    54 min
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4.7
out of 5
9,149 Ratings

About

Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDSIt’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.If you can't get enough, try It's Been a Minute Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/itsbeenaminute

Information

  • Creator
    NPR
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.2K
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2015-2025 NPR - For Personal Use Only
  • Show Website
    It's Been a Minute
  • Provider
    NPR

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