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Beck Harlan Beck Harlan is a visual and engagement editor for NPR's Life Kit.
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Beck Harlan

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Beck Harlan/NPR

Beck Harlan

Engagement Editor, Life Kit

Beck Harlan (she/her) is a visual and digital editor for NPR's Life Kit, which brings readers and listeners actionable advice on health, finances, relationships, parenting and more.

Previously, she served as a producer on NPR's video team, creating content for the series "Maddie About Science" and "Future You with Elise Hu"; explainers covering everything from the impact of green roofs in New York City to food deserts in Washington, D.C.; and interview-based videos that create space for individuals to share their own experience on topics like treaty relations between the U.S. and Native Nations and menstruation.

Before she came to NPR in 2016, Harlan was an associate photo editor at National Geographic.

Harlan has an MA in new media photojournalism from the Corcoran College of Art and Design and a BA in art history from Furman University.

Story Archive

Saturday

A collage shows a calendar with four dates circled in red, symbolizing birthdays. A hand, colored in red, points to one of the dates, and colorfully-wrapped birthday gifts fall down from the sky in the background.

When disagreements centered around money arise between loved ones, watch out for "relationship challenges masquerading as money challenges," says Katie Gatti Tassin, author of Rich Girl Nation: Taking Charge of Our Financial Futures. Mininyx Doodle/Getty Images; Anna Efetova/Getty Images/Collage by NPR hide caption

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Mininyx Doodle/Getty Images; Anna Efetova/Getty Images/Collage by NPR

Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: Do I have to buy birthday gifts for my 18 nieces and nephews?

Experts answer a round of finance questions from NPR's audience, including how to financially support a friend with Stage 4 cancer and how to stop paying for your parents. 

Friday

A photo collage shows a cut-out of a person's head in half-tone style as they rest their chin in their hand. The top of their head above the nose is cut off, and neon yellow squiggles represent feelings of jealousy and confusion as they process. The background of the image is cobalt blue.
Alona Horkova/Getty Image

Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: My friend says ugly things about her body and it makes me anxious

Body-acceptance advocate Katie Sturino and Ronald Young Jr., host of the podcast Weight for It, answer listener questions about body image, weight loss drugs and bullying.

Dear Life Kit: I'm jealous of my partner's weight loss

Listen · 18:23
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Thursday

A photograph shows two people peeking over a light wooden fence, a blue sky overhead, as though they're spying on their neighbors. One is wearing a hat and they are both wearing sunglasses.
Shannon Fagan/Getty Images

Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: My neighbor's Christmas lights are still up. Should I call the HOA?

An NPR listener writes: "We live in a nice neighborhood that has homeowner association rules, and our neighbor is violating them." Social etiquette experts weigh in.

Dear Life Kit: I'm having neighbor drama

Listen · 19:54
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Tuesday

A photo collage shows a Polaroid photo with the image of a child's teddy bear lying in an empty wooden chair in front of a green wall. In the foreground, a photo of a man's lower body, wearing dress clothes and a backpack with his hands in his pocket, walks out of the frame.

My best friend told me if I ever had kids, it would be the end of our friendship. Photographs by Getty Images; Collage by Beck Harlan/NPR hide caption

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Photographs by Getty Images; Collage by Beck Harlan/NPR

Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: My best friend said he'd unfriend me if I ever had kids

A reader is taken aback by her best friend's reaction to the possibility that she might want kids. He says that if she had kids, it would change everything between them. Friendship experts weigh in.

Dear Life Kit: Can I tell my friend she texts me too much?

Listen · 20:13
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Wednesday

Halftone collage of smartphone hands,
Polinmr/Getty Images; NPR

Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: My friend texts me way too much. How do I get her to stop?

An NPR listener says her friend pings her morning, noon and night, even if she doesn't respond. She'd like to say something, but she's afraid it will hurt her friend's feelings.

Dear Life Kit: Can I tell my friend she texts me too much?

Listen · 20:13
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Thursday

Photograph of a wilted rose in a vase with fallen petals, in silhouette against a sea-foam color scheme.
NoSystem images/Getty Images/E+

Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: My friend kissed me and I liked it. Now he wants to take it back!

Plus: how to deal with an awful brother-in-law, what to do with a box of mementos you shared with your ex and how to tell a bestie you don't want to go on a couples trip.

Dear Life Kit: He kissed me then took it back

Listen · 19:42
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Saturday

Illustration that shows small red hearts forming a circle in the same style as a computer symbol that signifies "loading." The hearts begin fairly transparent and become increasingly more opaque. Below the circle white text reads "Loading ..."

An NPR listener reads written correspondence between her husband and his close female colleague on his work computer, and is surprised by the intimacy of their conversation. Eoneren/Getty Images hide caption

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Eoneren/Getty Images

Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: My husband is more emotional with his work wife than he is with me

An NPR listener wonders whether her husband's relationship with a female colleague is too close for comfort. He says she's being competitive for no reason, and that he sees the woman as a 'sister.'

Dear Life Kit: He kissed me then took it back

Listen · 19:42
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Saturday

Photograph of a deflated soccer ball sitting in high grass.
Photo illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Life Kit

So your kid wants to quit soccer (or piano, or swim class). Should you let them?

Piano lessons and soccer practice can encourage grit. But if your kid isn't into it, it can become a stress-inducing obligation. Here's how to have hard conversations with your child about quitting.

Should you let your kid quit something?

Listen · 21:39
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Monday

Photograph of a mother embracing her two daughters at school drop off. The school-aged children wear backpacks and are seen in front of their school building. The family is pictured from behind. Talking through what to expect at school before a new year begins and adopting a goodbye ritual are two tips from experts on helping to prepare your child for the changes as they begin a new year.

The transition back to school can be overwhelming for kids. Explaining the changes and setting expectations can help them feel more prepared to take on the year. Urbazon/Getty Images hide caption

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Urbazon/Getty Images

Life Kit

Snuggles, pep talks and love notes: 10 ways to calm your kid’s back-to-school jitters

Teachers, pediatricians and child development experts share loving, creative advice on how to ease children (and their parents!) into a new school year.

Sunday

Books

NPR staffers share their favorite fiction of 2024 so far

NPR staffers recommend five of this year's new novels for summer reading: "The Ministry of Time," "The Familiar," "Come and Get It," "Memory Place," and "Sex, Lies and Sensibility."

NPR staffers share their favorite fiction of 2024 so far

Listen · 5:16
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Tuesday

Thursday

Dear Life Kit: Should I spend $1,000 on a wedding gift?
Photo illustration by Becky Harlan/Getty Images/NPR

Perspective

Dear Life Kit

Dear Life Kit: Should I spend $1,000 on a wedding gift?

Etiquette coach Myka Meier revisits traditional wedding customs, including the cost of wedding gifts — and how much a mother-in-law should contribute to the matrimonial budget.

Dear Life Kit: Should I spend $1,000 on a wedding gift?

Listen · 14:55
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Thursday

Friday

Monday

So you don't want kids. Here's how to respond to unwanted comments
Ana Galvañ for NPR

Perspective

Life Kit

So you don't want kids. Here's how to respond to unwanted comments

If you've decided not to have kids, your life will look different from what you might have seen growing up. Here's how to build your child-free life, with or without a long-term partner. We talk about finding community, planning for the future, making a financial plan and responding to some of the comments and judgments of other people.

So you don't want kids. Here's how to respond to unwanted comments

Listen · 18:38
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Sunday

Monday

Monday

The 5-minute daily playtime ritual that can get your kids to listen better

Life Kit visuals editor Becky Harlan engages her 2-year-old son, August Grabowsky, in "special time." It's a kind of child-directed playtime that children's health professionals say can be helpful in treating disruptive conduct in kids. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo/NPR

Life Kit

The 5-minute daily playtime ritual that can get your kids to listen better

Called "special time," the strategy is widely recommended by children's health professionals to help reduce behavioral issues in young children. Here's a guide on how to do it with your kids at home.

The 5-minute daily playtime ritual that can get your kids to listen better

Listen · 14:15
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Saturday

Thursday

How to take better (and more distinctive) photos on vacation

Harlan shares a collage of images from a family beach trip. She knew she wanted photos of a sandcastle, her family at the beach at dusk, downtime at the house and the cousins playing together in the pool. Creating a "shot list" in advance of images she hoped to capture helped her "leave her trip with no regrets," she says. Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Life Kit

How to take better (and more distinctive) photos on vacation

When your smartphone can hold thousands of photos, it's tempting to snap away. But that approach may not actually help you capture the best moments. These tips on creating stunning images will help you more meaningfully document your trips.

How to take better (and more distinctive) photos on vacation

Listen · 20:49
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Sunday

Monday

6 tips to help you overcome your fear of flying
Becky Harlan/NPR

Life Kit

6 tips to help you overcome your fear of flying

Whether you're a nervous flyer, you'll do almost anything to avoid flying, or you have an actual flying phobia, these tips from associate professor of psychiatry Luana Marques, Ph.D. can help you overcome a fear of flying.

6 tips to help you overcome your fear of flying

Listen · 22:11
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Sunday

Sunday

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