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Life Kit

From NPR

Everyone needs a little help being a human. From sleep to saving money to parenting and more, we talk to the experts to get the best advice out there. Life Kit is here to help you get it together.

Want another life hack? Try Life Kit+. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks an exclusive sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/lifekit.

Most Recent Episodes

Tricks to boost your credit score
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Tricks to boost your credit score

A strong credit score can make major purchases and financial transactions much easier. Here's how to make yours better and keep it high. (This episode originally ran in November 2020.)

Tricks to boost your credit score

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Defining masculinity on your own terms

The "man box" refers to the strict expectations we learn about what it means to be a "real man." In reality, those rules limit the way masculine folks believe they can move through the world. On this episode of Life Kit, stories and tips to break free of the "man box."

Defining masculinity on your own terms

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5 questions to ask each other before marriage
Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop

5 questions to ask each other before marriage

It takes more than love to sustain a marriage. In this episode, a marriage social scientist goes over the big questions to ask about your relationship and your values before getting hitched.

5 questions to ask each other before marriage

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Braving the 'quarterlife' crisis
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Braving the 'quarterlife' crisis

Stuck between two conflicting desires and can't seem to move forward? Psychotherapist Satya Doyle Byock shares an exercise called "My Two Conflicting Selves" to help people find a compromise. (This episode originally ran in October 17, 2022).

Braving the 'quarterlife' crisis

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Finding joy in the face of sorrow
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Finding joy in the face of sorrow

Poet Ross Gay knows a thing or two about finding joy in life's most difficult moments. He talks with It's Been a Minute host Brittany Luse about his new book of essays, "Inciting Joy" — which covers the complexity of joy, the beauty of grace, and meaning in life.

Finding joy in the face of sorrow

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So you want to be a mentor
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So you want to be a mentor

In this episode, we talk about who can be a mentor, how to structure the relationship, and how to have tricky conversations with your mentees. Also, how to make sure it's not a one-sided relationship.

So you want to be a mentor

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The truth about caffeine

75% of Americans consume some kind of caffeine at least once a day — whether that's coffee, tea, soda or energy drinks. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The truth about caffeine

75% of Americans consume some kind of caffeine at least once a day. Whether your caffeine of choice is coffee, tea, soda or energy drinks, how do you know that it's working for you and not against you? We speak with experts about how you can assess your relationship to caffeine and explore why caffeine may not deserve its bad rap.

The truth about caffeine

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The period talk you never got
LA Johnson/NPR

The period talk you never got

This episode, we hear from two period experts on understanding the science of periods, management techniques and how to know when something is wrong.

The period talk you never got

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Photographs by Jair Medina Nossa/Unsplash; Becky Harlan/NPR; Collage by Becky Harlan/NPR

Dear Life Kit: Do I have to listen to my boss complain?

An employee struggles to cope with her boss's constant oversharing and negativity. Journalist and host of the podcast Work Appropriate Anne Helen Petersen shares advice for establishing boundaries ... with your boss.

Dear Life Kit: Do I have to listen to my boss complain?

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Can I afford to quit my job?

Longing to quit your job and follow your passion? Or perhaps take a break to travel? Or move to a new place? First, you'll need to look at your finances. In this episode, Jill Schlesinger, a certified financial planner and business analyst for CBS News, walks through her five steps for assessing your financial situation before a possible life change.

Can I afford to quit my job?

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