It's a strange time for all of us, but only healthcare workers know the particular stresses of caring for sick people right now—and what it feels like to put themselves at risk for contracting coronavirus every day they’re at work. In this epis

#39 One Story of Food, Friendship, and Caretaking in the Time of Corona

May 17th, 2020 23m 17s

Kimberly Chou was already experiencing a period of uncertainty this winter. Now we all are—and the stakes are high. Those of us who are lucky enough to be at home are seeking comfort, and Kimberly is finding it in food and gift giving. Plus: Un

#38 Single Life and Skin Hunger in Isolation

May 3rd, 2020 19m 2s

It’s hard not to think about touch right now, when it’s something so many of us are craving and can't have. In this episode, we explore physical contact, relationships and single life during the era of social distancing.

#37 One Family Successfully Quarantines and Finally Touches Again

Apr 25th, 2020 24m 5s

In our next isolation diary, host Julia Bainbridge's father records from the Maryland countryside, plus a relaxation meditation to help reduce anxiety right now.

#36 Finding Moments of Joy During Coronavirus Lockdown

Apr 15th, 2020 16m 23s

The Walking Dead actress Pollyanna McIntosh chooses good vibes over stress while sheltering in place in Los Angeles. Let her be your guide to finding happiness in the small things right now.

#35 The Era of Social Distancing

Apr 8th, 2020 35m 36s

We are social distancing—a term with which we're now all painfully familiar—in order to slow contagion of the coronavirus. In a break from format, host Julia Bainbridge talks more directly to listeners in this episode, and she consults various

TLH to the Rescue

Apr 5th, 2020 39s

We've been social distancing—a term with which we're now all painfully familiar—and so have you. But we've also been working: The Lonely Hour will have new episodes, starting this week, to help you through these strange, isolating times. Get re

#34 The Importance of Doing Nothing, with Jenny Odell

Aug 2nd, 2019 15m 26s

Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, talks about wandering, observing without judgment, and letting go of the idea that time is money. Part four of The Lonely Hour's mini-series, Inner Lives.Original illus

#33 How Loneliness Tells You Where to Go, with David Whyte

Aug 1st, 2019 18m 46s

Poet and philosopher David Whyte discusses his inner life and the importance of loneliness: "I've always felt that when you do feel loneliness, it's always a kind of inverse measure of what you actually belong to." Part three of The Lonely Hour

#32 How a Healthy Inner Life Improves the Outer Life, with Priya Parker

Jul 31st, 2019 9m 3s

Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, shares how discussing her childhood dreams with her mother equipped her with the tools to deeply understand what it is that she desired. Part two of The Lonely Hour's mini-series, Inner Lives.Origi

#31 Why Boredom Leads to Creativity, with Manoush Zomorodi

Jul 30th, 2019 9m 29s

Manoush Zomorodi, host of the Note to Self podcast, makes the case for rethinking our digital habits and being more purposeful about putting boredom into our lives. Part one of The Lonely Hour's mini-series, Inner Lives.Original illustration b

#30 The Loss of Faith and a Marriage, the Gaining of an Identity

Apr 3rd, 2019 34m

Having grown up in a born-again Christian community with strict rules governing how best to live, James finally woke up to the fact that he didn’t know himself—and that his marriage was crumbling. He turned inward, retreating to a cabin in the

#29 Facing Dead-of-Winter Maine Alone in a Tent

1 Mar 27th, 2019 18m 31s

Brandon Baltzley is the chef and co-owner of a restaurant called the Buffalo Jump. Determined to kick his substance abuse issues, he climbed a snow- and ice-covered hill in the dark to reach his home for the next month of his life: a yurt with

#28 One Month—No Schedule, No Internet, and No Electricity

Mar 20th, 2019 27m 5s

How losing both parents, navigating the transition of her only sibling, and extreme burnout led film producer Annabelle Dunne to seek solitude in Sri Lanka with just a cot and 17 books—and what it taught her about how she should lead her life n

#27 Looking for Clarity Halfway Around the World

1 Mar 13th, 2019 22m 49s

After a decade in New York working as a talent agent and a producer in fashion and a loss in her family, Kamey Butler sacrificed leaving her friends and familiar places to try to regain control the only way she knew how: She bought a one-way ti

Bonus

Alone Together: Spend Valentine’s Day With Yourself If You Want To

Feb 14th, 2019 11m 23s

Comedian Lane Moore, host of Tinder Live author of the new essay collection How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't, talks about “stranger luck” and how she plans on spending Valentine’s Day with her dog, Lights.

We’re baaaaaccckkkkk!

Jan 15th, 2019 2m 8s

Find four new episodes of The Lonely Hour on Stitcher Premium. Subscribe now at stitcher.com/lonelyhour.

#26 The Loneliness of Losing Yourself

Jun 14th, 2017 19m 27s

Abandon Me author and former heroin addict and dominatrix Melissa Febos discusses what it’s like to lose your identity to addiction and obsession—and host Julia Bainbridge signs off with a meditation on living in that loneliness.

Season Two, Episode Eleven: Weird in a World That's Not

Jun 7th, 2017

Illustration by Payton Cosell TurnerJennifer Romolini is my former boss. Well, she was my boss’s boss, really, at Yahoo, over

#25 Weird in a World That’s Not

Jun 7th, 2017 23m 7s

Jennifer Romolini, author of the new memoir and career guide, Weird in a World That's Not, opens her book with this: “I am not supposed to be here. I spent the first 28 years of my life as a fuckup and a failure. I failed and I failed and I fai

Coming Next Week!

May 30th, 2017 2m 29s

Writer Jennifer Romolini visits the show next week. Here's an excerpt from her new book, Weird in a World That's Not.

Season Two, Episode Ten: The Hermit

May 24th, 2017

Illustration by Payton Cosell TurnerAt 20 years old, Christopher Thomas Knight drove to the woods in central Maine and then le

#24 Alone in the Maine Woods for 27 Years

May 24th, 2017 25m 55s

At the age of 20, Christopher Knight left his car and the rest of the world behind: He didn’t send a letter, spend any money, or use the internet for over two decades. He said one word to one person, accidentally, during that time. Michael Fink

Season Two, Episode Nine: The Hidden Figure

May 17th, 2017

Illustration by Payton Cosell TurnerWe can sleepwalk through life, can’t we? Then something wakes us up. We look in the mirror

#23 When You’re a Stranger To Yourself

May 17th, 2017 14m 49s

Brooke Russell stepped onto the scale and couldn’t believe the number she saw. She tells the story of how, as she struggled with disordered eating, she kept herself away from others.