866: Watch Out for That Tree

This American Life

09/05/25

•

67m

About

Comments

Featured In

Small human plans that run into much larger obstacles.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

Prologue: Angela's dad, an accountant, made a spreadsheet to prepare for their family trip to a national park. But there are things you never think to put in a spreadsheet. (7 minutes)
Act One: A young couple, excited to start a new chapter in their lives, is suddenly put on a very different trajectory. (30 minutes)
Act Two: A sixteen-year-old plans out a prank, and a complete stranger from Honduras ends up in a million-dollar deal. What could go wrong? (25 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

August 31, 2025

•

61m

People starting over—sometimes because they want to, other times because they have to.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks to Jorge Just, who thought he'd started over successfully. He'd moved to New York, found an apartment that everyone told him was a great deal, things were looking good. Then a reality television show visited his building. (8 minutes)
Act One: Molly FitzSimons tells the story of her father starting over. After 25 years in the same zip code, as an executive in the same company, he moved to Los Angeles and tried to start over in a new life with a new venture: A cable channel, with no people, no talking, no plots, but lots and lots of puppies. (15 minutes)
Act Two: Mary Beth Kirchner documents one day in the life of a hustler named Joe, who wakes up every morning broke, hustles as much as $10,000 during the day and then loses most of it by the time he goes to bed. What it's like to start from scratch every day of your life. (18 minutes)
Act Three: Jonathan Goldstein reads a story about the first people to ever start from scratch, a couple named Adam and Eve. (14 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

September 14, 2025

•

57m

Things are different on college campuses this year. We see inside the drama, with students and staff.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

Prologue: We go to orientation at Arizona State University and meet international students who are trying to make friends. (6 minutes)
Act One: The president of the Black Student Union at the University of Utah fights to keep the B in BSU. (30 minutes)
Act Two: A definition of antisemitism, canceled classes, and angry professors at Columbia University. (16 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

經典也青春

Toure Show

Aw, Would You Look At The Time

Talk to Me About Food

Ask Penguin

Promoted