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In this episode we're learning about an industry that’s known for having the highest standards when it comes to customer service: hospitality. First, host Kristen Meinzer talks to Will Jones, General Manager of The Swag Resort, a boutique luxury resort that sits right along The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Will shares hospitality practices and philosophies that can help businesses deliver memorable experiences by prioritizing authenticity and improving employees’ experiences. Later, you’ll hear from Xio Sandoval, a leading realtor and top CENTURY 21 agent in Southern California who has an inspiring passion for strengthening community connections. Guests: Will Jones: General Manager, The Swag Xio Sandoval: CENTURY 21 Realty Masters Agent in Montebello, CA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re debuting our new segment, “Wormhole,” with this fascinating look into the phenomenon of the viral mukbang YouTuber and drama magnet, Nikocado Avocado. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison invite their internet obsessive colleague and senior producer of Slate’s Decoder Ring, Benjamin Frisch, to discuss who this infamous extreme eating content creator is, and why the internet is convinced Nikocado Avocado is eating himself to death. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Samira Tazari. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds many, if not most, of the world’s global health initiatives, so much so that the Foundation has become one of the most influential deciders of global health policy. With the distribution of vaccines to developing countries all but completely failing, how do we assess the Gates’ culpability? And is it time to imagine another model for global health cooperation?   Guest: Tim Schwab, investigative reporter.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. If you've just signed up for Slate Plus because of What Next, fill out this form and you may get some What Next swag! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Steve and Dana are joined by Slate senior editor Allegra Frank. First, senior producer of Slate’s Decoder Ring podcast, Benjamin Frisch, chimes in to review the sci-fi megafilm Dune. Next, the panel discusses Netflix’s Maid. Finally, the panel dives into the IATSE strike, and the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, involving the actor Alec Baldwin. In Slate Plus, the panel discusses Halloween as an adult. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: Lauren Michele Jackson’s piece for The New Yorker about corporate social media and the way Netflix’s social media teams have responded to the Dave Chappelle controversy, titled “Dave Chappelle, Netflix, and the Illusions of Corporate Identity Politics.” Allegra: Lately, the videogame Super Smash Bros. Ultimate—which she has been playing on Nintendo Switch. Recently, the lead character of another video game franchise, Sora from Kingdom Hearts, has been added as an avatar you can play as in the game.  Steve: First,

Danny Lavery welcomes Lux Alptraum, the creator and co-host of Audible’s Say You’re Sorry, a podcast about public apologies — the ones that worked, the ones that failed, and, most of all, the ones that we can all learn from. Lavery and Alptraum read two letters: First, from a letter writer who is wondering how to get her friends to back off from flirting with her girlfriend. Another writer wants to overcome her guilt for mocking her date on social media. Plus, reframing apologies as good things. Slate Plus members get another episode of Big Mood, Little Mood every Friday. Sign up for Slate Plus now and get $25 off your first year. Need advice? Send Danny a question here. Email: mood@slate.com Production by Phil Surkis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For a behind the scenes look into some of the articles we read when we create the show, check out our Pocket collection at http://getpocket.com/slate. Every day around 2:00 p.m. Rob hits a brick wall. A busy job and two young children have zapped all of his energy, and he’s desperate to do something—anything—to make it through the rest of the workday. Enter the elusive and often guilt-ridden midday nap. But there too Rob struggles to really rest and then wake up without making things worse. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Dr. Sara Mednick, author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life and the forthcoming book The Hidden Power of the Downstate. Sara draws on years of research at her sleep lab to advise Rob, and all of us, how to stay energized during a long day (Hint: It might not involve napping at all).   If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Sleep” with Andy Puddicombe, co-founder of Headspace.  Do you have a question with no easy answers? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail a

Sharifa Abbasi knows exactly what it’s like to board a plane to a new country. She immigrated from Afghanistan to the U.S. with her family in 1993. Now, she’s helping other Afghans navigate the complicated red tape of American immigration law after the Taliban takeover. For these immigrants, coming to America wasn’t easy -- being able to stay here might prove even harder. Guest: Sharifa Abbasi, immigration lawyer at The HMA Law Firm.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. If you've just signed up for Slate Plus because of What Next, fill out this form and you may get some What Next swag! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and Defector’s Drew Magary talk about the seeming decline of the Kansas City Chiefs. They also discuss who to root for in the World Series, the Houston Astros or the Atlanta Braves. Finally, they speak with Drew about his book The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage.   Chiefs (3:54): What’s wrong with Patrick Mahomes and the former champs?   World Series (25:47): Is the case against the Astros stronger than the case against the Braves?   The Night the Lights Went Out (46:29): Drew on his traumatic brain injury and what came after.   Afterball (1:07:00): Stefan on the history of the Atlanta Braves’ nickname. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate Money is obsessed with Succession, HBO's wonderful drama about the lives of the superrich Roy family. So, every Monday, we'll be discussing the previous night's episode with spoiler-filled glee. For Episode 2, Felix Salmon and Emily Peck are joined by author and rich people expert Kurt Anderson, to talk about and whether Logan is in a decline, Kendal’s big speech, and those doughnuts.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Stoya and Rich answer a letter from a woman who feels guilty for what she thinks about during sex with her husband. Then they advise a letter writer who doesn’t want to screw up the new sexual opportunity he’s been given by his wife. Slate Plus members get another episode of the How to Do It podcast every Monday. Sign up for Slate Plus now and get $25 off your first year. This special offer is only available until Oct. 31. *** Read the How to Do It column on Slate here. If you’re in need of sex advice from Stoya and Rich, write in here or leave a voicemail at ‪(347) 640-4025 and we may use it on the show. Remember, it’s anonymous—and nothing is too embarrassing! Production by Chau Tu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why have so many young women developed tic disorders during the course of the pandemic? Well, apart from the obvious pandemic-related stressors, TikTok could be a big part of it. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk to science journalist Maddie Bender about her report for Vice unpacking this medical mystery. They discuss the correlation between exposure to Tic Tok, a subculture on TikTok where influencers share videos of their tic-related symptoms, and the rise of young women who have developed tic-like behaviors. Though social media could be a trigger for this phenomenon, they’ll discuss if TikTok could also be a part of the solution.  Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Samira Tazari. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What was David Lewis like as a person? The consensus is that he did not know how to converse. At Swarthmore, David Lewis discovers he has a knack for philosophy and none at all with women, leading to a lifelong examination of the norms for conversation. By the time he reaches Harvard, he is ready to meet the love of his life, but almost fails out of the program in the process. By the end of his Harvard days, an entire continent on the other side of the Earth is abuzz about a rising star. Guest voices include Steffi Lewis, Alan Hajek, Lise Menn, Frank Jackson, and John Bigelow, This episode brought to you by Betterhelp, online therapy and counseling. Get 10% of your first month and support this show by going to betterhelp.com/nation/ To support Hi-Phi Nation, please sign up for Slate Plus at www.slate.com/hiphiplus. Slate Plus members get to listen to every Slate podcast with no ads and bypass the paywall on Slate.com. For a limited time only, you can get $25 off your first year. Learn more about your ad choic

Between April and June of this year, Zillow bought nearly 4,000 homes. And they had no intention of holding onto them. The plan was to flip houses, often and at scale, joining the ranks of companies like Opendoor and Offerpad, also known as iBuyers.  So, why did Zillow put their plans on pause last weekend? Can online middlemen really change the way we buy and sell houses? Guests:  Tony Santos, homeowner Patrick Clark, reporter at Bloomberg Host: Henry Grabar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether the issue is Covid policy or police violence, Black athletes can’t run, jump, or score their way out of the racial power dynamics of major sports. On today’s episode of A Word, veteran sportswriter and author Howard Bryant joins Jason Johnson to talk about the intersection of sports and race. They discuss the controversy over basketball star Kyrie Irving’s vaccine resistance, former NFL coach Jon Gruden’s offensive emails, and Colin Kaepernick’s endless campaign to return to the football field.  Guest: Howard Bryant, veteran sportswriter, commentator, and author of several books including The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate news director Susan Matthews and Waves producer Cheyna Roth talk about one of the most popular reality TV shows: Below Deck. First, they share why they love it even though it is...a bit problematic, and then they bring on Rachel Hargrove, the chef from Seasons 8 and 9. Hargrove dishes on what it’s really like to be behind the camera, the backlash she received after her first season, working in the male-dominated yachting industry, and how yachts and their kitchen are making more room for women.  In Slate Plus: More from Susan and Cheyna’s chat with Rachel. They talk about what you don’t see on television and get Rachel’s thoughts on the upcoming season of Below Deck.  Recommendations Susan: The HBO and BBC series I May Destroy You. Cheyna: Setting your parents up with Spotify.   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about

Christina and Bryan take us into Queer History Month with thoughts on Reba McEntire and queer inclusion in historically misogynistic places. They welcome Adam Zmith, author of Deep Sniff, a book on the queer history of poppers, and writer Jude Doyle, who talks about what we missed in the recent documentary about transmasculine Black feminist icon Pauli Murray. Finally, our guests add supersmart, compelling items to this month’s Gay Agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it a bones day or a no bones day? That’s the question that’s swept across TikTok, thanks to Noodle the pug. Each morning, owner Jonathan Graziano wakes up and checks if his geriatric pug has bones or not, a helpful way of predicting what sort of day we’re all going to have. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle interview Jonathan (and Noodle) about his sudden viral fame, how Noodle is handling such celebrity, and exactly what it means to have a no bones day. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colin Powell, known as a “trailblazer” and “pathbreaker” in his military career, leaves behind a complicated legacy. The four-star general became a household name during the first Gulf War as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later the first Black secretary of state. Thirty years after his rise to national prominence, Powell’s death has prompted reflections on the Iraq War and his role in using false intelligence to justify the U.S. invasion.   Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories columnist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate Money is obsessed with Succession, HBO's wonderful drama about the lives of the superrich Roy family. So, every Monday, we'll be discussing the previous night's episode with spoiler-filled glee. For the series premier, Felix Salmon and Emily Peck are joined by Janine Gibson, assistant editor of Financial Times to talk about Geri's glass cliff promotion, who might be going to jail, and all the best one liners. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Stoya and Rich answer a letter from a woman who feels terrible about what turns her on the most. Then they advise another woman who’s suffering from a problem that people usually think only men have. Slate Plus members get another episode of the How to Do It podcast every Monday. Sign up for Slate Plus now and get $25 off your first year. This special offer is only available until Oct. 31. *** Read the How to Do It column on Slate here. If you’re in need of sex advice from Stoya and Rich, write in here or leave a voicemail at ‪(347) 640-4025 and we may use it on the show. Remember, it’s anonymous—and nothing is too embarrassing! Production by Chau Tu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices