The How To! podcast answers listener dilemmas with expert advice and thoughtful research. Best-selling authors and award-winning journalists make up the revolving team of hosts. For example, Charles Duhigg, Carvell Wallace, and Courtney E. Martin host various episodes.

According to Slate, who produces the program, the podcast is "free therapy." The hosts try to solve listener's problems. Should a listener donate one of their kidneys to help a family member? What's the appropriate way to grieve an estranged parent? Are there proven solutions to prevent snoring? To help each listener, the host researches the issue and interviews them to understand their experience better. Then, they contact experts who join the episode to share their advice.

One podcast episode explores a relatable topic—small talk. Does it always have to be about the weather? Can it be any less awkward? One listener, Bee, feels frustrated by her small talk with other parents at the school gates. Although Bee finds everyone polite, conversing with them is challenging. So, she avoids it.

The episode's host, Wallace, interviews founder and author Susan McPherson. Together, they explore how these moments can become more meaningful connections. McPherson shares how social media has made everyone more connected. Yet, we are the most disconnected people have been from one another in history.

McPherson suggests Bee should assert her control over the situation. Why not start by offering to host a coffee with one, two, or three of the parents she meets at the gates? According to McPherson, it's essential to remember what we each can bring to different situations. We all have a "superpower." Taking a small, decisive action can transform small talk into something less fearful.

The How To! podcast helps listeners with challenging yet relatable daily dilemmas. Topics include everything from aging and work life to relationships and cooking. New episodes premiere every Tuesday.