You know what the holidays are great for? Catching up on podcasts.
Like Another Round, the BuzzFeed podcast hosted by Tracy Clayton and Heben Nigatu, that's like happy hour with your smartest, funniest friends. Grab a glass of your favorite drink and join Heben and Tracy as they interview guests who slay, like Uzo Aduba, Roxane Gay and Melissa Harris-Perry, tell hilarious jokes and stories, and have important discussions about race, gender and mental health.
Here are a few Another Round moments you may have missed, and now is the perfect time to catch up.
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1. Squirrels with no couth
Tracy and Heben's distaste for squirrels first came up during the original installment of Drunken Debates, in episode 2 with Jazmine Hughes. From then on, almost no guest leaves the show without answering one very important question: How do you feel about squirrels? (Segment begins at 22:48.)
2. Madam Secretary, What's Good?
Tracy and Heben interviewed Hillary Clinton about Black Lives Matter, reparations, sexism in politics, The Good Wife, squirrels—and even offered her a glass of bourbon. (Interview beings at 4:40.)
3. "Steve Harvey" visits the Kwanzaa celebration
Heben and Tracy celebrated Kwanzaa at this raucous live holiday spectacular, recorded in New York, that included friends and family like Jean Grae, Gene Demby, Stacy-Marie Ishmael, Jazmine Hughes and Ashly Perez. But it was a visit from "Steve Harvey" (not to be confused with Steve Harvey) that took the show to another, perhaps more surreal, level. (Segment begins at 33:10.)
4. The best worst date story ever
Under "Funny Women You Should Have Been Following Yesterday," file this interview with Alexis Wilkinson, a writer on Veep, who shared an incredible story about a terrible date, and had us dying of laughter. (At 38:46.) (Bonus: Alexis shares an amazing squirrel story at 36:50.)
5. Optimus Prime
The episode with Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, the artist behind the Stop Telling Women To Smile street art project, included a list of 29 Things You Can Call Women Instead Of "Females". Optimus Prime, Destiny's Children, Sufferers of All Bullshit—take your pick. (Segment at 34:30.)
6. Tracy wants to interview a chicken
7. Get a raise
BuzzFeed's own Stacy-Marie Ishmael (#teamnewsapp) gave such incredible career advice in her first interview on the show that it became a recurring segment called Stacy's Career Corner. Her advice for how to ask for a raise is unmissable. (Segment at 1:20.)
8. Test yourself With Heben's quizzes
In addition to this one about 16th-century Danish proverbs, Quizmaster Heben has delivered games on the names of white men in public radio, white men who are British, collective nouns, and the one that started it all: Is This The Name Of A Real Jason Bateman Character Or A White Dude’s Name I Just Made Up?
9. Audie Cornish will give you your whole life
There's no shortage of rad women who have given frank, honest and amazing interviews on Another Round. NPR's All Things Considered host Audie Cornish slayed when she talked about how she views her clothes are her armor, and how she hasn't internalized the microaggressions she's faced as a black woman reporter. (Interview starts at 12:10.)
10. Take Your Meds: Episodes about mental health
At the end of every episode, Tracy and Heben remind you to take your meds, because the only way to destigmatize mental health is to talk openly about it. First Lady of NYC Chirlane McCray spoke about the particular challenges black women face when dealing with anxiety, BuzzFeed's Arianna Rebolini shared a Beginner's Guide to Starting Therapy, and comedian Aparna Nancherla talked about how she makes depression funny.
We had SO MUCH FUN recording this. Next time I want to bring Chiara! Listen to @anotherround: https://t.co/9SUSHu98Mu
11. "Ally is an action, not an identity"
White listeners often write in to ask how they can learn to be more mindful about race, or a better ally. In an episode that also features a discussion with Jay Smooth, Tracy and Heben share their thoughts about allyship. (Segment at 1:12.)
