How To Make A How To Podcast

How To Make A How To Podcast

Author: How To! March 10, 2026 Duration: 39:32
Mike Pesca has built a long career as a news analyst and podcaster, but taking over the How To! franchise presents a very different challenge: learning the ropes of the advice show genre. He knows how to dissect complex political events, but the leap to solving eccentric listener dilemmas while maximizing entertainment value feels new. On this episode: How To!'s Mike Pesca turns the microphone on himself and brings on Ian Chillag and Mike Danforth, the veteran co-hosts of NPR's How to Do Everything and producers for Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Ian and Mike offer Mike guidance on bypassing straightforward answers to find weirdly perpendicular solutions, the importance of providing "nutritious" conversational facts—and why you should never, under any circumstances, climb inside a refrigerator with Jesse Eisenberg. Executive Producer Corey Wara Edited by Geoff Craig Booking by Lya Yanne Do you have a burning question or a problem you need help with? Email us at howto@mikepesca.com and we will consider your topic for the show. For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To receive ad-free content, become a Pesca Plus subscriber at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@pescagist⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/howto

How To! with Mike Pesca is a podcast that operates on a simple, powerful premise: everyday people have complex, real-world problems that need solving. Each episode begins with a listener's specific dilemma, whether it's navigating a unique family dynamic, improving a personal skill, or protecting vulnerable loved ones from modern threats. Host Mike Pesca then connects that individual with genuine authorities-practicing attorneys, medical doctors, seasoned entrepreneurs, published researchers, and other accomplished experts-to provide actionable, credible advice. The conversations are structured yet organic, moving from the personal story of the problem to a practical exploration of solutions. You'll hear the caller's situation unfold, the expert's breakdown of the issue, and a collaborative path forward. This isn't abstract self-help; it's a direct application of specialized knowledge to tangible human challenges. The podcast thrives on specificity, tackling questions you might not even know how to ask, let alone who to ask. By focusing on one person's story, it uncovers insights and strategies that resonate far beyond the individual case, making expert guidance accessible and relatable. The tone is curious, empathetic, and grounded, prioritizing depth and utility over generic inspiration. Listening feels like being part of a focused, productive consultation where real questions meet real answers.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

How To! with Charles Duhigg
Podcast Episodes
How Constraints Make Us More Creative [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:47
Ofra splits her time among a number of hobbies in her retirement, but she wants to stop feeling rudderless and find the focus necessary to write a book of observational humor based on her twenty-year career as a psychoth…
Should I Choose Passion or a Stable Job? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:02
India splits her time between contract production and agency work, but she wants to stop prioritizing other people's projects to scale her personal brand. Enter Simone Stolzoff, workplace researcher and author of The Goo…
How To Make New Friends as an Adult [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:27
Steven racks up acquaintances on group mountain bike rides, but he cannot turn a casual trailhead hello into a real friendship. For decades he coasted on the built-in connections of being in a band, working in a lab, and…
How To Ditch Your Distractions Once and For All [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:57
There's one thing that all of Helena's personal projects have in common: they remain unfinished. The family photo album is empty, as is her mom's recipe book. And the lavender garden is still unplanted. Helena is not laz…
How To Get Into Wine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:19
Today on How To!, Ross, a TV director who enjoys a drink but feels intimidated by the pretension of the wine world, levels up his wine knowledge. Mike brings on journalist and The Corrupt Wine Writer Substack author Joel…
How To Connect With An Audience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:51
Guitarist and orchestrator Dillon Kondor knows his way around a stage. It's everything in between the songs that trips him up. Speaking to a crowd, filling the silence, not coming off stiff or defensive, that's where his…
How to Coach Your Kid [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:31
Brian stepped up to coach his 7-year-old daughter's soccer team to save their season, but there's one major catch: he's never actually played the sport. Now battling imposter syndrome and the pressure of intense parental…
How To Maximize Your Credit Card Points [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:39
Al has over a million American Express points and dreams of booking another once-in-a-lifetime luxury vacation for his family. But the opaque, frustrating system of transferring and redeeming rewards has him completely p…
How To Bounce Back From Burnout [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:34
When Betsy joined her last workplace, she thought it was a perfect fit. It was on a list of Best Places to Work and she got to be creative while helping people. But as the startup rapidly grew, the company culture change…