A Brat Pack Star Remembers How to Have Friends

A Sex Party Love Story

Romy Holland is a Berkeley mom whose meet-cute happened at a raucous sex party. That night she had sex with dozens of men, one of which would become her husband. In this episode, Romy talks about the party in question, from the sexy aspects to the much more awkward ones. Plus she talks about what new motherhood does to desire, and the unexpected emotional toll of an abortion that didn't go as planned.Read Romy’s essay “What Nobody Told Me About Abortion [https://romyholland.substack.com/p/what-nobody-told-me-about-abortion]“And we first heard about Romy in the San Francisco Standard’s story “When A Gang Bang Becomes a Love Story [https://sfstandard.com/2025/10/05/gang-bang-baby-love-story/]“ Podcast production by Zoe AzulayDeath, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus [http://slate.com/dsmplus]! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus [http://slate.com/dsmplus].And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en] and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ [https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits] at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Parent-Child Anxiety Trap

Anna talks to Alexis, a parent whose 8 year old son has an anxiety disorder, about what it was like attending a therapy program designed for parents of anxious children. Plus, Anna talks to the founder of the program [https://www.spacetreatment.net/], Dr. Eli Lebowitz, Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center, and author of Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents [https://www.spacetreatment.net/manual-and-books].Podcast production by Zoe AzulayDeath, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus [http://slate.com/dsmplus]! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus [http://slate.com/dsmplus].And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en] and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ [https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits] at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

A Brat Pack Star Remembers How to Have Friends

The actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy used to be a member of one of pop culture’s most famous friend groups: The Brat Pack. He starred in movies like Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire and palled around with actors like Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez.Four decades later, in middle age, he found himself nearly friendless and set out on a cross-country road trip to reunite with the buddies he missed the most. This week on DSM, he tells Anna about the awkward conversations and tender moments that led to his new book Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/andrew-mccarthy/who-needs-friends/9781538768969/]. This episode was produced by Cameron Drews. Get more Death, Sex & Money with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of DSM and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Death, Sex & Money show page on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/death-sex-money/id870688022] or Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0yKEWqaqfaAKlSjYnDuisy]. Or, visit slate.com/dsmplus [https://slate.com/death-sex-money-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Death_Sex_Money&utm_source=episode_summary] to get access wherever you listen.If you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en] and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ [https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits] at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Death, SNAKES & Money

Tim Friede grew up in a strict, religious household with an obsession for science and a knack for breaking rules. He became fixated on a particular problem: roughly 120,000 people die from venomous snakebites every year worldwide.He developed a theory that if he could become immune to snakebites, then his blood could be used to develop a better antivenom. So, he got to work. Over nearly two decades, while working odd jobs in factories and as a window washer, he allowed himself to be bitten over 200 times by the world's deadliest snakes, which he kept in his basement. Many of the people closest to him thought he was crazy, until his scheme worked. Podcast production by Zoe Azulay. More episodes around risk and self-experimentation:Why Jeb Corliss Jumps Off Cliffs [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-jeb-corliss-jumps-off-cliffs/id870688022?i=1000372893313]Hard: Little Pill, Big Pharma [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-little-pill-big-pharma/id870688022?i=1000556392964]Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus [http://slate.com/dsmplus]! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus [http://slate.com/dsmplus].And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en] and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Kara Swisher on the Rich Guys Trying to Live Forever

Kara Swisher has built an impressive career reporting on–and forcefully critiquing–the world of tech, especially the ultra-wealthy power players increasingly calling the shots. Since Steve Job’s death in 2011, she’s noticed a sharp uptick amongst those Silicon Valley elite doing all sorts of “wacky shit” to try and defy aging, extend their lifespan, and possibly even stop death itself.  On her new CNN series Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever [https://www.cnn.com/kara-swisher-wants-to-live-forever], Kara cracks jokes and tries out some of the buzziest longevity trends, but she takes very seriously the inequality of it all – how these unproven, but potentially ground-breaking treatments remain squarely out of reach for most of us, while proven medical care continues to get more expensive with worse outcomes.  Listen to our 2024 interview with Kara at the Tribeca Festival here [https://slate.com/podcasts/death-sex-money/2024/06/ara-swisher-and-orna-guralnik-on-interviewing].  Join us on June 10 for our 2026 Tribeca Festival live event with Peter Dinklage and Erica Schmidt. Get your tickets here [https://tribecafilm.com/films/death-sex-money-live-with-guests-peter-dinklage-erica-schmidt-2026]. Podcast production by Andrew DunnDeath, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus [http://slate.com/dsmplus]! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus [http://slate.com/dsmplus].And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en] and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.