Miscellaneous
Podcast Transcript December 12, 2025— Should kids be banned from social media? Inside Australia’s bold online safety experiment
Episode Description: Australia just became the first country to ban social media accounts for kids under 16... but will it actually keep them safer online? In this episode, Arielle and Karissa unpack the data that pushed lawmakers to act, the huge loopholes critics are worried about, and the real Read More...
Podcast Transcript December 5, 2025— Holiday health etiquette plus the first female crash test dummy is (finally) here
Episode Description: This week, Karissa and Arielle tackle two big, very real-world solutions: how to gracefully ask friends and family if they’re sick before a holiday hangout, and why the U.S. finally introducing its first female crash test dummy is a major win for road safety and equity. They Read More...
Podcast Transcript November 27, 2025— Thankful for optimists: a Thanksgiving shout out to The Optimist Daily community
Episode Description: In this special Thanksgiving mini-episode of The Optimist Daily’s Weekly Roundup, Karissa and Arielle press pause on the usual headlines to say thank you. They share what they are personally grateful for this year, celebrate the Emissaries and listeners who keep solutions Read More...
Podcast Transcript November 21, 2025— From bike buses to art therapy: The uplifting solutions changing everyday life
Episode Description: In this week’s episode of The Optimist Daily’s Weekly Roundup, Arielle and Karissa return from a fall break with a fresh wave of uplifting stories, diving right into two standout solutions of the week. First: the “bike bus” phenomenon turning school mornings into Read More...
Podcast Transcript October 31, 2025—The science of saving lives: new breakthroughs in immunity and allergy prevention
Episode Description: In this week’s episode, Arielle and Karissa gab about two groundbreaking medical solutions changing lives: a one-time gene therapy that helps children with ADA-SCID develop healthy immune systems, and new pediatric guidelines that could drastically reduce peanut allergies. Read More...
Podcast Transcript October 24, 2025—From chemo care to creative flair: two stories changing how we heal and create
Episode Description: This week, Arielle and Karissa talk about two powerful wins for compassion and creativity. New York’s new law makes scalp cooling treatments more accessible for cancer patients, while a D.C. author reimagines book access with her “LitBox” vending machine. Together, they Read More...
Podcast Transcript October 17, 2025—Can concrete power cities? Can aspirin prevent cancer? The science says maybe.
Episode Description: This week, Arielle and Karissa spotlight two game-changing breakthroughs: MIT’s new battery concrete, which could turn buildings into energy storage devices, and a Swedish study showing that low-dose aspirin may significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer recurrence Read More...
Podcast Transcript October 10, 2025— Why women live longer (and what men can learn from it) + the world’s first Indigenous-led ocean reserve
Episode Description: In this episode, Karissa and Arielle begin in the Pacific Islands, where Indigenous leaders are creating the world’s first ocean sanctuary designed to preserve migratory routes across national borders. Then we turn to the science behind why women tend to live longer than Read More...
Podcast Transcript October 3, 2025— Bite-Sized Roundup: Cold Plunges, Kimchi, and Global Wins for the Planet
Episode Description: Arielle opens the episode with a quick update—she’s feeling under the weather, so Karissa is taking the reins this week. In this bite-sized round-up, Karissa highlights some of the most intriguing stories from Optimist Daily, including science-backed benefits of kimchi, Read More...
Podcast Transcript September 26, 2025— Underground libraries, rethinking BFFs, and other uplifting solutions
Episode Description: In this week’s Optimist Daily Roundup, Arielle and Karissa explore solutions that inspire connection and community. From Warsaw’s new underground library that encourages commuters to swap scrolling for stories, to expert insights on why you don’t need one “best Read More...