Manoush Zomorodi is the host and managing editor of the podcast Note to Self from WNYC Studios.
Every week on her podcast, Manoush searches for answers to life’s digital quandaries, through experiments and conversations with listeners and experts. Topics include information overload, digital clutter, sexting “scandals," and the eavesdropping capabilities of our gadgets.
Her book, Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self, is based on an experiment she did with tens of thousands of her listeners in 2015.
Prior to New York Public Radio, Manoush reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters. Manoush grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and went to Georgetown University. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Shows:
Manoush Zomorodi appears in the following:
Robin Steinberg: How can the U.S. restructure the unjust cycle of the bail system?
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Nearly half a million Americans are jailed because they can't pay bail. Public defender Robin Steinberg wanted to change that. She created an organization to pay bail for those who can't afford it.
Priti Krishtel: How can we reform the outdated US patent system to lower drug prices?
Friday, November 12, 2021
The U.S. patent system was designed to foster innovation and serve the public good. But it's no longer working as intended. Lawyer Priti Krishtel explains the consequences and how to change that.
Emily Oster: Why wasn't the US tracking the spread of COVID-19 in schools?
Friday, November 12, 2021
In summer 2020, parents faced so many unknowns when it came to sending kids to school. Economist Emily Oster describes how she started collecting data nationwide to help parents decide for themselves.
Phillip Atiba Goff: How can communities reimagine their approach to public safety?
Friday, November 12, 2021
Psychologist Phillip Atiba Goff analyzes data on how racial bias affects police behavior. He shares how communities can rethink their public safety systems, and ultimately better respond to crises.
Puppet of a Syrian girl walks the path of refugees to offer hope for the future
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
Amal, a 9-year-old Syrian refugee puppet, has been walking across Europe to raise visibility and empathy for the plight of refugees. Theater director Amir Nizar Zuabi spoke with TED Radio Hour.
Kathryn Whitehead: How can we safely deliver vaccines to the right cells?
Friday, October 29, 2021
mRNA vaccines are groundbreaking—but the mRNA inside them is fragile. Kathryn Whitehead explains how scientists have created the right "packing material" to safely deliver these to the right cells.
Keller Rinaudo: How can delivery drones save lives?
Friday, October 29, 2021
In rural areas, basic health care can be out of reach. Keller Rinaudo founded Zipline, a delivery company that uses drones to deliver necessary medical supplies within hours, even minutes.
Erika Hamden: What does it take to send a telescope into the stratosphere?
Friday, October 29, 2021
Astrophysicist Erika Hamden spent 10 years building FIREBall, a telescope that reaches the stratosphere and looks for clues to how stars form. Launching it was more challenging than she ever imagined.
Amir Nizar Zuabi: How one puppet's 5,000 mile journey delivers a message of hope
Friday, October 29, 2021
Amal is a nine-year-old Syrian refugee. She's also a giant puppet. Theater director Amir Nizar Zuabi discusses how art can deliver a new message on the plight of refugees in his project "The Walk."
Shoham Arad: What Does It Take To Turn An Idea Into A Movement?
Friday, October 22, 2021
Anyone can have a big idea. But how do those big ideas come to fruition and grow? Director of the TED Fellows program Shoham Arad walks us through several speakers who turned a spark into a movement.
Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug: How can we turn environmental heartache into action?
Friday, October 01, 2021
Norwegian social worker Knut Ivar Bjørlykhaug always loved nature. Watching the destruction of habitats and Norway's exploitation of oil sent him into a deep depression. But he has since found hope.
Jeannie Suk Gersen: How can understanding divorce help a marriage?
Friday, October 01, 2021
Marriage takes a lot of work. And part of preventing eventual heartache, says law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen, is seeing marriage and partnership through the lens of divorce.
Hui-wen Sato: What can grief provide us?
Friday, October 01, 2021
For pediatric critical care nurses, tragedies are part of the job. But so much loss can wear on you. Nurse Hui-wen Sato describes how she found her way--through the life-giving lessons of grief.
Sandeep Jauhar: How do emotions affect the heart?
Friday, October 01, 2021
Cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar explains a case where deep grief caused takotsubo cardiomyopathy—also called "broken heart syndrome." He examines the connection emotions have with our most vital organ.
Jason Reynolds: How Can We Connect With Kids Through The Written Word?
Friday, September 17, 2021
Jason Reynolds is an award-winning author and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. This hour, Jason speaks with Manoush about reaching kids through stories that let them feel understood.
Meet Alexis Nikole Nelson, The Wildly Popular 'Black Forager'
Thursday, September 09, 2021
Nelson has brought in a TikTok following of more than 2 million people by talking about food, culture, and how to "eat plants that do not belong to [her.]"
Amanda Little: What Is The Future Of Our Food?
Friday, September 03, 2021
How should we ethically feed our world? Are we supposed to return to organic pastoral practices or trust new technology? Journalist Amanda Little believes the answer lies in the middle.
Jasmine Crowe: What Can We Do To Tackle Food Waste And Hunger?
Friday, September 03, 2021
Social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe has one mission: feed more, waste less. Her company Goodr is tackling food waste and getting food to those who need it most.
Sean Sherman: What Can We Learn From Indigenous Culinary Traditions?
Friday, September 03, 2021
The loss of Native American food traditions has been taking place for centuries. At Owamni, chef Sean Sherman is trying to change that by serving food that celebrates and preserves Lakota cooking.
Alexis Nikole Nelson: How Foraging Restored My Relationship With Food
Friday, September 03, 2021
Forager and TikTok influencer Alexis Nikole Nelson shares how the great outdoors has offered her both an endless array of food options and an outlet to reconnect with her food and her culture.
