How To Be...Books Podcast

Suswati Basu

1 Creator

Discovering what makes us human, exploring important life hacks, and "how to be", whilst highlighting the most important intersectional nonfiction books our there. The How To Be...Books Podcast looks at improving mental health and wellbeing, as well as creating social change through reading and interviewing mind-blowing authors.
Have you ever thought why is it that my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances can do so much more than me? Well if you have, you're not alone. From confidence, persistence, motivation, to resilience - these life skills can help us go a long way in believing in ourselves. Not to mention, we live in a polarised world where conversations have broken down, so we've opened a space for those difficult chats.
We will try examine the tips and guides out there to see if it can help. Whilst I am no expert by any means, I have lived experience of feeling different and misunderstood, so hopefully we can take this path of enhancement together. PS. I do not receive commission for the books and guides reviewed.
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#5 in the Top 100 Indie books All time chart

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Top 10 How To Be...Books Podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best How To Be...Books Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to How To Be...Books Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite How To Be...Books Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Episode 52: Reflective - Does Reflecting Actually Help?

How To Be...Books Podcast

11/21/21 • 32 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. It's the last episode of the season, so it makes sense to actually look back that the past 52 weeks! Reflecting apparently helps you to develop your skills and review their effectiveness, rather than just carry on doing things as you have always done them. It is about questioning, in a positive way, what you do and why you do it and then deciding whether there is a better, or more efficient, way of doing it in the future. But does it actually help? Looking into what the 'experts' say about self-reflection and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of suicidal ideation.

11 Listeners

1 Comment

Episode 48: Strong - How Do We Focus On Women's Physical Strength? With Poorna Bell

How To Be...Books Podcast

10/24/21 • 29 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. men are complex and muscles are not the monopoly of men.” The female body is one of the most scrutinized subjects in contemporary culture, so why are portrayals of physical strength so lacking? Looking into what the 'experts' say about women and non-binary people's strength and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

6 Listeners

1 Comment

How We Maintain our Energy - with Energize author Simon Alexander Ong

How To Be...Books Podcast

07/10/22 • 44 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", guiding you through life's tricky topics and skills by reading through the best books out there. The human body converts the food it consumes into energy in order to function and stay alive. This energy supply enables the body to do a number of things vital to its survival. But its not just food that you need to live day-to-day. Stress, poor diet, and living a meaningless life can actually make our energy wane as well. So how do we keep our energy up? Hence, I spoke to Energize author and coach Simon Alexander Ong on how to maintain our energy, as well as other experts' books to see if their advice can help all of us. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

4 Listeners

2 Comments

What is motherhood really like? - Don't Forget to Scream author Marianne Levy

How To Be...Books Podcast

04/02/23 • 28 min

There are many challenges of motherhood that are not always widely discussed or acknowledged in society. As a result we spoke to Don't Forget To Scream author Marianne Levy about her experiences on the "How To Be Books Podcast". So why don't we hear about the challenges of motherhood?
Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills and social change! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.
Other amazing guests who took part:

Serene Gato is a Birth Doula and HypnoBirthing Educator.
Founder of Black and Beech Stacey Grant-Canham.

Other books/articles looked at:

Candice Brathwaite: I Am Not Your Baby Mother

4 Listeners

1 Comment

Episode 51: Bold - How Do We Tell Our Untold Stories? With Kamini Ramdeen And Gabrielle Deonath

How To Be...Books Podcast

11/14/21 • 29 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. We all know the incredibly heavy weight of bearing an untold secret. There is nothing so heavy as having something significant to share, to get off our chest, and being unable to share it, often because we think that it will be poorly received. But we also know how incredibly freeing it can be when we do. So what stops us from sharing? Looking into what the 'experts' say about sharing untold stories and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.
Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of sexual violence, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, racism, self-harm.

4 Listeners

1 Comment

Episode 44: Unbiased - How Do We Deal With Our Unconscious Bias? With Jessica Nordell

How To Be...Books Podcast

09/26/21 • 29 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. Understanding and addressing biases you may possess are important so you can be aware of how you treat and interact with others, both consciously and subconsciously. The Implicit Association Test is often used to measure implicit bias in individuals. But can we actually see our own unconscious bias? Looking into what the 'experts' say about bias and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

3 Listeners

1 Comment

Episode 45: Inclusive - How Do We Embrace Intersectional Identities? With Porochista Khakpour

How To Be...Books Podcast

10/03/21 • 35 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. American writer, feminist, womanist, librarian, and civil rights activist Audre Lorde once said: “There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” Looking at identity, it is thought to be important to approach it from an intersectional perspective because it deepens the understanding that there is diversity and nuance in the ways in which people hold power. So how do become more inclusive of different identities for others and ourselves? Looking into what the 'experts' say about identity and intersectionality and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.
TW: References to slavery, racism, and sexual violence

3 Listeners

1 Comment

Episode 49: Rooted - Is It Important To Connect To Your Roots? With Bobi Conn

How To Be...Books Podcast

10/31/21 • 35 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. larger world, both currently and historically. People can also feel the need for a wider social connection, particularly in modern Western societies where small nuclear families and greater geographical mobility may lead to a sense of isolation. But why is the root such a compelling metaphor for thinking about our connection to ancestors, homelands, and the earth itself? Looking into what the 'experts' say about being rooted and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

3 Listeners

1 Comment

Episode 50: Informed - What Are We Doing About Climate Change? With Devi Lockwood

How To Be...Books Podcast

11/07/21 • 34 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. Climate change can be a tough sell. It’s arguably the greatest challenge or threat facing this and future generations, yet it seems at times to be a near-insurmountable challenge in itself just to get people interested in it. For one, we don't hear the human aspect of the crisis, and what are people actually doing about it? Looking into what the 'experts' say about climate change and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

3 Listeners

1 Comment

Episode 42: Awareness - Are We Self-Aware? With Don Joseph Goewey

How To Be...Books Podcast

09/12/21 • 24 min

Welcome to "How To Be...", exploring how to gain life skills, whilst attempting to gain some myself. Self awareness is seen as important because when we have a better understanding of ourselves, we are able to experience ourselves as unique and separate individuals. We are then empowered to make changes and to build on our areas of strength as well as identify areas where we would like to make improvements. But are we actually aware? Looking into what the 'experts' say about awareness and whether it is truly helpful? And also hearing from others who have gained some mastery over themselves. Please hit subscribe to hear the whole series on life skills! It should be short and sweet. I look forward to journeying with you through this maze of hacks.

3 Listeners

1 Comment

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