The Shawn Ryan Show
Shawn Ryan
Society & Culture
Better in Person with Stephen Dubner
by Freakonomics Radio
Today: #188 in Society & Culture on our combined chart.
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Chart positions today
If you like Better in Person with Stephen Dubner, try…
The Ezra Klein Show
New York Times Opinion
This American Life
This American Life
Stuff You Should Know
iHeartPodcasts
Modern Wisdom
Chris Williamson
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Harpo
Ranking history
History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the Society & Culture chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.
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| Date | Apple Podcasts |
|---|---|
| Oct 3 | #178 |
About the show
Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest.
On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery.
This is how a conversation works.
Latest episodes
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September 8, 2026 · 32 minHe was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and explains why some infinities are…
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September 1, 2026 · 31 minHe started with one small shop in London. He has since resuscitated both Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. He tells Stephen Dubner exactly how he does it.
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August 18, 2026 · 43 minThe Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan talks about confidence, luck, and why it takes 35 drafts to get to the finish line.
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Meet Warren Zanes, the Author and Rocker Behind the Springsteen Movie
August 11, 2026 · 53 minWhen he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how to play was a record player. Things went great for a while — and then it all fell apart. So how did he wind up writing definitive books on Springsteen and Tom Petty?
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What If Being a Stranger Is Actually Your Superpower?
August 4, 2026 · 33 minAngela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among the most influential rabbis in the world. She and Stephen Dubner talk about boundary-crossing, the aftermath of October 7, and whether you can be…
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Does it Take a Twisted Mind to Write Twisted Stories?
July 28, 2026 · 44 minHarlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor syndrome, and what he learned from his college friend David Foster Wallace.
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How Gary Gulman Turned Depression Into Comedy Gold
July 21, 2026 · 48 minGary and Stephen talk about creativity, recovery, getting fired, and holding grudges. They also get outside and play basketball, which is a big part of how Gary stays well.