Happy To Be Here
Society & Culture
About
Happy To Be Here is a new interview podcast for the recovering perfectionist and the perpetually curious, full of conversations that make you feel right at home and allow you to learn a little bit about almost anything. Host Greta Johnsen (formerly of Nerdette ) invites you to meet journalists, chefs, authors, and all kinds of excellent humans who will delight and inspire you. Packed with recommendations for stuff to eat, read, watch, and enjoy, this show is great for helping you make sure you actually take it easy this weekend, wherever you might happen to be.
Episodes
- Swoony songs for summer
WXPN morning host and assistant music director Kristen Kurtis offers host Greta Johnsen three songs to enjoy this summer, and they are all BOPS: Zinadeplhia, “River” Parlor Greens, “Eat Your Greens” Allison Russell, “Cold April…
- Swedish Death Cleaning 101
Host Greta Johnsen talks with profesisonal organizer Kelly Brask about how Swedish death cleaning can help you live better by getting rid of the things that no longer fit int your life and keeping the things that are useful and joyul for y…
- T Kira Madden on 'Whidbey'
Host Greta Johnsen talks with T Kira Madden, whose novel Whidbey is the GRETAGRAM Book Club selection for May. (TW: Child sexual abuse.) Whidbey is told from the points of view of three women who are all connected to Calvin, a sexual…
- Chocolate for breakfast with Roxana Jullapat
Host Greta Johnsen talks with Roxana Jullapat, head baker and co-owner at the Los Angeles restaurant Friends & Family . Her new cookbook is Morning Baker : Recipes and Rituals for Breakfast and Beyond . In 2019, she wrote Mother Grains: Re…
- The 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' TV show is very good, and Rufi Thorpe agrees
Host Greta Johnsen talks to author Rufi Thrope, whose novel Margo’s Got Money Troubles was just adapted into a series on Apple TV+ . The show’s cast is stacked -- it stars Elle Fanning as Margo, a young woman who becomes pregnant after an…
- Reproductive freedom with Kate Schatz
Greta’s guest today will be familiar to longtime Nerdette listeners -- her name is Kate Schatz, and she’s an activist and author. She co-wrote Do the Work: An Antiracist Activity Book with W Kamau Bell, and she’s the author of Rad American…
- What's the difference between cupcakes and muffins?
An unimportant investigation into the difference between cupcakes and muffins with Bon Appetit test kitchen editor Shilpa Uscocovic . SHOW CREDITS Creator and host: Greta Johnsen Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg Composers: Ross Bellenoit and…
- GRETAGRAM book club: 'Kin,' discussed!
For this deep-dive discussion of Tayari Jones’ novel Kin , host Greta Johnsen talks with Traci Thomas, who hosts The Stacks podcast . They talk about the exquisite pleasure of reading a book that does exactly what it sets out to do,…
- MSCL TV Club: Duh squared (Episode 19)
Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss the finale of My So-Called Life -- “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” -- with Pop Culture Happy Hour host Linda Holmes and Ronald Young, Jr. , who hosts Weight for It. They talk about t…
- MSCL TV Club: Best weekend ever (Episodes 17 and 18)
In today’s MSCL rewatch episode, Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 17 and 18 -- “Betrayal” and “Weekend” -- with Soraya Roberts , a culture writer and contributing writer at Defector who wrote the t…
- MSCL TV Club: Angel Science (Episodes 15 and 16)
Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 15 and 16 -- “So-Called Angels” and “Resolutions” -- with Jenn White , the host of the NPR show 1A . They talk about the ups and downs of what Jenn (somewhat faceti…
- GRETAGRAM book club: Tayari Jones on 'Kin'
Host Greta Johnsen talks to Tayari Jones . Her novel Kin is the GRETAGRAM book club selection for March. It’s about two girls grow up in the 50’s in Alabama. They each lost their mothers in different ways, and those absences shape the traj…
- MSCL TV Club: Nothing dies harder than potential (Episodes 13 and 14)
Host Greta Johnsen and co-gost Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 13 and 14 -- “Pressure” and “On the Wagon” -- with culture writer and podcaster Margaret H. Willison . They talk about the show’s many different…
- MSCL TV Club: IS IT A HANG OR A DATE? (Episodes 11 and 12)
Host Greta Johnsen and co-host Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 11 and 12 --”Picture Perfect” and “Self Esteem” -- with Christina Tucker !!!! She’s a podcaster and writer who co-hosts the podcast Wait, Is This A Dat…
- MSCL TV Club: Oregano! (Episodes 9 and 10)
Greta and Kristen discuss My So-Called Life episodes 9 and 10 --”Halloween” and “Other Peoples’ Mothers” -- with Patrick Hinds ! He co-hosted his own MSCL deep-dive podcawst, My So-Called Podcast , in 2018. They talk about whether Angela A…
- GRETAGRAM book club: Nina McConigley on 'How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder'
The GRETAGRAM book club is officially in podcast form! Host Greta Johnsen talks to Nina McConigley , the author of How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder . Her novel is the GRETAGRAM book club selection for February. It’s about two teenage si…
- MSCL TV Club: Looking for crumbs (Episodes 7 and 8)
On this week’s podcast, Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 7 and 8 --”Why Jordan Can’t Read” and “Strangers in the House” -- with Joanna Robinson and Kristin Russo . They’re the perfect guests to talk…
- MSCL TV Club: Adjectives! WOO! (Episodes 5 and 6)
Greta Johnsen and Kristen Meinzer discuss My So-Called Life episodes 5 and 6 --”The Zit” and “The Substitute” -- with Anna Sale ! They talk about the messiness of teenage desire and objectification, self-esteem and insecurity, and whether…
- MSCL TV Club: A girl named Pop Tart (Episodes 3 and 4)
The My So-Called Life rewatch continues! Greta Johnsen and Kristin Meinzer discuss episodes 3 and 4 with Jason Concepcion. They talk about the devastating quaintness of a school gun violence…
- MSCL TV Club: High school is a battlefield!!!! (Episodess 1 and 2)
The My So-Called Life rewatch begins! Greta Johnsen and Kristin Meinzer discuss episodes 1 and 2 with Ronald Young, Jr. They talk about the nostalgic power of the series, how the pilot holds up as a pilot, and the extreme angst of it all.&…
- TV Club: Let’s watch My So-Called Life!
In a very special miniseries, Greta joins forces with podcast host Kristen Meinzer to unpack every single episode of the 1994 ABC teen drama My So-Called Life . In this episode, before they begin their rewatch, Kristen and Greta discuss th…
- The 87% Club
Consider this episode a friendly nudge to stop giving everything 100% all the time. It's the 87% Club, and you're invited! Greta talks to two dear friends about perfectionism, trying too hard, and embracing rest. Guests are art activist an…
- New year, new TBR: What to read in 2026!!!
Book Riot ’s Liberty Hardy and NPR’s Andrew Limbong share some of the books they’re most excited to read this year. (Here's the full list of books , along with about 20 others!) SHOW CREDITS Creator and host: Greta Johnsen Senior Prod…
- No burden, all delight: Good news from 2025
This week, City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran and pop culture writer Margaret H. Willison share their favorite news stories of the year. From real-life magicians to ficiton demon hunters, and museum detectives to Da Pope, there's plenty…
- Bake Until Done
This week, professional pastry chef Faith Fedash stops by host Greta Johnsen's kitchen to make pumpkin pie cookies. (Find the full recipe for the cookies here !) SHOW CREDITS Creator and host: Greta Johnsen Senior Producer: Ben Goldberg Co…
- Introducing Happy To Be Here!
Welcome to Happy To Be Here, the show for the perpetually curious! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
- Goodbye for now!
As y’all probably know, we’re calling this the “goodbye for now” episode of Nerdette because it’s our last episode while we’re employees at WBEZ. So, we thought it was the perfect time to call up Nerdette co-creator Tricia Bobeda and Nerde…
- Nerdette Book Club: More with Amor Towles, LIVE!
May’s Book Club selection is the fabulous short story collection ‘Table for Two’ by Amor Towles. It was amazing to get to talk to Amor in front of a LIVE audience in Chicago a few weeks ago. Since we were only able to share about half of t…
- All the books to read this summer!!!
This week, we ask voracious reader Liberty Hardy to rave about the best books coming out this summer. Liberty is the host of the Book Riot podcast ‘ All the Books! ’ She and Greta trade their top picks. Here are the titles in the order tha…
- A kitchen therapy session with Tamar Adler
This week, cookbook author and leftovers lover Tamar Adler joins us to answer YOUR questions on cooking, hosting and eating. Tamar is the author of ' The Everlasting Meal ' and ' The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z .' She also wri…
- Nerdette Book Club LIVE with Amor Towles!
This week, we are bringing you a special LIVE edition of Nerdette Book Club!!! The great Amor Towles, author of ' A Gentleman in Moscow' and ' The Lincoln Highway ,' joined us in front of a live audience at the Athenaeum Theater in Chicago…
- A joyfully defiant summer playlist
This week, we’re sharing some of the best new music out this summer! Our friend Kristen Kurtis is the assistant music director and Morning Show host at WXPN in Philadelphia. We asked her to bring us some fun and maybe even a little angry s…
- Nerdette Book Club discusses ‘Beautyland’
Our April Book Club pick is Marie-Helene Bertino’s second novel ' Beautyland .' It tells the story of Adina, a girl born in Philadelphia in 1977, just as the Voyager I spacecraft launches from Earth in search of extraterrestrial life. As a…
- CORGIS ARE DELIGHTFUL
This week, we are taking some time to reflect on the past *11 years* of Nerdette by listening to two of our all-time favorite interviews. First, Greta and Stephen King (yes, that Stephen King) bond over their shared love of corgis. Then, p…
- Tortured poets and airlines for dogs
This week, senior Reset producer Meha Ahmad and journalist Araceli Gómez-Aldana join us to unpack the week. We get into friendship breakups over Taylor Swift, a new airline for dogs and Olympic fashion. Then, Maura Cheeks tells us about he…
- Is mayo a burden or a delight? WE FIND OUT.
This week, our friends Dan Pashman, host of ' The Sporkful ' podcast and author of the new cookbook ' Anything’s Pastable ,' and Helen Rosner, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of the newsletter ' The Food Scene ,' go all in on foo…
- Killer gams FTW
We are unpacking the week that was with Amory Sivertson, host of the WBUR podcasts Beyond All Repair and Endless Thread , and Kristina Lopez, producer of Glamorous Trash . We discuss the reasons why women need more sleep than men, age gap…
- Nerdette Book Club: Marie-Helene Bertino on ‘Beautyland’
Our April selection is Marie-Helene Bertino’s gorgeous and entrancing novel ' Beautyland.' It’s about Adina, who realizes she is actually an alien disguised as a young girl living in Philadelphia. Her task is to send reports on humanity ba…
- Bonus: The Culture Study Podcast
We're on Spring Break this week so we're bringing you a podcast that we think you'll love from our friends at The Culture Study Podcast. Get ready for a deep conversation into the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the 'romantasy' g…
- Nerdette Book Club discusses ‘Martyr!’
Our March book club pick is Kaveh Akbar’s debut novel ‘ Martyr! ’ It’s about Cyrus, who was born in Iran and moved to the midwest as a child after his mom died. She was one of the victims of the real-life event where the United States Navy…
- Burden or Delight: Sourdough edition
This week, two of our favorite guests, City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran and Not Sorry Productions faculty member Margaret Willison, stop by to play a game of Burden or Delight. We discuss wide-legged jeans, sourdough starters and a fe…
- The aggressively delightful Noel Fielding
This week, senior correspondent at Vox Alex Abad-Santos and Bridget Todd, host of the podcasts ‘ City Cast DC ’ and ‘ There Are No Girls on the Internet ,’ spill the tea on Kate Middleton’s photoshop debacle, a proposed TikTok ban and the…
- Xochitl Gonzalez on art, belonging and nostalgia
We unpack the week with Ronald Young Jr., host of ‘ Weight For It ,’ and Arionne Nettles, head of Northwestern’s audio journalism program and author of the upcoming book ‘ We Are the Culture: Black Chicago's Influence on Everything .’ We c…
- Nerdette Book Club: Kaveh Akbar on ‘Martyr!’
Nerdette Book Club’s March selection is ‘ Martyr! ,’ the first novel from poet Kaveh Akbar. Our team chose it because it is vibrant, incisive and the perfect combination of devastating and funny. Listen to this spoiler-free conversation an…
- We have some questions for Rebecca Makkai
This week, we are diving into the world of boarding school, wrongful conviction and true crime podcasts. Yes, we are talking about the book I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. It was a Nerdette Book Club pick after it came out…
- Nerdette Book Club: ‘Come and Get It,’ discussed!
Nerdette Book Club is keeping things moving in 2024 with Kiley Reid’s sophomore novel, ‘ Come and Get It .’ It’s a juicy, messy novel that takes place on a college campus and explores issues around class, ambition and constantly-shifting p…
- Here’s to mucking about!
This week, comedian and Fake the Nation host Negin Farsad and Ted Talks Daily host Elise Hu join us to discuss a week’s worth of litigious news. We learn about the guy who’s suing Powerball for posting the incorrect numbers, the dating app…
- Kelly Link’s uncanny novel is “a love letter to romance”
This week, Niala Boodhoo, host and editor of the Axios podcast 1 big thing , and Aubrey Gordon, subject of the upcoming documentary ' Your Fat Friend ' and co-host of Maintenance Phase , stop by to chat about retailers cracking down on fre…
- The Tortured Nerdettes Department
This week, Rhaina Cohen, author of ' The Other Significant Others ,' and The Stacks host Traci Thomas stop by to talk about the sports game happening this Sunday, whether aging Millennials are becoming culturally obsolete, and why algorith…
- Nerdette Book Club: Kiley Reid on 'Come and Get It'
Our February selection is Come and Get It by Kiley Reid! Reid’s debut novel, ‘Such a Fun Age,’ was a salacious, fizzy novel about the messy power dynamics of work and life, and her second book is no different. Set on the campus of the Univ…