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Corner Piece

A Self-Improvement , Education and Society & Culture podcast

#24 in Self-Improvement · 🇵🇭 #34 in Self-Improvement · 🇸🇬
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About the show

Corner Piece starts small on life’s biggest questions. Join Taha, Melissa, and Sabrina (lifelong friends, full-time nerds) as they connect their personal questions to the profound nature of being a person. Using the skills they learned documenting their curiosity on their YouTube channel, Answer in Progress, they start with a day-to-day question or worry, like: Is there a right way to split the bill? Why does it feel so hard to hang out these days? Is romance dead? Then, they launch an investigation. They interview experts, go on side quests, and figure out how much of their problems are caused by the complexity of modern life… and how much is just a part of the human experience. New episodes every other Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Newest episodes

Do you trust me?

51 min

How many people do you truly trust? And how do you decide whether someone is trustworthy or not? What do we lose if we live life without trust? In this episode, Taha interrogates his own suspicion of others and sets out on a mission to uncover what it really means to trust the people in your life. He interviews Rachel Botsman, an expert who’s been studying trust for years, to understand why trust is such a difficult thing to define, why it’s so important, and how cultural narratives about trust can, ironically, push people towards mistrust. Connect with the team Follow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A favor? In this economy?

44 min

Would you let your friend pay for dinner or do you insist on splitting the check? How much emotional baggage can you drop on them before you should call a therapist? What do we really owe each other? In this episode, Sabrina plays a game with Taha, Melissa, and the audience to see how complex that question really is. Then, she interviews Susie Armitage, a Peabody-nominated journalist and former TaskRabbit gig worker, to understand how technology and culture impact reciprocity in our relationships. If you're interested in the full set of quiz questions featured at the top of the show, you can find it here: https://forms.gle/Gvjy4mmasDH22cgK6 The title of this episode is a quote from Susie Armitage's article, which you can read here: https://slate.com/technology/2020/01/gig-economy-apps-are-changing-friendship.html Connect with the team Follow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Am I bad at conflict?

59 min

Conflict is inevitable, so why are we so bad at it? In this episode, Taha investigates the nature of conflict to help Melissa and Sabrina (and all of us) find healthier ways to handle conflict. He interviews Harville Hendrix, a couples therapist with over 50 years of experience, and Eli J. Finkel, a professor and author of "The All-or-Nothing Marriage". They explain what happens when conflict gets in the way of connection and how to turn it into an opportunity for growth. Connect with the team Follow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All episodes

Do you trust me?

51 min

How many people do you truly trust? And how do you decide whether someone is trustworthy or not? What do we lose if we live life without trust? In this episode, Taha interrogates his own suspicion of others and sets out on a mission to uncover what it really means to trust the people in your life. He interviews Rachel Botsman, an expert who’s been studying trust for years, to understand why trust is such a difficult thing to define, why it’s so important, and how cultural narratives about trust can, ironically, push people towards mistrust. Connect with the team Follow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A favor? In this economy?

44 min

Would you let your friend pay for dinner or do you insist on splitting the check? How much emotional baggage can you drop on them before you should call a therapist? What do we really owe each other? In this episode, Sabrina plays a game with Taha, Melissa, and the audience to see how complex that question really is. Then, she interviews Susie Armitage, a Peabody-nominated journalist and former TaskRabbit gig worker, to understand how technology and culture impact reciprocity in our relationships. If you're interested in the full set of quiz questions featured at the top of the show, you can find it here: https://forms.gle/Gvjy4mmasDH22cgK6 The title of this episode is a quote from Susie Armitage's article, which you can read here: https://slate.com/technology/2020/01/gig-economy-apps-are-changing-friendship.html Connect with the team Follow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Am I bad at conflict?

59 min

Conflict is inevitable, so why are we so bad at it? In this episode, Taha investigates the nature of conflict to help Melissa and Sabrina (and all of us) find healthier ways to handle conflict. He interviews Harville Hendrix, a couples therapist with over 50 years of experience, and Eli J. Finkel, a professor and author of "The All-or-Nothing Marriage". They explain what happens when conflict gets in the way of connection and how to turn it into an opportunity for growth. Connect with the team Follow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do all my friends secretly hate me?

39 min

Why does making friends as an adult feel like mission impossible? In this episode, Melissa explores what it means to be a friend while grappling with a friendship break up. Along the way, she interviews Anna Goldfarb, journalist and author of “Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valuable Connections,” and Dr. Marisa G. Franco, professor and author of “Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—And Keep—Friends”. They explain why friendship can get so complicated as you get older and how to build closer bonds. Connect with the team Follow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the lonely people

32 min

From group chats to video calls, technology should make social connection easier than ever. So, why is everyone so lonely? In this episode, Sabrina sets out to investigate the "loneliness epidemic" that is sweeping the globe and impacting her friends and cohosts. She interviews Professor Fay Bound-Alberti, author of "A Biography of Loneliness: The History of an Emotion" to understand what loneliness is, where it comes from, and whether there is a "cure". In the process, Taha and Melissa challenge Sabrina to tackle her own loneliness through a sidequest that reveals just how hard connection can be in modern life. Connect with the team Follow the hosts on Instagram! Sabrina, Melissa, TahaFollow @cornerpiece.pod on Instagram and TikTokFollow @answerinprogress on YouTube and PatreonFollow TED on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedInFor the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming September 10, 2026: Corner Piece

1 min

Corner Piece is a new podcast from TED and AIP that starts small on life's biggest questions. Join Taha, Melissa, and Sabrina (lifelong friends, full-time nerds) as they connect their personal questions to the profound nature of being a person. Using the skills they learned documenting their curiosity on their YouTube channel, Answer in Progress, they start with a day-to-day question or worry, like: Is there a right way to split the bill? Why does it feel so hard to hang out these days? Is romance dead? They’ll interview experts, go on side quests, and figure out how much of their problems are caused by the complexity of modern life… and how much is just a part of the human experience. New episodes every other Thursday. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/corner-piece-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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