🎉Meet Marielle, our new host!

She loves 'Gilmore Girls', yoga and can't wait to get started on Life Kit

View this email online Photo courtesy of Marielle Segarra Friends,  Here at Life Kit, we’re all about growth and forward motion – both for our audience and for ourselves. Today, please join us in welcoming our new host Marielle Segarra to the Life Kit neighborhood! A regular host has long been a goal for our show, and we’re thrilled to have Segarra lead the charge as we enter our next chapter. Segarra joins NPR from Marketplace, where she covered money, finance and how the economy connects to our daily lives. Over the years, she’s reported on the lack of paid family leave in the U.S., the role of makeup during a pandemic and the jarring experience of returning to the office in August 2020.  Her interests include yoga, running in her neighborhood park and finding new ways to get in touch with her Puerto Rican, German and Polish ancestry. She is based in New York City.  I talked to her about her hopes for this new role, her self-care routine and our joint love of Gilmore Girls. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.  Access Sponsor-Free Episodes Want to support our show? Try a subscription to Life Kit+ and get all the tips and tricks you love sponsor-free! Learn more at plus.npr.org/lifekit.    Learn more What do you like most about Life Kit?  Life Kit is honest and vulnerable. Each episode feels like a kindness. The hosts are telling you: you're not alone. We've taken the time to figure out how to help you. We've got your back.  That’s a lovely way to put it. Any favorite episodes? Lately, episodes that have helped me be more present in my body. The episode on how to take a break from the internet reminded me that it's good to be away from my phone and unavailable sometimes.  The interview with Jenny Odell on how to pay attention to your surroundings was helpful to listen to before my recent trip to Paris. That episode inspired me to absorb what was in front of me with all of my senses, and then let that lead me to new places instead of being stuck to a map or a schedule. I was able to appreciate the experience more deeply.   Listen to Marielle's favorite Life Kit episodes A lot of our episodes center around self-care topics. What are your rituals for filling up your cup?  I have a morning ritual that involves an ancestral altar in my room that I'm looking at right now, actually. It has [photos of] different family members, the perfume stopper from my grandmother's perfume bottle. Every morning I say hello to them. I say their names. My family helps ground me, and doing this ritual helps me come back to myself.  What were you like when you were a kid? Did you always want to be a journalist?  I was definitely that kid who would record herself giving fake broadcasts [of the news]. I won this essay-writing contest when I was in fifth grade and got a gift certificate to [the electronics store] P. C. Richard & Son. And so I bought a little tape recorder and used it to record interviews with other people.  I also watched a lot of Gilmore Girls and I thought Rory Gilmore was the best.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message "Me as a kid asking questions," says Segarra, of this photo of her as a wee tot. Photo courtesy of Marielle Segarra I loved that show, too. Rory was a great writer and ended up becoming a journalist.  I thought I'd join my college newspaper like she did, but instead I joined the alt-rock radio station and that’s how my audio journey began.  And now here you are at NPR! What’s some career advice that helped you get to this point? Just be yourself. Write like yourself, bring your authentic self when it's appropriate, and bring your ideas, even if they make you feel a little bit vulnerable.  Read the full Q&A here   Here’s to openness and new beginnings. We’re so happy to have Segarra’s caring and curious voice join the Life Kit airwaves – and we know you will be, too. Tune in to Life Kit on Monday to catch Segarra's first episode. And join us in welcoming her to the team. Send a message to her by emailing lifekit@npr.org with the subject line “For Marielle.” – Andee Tagle, Life Kit reporter-producer   💌 We want to hear from you 💌  Life Kit has an advice column, and we're looking for your questions and quandaries to share with our experts. Whether it's about family, friendship, work conflict or something else, fill out this form to submit your conundrum anonymously.  💡 What's a hack that's changed your life?  💡   Send us a note at lifekit@npr.org or leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823. Your life tip could appear on an upcoming episode of Life Kit.  If you want more Life Kit, you can listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or browse our article archive here.    Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy