Best Byte Balance Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 8 – Living Your Ikigai: Finding Joy, Purpose & Balance in Life 9:49

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3h ago9:49

9:49

Episode 8 – Living Your Ikigai: Finding Joy, Purpose & Balance in Life Ikigai — the Japanese word for “reason for being” — has become a global buzzword. But beyond books and diagrams, what does it really mean? And more importantly, how can you live your Ikigai every single day? In this deeply engaging episode of The Power Within You, I explore: Wha…

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नवरात्रि विशेष – अपने भीतर की नौ शक्तियाँ जगाइए 7:08

12h ago7:08

7:08

नवरात्रि विशेष – अपने भीतर की नौ शक्तियाँ जगाइए नवरात्रि सिर्फ़ उपवास या पूजा का त्योहार नहीं है। यह हमें याद दिलाती है कि वही शक्ति, वही माँ दुर्गा, हमारे भीतर भी विराजमान है। इस The Power Within You के विशेष एपिसोड में सुनिए: माँ के नौ रूप और उनकी जीवन से जुड़ी सीख कैसे हर दिन एक नयी शक्ति को जगाया जा सकता है धैर्य, अनुशासन, साहस, करुणा और क्षमा …

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The aftermath of the Hyundai plant raid 31:30

1d ago31:30

31:30

On today’s show, Kimberly is joined by Marlon Hyde, business and economics reporter for WABE in Atlanta, to unpack the fallout of the massive ICE raid at a Hyundai facility in Georgia in which hundreds of South Korean nationals were arrested. And, we’ll get into what Atlanta small business owners are worried about these days. (Spoiler: it’s tariffs…

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Google raises the stakes of the AI race 25:49

2d ago25:49

25:49

Google announced it will integrate Gemini, its AI assistant, into the Chrome web browser. That will transform Chrome — the most used search engine — into an “agentic” browser. More on what that means for your data privacy and the race to advance AI tech, in this episode. Plus: Independent craft stores aim to fill the void left by Jo-Ann Fabrics, an…

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Get got by Insta-scammers? 7:08

2d ago7:08

7:08

If you have, you're not alone. American consumers lost more than $1 billion to fraud on social media in the first six months of this year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. That’s almost ten times what it was five years ago. Today, we'll hear how consumers can protect themselves. But first, we know what the Federal Reserve did with short-t…

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Homebuyers and sellers on the sidelines 6:23

2d ago6:23

6:23

Zillow reports that new listings fell to a record low in August, with sellers putting about 7% fewer homes up for sale than in July. Meanwhile, homes are staying on the market longer than a year ago, and home prices are barely growing in most markets. What's going on? Plus, Harvard economist Jason Furman cautions that we could get stuck in slow mon…

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Canada and Mexico unite on trade 6:27

2d ago6:27

6:27

From the BBC World Service: We'll start today in Mexico, where trade talks have taken place between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who agreed to deepen ties as both countries face new tariffs from their neighbor, the U.S. – 50% on Canadian steel and 25% on Mexican pharmaceuticals, for example. We’ll als…

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Bytes: Week in Review — ChatGPT vs. Claude, Nvidia in the hot seat, and Hollywood’s latest AI lawsuit 12:40

37m ago12:40

12:40

Anita Ramaswamy, columnist at The Information, joins Marketplace’s Nova Safo to break down all of these headlines. This episode was produced by Jesús Alvarado.By Marketplace

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The job market's bizarre balancing act 25:41

3d ago25:41

25:41

The number of new hires in August was about equal to the number of Americans who lost or quit their jobs in the same month. That means they sorta just .... cancel each other out. In this episode, what’s causing this strange stagnation? Plus: Bank of America and Amazon are raising their minimum pay, the U.S.-China trade war has soy and sorghum farme…

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Rep. Ayanna Pressley on the troubling rise in Black women's unemployment 13:04

3d ago13:04

13:04

This week, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates and made it clear that its attention is turning to the labor market. It’s showing cracks, particularly for Black workers. On the show today, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley joins Kimberly to discuss rising Black women’s unemployment in the United States and why she’s calling on the Fed to do some…

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Why home insurance premiums are climbing 7:09

3d ago7:09

7:09

This week, J.D. Power reported that nearly half of all homeowners saw home insurance premiums go up in the last year. It's just one of the pressures squeezing prospective buyers. A major culprit behind the price increases? Climate change. Also on the show: Nvidia is buying a $5 billion stake in Intel, and we look at what the end of “de minimis" tax…

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How can we describe Trump's economic interventions? 6:35

3d ago6:35

6:35

There's a long list of actions the Trump administration has taken in this economy: calling for the removal of Intel's CEO, then purchasing a nearly 10% stake in that company; special exemptions to tariffs; calls on Walmart not to raise prices; and even telling Coca-Cola to use cane sugar and Cracker Barrel to keep its old logo. What can we make of …

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Anti-austerity strikes erupt across France 6:11

3d ago6:11

6:11

From the BBC World Service: In France, 800,000 people are expected to participate in a day of protests and strikes across the country to rally against planned budget cuts. Plus, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warns that steep U.S. tariffs on goods like coffee from his country will hit American consumers. And, the families of four pas…

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The rise of the pro-AI PAC 7:35

1h ago7:35

7:35

During the 2024 election, the cryptocurrency industry, including political action committees, accounted for nearly half of all of the corporate money going into the election, according to the watchdog group Public Citizen. That spending helped make Congress and the Trump administration more friendly to the crypto industry. Now, in the run-up to the…

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Hey, big spender! 25:50

12h ago25:50

25:50

The top 10% of earners in the U.S. accounted for nearly 50% of spending in the second quarter — the highest share since Moody's Analytics began collecting the data in 1989. That's important context, as consumer spending keeps climbing despite tariffs and a grim labor market. In this episode, what it all says about our economy. Plus: Homeowners rush…

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The prospect of yet another government shutdown 6:43

4d ago6:43

6:43

Lawmakers have until the end of the month to agree on legislation to fund federal agencies for the coming year. If they can’t do that, the government closes its doors. Just how likely is a shutdown? We'll discuss. Also on the program: Hollywood was hopeful coming into this summer that the sequels and blockbusters would draw people back to the theat…

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Mortgage rates already have a Fed rate cut baked in 6:40

4d ago6:40

6:40

Later today, we’ll get a sense of where mortgage interest rates are right now from the Mortgage Bankers Association. And we’ll learn whether Federal Reserve policymakers cut interest rates and by how much. Thing is, the Fed's rate-cut decision might not reduce mortgage rates, because they’ve already come down in anticipation. Plus, Microsoft invest…

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Microsoft invests billions in the U.K. 7:12

4d ago7:12

7:12

From the BBC World Service: Microsoft has announced a $30 billion investment in the U.K.'s artificial intelligence sector, its largest outside of the U.S. The announcement was timed to coincide with President Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain. Plus, Taliban officials have banned internet via cable in three Afghan provinces. And, a South …

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What does ownership mean in the digital age? 10:30

2d ago10:30

10:30

There’s a new class action lawsuit against Amazon Prime Video that’s once again elevating the question of ownership in the digital age: Who actually owns a movie, a song, a video game?Buy a physical copy, like a CD or DVD, and the answer is obvious. But buy a digital copy, and the answer gets very complicated. Marketplace’s Nova Safo spoke with Aar…

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The cost of GOP cuts to coal royalties 25:40

5d ago25:40

25:40

Wyoming made billions from coal mining over the last 50 years, funding the government, schools, roads, parks. But President Trump’s major spending bill, passed in July, gives mining companies a break on royalty fees — leaving state budgets lean. In this episode, easing coal fees comes at a price. Plus: Non-store retail spending saw double-digit yea…

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The "little treat" economy 17:21

6h ago17:21

17:21

The latest retail sales data shows U.S. consumers are still spending it up, even in the face of higher tariff costs and a shaky labor market. Wealthier Americans are driving the trend, but a “culture of treats” might also play a role. Marketplace’s Kristin Schwab joins Kimberly to explain her theory. Plus, brands like Gap are pitching themselves to…

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Are companies oversharing? 8:27

2h ago8:27

8:27

Public companies report their earnings every three months, giving investors and the public regular snapshots of how business is going. But President Trump wants to see fewer of those reports. In a social media post on Monday, he said companies should report just twice a year instead of quarterly. Susan Schmidt, a portfolio manager at Exchange Capit…

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Is there such a thing as too much transparency? 6:44

5d ago6:44

6:44

On Monday, President Trump said public companies should no longer report quarterly earnings. Instead, he suggested corporations report just twice a year. Trump isn't the first to suggest a pared-down reporting schedule, but the idea raises questions about the balance between corporate transparency and long-term growth. Also on the show, the South K…

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Argentina pivots from cuts to a public sector spending spree 6:30

5d ago6:30

6:30

From the BBC World Service: Argentina’s president Javier Milei announced a change of course, with plans to increase spending on pensions, health and education. There's a drive in some African countries — including Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa — to create more AI products in different languages, to open up the new tech to more people across the c…

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Is Google honest about the environmental impacts of Gemini? 7:29

5d ago7:29

7:29

A recent report put out by the tech giant claims its AI model consumes very little electricity and water for a single query. Emma Strubell, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon's Language Technologies Institute, says that might not tell the whole story. This episode was produced by Jesús Alvarado.…

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What is a chain restaurant? 28:10

5d ago28:10

28:10

It's the start of a whole new season and Bridget and Ryan have a great question from listener, Dena: What is a chain restaurant? Some chain restaurants work a little differently than other chains — they're "franchises" and individual people can open a location of their own! To answer Dena’s question, Bridget and Ryan try their hand at opening their…