Change Agent

Problem? Solution. Well, maybe. A new limited-run series from The New York Times.

Ashley shops online. A lot. Sends stuff to places all over the city. Hides her packages when they arrive. She wants to go a month without buying anything online. So, we turn to the world's best breath holders for answers.

Beth is an alcoholic in recovery with a four and a half-year blank spot on her resume. She's sober now and ready to go on job interviews, but she's not sure how to talk about her alcoholism to potential employers. Enter Domino's Pizza. The early 2000s version of the company, when the pizza was rated among the worst in the country. We'll hear how their strategy to kickstart their business offers lessons for Beth as she goes on a mock interview.

M's friend says things that really bother M. Racist and homophobic things. He wants to know how to talk to his good friend about the offensive stuff he says, but he doesn't really know how. We find some lessons in the story of Steven Hassan, a former Moonies cult member, and how he developed a way to get people out of cults. We share Steven's lessons with M to see if he can get through to his friend.

Every time it rains, Marisa stays up all night wondering if anyone will show up to work the next day. She runs a bike messenger company, but no one wants to ride a bike when it's pouring outside. It's bad for business. We tell her the story of a high school girl and the program that turned her from a classic no-show to a student with near-perfect attendance. But will a high school leadership program work for adults? Marisa is determined to find out.

Allene is 80. She's been widowed for 7 years. And then she meets Larry, who makes her feel "on fire from the neck down." Things seem to be going great before he ghosts her, throwing Allene into an existential crisis. And the answers to that might lie in the story of a Home Shopping Network maverick, who figured out how to sell over 100,000 jeans a day.