Try This: I want to give back! How do I afford it?

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The 7: Try This – "I want to give back! How do I afford it?"
Host: Christina Quinn (with guest Michelle Singletary)
Date: December 31, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode is the second of a two-part series focusing on the practical and financial realities of giving back—especially when money is tight. Christina Quinn sits down with Michelle Singletary, longtime personal finance columnist for The Washington Post, to discuss how to make charitable giving a sustainable and intentional part of one’s budget and lifestyle. Michelle shares her lived experiences, tips on budgeting for giving, the value of non-monetary contributions, and how to ensure that your gifts make a real difference.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Give? The Personal and Emotional Motivation

• Michelle shares her upbringing story. Raised by her grandmother (Big Mama) after facing potential foster care with her siblings, Michelle’s life began with an act of charity.
  • Quote (Michelle, 03:46):
    "My existence actually started with charity. My grandmother took me and my siblings in... Had it not been for my grandmother rescuing us, where would I be?"
• This experience instilled a lifelong ethos of giving, both financially and through service.

2. Budgeting for Charity: Give From "Abundance"

• Michelle underscores prioritizing essentials (housing, food, savings), then making giving a deliberate part of what’s left.
  • Quote (Michelle, 04:20):
    "You give out of your abundance, you give out of your extra. So you make sure you've taken care of your necessities...and then you allocate that to charitable giving."
• She practices tithing—regularly giving 10% of her family’s gross income, primarily to her church’s community work.
  • Quote (Michelle, 05:46):
    "When you're a tither, that means you've left with 90%. It makes you real tight with your money because you want to make sure that that 90% is doing what it needs to do."

3. Adapt the Principle, Whatever Your Faith or Means

• Even non-religious listeners can adopt a "percentage giving" model. Michelle points out that almost any budget can reveal opportunities to give if one tracks spending priorities—cutting back on extras like multiple streaming services or frequent takeout can free up resources.
  • Quote (Michelle, 07:36):
    "I just, you know, you get to choose, right? I'm not telling you you have to give. I think that's a personal decision..."

4. Giving While in Debt or on a Tight Budget

• Michelle suggests balancing debt payment and giving, even if the amount is small. Every bit helps, and time or service can be just as valuable.
  • Quote (Michelle, 08:34):
    "Maybe you only have a doll left or $10. Every charity I know will accept whatever you want to give at that level. And if you really don't have it, ... then you can give up your time."

5. The Value of Giving Time

• Volunteering, mentoring, community work—especially involving children—can normalize a culture of giving in the family.
  • Quote (Michelle, 10:09):
    "I personally think that everybody should have some of their time devoted to giving to charity or working."
• Michelle points out the immense impact of presence—visiting nursing homes, serving food, tutoring—especially year-round, not just during holidays.

6. Making Charity a Family Value

• Both Michelle and Christina encourage involving children in giving, whether through donations or volunteering.
  • Quote (Michelle, 12:02):
    "Normalize the giving of your time and your money. If they see you do it... they'll probably do it."

7. Choosing Where and How to Give

• Michelle recommends starting with employer or community-organized projects, but also just Googling local opportunities.
  • Quote (Michelle, 12:37):
    "If you make it part of who you are and your personal mission...I probably do have a mission and vision statement for myself, ...it stems back to my gratitude..."
• She emphasizes regular, thoughtful giving over holiday-only donations.

8. Any Motivation is Good Motivation

• The hosts discuss whether "guilt giving" or tax-incentivized donations are lesser forms of philanthropy. Michelle’s stance is pragmatic:
  • Quote (Michelle, 14:29):
    "From the charity's perspective, like, bring that guilt money, I don't care... If you wanted to give for the tax break, you know what, go ahead and give... Something is better than nothing."

9. Avoiding Charity Scams and Giving Wisely

• Michelle highlights the importance of due diligence before donating—especially with unsolicited requests or in the wake of disasters.
  • Key resources:
    • Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)
    • BBB Wise Giving Alliance
    • CharityWatch
  • Quote (Michelle, 15:34):
    "Before you give to anybody, any charity, please, please check it out, because you want your money to be used well, and you don't want it to fund a scammer."
• When it comes to GoFundMe campaigns or one-off requests, Michelle recommends setting aside a portion of your charitable budget for unexpected needs—and always verifying legitimacy.

10. Creating an Intentional Giving Plan

• Plan your giving—list causes, set an annual budget, and leave space for unplanned opportunities. Doing so makes it easier to say no to requests outside your plan.
  • Quote (Michelle, 18:52):
    "If you've got a plan, you can say, well, you know what? ... These are the charities I give to. And this is not part of my charitable plan."
• Treat charitable giving like other regular expenses (e.g., Netflix subscriptions).
  • Quote (Michelle, 20:16):
    "You have things that you do regularly... Add a charity, you know, to that, right?"

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My existence actually started with charity.” (04:00, Michelle Singletary)
• “Give out of your abundance, you give out of your extra.” (04:20, Michelle Singletary)
• “Normalize the giving of your time and your money. If they see you do it... they'll probably do it.” (12:02, Michelle Singletary)
• “If you wanted to give for the tax break, you know what, go ahead and give... Something is better than nothing.” (14:29, Michelle Singletary)
• “Before you give to anybody, any charity, please, please check it out...” (15:34, Michelle Singletary)
• “Be intentional about checking out charities. Be intentional about giving. Be intentional about giving of your time. And I tell you, when you work in the community ... it creates a sense in your soul that I think makes you a better person.” (20:24, Michelle Singletary)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:46] – Michelle’s personal story and charitable origins
• [05:10] – What is tithing?
• [08:34] – Advice for giving while in debt and non-monetary giving
• [10:09] – The importance of volunteering and involving children
• [12:37] – How to find reputable places to give
• [14:29] – Discussion: Is any motivation for giving a good one?
• [15:34] – Avoiding scams and verifying charities
• [17:39] – Advice on GoFundMe and giving to special needs
• [18:52] – Building a giving plan and handling multiple requests
• [20:16] – Planning charitable giving like a budgeted expense

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Actionable Takeaways

• Build giving into your budget—after your essentials, designate a percentage or set amount for charity.
• Start where you can—every little bit helps, and time or service is often as valuable as money.
• Be proactive and intentional—have a plan, list causes, check organizations, and teach children through example.
• Verify before giving—use trusted resources to avoid scams.
• Don’t let motivation stop you—guilt or perks aside, your giving still makes a positive difference.

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Closing Note

This episode makes it clear: Sustainable, effective giving is possible for everyone—start small, be intentional, and include the next generation in your philanthropic journey. As Michelle says, "Be intentional about giving, and it will make you a better person.”

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

If you like this episode of Try this, don't miss out on listening to more of the season along with a very special segment from the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson's Research. To listen to another episode, visit the Try this podcast page on washingtonpost.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Christina Quinn]

This season of Try this is brought to you by the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson's Research.

[Hannah]

Hi, it's Hannah. We're now flying into the New Year. I hope you've been enjoying the holidays however you celebrate and that you're exc for 2026. The 7 will be back with another listening treat on Friday and a new regular episode on Monday. But we didn't want to leave you hanging in 2025. So here's something that might help you reset your mindset around giving with your time, your money, or both. If you're like me, you've been thinking about how much you've spent this past month and even past year and how you can give a little more in 2026. So today we're sharing another episode of Try this with you. It's all about how to give in a way that feels sustainable and aligns with your budget. This is the second episode of a two part series on giving. We shared part one last week. In this episode, Christina Quinn talks with Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary about the challenges of giving when money is tight and why it's important to give back. I hope you enjoy this listen and if you do, please give Try this a nice rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts. Here's the show.

[Christina Quinn]

Hey, I'm Christina Quinn. Welcome back to Try this from the Washington Post. This is the second and final class in our course on altruism. In our first class we spoke to Abigail Marsh about how the easiest way to be more altruistic and is to just start, come up with a plan and go for it. In this class we're going to learn how to apply all that we learned in episode one through a practical financial lens. To help us with that question, I can't think of anyone more practical than this lady.

[Michelle Singletary]

I'm Michelle Singletary and I am the personal finance columnist for the Washington Post.

[Christina Quinn]

And it's fair to say Michelle has been thinking about money for a while.

[Michelle Singletary]

I've been cheap since I was a little person. My siblings used to borrow money from me and I would actually threaten to charge them interest. They didn't pay me back one time. So I was born to do what I do. It started with me Being a business reporter. So I covered bankruptcy and small business and banking. And honestly, the truth of the matter is, I got the column because I talked about how cheap I was and how my grandmother taught me about money. And when my colleagues were going out for lunch, I would fuss, and I'm like, I'm gonna sit right here, eat my bag lunch. You people go ahead and be crazy and spend all that money.

[Christina Quinn]

And your grandmother, she's like sort of a central figure in your columns. Big mama, right?

[Michelle Singletary]

That's right. Big Mama. Yeah. She passed away years ago. But she is a central character. I bring her up.

[Christina Quinn]

Her legacy lives on.

[Michelle Singletary]

Yeah, it does.

[Christina Quinn]

You know, I have to say, because I love your column. There are times when I am shopping or something, and I'm like, michelle. Michelle would get mad at me if I. If I would do this. Cause you do have sort of like that tough, tough love, no nonsense approach, which is so refreshing because you really do cut through the bs, which is why we wanted you on the show. And that said, you do make sure that there is room for charitable giving. Like, everybody has. Has room in their wallet for that. And I would love for you to tell us, like, why. Why do you say everyone's budget should include charitable giving?

[Michelle Singletary]

It's something that I deeply, deeply believe in, because my existence actually started with charity. My grandmother took me and my siblings in. There was five of us. My oldest sister was eight, I was four, and a sister was three, and twin brothers who were two. Our parents had a lot of issues, and my grandmother, basically, they were about to send us all off to foster care and split us up. And she said, no, bring them to me. Had it not been for my grandmother rescuing us, where would I be? Maybe not in such a great place. And so that has always motivated me. I have given to charity from the time that I earn money, either through money or my time. And so I do encourage people, as part of their budget, to build a charitable giving. Now, what I do say is a caveat, is that you give out of your abundance, you give out of your extra. So you make sure you've taken care of your necessities. Roof over your head, food on the table, you know, your savings, and then you allocate that to charitable giving. And so for my husband and I, we tithe to our local church. My husband's a deacon. I'm not, because, you know, I cuss a lot. So. So we tithe 10% of our income. Gross.

[Christina Quinn]

I think before we move further, though, I think it would be really helpful if you could explain what tithing is.

[Michelle Singletary]

Sure. So for my faith, I'm a Baptist, which used to be you in church all day long. Not necessarily anym, but it means that you give 10% of your increase. And so it's from the scripture. But basically whatever you earn, the first 10%, the fruits of your labor goes to giving, in this case your local church. So you can talk about it in the spiritual realm, but in a practical way, it means that you are supporting the efforts of your church to serve the community. So my tithes, 10% of my income goes to those efforts.

[Christina Quinn]

I think that's extraordinary and I think that that's also really inspiring because like you said, you have to prioritize your, the basic necessities. Right? You gotta make sure you're paying your rent, paying your utilities, groceries, all that stuff. But it sounds like you're saying you're doing that before you do those things because you've already mapped out your budget so you already know what you have to work with.

[Michelle Singletary]

Right. When you're a tither, that means you've left with 90%. It makes you real tight with your money because you want to make sure that that 90% is doing what it needs to do. And I think just, it imposes discipline. If you know that a key part of your budget is going to charity, I think that sets a different stage for your budget and it introduces a level of gratitude that I didn't get to where I am just by my own divine. There were people along the way who helped me, who opened doors, who coached me, mentored me, let me cry on their shoulder. So it just makes you put you in a posture of saying, I am grateful for what I have and I want to give, give back as part of this whole of earnings. You know, we talk about people making sure that they have savings and they're investing for their retirement and sending their kids to college. And in that mix should be how am I helping other people. One of my brothers who since passed away had epilepsy. So I gave to the Epilepsy foundation in Maryland and I served on their board. And you know, my, one of my daughters just got recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. And so we're probably going to add that to our charitable giving.

[Christina Quinn]

I love that. And so for somebody who isn't a member of a church or any sort of congregation in general, they can still take on that philosophy and that approach because it really is at the end of the day, I mean, that's right. You can take the 10% and, and pay it forward.

[Michelle Singletary]

I mean, I sometimes look at people's budget and they go, oh, I can't save or I can't really give. And you look at that, they're eating out, they've got four or five streaming services and. And I just, you know, you get to choose, right? I'm not telling you you have to give. I think that's a personal decision, but I do know that there is a lot of need. And so around the holidays, everybody says, oh, I want to serve in a soup kitchen, I want to give. But you know what? People hungry all year long, y'.

[Podcast Announcer]

All.

[Christina Quinn]

All year long. All year long.

[Michelle Singletary]

People need clothes all year long. People need formula all year long. And while it's wonderful that people think about it this time of year, when we're recording this around Thanksgiving, leading into the Christmas and Hanukkah and all those, but you gotta make this a year long passion to help people. I think commit to the bit. That's right.

[Christina Quinn]

What about people who have debt but they still wanna give? Like, you know, they wanna make sure that they pay off those bills but you know, make it less about them.

[Michelle Singletary]

Strike their hats, wear two hats. So I'm have to answer that question in case my pastor listen to this, watched it. So I have two hats. I'm a ministry leader. So as a woman of f believe that you tithe even when you have debt. That means you've got to really have a tighter budget to do both. And so when I talk to, you know, secular, you know, maybe you're not religious, you know, you definitely again want to take care of the most important things. You know, you don't want the creditor because you owe your creditors and you should do all that you can to pay that back. So you have to incorporate it in your budget. So maybe, you know, you put the priority in terms of paying your bills and your debts and maybe you only have a doll left or $10. You know, every charity I know will accept whatever you want to give at that level. And if you really don't have it, and many people don't, you just bear, you don't even maybe have enough for maybe all of your rent and food and then you can give up your time. And I think that's going to be my next question.

[Christina Quinn]

Yeah, yeah. Because time, time is money, time is valuable. And yeah, I mean if there are ways to give that don't involve cash, like you said, if you're cash strapped, you can barely afford these bills. There's need year round. Right. So what are other Ways you can give. What are your suggestions?

[Michelle Singletary]

So I'm, you know, I hope I'm not staying on too preachy to people, but I personally.

[Christina Quinn]

Well, you are the wife of a.

[Michelle Singletary]

Deacon, so, you know, just own it. Just own it. That's true. Right. I actually got a T shirt too that says, so I.

[Christina Quinn]

And a ministry leader. That's okay.

[Michelle Singletary]

And I run a financial ministry at my church, so I walk this walk. I personally think that everybody should have some of their time devoted to giving to a charity or working. And I have believed that since I was a teenager when I was a single woman and just had a little dog. I used to visit a nursing home with my dog because they found that a lot of times people in nursing homes, they don't necessarily connect with people, but they connect with animals. So I would take my dog to the nursing home a couple times a week and they. And some pa. Some. Some of the residents would talk to me and the dog, and some would pay me no attention and only focus on the dog. And that was, okay, leave the dog with me. Right. And so I have. I just think that you should, if you got. If you're a parent, that part of the activities of your children should involve charitable giving either through their. Their allowance or their time. So I think I just. It's important, particularly if you've got children. And my children were required to. To serve in something, you know, food, kitchen, giving back, te. Tutoring, whatever. And so I just think that you ought to carve out time in your life. You're running your kids, all these soccer practices, and you're going to the movies and you're sitting and binge watching stuff and, and that's fine. That feeds your soul in a different way. But my goodness, what a difference it would make if everybody carved out some amount of time to give to others.

[Christina Quinn]

Right? Yeah. It's funny you say that. Just this week we were. My husband, I were just going through like the pantry and thinking like, oh, yeah, you know, let's. Let's focus on food donation. And I. And I said, like, we need to make sure that we take our kids with us when we do this so they actually see, like, this is what we're doing and this is why. So I love. I love hearing you say that. Like, yes, have your kids basically normalize it right from an early age.

[Michelle Singletary]

I love that. That's right. Normalize the giving of your time and your money. If they see you do it. Because kids, you know, they're really sharp. You go like, o. Oh, you need to do this, but if they don't see you doing it, they probably won't. You know, it's so true.

[Christina Quinn]

I think for so long and for so many years, you know, religious organizations were often at the helm of charitable donations. And, you know, there are fewer people practicing faith than decades ago. Right. Where do you suggest people go to find out where they can give?

[Michelle Singletary]

Well, you know, lots of us have employers who have projects in the community. You can look around and see if there are any things that your company does. And so I would say start and see if you belong to a community group. Honestly, you could just Google charitable work and your, your neighborhood and all kinds of. Right? No, no, but it's a good question because people kind of, if it's not in their face and it's not coming to them, they may not think about it. But if you make it part of who you are and your, your personal mission, I sort of think, I guess I probably do have a. And vision statement for myself. And again, it stems back to my gratitude of my grandmother raising me and all the people who stepped into my life to help me when my parents were absent. And I just thought if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now. And I just keep that in the forefront.

[Christina Quinn]

There's clearly a lot of different ways to give, whether that's through time or money. And we all have different motivations to be altruistic. But how do we know if we're giving to the right place or the right amount? That's after the break. So in part one of this series, we, we talked about altruism and, and what it means to be truly altruistic. And so when it comes to charity, do you believe that any charitable giving is good, even if you're just doing it for the tax write off or because, you know, social media peer pressured you into doing it?

[Michelle Singletary]

Yeah, that's such an interesting question. I've never been asked that before. I, I don't know. I think the charity's perspective, like bring that guilt money, I don't care. You know, I think you give however you give. If you wanted to give for the tax break, you know what, go ahead and give. I don't.

[Hannah]

Right.

[Christina Quinn]

Because somebody's benefiting, right?

[Michelle Singletary]

That's right. Something is better than nothing. I would like to think that even if people are giving for just the tax break, the underlying it is still an effort to try to help somebody else because the tax break isn't dollar for dollar. So you still aren't getting all of that money back in the tax break. So those of us who serve in the community, we'll take it however we get it. If you give out of guilt, that's okay.

[Christina Quinn]

That's okay.

[Michelle Singletary]

That's okay with me.

[Christina Quinn]

You have written a lot about financial scams, and I guess I. How can we make sure that we're giving to a reputable charity?

[Michelle Singletary]

Yeah. So right now, there's a lot of need in Jamaica for people. And you get this email or text message and you're like, your heart leaves, but I need you to leave from your heart and your head. So before you give to anybody, any charity, please, please check it out, because you want your money to be used well, and you don't want it to fund a scammer because that emboldens them to cheat other people. And so if you're not sure how to do this, the Federal Trade Commission, if you go to ftc.gov it has a tip sheet on how to check out a charity. You can go to, to the bbb, which stands for Better Business Bureau, Wise Giving Alliance Online, and they have a way for you to check out charities. And then Charity Watch also sort of rates charities and gives you an idea of how if they're legitimate. So I, I just listen, I've. We've talked a lot about maybe people are like, yeah, yeah, that's me now I'm gonna go. But please, please take time to make sure that the charity is legitimate. Don't answer any email, text message, anything you see online. Shove that to the side, go directly to the source before you give in those ways, even if some friends come at you, just say, you know, that's, that's a good idea. Let me check that out and give and actually follow through. Right. But I think it is important as givers that you make sure that you are giving to legitimate charities because you damage legitimate charities. Right. If you don't take that time. And also you want to be sure that the charity is in the position to do what they need to do. Like, you might have someone saying, I'm going to help people in Jamaica. They never help nobody in Jamaica. They don't know how to get anything to Jamaica, but they, their heart is there, but they don't have the infrastructure.

[Christina Quinn]

Well, actually, so, yeah, I mean, on that Note, what about GoFundMes? You know, there are a lot of GoFundMes or somebody's like, oh, you know, have a relative, you know, here in this country, like, you know, in this disaster, they, they could use all the help. I mean, what about. What about that?

[Michelle Singletary]

I. I'm of two minds with those campaigns. Right. Okay. Now, GoFundMe says they do a lot to check out and make sure people legitimate. And I've done columns on that. And it does seem like they have a really robust system to make sure that when you give to a campaign, the person's actually raising for the people that they talk about. I think some people are too quick. Quick to go to cofundme when they haven't utilized other avenues. But if you see a campaign on one of those platforms and you've checked it out, it was legitimate and it's in your heart to give, then sure. Because sometimes things pop up that you weren't thinking about. And this happened recently with Jamaica. Right. One of my friends is helping someone else collect clothing and toiletries and things like that. And so we're great. Okay. That's not part of our regular giving, but there's a need that has arisen right now. And so when you come up with your charitable budget, you might actually set aside some funds for things that come up that is not part of your regular giving plan. Because there are times when people coming at you and coming at you and you're like, oh, my gosh, I feel overwhelmed.

[Christina Quinn]

But now, because once you start.

[Michelle Singletary]

That's right.

[Christina Quinn]

Once you start, everyone knows everyone.

[Michelle Singletary]

That's right.

[Christina Quinn]

They come for you. They really do.

[Michelle Singletary]

That's right. And so if you've got a plan, you can say, well, you know what? I. These are. These are the charities I give to. And this is not part of my charitable plan. And that way, when people keep coming at you, you can say no and not feel guilty or be guilted into giving when you already have a giving plan.

[Christina Quinn]

Such great advice. So practical. I mean, this is your bread and butter planning and budgeting. You're like, guys, do that with your finances, do that with your time. Because if you have the time, you just need to plan it and stick with it.

[Michelle Singletary]

That's right. That's right. If you're. If you're going to be serving in your community, you want to live up to those obligations. I mean, we're coming at the end of the year. I would say that could be one of your resolutions for the new year. I'm going to have a giving plan. And we have certain charities that we give to every year. Public radio, we give to that. And that's on our giving sheet. I give back to my alma mater, University of Maryland at College Park. We, as I said, we tithe in our church and I probably will be adding diabetes now to that giving plan. And so you can change it from year to year. Midway through you say, you know what? I see this charity, they're doing great work. Why don't I add them to the plan? Listen, you guys, you know, you have a budget. You have things that you do regularly. You give to Netflix and all that. Add a charity, you know, to that, Right?

[Christina Quinn]

That's right.

[Michelle Singletary]

You know, we have things that we pay every month religiously, no matter what. Why not add that to your budget?

[Christina Quinn]

Yeah. Be intentional.

[Michelle Singletary]

Be intentional about checking out in charities. Be intentional about giving. Be intentional about giving of your time. And I tell you, when you work in the community, when you work with people who are need, when you work with people who are struggling, it creates a sense in your soul that I think makes you a better person.

[Christina Quinn]

That connection, it really is important to have that connection.

[Michelle Singletary]

Right.

[Christina Quinn]

I'm so glad that you also donate to public radio. I'm a public radio alum. As you can see, I'm actually wearing a radio shirt.

[Michelle Singletary]

I totally believe in it. We give to all. In fact, in the D.C. area, there's like what, three of you? There's a bunch of stage.

[Christina Quinn]

Yes.

[Michelle Singletary]

Right. And so we give to all of them. We're like, cause we couldn't choose, right? We feel like we're so bad. So we're like, okay, we're gonna give all three.

[Christina Quinn]

And so it's like, I can't have a favorite child. All of you guys. Yes.

[Michelle Singletary]

Yeah, no, I have a favorite child who say that. I don't believe it.

[Christina Quinn]

We'll save that for another episode. All right, recap. As Michelle put it, there's always a way to give. Whatever you decide, do it intentionally and within your means. Build charitable giving into your budget and give from your abundance. After covering your essentials options, include regular tithing or percentage based giving and put it towards causes that mean something to you. If you can't swing it financially, give time as a valuable alternative. This means volunteering regularly, not just during the holidays. We're talking food kitchens, tutoring and helping community organizations. And if you're a parent, include your kids in service projects. Lastly, give wisely by choosing reputable avenue vet charities before donating. You can do this by searching bbb, Wise Giving alliance, and Charity Watch. Be cautious with unsolicited requests. Verify GoFundMe campaigns, or stick with organizations that have the infrastructure to deliver aid. And yes, I know you're excited to give, but do it within your means. Create a personal giving plan so you can say yes or no without feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelmed. Try this is produced and hosted by me, Christina Quinn and Taylor White. Additional producing by Sharla Freeland. The show's editors are Thomas Liu and Kanya Krit Van Kitkajorn. Sharla Freeland is also our video editor. Sound design and mixing is by Ted Muldoon and Shawn Carter. Theme music is by Katherine Anderson. Show art is by Kati Huertas with design editing from Christian Font and Greg Manifold. The things I learn on the show really do change how I move through the world, and I'd love to hear from you. Tell me what you took away from our course and how you make altruism a part of your everyday life. Record a voice memo or drop me a [e-mail] the email address again is try this@washpost. Thanks for listening.

[Podcast Announcer]

If you enjoyed this episode of Try this, don't miss listening to the very first episode of the season, including a special segment from the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson's Research, which is dedicated to finding better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's. Find out about the impact the foundation is making, why it matters and how you can be a part of it this giving season. Visit the Try this podcast page on washingtonpost.com or wherever you get your podcasts. To listen to.