State of the Human

About State of the Human

State of the Human, a podcast of the Stanford Storytelling Project, shares stories that deepen our understanding of single, common human experiences—belonging, giving, lying, forgiveness—all drawn from the experiences and research of the Stanford community.

Publisher

Stanford Storytelling Project

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Feb 2014

Latest episode

12 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

5 of 166 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   12 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Untethered: Why We Run

   Host Emerson Prentice interviews guests about the psychological and physical motivations behind running, revealing the allure of flow states and freedom.

2. 

   9 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Untethered: When the Lights Turn Green

   Matthew Mettias shares his personal essay "When the Light Turns Green" and discusses its origins and a near-death experience in this interview.

3. 

   8 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Play: Pioneer

   Author Lydia Conklin shares her short story "Pioneer" exploring identity and self-discovery, as read by host Coco.

Who has been a guest on State of the Human

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Matthew Mettias
• Lydia Conklin
• Becca Taylor
• Adesuwa Agbonile
• Paul Fisher

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

70 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

45

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact State of the Human

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.