Introducing 'First Person,' a new podcast from New York Times Opinion

“If you were asked to explain your life, what would you say?”

That’s the question we’re exploring in “First Person,” a new podcast from New York Times Opinion with host Lulu Garcia-Navarro. In each episode, Lulu sits down with people living through the headlines for intimate conversations that help us understand the news. “The answers are surprising and revealing and they help make sense of the world we are living in,” Lulu said.

From the roots of the parent’s rights movement, to a woman’s personal reconciliation with abortion, to a gay Ukrainian soldier who goes back in the closet in order to fight for his country, these are the personal and immersive stories driving today’s conversations and shaping ideas at the moment.

“This show is a new way of understanding where people’s opinions come from. It’s urgent and intimate and takes someone who is living through something incredible and asks them how they came to believe what they believe,” said Lulu.

Paula Szuchman, director of audio, added, “In Opinion Audio, we’re exploring ideas every day, ideas that often challenge listeners’ views of the world, and of the people living in it. Lulu and our amazing team of producers and editors are now taking that mission further by making these ideas personal. We’re hearing directly from people about how their ideas took root and changed over time. These stories aren’t tidy, or predictable.”

Lulu Garcia-Navarro is a two-time Peabody Award-winning journalist with years of experience interviewing world leaders, authors, artists and people living on the front lines of a changing world. A longtime international correspondent in the Middle East and Latin America, Lulu was at NPR for 17 years, most recently as their host of “Weekend Edition,” where she reported on everything from #MeToo to immigration to the pandemic. Lulu was also the co-host of the podcast “Up First” and the first Latina at the helm of a flagship show at the public broadcaster.

The first episode of “First Person’” premieres on June 9. Listeners can subscribe wherever they get their podcasts.

“First Person” joins New York Times Opinion’s suite of podcasts that gives listeners a destination for in-depth interviews, thought-provoking viewpoints and enlightening debate, including “The Ezra Klein Show,” “The Argument” and “Sway.”