About Us!

But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids began at Vermont Public in 2016 when award-winning journalist Jane Lindholm wanted to create a public radio show that both adults and kids could enjoy. Producer Melody Bodette was an immediate supporter and became the show’s producer. Together, they launched a podcast with a mission to celebrate the diversity of childhood experience and encourage lifelong curiosity.

Since its launch, But Why has received thousands of questions from kids in every US state and territory and more than 90 other countries. Geared to listeners ages 4-10 and their adults, new episodes come out every other Friday. All episodes are accompanied by learning guides for educators and the team produced a new educational video series specifically for schools in the 23-'24 school year.

Now, But Why is one of the top kids podcasts in the world, and the brand has expanded to offer trustworthy information and entertainment beyond the podcast, including a book series, school curriculum, video episodes and live multimedia presentations.

You can find all of our episodes and more information at butwhykids.org. If you're on social media, find us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Tiktok.

We'd love for you to stay in touch by signing up for our email newsletter!

And if you want more But Why, check out our book series here and find videos on our YouTube channel.

Want to get in touch? Send questions through our submission form or by writing to questions@butwhykids.org. All other inquiries and feedback can also be sent to that address. Interested in underwriting? Get in touch here.

Jane Lindholm is the host, creator and executive producer of But Why. She grew up in Vermont and Massachusetts and has lived in a lot of different places around the world. Early on, she discovered that some of the best adventures you can have are right in your own backyard, wherever that is! In her adult life, she’s worked as a reporter, producer and radio and television host. Before coming to Vermont Public to host a daily news show called Vermont Edition in 2007, she worked for NPR and APM and she was also a travel guide writer for Let’s Go. Jane loves exploring new places and ideas. And although she can’t pick just one favorite animal, she REALLY likes hedgehogs!

Melody Bodette: Melody is contributing editor of But Why, and has been a producer of the podcast since the beginning. Before But Why, she was a news producer and deputy news director at Vermont Public. She grew up reading newspapers over breakfast and watching TV news at night but didn’t realize journalism was for her until after college and living abroad in France. She worked every low-level journalism job she could to gain experience and work her way up at Vermont Public. She grew up on a dairy farm in Vermont, and as an adult has become interested in the nature all around her. Her favorite animal (right now) is octopus because they are so unexpectedly clever – but her favorite animal changes every time she researches an animal question for But Why. We’ve done more episodes about animals than anything else, and that’s probably Melody’s doing.

Kianna Haskin: Kianna joined But Why as our engagement producer in January of 2023, excited to expand the podcast’s reach to new audiences around the world. Science and ancient history have always fascinated her. As a child, she found herself gravitating toward the History Channel rather than Disney content. When a new documentary or series about Egyptology came out, she made sure to record it on her family’s VCR. She spent countless hours watching the Tutankhamun documentaries featuring the work of Zahi Hawass and it’s one of her But Why dreams to visit the Pyramids and interview Hawass. Her favorite animal is a jellyfish because they have no brain or heart and they are 95 percent water. Jellyfish are essentially the tomatoes of the ocean!