What It's Like To Be...

What It's Like To Be...

Curious what it would be like to walk in someone else’s (work) shoes? Join New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath as he explores the world of work, one profession at a time, and interviews people who love what they do. What does a couples therapist think when a friend asks for relationship advice? What happens if a welder fails to wear safety glasses? What can get a stadium beer vendor fired? If you’ve ever met someone whose work you were curious about, and you had 100 nosy questions but were too polite to ask … well, this is the show for you.

Episodes

April 23, 2024 30 mins

Unearthing ancient wine cellars, finding the right places to dig, and tracing the arc of lost civilizations with Eric Cline, an archaeologist. What's the difference between a shard and a sherd? And what will archaeologists of the future make of us?

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Building cases against MS-13 gang members, flipping a suspect in an interrogation, and writing countless subpoenas for phone records with Dan Brunner, a retired FBI Special Agent. What's the significance of the "1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle"? And what does it take to get a fugitive on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list?

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March 26, 2024 29 mins

Raising cattle in the high desert, hauling calves to auction, and protecting the herd from mountain lions with Chachi Hawkins, a cattle rancher in southwest Texas. How did she go from selling clothes to selling cattle? And does she ever get attached to particular calves?

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We've got a special bonus episode for you this week! Our friends over at Choiceology, the podcast hosted by Katy Milkman, explores the lessons that can be gleaned from behavioral economics. They tell true stories with high-stakes, sharing what the latest research tells us about making better decisions. In this episode, called “The Superforecasters”, they examine President Barack Obama’s decision to move forward with the r...

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March 12, 2024 30 mins

Diagnosing what ails struggling companies, choosing the "least crappy option", and managing constant stress with Jeff Vogelsang, a turnaround consultant. What kind of personality do you need to lead turnarounds? And what does it mean to make someone "available to industry”?

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February 27, 2024 29 mins

Caring for patients with serious burns, making sure the correct leg gets operated on, and working 24 hours straight with Teresa Shuster, a nurse in Florida. How did a patient change the trajectory of her career? And what's a "Code Brown"?

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February 13, 2024 30 mins

Crafting jokes that kill, hustling to find gigs, and improvising based on the audience's reaction with Chris Grace, a stand-up comedian. What's the worst he's ever bombed? And what is a "bringer" show?

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January 30, 2024 28 mins

Cutting to accentuate the client's eyes and ears, plotting to tame Einstein's hair, and riding the ups and downs of entrepreneurship with Ona Diaz-Santin, a hair stylist and owner of 5 Salon & Spa in New Jersey. What's the most irritating way a client can respond to a haircut? And why was she christened "The Hair Saint"?

Our show takes a lot of inspiration from Studs Terkel's classic book ...

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January 16, 2024 30 mins

Pushing perfectionism to its limits, suffering third degree burns from slag, and having your welds “shot” by X-rays with Matt "Lucky" Reed, a welder in Florida. What happens to welders' eyes if they don't wear protective hoods? And what's a time-tested way of trolling a fellow welder?

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<...

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January 2, 2024 27 mins

Delivering the perfect first lesson, working with 89-year-old students, and learning how to charge for your work with Christina Whitlock, a piano teacher in Indiana.  How does she help students hear the "heartbeat of music"? And what is it like to teach a student from first grade through college?

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December 20, 2023 30 mins

Refurbishing old sleighs, reviewing advance dossiers on kids, and going to “Santa School" with Larry Jefferson, a professional Santa Claus based in Dallas. How does he handle situations when kids ask for something Santa could never grant? And what would a kid have to do to get coal?

Music credit:
"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Att...

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December 12, 2023 30 mins

Managing complaints from parents, handling the horrors of teenage social media, and serving as an emergency substitute teacher with Marcus Belin, a high school principal in Illinois. How does it feel for everyone in town to know him as The Principal? And what exactly is a “sandwich email”?

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November 28, 2023 30 mins

Scouting body disposal sites, investigating obscure poisons, and computing royalty payments with Donna Andrews, the mystery novelist behind the Meg Langslow series. How do you make a living as a mystery novelist? And could Tylenol be a murder weapon?

Know someone who is a great storyteller that we should talk to about their job? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.com

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November 14, 2023 29 mins

Catching embezzling CFOs, sniffing out a corrupt private school headmaster, and sifting through fake invoices with Chris Ekimoff, a forensic accountant. What are his go-to moves to detect fraud? And who is the most famous forensic accountant (besides Ben Affleck)?

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October 31, 2023 30 mins

Tracking a 2.5-mile-wide tornado, fretting over forecasts, and waking up at 2:30am with Lacey Swope, a TV meteorologist for News 9 in Oklahoma City. How does she deal with fans and stalkers? And what is the “deformation zone”?

You can see Lacey's daily forecasts on the News 9 website. She's also on Instagram.

Got thoughts on the show? Reach out to dan@whatitslike.com

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October 15, 2023 27 mins

Defending a man prosecuted for breaking into his own house, carrying clients’ burdens, and dispelling a myth about Miranda rights with Mike Panella, a criminal defense attorney from Orlando.

Got thoughts on the show? You can reach us at dan@whatitslike.com

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October 15, 2023 28 mins

Mystery dates, adult playrooms, habit stacking, and the misuse of “narcissism” with Laura Heck, a virtual couples therapist. Laura is also a co-host of the podcast Marriage Therapy Radio.

Want to share your thoughts on the show? Email dan@whatitslike.com

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October 15, 2023 27 mins

Meeting Muhammad Ali, handling fans who are alcoholics, pouring with no foam, and dreaming about one last game with Howard Hart, who spent three decades as a stadium beer vendor.

If you want to see Howard in action, The Washington Post put together a great video feature on him in 2014.

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at jobs@whatitslike.com

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September 18, 2023 1 min

Curious what it would be like to walk in someone else’s (work) shoes? Join New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath as he explores the world of work, one profession at a time, and interviews people who love what they do. What does a couples therapist think when a friend asks for relationship advice? What happens if a welder fails to wear safety glasses? What can get a stadium beer vendor fired? If you’ve ever met someone whose w...

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