
An Elementary School Teacher
16/12/2025 | 34 mins.
Weaving songs and dances into classroom lessons, having difficult conversations with parents, and navigating the second-day meltdowns of kindergarten students with Yaronda Kilgo, an elementary school teacher. What did a backpack full of snacks teach her about empathy? And what makes her "extra"?We're teaming up this month with GiveDirectly to collect money that will go directly to Rwandan families. Dan will match every dollar raised from What It's Like To Be... listeners. Donate now: givedirectly.org/whatitslikeWANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be... "starter pack". It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes from our back catalogue. GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions: 1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean? 2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise. We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

A Humanitarian Worker
02/12/2025 | 34 mins.
Managing Ebola treatment centers in Sierra Leone, coordinating with government officials and local leaders, and advocating for the radical simplicity of cash aid with Grace Jackson, a humanitarian worker. When low-income families are given money, what's the first thing they often buy? And what is “CMCoord”?This episode is part of a fundraising effort called Pods Fight Poverty. We're teaming up with GiveDirectly to collect money that will go directly to Rwandan families. Dan will match every dollar raised from What It's Like To Be... listeners. Donate now: givedirectly.org/whatitslikeWANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be... "starter pack". It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes from our back catalogue. GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions: 1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean? 2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise. We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

A Conductor
18/11/2025 | 31 mins.
Reinterpreting centuries-old classical music, marking up symphonies with notes on phrasing, and turning mid-performance disasters into unforgettable moments with Carlos Miguel Prieto, a music director and conductor. How do you get an orchestra to pick up the tempo? (Spoiler: Not by waving your hands faster.) And how does a performance of Beethoven's Fifth sound different today from a century ago?WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be... "starter pack". It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes from our back catalogue. GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions: 1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean? 2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise. We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

A Master Electrician
04/11/2025 | 32 mins.
Calculating electrical loads, getting zapped by 277 volts, and savoring the freedom of the skilled trades with Doug Powell, a master electrician. Why are blue-collar professions growing increasingly more attractive? And what are the telltale signs of a hack electrician?Doug runs Lumen Brothers Electric Company with his business partner, Josh.WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be... "starter pack". It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes from our back catalogue. GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions: 1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean? 2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise. We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

A Baseball Player
21/10/2025 | 31 mins.
Scaling outfield walls to pick off home runs, bouncing between La Quinta hotels and sleeper buses, and chasing the dream of the majors with Trayvon Robinson, a professional baseball player. What superstitions did he live by? And what did he do to make SportsCenter in his major league debut?WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be... "starter pack". It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes from our back catalogue. GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions: 1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean? 2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise. We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.



What It's Like To Be...