Podcast
What It's Like To Be... with Dan Heath
Hosted by Dan Heath · EN
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.
77episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
A Hotshot
3d ago00:34:31Tap to summarizeDigging line to redirect the country's fiercest wildland fires, sleeping in the dirt after a 16-hour day, and turning physical endurance into a public service with Ben Strahan, a hotshot crew superintendent in California. What does a wildfire sound like up close? And where does a crew go when the fire threatens to overrun them?GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →An Airport CEO
2w ago00:35:38Tap to summarizePitching airline executives during route-planning speed dates, opening a $1.7 billion new terminal, and making space for emotional airport reunions with Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport. Why does she have a beekeeper on contract? And what did a missing freight elevator teach her about leadership?GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →A Civil Aviation Engineer
3w ago00:30:16Tap to summarizeDesigning runways for hot air and heavy planes, inspecting pavement cracks with measuring wheels, and protecting vicious little owls from construction crews with Eileen Vélez-Vega, a civil aviation engineer in Puerto Rico. What does the color of runway lights reveal to a pilot? And what's a "spall"?GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →An Air Traffic Controller
Jun 3000:31:08Tap to summarizeSequencing departures like a moving puzzle, scrambling when a jet takes off without clearance, and catching what radar misses with a glance out the window with Michael Rejent, an air traffic controller. What does "tally ho" mean to a pilot? What phrase makes every controller in the cab look up?GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →A Flight Attendant
Jun 2300:29:36Tap to summarizeHugging a mother through an anxiety attack, bidding for the best routes, and absorbing strangers' confessions at 35,000 feet with Linda Beall, a flight attendant. What does it mean when the cabin bells ring three or four times? And what makes a trip a “dog”?GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →An Airline Pilot
Jun 1600:38:55Tap to summarizeShooting cat-three landings in the fog, using the “voice of God” on unruly passengers, and declaring Mayday after an engine fire with Paul Drusch, a commercial airline pilot. Why does the pilot’s paycheck start with the parking brake? And what does “sterile cockpit” mean? (Spoiler: it doesn’t mean “clean.”)GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →
(Bonus) From StoryCorps: "Sideliners"
Jun 900:17:15Tap to summarizeAthletes get all the glory, but there are countless people around them making the games happen - from referees making judgments, to vendors in the stands hawking snacks and beer. In this episode from The StoryCorps Podcast, drawn from our archive of the largest single collection of human voices ever recorded, you’ll hear from the people on the sidelines.GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →A Clinical Ethicist
Jun 200:40:15Tap to summarizeUntangling who gets to speak for a dying patient, weighing a treatment's benefits against its burdens, and searching for clarity in the grayest corners of healthcare with Esther Berkowitz, a clinical ethicist. What is the "dignity of risk"? And how do you know which "version" of a person to trust?GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →A Correctional Officer
May 1900:35:24Tap to summarizeGrinding through 16-hour shifts, standing behind inmates (never in front), and trying to stay human in an inhuman environment with Bill Farrell, a correctional officer in Massachusetts. What happens when an officer gets "frozen"? And why does the sound of scuffling sneakers stop him in his tracks?LINKS & REFERENCESBill was the co-creator of a short documentary about the physical and mental toll of being a correctional officer. It's called "Behind The Wall".GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
Transcribe →A Custom Harvester
May 500:35:55Tap to summarizeHarvesting five million bushels of wheat and corn from Texas to Montana, outrunning hailstorms that decimate a year's income in 20 minutes, and running a multimillion-dollar convoy of equipment down the highway with Josh Beckley, a third-generation custom harvester from Kansas. Why do farmers outsource the harvesting of their own crops? And what happens when you drive a combine into a ditch?GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.comFOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.comWANT 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.
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