What It's Like To Be... with Dan Heath

Forecasting demand for 40,000 different products, arranging for model kits to traverse the globe from Chinese factories to mom-and-pop hobby shops, and enduring random customs inspections with Alan Bass, a hobby kit and toy distributor. Why can't shops place orders directly with factories and cut out distributors? And what is it like to discover your childhood toys were actually samples given...

Hurtling down an ice track at nearly 100mph, perfecting the practice of visualization, and shaving off hundredths of a second with Kaillie Humphries, an Olympic bobsledder. What's the most feared track in the world? And how do athletes practice when there's no ice in the summer? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a c...

Shearing Christmas trees into their classic shape, fighting back weeds and blackbirds, and planting 5,000 trees a year with Sheldon Corsi, a Christmas tree farmer near Cincinnati, Ohio . What does a tree baler sound like? And what makes Christmas tree farming distinctive within the world of agriculture? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack"...

Swimming with 20-foot manta rays, suffering through grant applications, and rushing to the whale freezer with Jessica Pate , a marine biologist based in Florida. How have drones changed her work? And what's wrong with being a "parachute scientist"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist wi...

Perfecting the soft finishes, dealing with divorcing couples, and cultivating the perfect network of artisans with Julie Anne Burch, an interior designer. Why did she need a crane to move a piano? And how can interior designers create a "moment"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with some...

Ignoring 10,000 booing fans, collaborating with the replay center, and striving for perfection with Billy Kennedy, an NBA referee. What happens when you get a call wrong? And what's the difference between the trail, slot, and lead officials? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential...

Outsmarting drunks, competing with ride-share apps, and discovering that some of your passengers were Spice Girls with Jamie Owens, a London cabbie. How much does it cost to buy a cab? And what's "The Knowledge"? You can find Jamie on YouTube at his channel "Jamie The Cabby" . WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" ....

Overcoming "soft objections," hustling to line up meetings, and navigating the line between business and friendship with David Johnson, a third-generation life insurance salesman. What is the mistake that "ruins careers" for salespeople? And what is a "feed list"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It'...

Framing a scene to draw in the audience, dealing with screaming directors, and getting lost in an actor's performance with Pauline Edwards, a camera operator. What's it like filming a reality TV show? And what's a "swingle"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essent...

Hauling 32,000 lbs of dead rats, strategically planning every turn and pit stop, and soaking up the highway sunrises and sunsets with Kathy and Gene Lednicky, team truck drivers. What's the chatter like on the CB radio? And what's a "lumper”? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with som...

Conjuring a world where kids can reinvent themselves, running a small town in the woods, and witnessing camp counselors falling in love with Eric Sasson, a summer camp director . What happens on the last night of camp? And why does the question "Do you have a minute?" spark anxiety? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's...

Transforming school buses into ice cream trucks, watching kids grow up (one popsicle at a time), and struggling to keep the freezers running with Erin Bailey, an ice cream truck driver in New Jersey . What’s her best selling treat? And does she ever get sick of the ice cream truck song? Music credit: "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed u...

Learning to read the ocean, performing CPR on a dolphin, and leading daring (and sometimes foolish) rescues with Ed Vodrazka, an ocean lifeguard in California. What are the signs that someone is in trouble in the water? And how do you stay vigilant after many hours in the tower? Ed is the author of a couple of books about ocean lifeguards, including Stories from Sea Level: The Heroic and Humorous...

Scanning crowds for suspicious behavior, learning how to leap from moving vehicles, and investigating every threat to the president with Cindy Marble, a retired Secret Service agent. What's it like to witness history up close? And what is "left of boom"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playl...

Scouting for signs of greatness, bolstering players after heartbreaking losses, and fighting the "yips" with Vesa Pönkkä , a veteran tennis coach. Why are tennis matches played in silence? And what's a "lucky loser”? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes...

Taking late-night phone calls from panicked clients, dueling with company lawyers over what to disclose, and rushing to preempt unfavorable stories with Chris Thomas , a PR crisis manager. What was it like to manage the media frenzy surrounding the Elizabeth Smart case? And what's the worst possible answer to a journalist's question? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's...

Churning out creative possibilities on tight timelines, crafting bespoke stock images with help from AI, and pitching unique ideas to risk-averse clients with Jo Skillman , a creative director in Texas. Why do a lot of creative directors grind their teeth at night? And what is a "swoop and poop"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack&quo...

Reading canine body language, boarding dogs to teach them manners, and training the dogs' owners with Keely Korbel, a dog trainer. Is it a good idea to clone your dog? And what is a "marker word"? 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....

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? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with some es...

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? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...

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? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify pla...

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 deci...

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”? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a c...

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"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with some es...

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? 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...