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

Writing for the ear rather than the eye, racing to meet teleprompter deadlines, and recasting lost memories as timeless advice with Stephen Krupin , a speechwriter. What was it like to write speeches for President Obama? And when can a speaker's desire for "authenticity" go too far? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It&a...

Crafting floral masterpieces that disappear within hours, dealing with the eccentricities of wealthy clients, and making 3am runs to the flower market with Paul Hawkins, a floral decorator in England. Why is it a no-no to mix red and white flowers? And what's it like to design floral decorations for royalty? You can see some of Paul's work on his Instagram page . WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGES...

Cracking automotive mysteries one diagnostic code at a time, mastering the art of quoting complicated repairs, and playing the "what kind of noise is it?" guessing game with Justin Snodgrass, a car mechanic who owns his own shop . Why should $19.99 oil changes make you suspicious? And why might your local car mechanic decline to work on new cars? IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE: Check out what...

Counting out pills in fives, working with million-dollar drugs, and ensuring the right medication in the right dose gets delivered at the right moment with Rose Davin, a pharmacy technician in Rochester, New York. What are the layers of protection that prevent pharmacy employees from absconding with opioids? And what happens if a technician accidentally drops a pill on the floor? IF YOU LIKE THIS...

Forecasting what a business will earn and spend, allocating resources among teams clamoring for more, and practicing professional skepticism without killing the vibe with Steve Love, a chief financial officer. What does it feel like to confess to a board of directors that you've made a potentially catastrophic error? And what happens when business leaders accidentally release non-public infor...

Boiling briskets for five hours, escorting obnoxious customers to the door, and preserving the ritual of saying "hello" with Steven Peljovich, who runs Michael's Deli in Boston. What makes a deli different from a sandwich shop? And, until recently, why did he resist taking orders online? Read The Boston Globe story that Steven mentioned about longtime customer Rita Manor. IF YOU LIK...

Choreographing massages to Mozart, enforcing cancellation policies with beloved clients, and shutting down callers seeking "undraped sessions" with Allissa Haines , a massage therapist. What made her cry in her car after one particular house call? And what is "effleurage”? In this episode, Dan recommended The Work of Art by Adam Moss, a book about how artists make their work. Check...

Scaling three-story rope ladders up the sides of ships, memorizing every rock and current in a harbor, and narrowly avoiding catastrophic collisions with Captain Grant Livingstone, a retired harbor pilot. What do you do when your engine and anchors fail in heavy fog? And how do you dock a ship the size of the Empire State Building? Grant and his twin brother Captain George Livingstone co-authored...

Comforting patients as they prepare to transition, navigating end-of-life regrets and frayed relationships, and providing support and advice for fearful families with Heather Meyerend, a retired hospice nurse. How does she know when the end is imminent? And what has the work taught her about the different ways we deal with death? Heather is a contributing author to the book Resilient Faith: Dare T...

Calming scared cats with pheromone sprays, advising families how to balance their pet's well-being with budget realities, and diagnosing mysterious animal maladies with Dr. Hindatu Mohammed, a veterinarian in Austin, TX . What breed of dog, when having its nails clipped, responds as though it's being murdered? And how did an injured ant shape her career choice? IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE:...

Tracing mysterious errors to their source, jousting with product managers, and rolling out new features (without breaking the old ones) with Taylor Hughes, a software engineer. How did one failed software fix ruin Christmas for kids around the country? And what is "spaghetti code"? Taylor is currently a co-founder and the CTO at Hypernatural.ai . IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE: Check out what...

Mediating pickleball noise disputes, shepherding communities through thorny decisions, and practicing radical pragmatism with Martha Bennett , city manager of Lake Oswego, Oregon. What is it that makes public hearings so noxious? And what's the difference between "Big P" and "Little P" politics? IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE: Check out what it's like to be a high school pr...

Pouring pints for thirsty tourists, defusing situations with drunk patrons, and finding flow in the Friday night rush with Brian Wynne, a barman in Dublin. What caused one customer to throw a dog at Brian? And what is "craic"? If you'd like to reach out to Brian, email Dan at dan@whatitslike.com IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE: Check out what it's like to be an ice cream truck driver...

Zapping parts of the brain to know where to cut, operating a mouth-controlled microscope that's worth more than a house, and carrying the weight of life-or-death decisions with Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa , a brain surgeon at the Mayo Clinic. How do you preserve a mathematician's expertise when removing tumors? And how did he go from picking tomatoes to performing brain surgery? Dr. Q...

Commanding a floating city of 5,000 sailors, intercepting Houthi missiles in the Red Sea, and stripping rank from sailors who cross the line with Captain Chris "Chowdah" Hill, commanding officer of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier. How do you stop a fighter jet in 2-seconds? And what are “midrats”? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "s...

Singing cleanup songs, tiring out kids before naptime, and battling the "babysitter" stereotype with Brenda Hawkins, a daycare owner in Maryland. How has childcare changed over the years? And what is a "dope and drop"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episode...

Fine-tuning the perfect accent for a character, recording for hours in a sound-insulated booth, and tracking down obscure pronunciations with Sean Pratt, an audiobook narrator. What is "punch and roll"? And what kind of voice do you need to be a great narrator? EXTRA We spoke with Sean about his work narrating the David Foster Wallace literary behemoth Infinite Jest . That part of the in...

We've got something a little different and special for you this week! The day this is dropping, January 21st, is the launch day for my new book, called RESET: How to Change What’s Not Working. We’re running an excerpt (a whole chapter!) from the audiobook on this podcast. You can buy the full audiobook, hardcover, or Kindle version here ! We’ll be back next week with a new episode of the show...

Cracking decades-old murder cases, delivering unthinkable news to victims' families, and tracking suspects across borders with John Lamberti , a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. Why are cold cases harder to solve these days? And what's a "415"? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be...  "starter pack" . It's a...

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...