That's Life, I Swear

By Rick Barron

Every Wednesday, join Rick Barron as he unravels the intricate threads of life's most captivating stories. From heart-pounding political dramas to the awe-inspiring challenges of climate change, he

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· Society & Culture

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FAQs about That's Life, I Swear:

How many episodes does That's Life, I Swear have?

The podcast currently has 308 episodes available.

That's Life, I Swear episodes:

August 13, 2026Interview #34 Rick Barron: What's Life Trying to Teach You? | A wisdom conversation
Summary
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Skip Lineberg, host of the podcast: The Main Thing.
Content below is courtesy of Skip Lineberg.
Rick Barron has lived several remarkable chapters. He served our country during the Vietnam era. Then, Rick helped manufacture the original Apple Macintosh. He spent 42 years working for technology leaders including Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Motorola, Symantec and Intel. Today, he is a fellow podcaster whose curiosity and love of storytelling continue to give his retirement fresh purpose.
Yet this conversation isn’t ultimately about technology or career success. It’s about what life teaches us. Rick shares unforgettable stories of watching Steve Jobs unveil Apple’s legendary “1984” commercial, receiving a melanoma diagnosis that threatened his arm, facing financial uncertainty with only $53 left in his checking account and encouraging a young intern named Amy Wong toward the career she dreamed of pursuing.
Chapters
[00:03:15] — How two podcasters connected
[00:04:42] — Inside Apple and the original Macintosh launch
[00:10:29] — Steve Jobs unveils the “1984” commercial
[00:14:05] — Vietnam and the preciousness of life
[00:17:47] — How retirement led Rick into podcasting
[00:20:27] — Melanoma and the fear of losing his arm
[00:24:41] — Rick reveals his “Main Thing”
[00:25:48] — The lesson inside a $53 checking balance
[00:29:51] — Why failure can become a powerful teacher
[00:33:56] — Mentoring Amy Wong and opening a path
[00:38:57] — Living fully in the present
[00:40:30] — Skip shares final reflections

Supporting links
Facebook:
facebook.com/skiplineberg
facebookcom/pages/TheMainThingPodcast
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/skiplineberg/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-main-thing-podcast
Instagram:
@skiplineberg@TheMainThingPod

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
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45min
August 12, 2026Interview #33 Darya Katkavets: From Belarus to California: A Journey of Cultural Discovery
Summary
In this episode, Rick Barron interviews Darya Katkavets, who shares her journey of immigrating from Belarus to the United States, exploring cultural differences, adaptation challenges, and insights into cross-cultural communication. Discover how curiosity, empathy, and understanding can bridge cultural gaps and foster stronger international relationships.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Daria's Journey from Belarus to the US
01:01 Initial Impressions and Cultural Shock
02:12 Motivation for Immigration and Emotional Experiences
03:02 Cultural Differences: Cars, Friendliness, and Social Norms
05:20 Surprising Cultural Habits and Behaviors
07:26 The Coconut and Peach Culture Analogy
08:23 Deep Relationships in Belarusian Culture
10:36 Insights from 'The Culture Map' by Erin Meyer
12:01 Challenges in the American Workplace
13:28 High-Context vs. Low-Context Communication
15:14 Non-verbal Communication and Facial Expressions
18:37 Diversity in the American Workplace
19:42 Direct vs. Indirect Feedback Styles
21:40 Understanding Cultural Communication Styles
23:45 Adapting and Changing in a New Culture
25:25 The Difficulties of Rebuilding Life Abroad
27:21 Feeling Like an Outsider and Overcoming It
28:21 The Influence of American Culture on Identity
31:47 Experiences in Different Countries and Cultural Perceptions
37:13 Views on Global Political and Cultural Challenges
46:37 Advice for New Immigrants: Believe in Yourself
47:55 Favorite Live Concerts and Cultural Experiences
48:48What Daria Wishes for More Time to Explore
49:51 Daria's First Paying Job as a Waitress
50:12 If Her Husband Wrote a Book About Her
51:13 Comfort Food and Favorite Dishes
51:50 What She Would Do If She Could Not Fail

Supporting links
early.birds.eat [Instagram]
Darya Katkavets [LinkedIn]
The Culture Map book [Amazon]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
54min
August 11, 2026Built Last Year, Gone in a Minute
We cannot control where the storm goes, but we can control how prepared we are, how we respond to a crisis, and how we help one another rebuild afterward.
Supporting links
1. Tornado [Wikipedia]
2. Fujita scale [Wikipedia]
3. Understanding Tornado Insurance Basics [Hippo]
4. Tornadoes in the United States [Wikipedia]
5. Inside a Tornado [Curious Beat]
6. Tornado Life Cycle [National Weather Service]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
12min
August 06, 2026Interview #32 Kristina Townsend: Open Hearts, Minds, Doors, and Wallets
Summary
In this episode, Rick Barron interviews Kristina Townsend. Kristina shares her unique journey through sports, international travel, and social impact, illustrating how sports can foster understanding and reduce extremism. Discover insights on leadership, cultural differences, and the power of curiosity.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Kristina Townsend and her journey
02:00 The meaning behind 'Running Unicorns' and sports as a bridge
05:54 The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry as a metaphor for connection
11:59 Cultural differences in happiness and community
22:07 Experiences working with USAID and its global impact
37:00 Using sports to bridge political and social divides
41:06 The potential of sports to tame extremism
54:55 Personal challenges and adventures in endurance sports
01:08:00 Future conversations and the power of curiosity
01:09:03 The message of curiosity, learning, and unlearning

Supporting links
The Running Unicorns Podcast
USAID - United States Agency for International Development
Sports Innovation Lab
Everest Marathon
Instagram

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
1h 22min
August 05, 2026Career: Is That Even a Word Anymore?
The deepest takeaway might be this: we've built an economy that's extraordinarily good at generating corporate profits and extraordinarily bad at distributing the experience of those profits to the people doing the work.
Supporting links
1. Public and expert predictions for AI’s next 20 years [Pew Research]
2. How AI is—and isn’t—changing the future of work [McKinsey & Company]
3. Invest in the workforce for the AI age [World Economic Forum]
4. Will AI Take Your Job in the Next 10 Years? Wrong Question [TED]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
17min
July 29, 2026The World Cup’s Other Hydration Break= Beer Run
The real lesson here isn't about World Soccer rules, marketing gimmicks, or even alcohol; it's about how people instinctively turn any structured pause into a personal challenge.
.
Supporting links
1. World Cup Soccer [Wikipedia]
2. World Cup 'Hydration Break' Turns Into High-Speed Beer Runs [SE Daily]
3. Boston Bars Were Left Short On Beer [Operation Sports]
4. Why are there hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup [ESPN]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
12min
July 28, 2026Book Review from Rick’s Library: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
In this book review, you’ll explore the life of someone who wanted to change the world. This is the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
supporting links
1. Remembering Steve Jobs [Apple]
2. Steve Jobs [Wikipedia]
3. Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address [YouTube]
4. Why did Apple’s board fire Steve Jobs in 1985? [Corporate Governance Institute]
5. Steve Jobs [All About Steve Jobs]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
12min
July 22, 2026How 59 Seconds from a Bugle Calls a Community Together
Learn how John Hersh, an ordinary man with a trumpet, transformed a personal routine into a beloved neighborhood tradition by playing taps at sunset, rain or shine.
Supporting links
1. Sunset observed with Taps [The Sandpaper]
2. History of Taps [AUSA]
3. Bugles Across America[Bugles Across America]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
19min
July 21, 2026Book Review from Rick’s Library: The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman
The central argument of The Guns of August is both simple and terrifying: the First World War was not inevitable.
supporting links
1. Barbara W. Tuchman [Wikipedia]
2. Schlieffen Plan [World History Encyclopedia]
3. World War 1 [History Net]
4. The Guns of August [Amazon]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
12min
July 15, 2026Limitations aren’t the end of a life — they’re the shape of it
Learn how even when a body is broken, a life — rich with skill, love, memory, flavor, and collaboration — can still be fully, fiercely lived.
Supporting links
1. Yewande Komolafe [Wikipedia]
2. Yewande Komolafe [Amazon]
3. Sickle cell disease [Wikipedia]

Contact That's Life, I Swear
Visit my website: https://www.thatslifeiswear.com
Twitter at @RedPhantom
Bluesky at @rickbarron.bsky.social
Email us at https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/
Episode Review
Submit on Apple Podcast
Submit on That's Life, I Swear website
Other topics?
Do you have topics of interest you'd like to hear for future podcasts? Please email us

Interviews
Contact me here https://www.thatslifeiswear.com/contact/, if you wish to be a guest for a interview on a topic of interest
Listen to podcast audios
Apple https://apple.co/3MAFxhb
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3xCzww4
My Website: https://bit.ly/39CE9MB

Other
Music and/or Sound Effects are cour...
...more
16min

FAQs about That's Life, I Swear:

How many episodes does That's Life, I Swear have?

The podcast currently has 308 episodes available.