What It's Like To Be...

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 Adventures of California’s Ocean Lifeguards.

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1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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"?

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Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

Scouting for signs of greatness, bolstering players after heartbreaking losses, and fighting the "yips" with Vesa Ponkka, a veteran tennis coach. Why are tennis matches played in silence? And what's a "lucky loser”?

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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?

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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"?

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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"?

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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?

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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?

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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?

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

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 decision to move forward with the raid on what was thought to be Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan back in 2011. But, as you’ll hear, there were doubts, and the costs of getting the mission wrong would have been massive. How was that decision made? And what can it tell us about how to make better predictions?

Katy Milkman is a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of the national bestseller How to Change. You can learn more about Choiceology at the show’s website.

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Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at [email protected]

Want to be on the show? Leave a message on our voice mailbox at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

1. What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
2. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?