What It's Like To Be...

By: Dan Heath
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  • Summary

  • 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. What does a couples therapist think when a friend asks for relationship advice? What happens if a welder fails to wear safety glasses? What can get a stadium beer vendor fired? If you’ve ever met someone whose work you were curious about, and you had 100 nosy questions but were too polite to ask … well, this is the show for you.

    © 2025 What It's Like To Be...
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Career Success Economics Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • A Barman

    A Barman
    Mar 25 2025

    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, we'll pass along your note. Just email dan@whatitslike.com

    NEW BOOK ALERT!
    You may be aware that I’ve written or co-written five business books, including The Power of Moments and Made to Stick. I’ve got a sixth book out now called RESET: How to Change What’s Not Working. It’s a book intended to help you and your team get unstuck, to overcome the gravity of the way things have always worked. Learn more about the book and order it here. You can also listen to it on Audible and at Apple Books.

    Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at jobs@whatitslike.com

    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:

    • What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
    • What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?
    Show more Show less
    36 mins
  • A Brain Surgeon

    A Brain Surgeon
    Mar 11 2025

    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 wrote about his remarkable journey to the operating room in the book, Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon.

    He was also featured in the Netflix documentary series The Surgeon’s Cut.

    NEW BOOK ALERT!
    You may be aware that I’ve written or co-written five business books, including The Power of Moments and Made to Stick. I’ve got a sixth book out now called RESET: How to Change What’s Not Working. It’s a book intended to help you and your team get unstuck, to overcome the gravity of the way things have always worked. Learn more about the book and order it here. You can also listen to it on Audible and at Apple Books.

    Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at jobs@whatitslike.com

    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:

    • What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
    • What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?
    Show more Show less
    41 mins
  • An Aircraft Carrier Commander

    An Aircraft Carrier Commander
    Feb 25 2025

    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”?

    NEW BOOK ALERT!
    You may be aware that I’ve written or co-written five business books, including The Power of Moments and Made to Stick. I’ve got a sixth book out now called RESET: How to Change What’s Not Working. It’s a book intended to help you and your team get unstuck, to overcome the gravity of the way things have always worked. Learn more about the book and order it here. You can also listen to it on Audible and at Apple Books.

    Got a comment or suggestion for us? You can reach us via email at jobs@whatitslike.com

    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:

    • What do people think your job is like and what is it actually like?
    • What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?
    Show more Show less
    35 mins

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Great

inspiring speakers and excellent host's questions and reflections keep these episodes fresh and fun to listen to

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