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

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

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

By: Dan Heath
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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.

© 2026 What It's Like To Be... with Dan Heath
Career Success Economics Social Sciences
Episodes
  • A Correctional Officer
    May 19 2026

    Grinding through 16-hour shifts, standing behind inmates (never in front), and trying to stay human in an inhuman environment with Bill Farrell, a correctional officer in Massachusetts. What happens when an officer gets "frozen"? And why does the sound of scuffling sneakers stop him in his tracks?

    LINKS & REFERENCES

    • Bill was the co-creator of a short documentary about the physical and mental toll of being a correctional officer. It's called "Behind The Wall".

    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.

    GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.com

    FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.com

    WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

    1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

    2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise.

    We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • A Custom Harvester
    May 5 2026

    Harvesting five million bushels of wheat and corn from Texas to Montana, outrunning hailstorms that decimate a year's income in 20 minutes, and running a multimillion-dollar convoy of equipment down the highway with Josh Beckley, a third-generation custom harvester from Kansas. Why do farmers outsource the harvesting of their own crops? And what happens when you drive a combine into a ditch?

    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.

    GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.com

    FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.com

    WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

    1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

    2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise.

    We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • A Funeral Director
    Apr 21 2026

    Guiding grieving families through arrangement meetings, orchestrating meaningful memorial services within days, and preparing bodies for viewing with Heather Hill, a funeral director in North Carolina. What's different about doing makeup on a dead person? And what is it like to field a death call?

    LINKS & REFERENCES

    • Heather writes about her work on her website.
    • She's a funeral director at Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
    • "The Future is Female" - American Funeral Director on the surge of women graduating from mortuary school

    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.

    GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at jobs@whatitslike.com

    FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@whatitslike.com

    WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you to answer two questions:

    1. What’s a word or phrase that only someone from your profession would be likely to know and what does it mean?

    2. What’s a specific story you tell your friends that happened on the job? It could be funny, sad, anxiety-making, pride-inducing or otherwise.

    We can’t respond to every message, but we do listen to all of them! We’ll follow up if it's a good fit.

    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
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