What It’s Like to Be…a Deli Owner
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.
July 01st, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…
June 17th, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a Massage Therapist
Choreographing massages to Mozart, enforcing cancellation policies with beloved clients, and shutting down callers seeking “undraped sessions” with Allissa Haines, a massage therapist.
June 03rd, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a Harbor Pilot
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.
May 22nd, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a Hospice Nurse
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.
April 23rd, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a Software Engineer
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.
April 08th, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a City Manager
Mediating pickleball noise disputes, shepherding communities through thorny decisions, and practicing radical pragmatism with Martha Bennett, city manager of Lake Oswego, Oregon.
March 26th, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a Barman
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.
March 12th, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a Brain Surgeon
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.
February 25th, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…an Aircraft Carrier Commander
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.
February 13th, 2025
What It’s Like to Be…a Daycare Owner
Singing cleanup songs, tiring out kids before naptime, and battling the “babysitter” stereotype with Brenda Hawkins, a daycare owner in Maryland.
