The Work Stew podcast will be returning on February 28, 2014. In the meantime, please peruse the archives!
Recently released…
Podcast #75: Tim Pratt spent several years counseling NFL players on their finances…what was that like, I wondered, and how did he get the job? In the interview, Pratt gamely tackled these questions and more—while completely dodging my suggestion that he get behind the Seahawks.
About the podcast…
The first Work Stew interview was released in February 2011. I spoke with Gretchen Peters, an intrepid investigative reporter who explained how she went from a job on Rodeo Drive to a hut in Afghanistan. Since then more than 70 other interviews have been released; you can view a complete list here.
The ten most downloaded interviews to date are these:
A former CIA spy does a reality check on the TV show ‘Homeland’—what rings true, what doesn’t, and the scene that made her tear up.
A newspaper cartoonist explains what it takes to be funny seven days a week, for more than sixteen years.
A husband-and wife team who make their living as long-haul truckers describe their life on the road.
The voice in my GPS describes how she got there. Turns out she’s an accomplished singer and songwriter.
A writer of closed captioning for adult films explains how he got into such an unusual line of work and how he feels about it. One listener commented, “See, there ARE jobs for English majors!”
A particle physicist describes what it’s like to be focused on topics thatmost of the world knows nothing about.
A certified mediator explains why he loves getting involved with other people’s disputes.
A comedy writer on the path he travelled to arrive at his role on Comedy Central’s hit show Tosh.O.
A long-time flight attendant who recently retired from the airline industry to become…a gorilla caretaker. Seriously.
A marketer-turned-cook describes how hard she works, how little she earns—and how much she loves her new career.
Why a podcast? Work Stew is a place for people to share their thoughts and stories about their working lives. Essays are one way to do that, and in-depth interviews are another. The hope is to build, over time, a rich collection of distinctive voices, captured in both the written word and the spoken word.
How to listen? You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or you can listen to all of the episodes here: Show Notes and Audio Players
Suggestions? New episodes of the Work Stew podcast are released every two weeks. To suggest an interview subject for a future episode, please write to kate@workstew.com.
Did you know that Work Stew was in the news? Ashley Gross of KPLU (Seattle’s NPR station) talked to me about why I started the site, why I keep at it, and what I’ve learned.
Many Work Stew contributors came along for the ride:
Photographer Meg Heimovics Kumin and flight attendant-turned-gorilla caretaker John Safkow were featured in the radio version of the story (click the blue ‘listen’ button to hear it).
Devo founder Gerald Casale, python hunter Ruben Ramirez, high-rise window washer David Schmidt, lice remover Lisa Weisberg, former corporate lawyer Kevin McHargue, and carpenter Samantha Cole all made appearances in the accompanying print piece.
Work Stew 