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

A Hotshot

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

Show Notes

Digging line to redirect the country's fiercest wildland fires, sleeping in the dirt after a 16-hour day, and turning physical endurance into a public service with Ben Strahan, a hotshot crew superintendent in California. What does a wildfire sound like up close? And where does a crew go when the fire threatens to overrun them? GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us ...

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

Oct 18, 2026

Contorting inside a floating pool bubble, overriding her body’s false alarms while bending backward, and stretching and strengthening six days a week for a four-minute act with Lisbeth Mikoleit, a contortionist in Las Vegas. Why does she train with a mouth guard? And what’s a “triple fold”? DID YOU SHOUT US OUT SOMEWHERE? Email a screenshot or link to [email protected] GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at partnerships@...

Oct 13, 2026

GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] 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 ...

Oct 6, 2026

Poking a finger through rotted structural columns, hunting down the water leaks behind construction defects, and keeping cool under hostile cross-examination with Jorge McCormack, a forensic architect in Florida. Why do forensic architects avoid saying the word "mold"? And what's a "Daubert motion"? GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456...

Sep 22, 2026

Sprawling on the floor like a starfish beside an overwhelmed teen, staging Friday prank calls to fellow teachers, and orchestrating the chaos of a self-contained classroom with Sierra Patrick, a special ed teacher in South Carolina. What does she wish people understood about nonverbal students? And what's the most valuable piece of technology in her classroom? GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] ...

Sep 8, 2026

Chanting bids to whip up a bidding war, shipping $750,000 of Magic: The Gathering cards by armored car, and knowing exactly when to bring the gavel down with Joe Bodnar, an auctioneer in New Jersey. How does he separate junk from treasure? And what does it mean to "break up the pool"? GOT A COMMENT OR SUGGESTION? Email us at [email protected] FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Email us at [email protected] WANT TO BE ON THE SHOW? Leave us a voicemail at (919) 213-0456. We’ll ask you...

See all episodes →