PODCAST

What People Do

brendanhoward

A moment to savor intelligent conversation about ONE THING someone else is deeply invested in.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

56:41

Episode 18: Dr. Jules Benson is an enthusiastic cyclist

What People Do ·

2020/08/27

Veterinarian Dr. Jules Benson does not compete crazily at cycling, but he loves all the other aspects of it: the choice of how and where to ride each day he goes out, the acquisition and enjoyment of a new bike with a new frame (hopefully lighter?), the touch of masochism that comes with pushing yourself hard physically. He tells himself, like all the other less-than-perfect cyclists, that speed doesn’t matter, but, y’know, it always does. Because isn't that some of the fun of bicycles, whether

42:43

Episode 17: Gina Spadafori is a micro-rancher

What People Do ·

2020/08/18

Gina Spadafori lives within what feels like spitting distance from California’s capitol city, Sacramento, but it’s also really rural right around here. It’s kind of the perfect spot for a politics-following writer and editor who decided to raise animals in her yard. But this yearning for living close to animals and on a stretch of land didn’t come from her happily urban and suburban family. “My maternal grandmother used to tell me, the best day of her life after World War II was when they were

01:13:42

Episode 16: Tekurah McCullough goes to comedy shows

What People Do ·

2020/07/16

“I always loved comedy,” Tekurah says, since high school. Jake Johannsen was her first standup crush in the Bay Area. “When somebody makes me laugh, I become attracted to them,” she says. She and her friends would crowd into a car on a day off school to stand around the studio for a drive-time radio show with lots of standup comedy guests. Funny, yes, but intoxicating and attention-holding in a way that comedy albums and TV appearances and sitcoms don’t quite compare: “Live comedy is my thing,”

35:53

Episode 15: Jahmal runs role-playing games for money

What People Do ·

2020/07/07

Note: Our audio is clippy as all get-out. Don't hate us. Or, rather, hate me. Jahmal is getting better at this, and I brought his quality down. Take me. Take me as tribute. I cut so much good stuff outta here. I’m a damn shame. Y’know why? Because I did a podcast of someone else’s a couple week ago, and my audio was too loud, and I bet she went back in time to change the sound levels on this. That’s definitely more likely than I just didn’t pay any attention when I recorded it. I talked to a guy

51:03

Episode 14: Dr. Ernie Ward does paddle boarding

What People Do ·

2020/06/22

Dr. Ernie Ward is big on nutrition and exercise, but his love for surfing, paddle boarding and other sports in and around the ocean turns out to be bigger than that. He and his wife (his girlfriend at the time) bonded over a love of the ocean with SCUBA diving. And it’s his way of getting closer to nature. “It's that connection with the energy … nature … this body that engulfs the entire planet,” Ernie says of the ocean. It’s a personal challenge, with risks, and a chance to interact with a water

53:18

Episode 13: Dr. Melissa Detweiler does podcasts

What People Do ·

2020/06/15

It started with ideas. Dr. Melissa Detweiler, a small animal veterinarian in a Midwestern small town, had a lot of them, and writing blogs, commentary and opinion seemed like the route. But she didn't know, as a veterinarian, which audience to tackle first: pet owners or those "in the profession," vet med. "I wanted to say the things [in my blogs] to pet parents that maybe I held back from saying in the exam room," she says. Then she started writing pieces for veterinary magazines to her peers. Her

52:50

Episode 12: Dr. Ryane Englar does ballroom dancing

What People Do ·

2020/06/05

Veterinarian and veterinary faculty member Dr. Ryane Englar still considers herself a “baby dancer,” although her teacher and dance partner, Lowell, saw her potential and gently encouraged her over their years of practice to dive into competition with him. We start off the podcast with a fascinating consideration of how two dancers work together, one leading and one following, to maintain strict posture, movement, speed and flow by staying close together. “If I start to slip, my pro partner can turn

41:47

Episode 11: Portia is a high-performing,...

What People Do ·

2020/05/22

Journalists want to help. Journalists want to get to the truth. Journalists don’t want to make mistakes. Mix in all three of those, and you’ve got a recipe for well-intentioned, purposeful perfectionism of a sort. “I don’t think you have to be a journalist because you’re a worrier,” Portia says, “but I think it’s a driver.” It’s the hunt for the second set of eyes on a piece, the second look, the critic’s skepticism. Portia gives that to team members, and she needs it from others. So, ultimately,

52:02

Episode 10: Mindy watches ‘Star Trek’ and you should too

What People Do ·

2020/05/16

Star Trek debuted on CBS in 1966, the brainchild of creator Gene Roddenberry. Mindy, though, caught it first in afternoon reruns after she’d get home from school. She thinks that original series is good, but she really thinks everyone should be a Star Trek: The Next Generation Trekkie. “Roddenberry gave us hope for the future,” she says. The new direction in the latest two shows, she feels, is more about “me” and less about “us,” losing some part of the original’s optimism and group

43:39

Episode 9: Cheryl does midwifery

What People Do ·

2020/05/07

I could have called her a midwife, but isn’t the word midwifery (pronounced MID-wiff-ree) cool? Midwives act as emotional support, an educational resource and healthcare advocates for pregnant women. Roughly 97% of Cheryl’s mothers want a home birth. And 85% of them will have a home birth, with 15% going to a hospital instead. This is a hands-on relationship, with long, regularly scheduled appointments to check up with expectant mothers and their partners and listen to them and their concerns. It’s

35:36

Episode 8: Marnette dresses as a hobby

What People Do ·

2020/04/30

I worked with Marnette, and I always liked the fact that her wardrobe in middle management and then upper management was cut from a different cloth than the standard executive. Layered, frilly, colorful tops under antique-looking jackets (“I put on a jacket, it’s just not a jacket anyone else wears,” she says). They top multilayered skirts, concealing just the tops of well-worn, well-loved cowboy boots. She talks about bloomers, and because I’m oblivious, I never thought about the fact that she wore

38:13

Episode 7: Peter is an environmental manager

What People Do ·

2020/04/20

Yeah, who’s the guy who cut off his guest at the start of the podcast recording? That would be me. His name is Peter, and he’s an environmental engineer for a steel company. He started as a mechanic out of high school, headed for physics in college to become a professor, but then found a love for geology and graduated with a degree in that. He does a lot of paperwork, but he also does a lot of site visits and gets to get his hands dirty sometimes. “I still enjoy getting outside, and I don’t know if

46:14

Episode 6: Jennifer draws

What People Do ·

2020/04/09

Jennifer likes to draw dragons. Fantasy monsters and people, elves, things out of fantasy books. Animals. (Her sketch of Batgirl was my smartphone wallpaper for weeks.) "I get ideas in my head of something that would look cool of a scene or an animal, and I like sharing that idea," Jennifer says. Like many artists who don't do it for a living, she usually doesn't need to hit deadlines that aren't self-imposed and doesn't need to draw stuff she doesn't care about. Much of her art is for her, her own

45:22

Episode 5: Kevin keeps sewage moving

What People Do ·

2020/04/03

Note: There are a few four-letter words sprinkled throughout these 45 minutes. Instead of “feces,” we, umm, say, y’know. That S-word. Skip this podcast if that bothers you. As we all sit through this COVID-19 crisis, packed under "stay at home” orders in most states, it’s a good time to remember, yes, the toilet paper you’re having trouble finding, but also that wonderful sewage system that keeps your shelter nice and safe. As far as I’m concerned, keeping the system working is one of the most

03:47

Episode 4: Zahara does TikToks

What People Do ·

2020/03/26

Note: I happened to record this podcast as the world's coronavirus pandemic started to kick into gear. I'm now back home under the similar "shelter in place" order (or some version of it) that you are. This one seemed usefully short and easy for my first week under quarantine. Stay safe. :) Zahara just turned 11, and this podcast is short. She's not necessarily used to answering detailed questions, hearing herself blather on (like me) and she had no preparation. She did a great job. Zahara says

58:57

Episode 3: Joshua Fultz is a deacon

What People Do ·

2020/03/20

I am a convert to Judaism, and Joshua is a convert to the Catholic Church. And he has always been one of the most fun people to talk about religion with, which led me to understand that us weird converts have something about us and our journeys that crosses spiritual paths. There is something about being a person who chose a faith that is always a little different than someone born into one. (If you hear us thumping the table a lot, forgive us: We're excited converts.) Joshua exemplifies the

29:07

Episode 2: Theresa Entriken on birding

What People Do ·

2020/03/10

I worked with Theresa Entriken, DVM, for many years at a company that offered magazines, websites, podcasts, educational products and national conferences to veterinarians and their team members. But I wanted to come at this veterinarian from a tangent: birdwatching. While an avid hiker, Theresa says she glommed onto the hobby from her husband (also a veterinarian). “Hiking, I do like to do for exercise, you cover a lot of ground,” she says. “When I hike with my husband, it’s a lot slower, because

48:10

Episode 1: Rachel Rilinger does music therapy

What People Do ·

2020/03/05

For my debut episode, I introduce to you both good and bad. Let’s start with the bad. I ask board-certified music therapist Rachel Rilinger questions from a distant location, which is really right across the table from her, but apparently I, as a grown adult, can’t manage my settings on my microphone. But you didn’t want to hear from me. The good part of this episode is all the great stuff from Rachel! We kick things off with Rachel by talking about certification for music therapy. Don’t stop here

05:05

Episode prequel: Brendan Howard tries to make podcasts

What People Do ·

2020/02/12

I had an amazing interview with Jahmal Brown, somebody who gets people and games and nerd culture and is an all-around exciting person to bounce ideas off of. I even got to meet his awesome dog. And my own user error scuttled it all. So. Yeah. His website is madjayzero.com. Check it out.

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