Work in Progress

A reporter does her first remote live radio broadcast from inside a block of ice, a celebrity impersonator's first international trip teaches her what it really means to be “Big in Japan”, and a Japanese translator leaves her family for the first time only to get shipwrecked on a movie set shot in the Antarctic. For our final episode of the season, we hear the origin stories behind of some of the strangest, and yet most formative, work experiences people have had in their lives. We go back...

The owner of a vintage retail store recalls how she made a career out of the eclectic clothing in her closet, and a doctor grapples with his community’s vehement protests against his plans to open a medical cannabis dispensary. In this episode, two stories of peace, love, drugs, and counterculture in '60s San Francisco. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in Apple Podcasts. This episode also features Slack...

An environmentalist burns the midnight oil volunteering to preserve decades of climate change data amid a major government clampdown, and a Syrian medical student learns how his family’s chocolate-making business can equally be a cure for heartbreak. This week, stories about survival and the lengths people go to preserve a life’s work. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in Apple Podcasts. This episode also...

An enterprising retiree becomes a bustling cafés' new favorite server, and a former Wall Street banker finds renewed inspiration after accepting a summer internship with a group of college students. This week, stories of people who have proved that it’s never too late to find professional, and personal, fulfillment. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in Apple Podcasts. This episode also features Slack...

Meet three New York Times machinists who’ve helped print the paper for the last 30 years and an investigative reporter who waged war on mayoral misconduct from the front page of the Toronto Star. This week, stories of people whose lives (and careers) have been indelibly marked by the business of getting the story right. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in Apple Podcasts. This episode also features Slack...

A freshwater ecologist tasked with making his research more accessible discovers an unlikely muse in Bruce Springsteen. A medical ethnobotanist seeks new cures for super bugs in the natural world after her own near-death brush with a bacterial infection. This week, stories about the noble pursuit of knowledge—and how that often leads to some surprising discoveries about ourselves. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or...

Dive into the daily hustle, juggle, and struggle of the freelance life in this special episode. Meet a freelance farmer with a novel approach to traditional work; a writer, mother, and animal keeper bitten by the travel bug; a sweet-talking freelance collections agent whose business is to get freelancers paid; and a private forensic pathologist who finds the untold stories of the dearly departed. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a...

A jetpack inventor rejects his position as an ivory-towered executive to stay grounded as an entrepreneur. A Jamaican-American chess player becomes the first black international grandmaster in history. This week, stories of childhood dreams and the realities of rising through the ranks. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This episode also features Slack customer The Concierge Collective, a...

A college student’s sweepstakes win paves the way for her lifelong dream to reform U.S. immigration policy. An academic lands a rare dream job as the ‘Wikimedian in Residence’ for one of the oldest libraries at the University of Oxford. This week, stories of modern day jobs with a historical twist. Read an extended version of this story on slack.com/podcast. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This...

The head of purchasing and IT at America's largest fortune cookie supplier takes on a new role as head fortune cookie writer. A baker with Down syndrome has to break the law to lead an independent life and career. This week, two stories of remarkable people who fight the odds to pursue their passions. Read an extended version of this story on slack.com/podcast. Like the show? Have some feedback? Let us know what you think @slackstories or leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in...

Explore the hidden world of seemingly unremarkable jobs in this special episode with double the stories, including: a video store clerk who gets knocked out of his monotonous comfort zone by a suspicious visitor; a call center agent who finds renewed purpose in how she serves customers; a supermarket chain manager who comes down with a bad case of "bore-out"; and a man whose job literally involves watching grass grow and he loves it. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories....

An Instagram star bullied for the color of her skin turns the teasing into the fuel behind her fashion modeling career; a professional British rugby player confronts “jock" stereotypes when he comes out to friends, family, and fans as gay. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories. Feedback? We'd love to hear it. Let us know what you think of the show by leaving us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This episode also features the Hartford Police Department, devoting...

We meet a chef who can't wait to walk away from her prestigious Michelin star rating and a web developer who singlehandedly orchestrated one of the biggest fast food comebacks his hometown has ever seen. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories. Let us know what you think of the show by leaving us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This episode also features Mathara Holdings, a family business operating out of Kiambu, Kenya.

We meet a woman teaching doctors good bedside manners by acting sick when she’s feeling perfectly fine; and a neuroscientist at odds with her own brain after she's diagnosed with schizophrenia. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories. Let us know what you think of the show by leaving us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This episode also features The Ecole Project —a live-in, student-run sustainable research institute affiliated with McGill University.

An outspoken corporate downsizer learns a harsh lesson after being surprised with her own exit package, and a loyal cop that has to choose between fighting the war on drugs and his criminal brother. Sometimes practicing tough love at work and at home isn’t always the best policy. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories. Let us know what you think of the show by leaving us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This episode also features Slack customer Sketchbook Skool - an...

A journalist discovers a scarf with her byline imprinted in its design and embarks on an investigative journey to track down its makers; a former futures trader stumbles into her calling as an internet hoax buster with a specialty for empathizing with the perpetrators. Following your curiosity can lead you to some pretty interesting work, or at least a very good story. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories. Let us know what you think of the show by leaving us ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating...

Meet a woman who’s made a career out of professional cuddling; and an engineer, lawyer and open-source advocate who grappled with her own values in order to save her life. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories. If you enjoy the show, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This episode also features Slack customer Simonson Design Lab - providers of drafting and technology support for home builders and architects.

A Kung-Fu master honors his father's legacy; a frustrated musician's chance meeting with a mentor leads to a powerful lesson in self-acceptance. Sometimes, the best thing to happen to your career is finding your guiding light. Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories. If you enjoy the show, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating or review in iTunes. This episode also features Slack customer Chatbooks - they turn your Instagram and Facebook photos into albums.

A woman starts a dating site for single farm workers, and an exiled army colonel launches a revolution from the aisles of a hardware store. What happens when your life's work is deeply connected to where you're from? Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories This episode also features digital creative agency Purple Rock Scissors

An entrepreneur learns the cost of putting his work ahead of his relationship; a young developer flees her war-torn homeland for a chance to pursue her dream career. What happens when your professional ambitions put your personal life at stake? Follow along at slack.com/podcast and @slackstories This episode also features Gaza Sky Geeks - Gaza's first and only startup accelerator whose mission is to transform the region's most talented youth into entrepreneurs.