10 Things That Scare Me

Biting fish and back-in-time lightening. Ida and Noa are sisters from Brooklyn. Noa tasted her first snail last summer and Ida passed the purple swim test at camp. Now she’s allowed to swim all the way out to the dock. This audio recorded by Ida's and Noa's father on vacation in Maine, inspired the idea for our podcast but it’s also the final episode of 10 Things That Scare Me. Thanks for listening to the show! Please email us at 10thingpod@wnyc.org, we're always listening. Join the 10...

Back in January we brought you the fears of WNYC cultural critic and author Rebecca Carroll. She just launched a new podcast called Come Through, which will feature 15 essential conversations about race in a pivotal year for America. And whether you’re afraid to talk about race or sick of trying to make other people talk about it, this show is for you. Subscribe to Come Through wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy this rebroadcast of Rebecca's fears. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me...

I'm really afraid that one day I'll say something and people will be like Hank, you know, that they went to the moon like more than once, right? And I'll be like, yeah, no, I totally knew that.... Hank Green is the author of the novel An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. He lives in Missoula Montana with his wife Katherine and his son Orin. Hank is also one half of the Vlog Brothers. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me...

Jessica is a comedy producer in her 30s and until a couple of months ago she said she would describe herself as “eggs on ice, career on fire”. David is a 54 year old engineer living in Wales in the UK. He believes that given the chance, most people are kind and considerate. Nata lives in Azerbijan. Nearly 6,000 miles away. Charlie is 39 and lives in Jersey City. He told me he’s been waking up in a panic at 7:30 every Saturday morning worried that he has slept through the Tottenham Hotspur...

Raising a white son as a queer woman of color. Anne Wolf is a 38 year old mother, strategist, and minimalist shoe enthusiast. She loves the idea of hobbies, but she hasn’t found the right one yet. One time, back in the 90s, she tried water skiing. Her swim trunks fell down immediately, but she stood up on the skis. With her head held high, she willfully maintained her balance all the way around the lake. As it turns out, that event has been a pretty good metaphor her life so far. Join the...

When I think about people who are doctors, I just have this like vision of intestines and having to sort through them. Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician, composer, and the creator of the podcast Song Exploder -- where musicians take apart their songs and tell the story of how they were made. Hrishi’s favorite memory from his time working in the fast food industry was learning how to make suicide soda, which is when you mix all the different flavors together. Apparently he makes ‘em...

There are too many people living in too close proximity to each other who don't even know each other anymore. George Divoky studies the black guillemots of Cooper Island in Alaska. He is also the director of Cooper Island Arctic Research. Divoky tweeted that there is no fresh water on Cooper Island this year because all the multi-year sea ice he has relied on for drinking water over the 45 years of his research has disappeared. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us...

I'm afraid that we really do prefer comforting lies over truth. Sarah Haider grew up a devout Muslim, but left the religion as a teenager. Today she is the executive director of Ex Muslims of North America, and her dad is now an atheist. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I've never used a computer. The only electricity that I used is batteries for my radio and for a flashlight. That's the extent of my technology. Kent Bonar lives with his animals in the Ozarks region of Arkansas. Many years ago he started drawing the various plants he encountered on his walks in the woods. Eventually, he had over 3,500 illustrations. In 2017, they were collected in a book published by the University of Arkansas. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us...

There is a fear of missing out on my little boy's life as a result of my profession. If that happens is my own damn fault. Chris Thile is a traveling musician and the host of Live From Here from Minnesota Public Radio. He told us his son Cal is named after the comic strip character Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I think I'm a control freak and not that I necessarily want to have power over other people but in that I want to have power over my own life. Mara Wilson is a former child actor and host of the podcast What Are You Afraid Of. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Seeing my mom's face in a crowd. Liz is a listener who called in to us from the suburbs of Chicago where she makes her living driving a book mobile. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I think sometimes people think it's funny to scare people. Nigel Poor is a visual artist and lives in California. She is the co-host and co-producer of the podcast Earhustle with Earlonne Woods. She met Earlonne while volunteering in San Quentin and says he was the quietest guy in the room. We played his episode last season and we are including it in this episode for you. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on...

I just feel like one day a bear is just gonna come along or a hyena or a lion and just be like, well, now it's my turn asshole and just eat me like I'm a Philly cheesesteak. Chris Distefano is an actor and comedian in New York City. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

When I'm feeling stressed about something it makes me feel calm when I take an inventory of the things that I own and I can see it in my head. Kathy Tu is the co-host of the podcast Nancy. When she and her co-host Tobin Low pitched the idea for a podcast about the queer experience, there was a time they wanted to name it "Gaydiolab". Here’s Tobin’s episode. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter...

Jeffery Lackman is a 23 year old listener who called in to us from the Minnesota/North Dakota border. He is running around with a smile on his face, trying to pay his bills and believes that the Bigmouth Buffalo Fish is undervalued. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

In our culture, Black culture, African-based culture, the mask is a sacred thing. It's not fun times. Michael W. Twitty is a culinary and cultural historian and author of The Cooking Gene. He converted to Orthodox Judaism at 25. Twitty is the first Revolutionary in Residence at Colonial Williamsburg. His comfort food is pot liquor. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

It could have been a guy who sat next to me in geometry, I had no idea because my eyes were closed. Ellen Ryan is a lawyer from Chicago. She told us that she met her husband while on a trek in the Himalayas. After Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted, she and her husband continued to visit him in prison. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Molly called in to us from Maryland. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I'm afraid of being dropped in the ocean. Maureen took up the challenge to tell us what scares her from her home in Mendocino County, CA. Where she works as a hospital chaplain. Maureen is also a writer and author of the play “It’s All About Sex”. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.