Working

In the Season 4 premiere of Working, the host of WNYC’s Micropolis series, Arun Venugopal, interviews Elena Waldman, a self-defense instructor at MKD Karate in Queens, NY. Elena explains how she came to be a martial artist, demonstrates to our host how to escape from a violent sexual perpetrator, and talks about a personal attack that has informed the way she teaches her students.   In a Slate Plus extra, Waldman explains how to disable any attacker in less than 30 seconds. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.   Working is sponsored by Braintree. If you’re working on a mobile app and searching for a simple payments solution, check out Braintree. With one simple integration, you can offer your customers every way to pay. Period. To learn more, and for your first $50,000 in transactions fee-free, go to braintreepayments.com/working.   Email: working@slate.com Twitter: @arunNYC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Working, the last of Slate’s third season, host Aisha Harris talks to Jordan Pavlin, a book editor at Knopf, about how she identifies future bestsellers, works with talented but sometimes temperamental authors, and how she fights for her book within the publishing house.   In a Slate Plus extra, Pavlin explains how she answers the most common question she’s asked: Will you read my novel? If you’re not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.   Our sponsors today: Citrix GoToMeeting. Hold a meeting with anyone from the convenience of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Try it free for 30 days by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button. And by Braintree. If you’re working on a mobile app and searching for a simple payments solution, check out Braintree. With one simple integration, you can offer your customers every way to pay. To learn more, and for your first $50,000 in transactions fee-free, go to braintreepayments.com/working. Email: working@slate.com   Twitter: @craftingmystyle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aisha Harris talks to "Jake," a veteran manager for a fast-fashion retail chain in New York. He talks about the challenges of his job including interacting with young staff, angry customers, and shoplifters. Plus, Jake reveals how he uses what he's learned behind the counter when shopping for himself.   In a Slate Plus extra, find out if a store’s sales staff will really be honest with you when you ask how something you’re trying on looks. If you’re not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.   Our sponsor today: Our sponsors today: Citrix GoToMeeting. Hold a meeting with anyone from the convenience of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Try it free for 30 days by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button.   And Braintree. If you’re working on a mobile app and searching for a simple payments solution, check out Braintree. With one simple integration, you can offer your customers every way to pay. To learn more, and for your first $50,000 in transactions fee-free, go to braintreepayments.com/working.   Email: working@slate.com   Twitter: @craftingmystyle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Donvan has made a career out of staying calm – and staying on topic. A veteran ABC News correspondent, he’s now the moderator of Intelligence Squared Debates, a series of Oxford-style debates on the most controversial issues of the day. In this week’s episode of Working, Donvan explains how a successful debate requires a good question and a moderator who knows when to interrupt.   In a Slate Plus extra, Donvan schools Harris on why she shouldn’t try to game Intelligence Squared’s scoring system. If you’re not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.   Our sponsor today: Braintree. If you’re working on a mobile app and searching for a simple payments solution, check out Braintree. With one simple integration, you can offer your customers every way to pay. To learn more, and for your first $50,000 in transactions fee-free, go to braintreepayments.com/working.    Email: working@slate.com   Twitter: @craftingmystyle   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aleksey Kernes is the guy to know if you’re trying to skip the line outside a hot New York City club. The front of house manager at Hotel Chantelle, a nightclub on New York’s Lower East Side, talks nightlife, table service, and how being a doorman is a lot like being a lifeguard. (He also, of course, has his own app, Hooch, a subscription service for free cocktails at select venues.) In a Slate Plus extra, Kernes gives advice on how to get a bartender’s attention should you find yourself in a crowded bar. If you’re not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Our sponsors today: Citrix GoToMeeting. Hold a meeting with anyone from the convenience of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Try it free for 30 days by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button. And by Braintree. If you’re working on a mobile app and searching for a simple payments solution, check out Braintree. With one simple integration, you can offer your customers every way to pay. To learn more, and for your first $50,000 in transactions fee-free, go to braintreepayments.com/working. Email: working@slate.com Twitter: @craftingmystyle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danielle Selber is there for Jewish singles who’ve struck out online or just don’t have enough time to get themselves into the dating pool. She’s a matchmaker with Tribe 12, a Jewish nonprofit in Philadelphia. Host Aisha Harris met up with Selber in coffee shop to talk about that work, its strong history in the Jewish community, and what it takes to find the perfect match in the digital age. In a Slate Plus extra, get advice from Selber on what makes a great first date. (A hint: Dinner’s no good, and drinks probably aren’t either.) If you’re not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Our sponsors today: Citrix GoToMeeting. Hold a meeting with anyone from the convenience of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Try it free for 30 days by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button.   And Audible: who has more than 180,000 audiobooks and spoken-word audio products. Get a free audiobook of your choice at audible.com/working.   Email: working@slate.com   Twitter: @craftingmystyle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the season three premiere of Working, Slate culture writer Aisha Harris interviews Alexandra Charrow, a medical resident at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She describes what a typical day is like, how she’s learning to grapple with death, and how her job isn’t at all like Grey’s Anatomy.   Charrow is in her second year studying both medicine and dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard Joint Dermatology program (which includes Brigham and Women's, Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel, Children's Hospital, the VA, and Lahey Clinic).    In a Slate Plus extra, get a tour of the hospital and learn just what food can break the will of even the most steel-nerved doctor. If you’re not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.   Our sponsors today: Citrix GoToMeeting. Hold a meeting with anyone from the convenience of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Try it free for 30 days by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the "try it free" button.   And, Warby Parker, a new concept in eyewear. Warby Parker makes buying glasses online easy, risk-free and most of all, enjoyable. Get free three-day shipping on your final frame choice when you go to warbyparker.com/working.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special, one-off episode of Working, Slate editor-in-chief Julia Turner speaks with British Airways pilot Mark Vanhoenacker. From the cockpit of a 747 and then the terminal of JFK airport, Vanhoenacker describes what it's like to fly a large aircraft in the modern world. Vanhoenacker is also a Slate contributor and the author of the recent Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot, from which Slate is running excerpts this week. He’s also asking readers to submit pictures taken from the window seats of planes. You can submit a picture and view other submissions at the book's online home.  For our Slate Plus listeners, Vanhoenacker talks about the history of the 747, what it's like to be like Beyonce in the airport, and the cast of characters he meets in flight. Join today and enjoy a free two-week trail at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final episode of Season 2, host Adam Davidson and former Working host David Plotz interview each other about walking away from large media companies and starting new adventures in their careers.  In a Slate Plus extra, they critique the format of Working and discuss the future of the show. If you're not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your 2-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus.   Our sponsors today: Citrix GoToMeeting. Hold a meeting with anyone from the convenience of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Get a free 30 day trial at GoToMeeting.com. Also: QuickBooks. Explore what QuickBooks Self-Employed can do for you with a free 30-day trial at TrySelfEmployed.com/working. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this installment of Slate's podcast about work, host Adam Davidson talks with Det. Erica Hurley of the Portland Police Bureau's Child Abuse Team.  Hurley explains how she investigates allegations of physical and sexual child abuse and the types of cases she encounters. Also, she discusses how she started her job and how it affects her life as a mother.  In a Slate Plus extra, Hurley talks about Hollywood’s depiction of her work. If you're not a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your 2-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Our sponsors today: Citrix GoToMeeting. Hold a meeting with anyone from the convenience of your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Get a free 30 day trial at GoToMeeting.com. Also: QuickBooks. Explore what QuickBooks Self-Employed can do for you with a free 30-day trial at TrySelfEmployed.com/working. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices