The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

Mike takes a deep dive into the nature of authenticity, with a little help from Sean McCourt – a former Broadway actor who works today as a producer on After the Catch and contributor to The Way I Heard It, and God only knows what else. Sean also happens to be the father of Charlotte, the eleven-year-old Girl Scout made famous by her blisteringly honest critique of the cookies she was trying to sell to her Daddy’s wealthy friend five years ago. A critique that unleashed a media blitz for which Mike accepts most of the blame. It’s a rumination on the power of action, and inaction, and the squishy middle in between.

The true story of the most consequential pig in the history of Silicon Valley, or for that matter, the world. Followed by the true story of the most consequential pig in Mike’s career – the one he put on a pedestal fifteen years ago, that went on to become the unofficial mascot of Dirty Jobs. Then, a most unusual redux, as Tom Frank returns to set the record straight, and explain in no uncertain terms why a brown garbage bag is a poor substitute for a leather vest.

Mike tracks down Tom Frank, the Hollywood producer who hired him to host the game show that launched his career in television, only to learn his old friend has become a life coach. Or possibly, a career coach. Whatever he is, Tom Frank knows where all the bodies are buried, and tells a story or two that Mike would probably like to forget.

A hashtag and a me-too on steroids, followed by a series of digressions too voluminous to list, concluding with the true story of the time Mike knocked a famous movie star on his ass.

After sharing the true story of a hard-charging master sergeant with a voice like a jackhammer who went on to become a famous artist, Mike recalls the lessons learned from his soft-spoken grandfather – an artist of a different kind - whose unique talents inspired a show called Dirty Jobs, and a foundation called mikeroweWORKS. It’s a rumination on men who scream, and men who whisper, complete with a song about a nose that wouldn’t stop bleeding.

The true story of two great teachers, two stuttering students, and two happy endings. Followed by a conversation about the beauty of “what,” the danger of “how,” and the timeless challenge of “trying not to try.”

The true story of the first woman to go where no man had gone before, followed by the true cost of progress, the false value of safety, and a revealing conversation about the profoundly annoying sensation of being swindled by someone you trust.

This is a sad one. But also a funny one. And frankly, a weird one. There’s sentimentality and singing. Nosebleeds and narcotics. Letters from beyond the grave, and perhaps most surprising, the sudden appearance of a giant scrotum. Probably easier to just listen.

A famous woman vanishes and triggers the largest manhunt in British history. A hundred years later, Mike loses all his money in an elaborate Ponzi scheme. Coincidence? Probably. But Chuck wonders what Mike’s fictitious hero, Travis McGee, might have to say about the scandal, and Mike has some opinions on the matter – opinions that are somewhat upstaged, paradoxically, by a leaf blower.

A famous athlete takes great pains to conceal his true identity from millions of fans. Then, Mike welcomes Paul Kelley back to the podcast, to discuss a series of topics too disparate and strange to articulate in a two sentence description.