Julie Melanson always knew she was adopted, but it wasn’t until she was 51 years old that she decided to search for her birth mother. She eventually found her, built a connection with both her mother and her birth siblings, and then lost her mother soon after. Julie reflects on what it was like to grow up as an adoptee, search for her mom, meet her for the first time, and get to know her during the time they had together.

• Growing up in a large extended family with 17 cousins and summers at the family lake house
• What her adoptive mother used to say about her birth mother
• Why she waited until 51 to begin searching for her birth family
• What it felt like to finally find and meet her birth mother
• Discovering similarities between herself and her biological relatives
• The complicated emotions of finding — and later losing — her birth mother

• Julie’s memoir, Not Yours To Keep, about adoption and her birth mother’s strength
• “The Prayer” by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church

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Note: This episode includes discussion of crime and the criminal justice system, including violent crime.

James Porfido spent years as a prosecutor, working to put accused criminals behind bars—until he made a pivotal shift and began defending them instead. Now, having seen the criminal justice system from both sides, he shares what changed his perspective, what most people misunderstand about fair trials, and why he believes the system doesn’t always deliver equal justice.

• His path from prosecutor to defense attorney, and what changed his perspective
• The meaning of “innocent until proven guilty” in practice
• The state’s obligation in a criminal case
• The role of a strong defense attorney in ensuring a fair trial
• Why he believes the justice system isn’t always equal
• What everyday citizens misunderstand about the legal system

• The Salem Witch Trials
• Framed, by John Grisham
• Unequal Justice by James Porfido

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This Earth Day, listen to one of the most earth-friendly guests from Tell Me What It's Like so far: Trash Wolf.

While there are lots of people who talk about helping the environment, Florida’s Trash Wolf took a different route. In 2022, Trash Wolf began prowling the streets, putting on a wolf suit to patrol his neighborhood and solve one specific problem: litter.

Since this episode first aired, Trash Wolf's anti-litter pack has doubled in size, illustrating that his unique approach to caring about the earth makes a lot of sense.

• The Origin Story: What finally pushed him to put on the mask, and why it was a wolf
• The Philosophy: How cleaning up trash teaches us about the world.
• The Call to Action: Why his mission is really about awareness, community, and taking that first step.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Trash Wolf on Instagram
• Trash Wolf on YouTube

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When JoAnne Chitwood graduated from nursing school, she wasn't sure what she actually wanted to do—until a hospice volunteer at the bedside of her patient told her, "JoAnne, you are a hospice nurse". She had never even heard the term, but she soon realized she was born for the role.

JoAnne has spent the past four decades at the bedside of the dying. In this episode, she shares the profound lessons learned from 40 years of end-of-life care: how to manage terminal anxiety, why death mirrors the birth process, and how "pouring love" into patients can lead to the most unexpected outcomes.

• How JoAnne discovered she was "born" for this hospice work
• Why the dying process is a mirror image of birth, as the body begins to "unwind" and nourish itself from within.
• Managing the many different facets of hospice nursing
• Why she doesn’t run from sadness
• Why forty years of witnessing "peaceful" transitions has completely removed her own fear of death.

• Please Help Me Die Well Book Series by JoAnne Chitwood
• The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron
• The Medicare Hospice Benefit

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After 30 years of marriage, Victoria Vaughn found herself newly single in her 50s — and back in a dating world that looked nothing like the one she left. She landed many dates, but many of them weren’t what she expected.

She calls those dates “frogs.” But through those experiences, she gained a much clearer understanding of what she wanted, what actually matters in a partner, and why finding the right person often starts with being true to yourself.

• What it’s like to date again after 30 years off the market
• Why dating later in life comes with more complexity and more clarity
• The unexpected realities of finances, baggage, and honesty in dating
• Why you might be a “frog” to someone else — and what that means
• How she recognized her “prince” and what made him different
• The lessons she wishes she knew before she started dating again
• Her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis and why she supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation

• Oh the Frogs I’ve Kissed Before I Finally Found My Prince - Victoria’s book on dating again
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation

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Mitch Wu thought he knew exactly what his creative career would look like. But after years in product design, a difficult job, and the loss of his brother, he realized how far he’d drifted from the kind of work he actually wanted to be doing.

Then one afternoon he and his nephew went to the park with a couple of action figures and from the first photograph he knew he'd found what he was meant to do.

In this episode, Mitch shares what it’s like to build miniature worlds, develop a creative niche that didn’t really exist, and turn play into a profession.

• His journey from illustration to product design to wedding photography—and how he realized he’d gotten off his creative path
• The moment in a park with his nephew that instantly shifted his career direction
• What toy photography actually is, and why it’s rooted in storytelling and world-building
• How he built a career in a niche that barely existed at the time
• The difference between being a “commodity” creative and owning a specialized niche
• Why continual learning and experimentation keep his work evolving

• Larger Than Life (documentary) – See Mitch at work and get a behind-the-scenes look at his toy photography process
• New York Toy Fair – The largest toy industry convention in North America, where Mitch exhibited his work and connected with major brands
• Disney+ Marvel documentary series – A series featuring toy creators, including Mitch and his work
• Mitch Wu’s toy photography work – See examples of his work for major toy companies, including Mattel’s Ever After High, one of Mitch’s first major clients

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Toni King was at a Medicare workshop when she realized how easy it is for someone to misunderstand the system—and how difficult it can be to fix those misunderstandings once they happen.

She’s spent years helping people navigate Medicare, a process shaped by rules, timelines, and decisions that aren’t always intuitive. She shares what it’s like to guide people through it, how the system works, and why it can be so challenging to understand from the outside.

1. How she got started helping people navigate Medicare
2. Why the system can be difficult for people to understand
3. The structure of Medicare and how the different parts fit together
4. The role of private insurance within Medicare
5. What people need to think about as they approach enrollment

1. Learn more about Toni King
2. Medicare
3. Social Security
4. Medicare Advantage (Part C)
5. Prescription Drug Plans (Part D)

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Cities don’t just develop over time — they’re shaped by decisions about transportation, where we build, and what gets prioritized.

Urban planner Jahnavi Kirtane explains how those decisions come together, why so many places in the U.S. are built around cars, and how walkability affects independence, access, and everyday life in ways most people don’t realize.

1. The difference between growing up in a car-dependent suburb and navigating New York City
2. What “walkability” actually means and how it shows up in daily life
3. Why many U.S. communities are designed around cars
4. The kinds of decisions that shape how cities function
5. How design influences independence, access, and connection

1. Walkable City by Jeff Speck
2. Speck Dempsey, the planning and design firm where Jahnavi works
3. Jeff Speck's TED talk, The Walkable City

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