After decades of chasing success as a tech entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and even a candidate for Utah governor, Jeff Burningham found himself questioning what it all meant.

When the governor’s race ended in 2020, Jeff finally had space to pause—and that pause changed everything. It led him to write The Last Book Written by a Human, a deeply personal reflection on consciousness, connection, and wisdom in an age increasingly defined by artificial intelligence.

• What it was like to step back from chasing success and re-evaluate what matters
• Why he believes AI is a mirror showing us who we are
• The four stages he sees as part of every human and technological evolution: disruption, reflection, transformation, and evolution
• Why slowing down might be the most human thing we can do

• The Last Book Written by a Human by Jeff Burningham
• Read more about Jeff
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

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Journalist Charlie Wells is a Millennial — and by now, something of an expert on the Millennial generation, too. In his debut book, What Happened to Millennials: In Defense of a Generation, he shares the stories of five people whose lives reveal what it’s really been like to grow up Millennial — through the early optimism, the crises that shaped us, and all the change we’ve weathered along the way.

Hear Charlie talk about:

• Why he wanted to explore what it’s really been like to grow up as a Millennial
• How he chose the five people whose lives he shares in the book
• How major moments like 9/11 and the rise of the internet shaped Millennial identity
• The nostalgia objects — from Tamagotchis to AIM screen names — that connect us across divides
• Why he feels proud of Millennials, and what he hopes we carry forward into the next chapter of adulthood

Mentioned in this episode:

• What Happened to Millennials: In Defense of a Generation by Charlie Wells
• Charlie Wells on Instagram and X (Twitter)

Support this show:

• Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app
• Leave a rating and review
• Share on social media and tag @rainemediaco

Cori Burns had always loved running, but eventually pregnancy pushed her to walking for exercise. She found she loved it, but quickly realized there weren't any shoes made for women who walked for fitness. So, she set out to create them herself.

In 2023 she launched Raesyn, a technical shoe company making shoes “for women who walk to sweat.” Cori shares how she spotted a gap in the shoe industry, what went into designing a shoe for women who walk for exercise, and the determination it took to turn her idea into Raesyn.

Hear Cori talk about:

• What makes walking for exercise different from running
• When she noticed there was a need for walking shoes
• What she looked for in the ideal women’s walking shoe
• The process to get from prototype to a shoe ready for market

Mentioned in this episode:

• Raesyn Shoes — Cori’s footwear brand
• Girls Who Walk Baltimore, the walking group Cori mentioned
• Cori’s walking workouts and Substack

Support this show:

• Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast app
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• Share on social media and tag @rainemediaco

When Linda Strader joined a US Forest Service fire crew in the 1970s, she didn’t know how rare it was for women to do that kind of work - she just wanted an interesting job. But she quickly realized she was stepping into a world that didn’t necessarily welcome her. In this episode, Linda shares what it was like to be one of the first women on a fire crew, the discrimination she faced, and why she loved the work enough to keep coming back for seven seasons.

Hear Linda talk about:

• What a fire crew actually does beyond just battling flames
• How she got the job with no idea women weren’t “allowed”
• The hostility she faced from many coworkers and supervisors
• The physical and emotional toll of working to prove herself again and again
• Why she loved the job regardless of the hardships

Mentioned in this episode:

• Linda's memoir, Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage by Linda Strader
• U.S. Forest Service
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Read more information about the Federal Women’s Program
• Learn more about the Catalina Hotshots

Support this show:

• Follow in your favorite podcast app
• Leave a rating and review
• Share on social and tag @rainemediaco

When Jennifer Daniel landed her first job after college, she quickly realized she didn’t quite know how to navigate the world of business meetings with confidence. That led her to the Protocol School of Washington and, eventually, to founding her own etiquette business, Polished Peyton Etiquette Essentials. For nearly 25 years, she’s been teaching children, young professionals, and executives the skills they need to succeed - with etiquette as a foundation for confidence and kindness.

Hear Jennifer talk about:

• How she found her way from a resort job to opening her own etiquette and protocol school
• The difference between etiquette and protocol, and why both matter in business and social life
• Why young professionals often struggle with communication in the age of smartphones
• How etiquette classes can build confidence and relational skills, not just table manners
• Why kindness is the most important rule of all

Mentioned in this episode:

• Polished Peyton Etiquette Essentials
• The Protocol School of Washington

Support this pod:

• Follow in your favorite podcast app
• Leave a rating and review in your app
• Share on social media and tag @rainemediaco

Valerie Russell spent a decade in criminal justice. She worked as a corrections officer, a narcotics investigator, even on the 9/11 Human Recovery Project. But one day, she realized she wanted something entirely different. She sold everything, moved to Guatemala with just a backpack, and built a thriving travel agency from scratch.

Hear Valerie talk about:

• The book that inspired her to walk away from law enforcement to start a new life abroad
• What it was like to arrive in Guatemala alone, not knowing anyone
• How she grew Due South Travels into a successful business without advertising
• Why she feels like she lives in paradise
• The importance of resilience, community, and creativity in building a life abroad

Mentioned in this episode:

• Due South Travels, Valerie's travel agency in Guatemala
• The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, the book that inspired her

Support this show:

• Follow in your favorite podcast app
• Leave a rating and review
• Share on social media and tag @rainemediaco

Matt Farley has created over 26,000 songs ... many of them about poop. But behind the absurd humor is a thoughtful approach to creativity, productivity, and making things without fear.

In this episode of Tell Me What It’s Like, Matt shares how he embraced the ridiculous, built an empire of searchable songs, and let go of perfectionism — all while homeschooling, making movies, and continuing to make music.

Hear Matt Talk About:

• Why he shares his music (even when it feels humiliating)
• How he uses song titles and streaming platforms to get discovered
• Why embracing imperfect work led to his most popular songs
• The Motern Method: his creative productivity system explained
• How he balances homeschooling, filmmaking, and songwriting
• How making movies with friends helps him stay creative and connected

Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Odd Man Who Sings About Poop, Puke, and Pee on Spotify – one of Matt's many musical personas
• All About Highlighters, surely Matt's next big hit
• The Hungry Food Band in case you need a song about mac & cheese
• Dropped My Phone in the Toilet, by The Very Nice Interesting Singer Man
• The Guy Who Sings About Cities and Towns, and sometimes just the zip code
• Matt's list of Matt's Most Popular Songs
• The Motern Method – Matt’s book on creativity
• Evil Puddle, Matt's latest film
• Find Matt Farley online at Motern Media

More than 3,000 years ago, a Native American community in what is now Northeast Louisiana built monumental earthworks - such as mounds, ridges, and a vast plaza - at Poverty Point, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For nearly two decades, Dr. Diana Greenlee, station archaeologist at Poverty Point, has worked to uncover what life was like for the people who lived there so many years ago.

Hear Diana talk about:

• How the massive earthworks at Poverty Point were constructed
• Evidence of art, craftsmanship, and daily life at the site
• What we know about the mounds and ridges built by the people who lived there
• How modern tools like ground-penetrating radar reveal insights without excavation
• The moment she discovered a previously undocumented mound

Mentioned in this episode:

• Read more about Dr. Diana Greenlee
• Poverty Point World Heritage Site
• UNESCO World Heritage listing for Poverty Point
• University of Louisiana at Monroe

Support this show:

• Follow in your favorite podcast app
• Leave a rating and review
• Share on social media and tag @rainemediaco