Working
Hosts Isaac Butler, Ronald Young Jr., and June Thomas interview creative people about how they write, compose, paint, and more.
Episodes
March 18, 2025 • 28 mins
Why is it that we can tell someone “I’m totally fine!” and they instantly know we’re not? Gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other subtle nonverbal cues play a huge role in how we connect with one another.
In this episode, host Charles Duhigg explores how we communicate without words, including a deep dive into the visual and tonal cues embedded in one of the biggest sitcoms of all time, The Big Bang Theory.
He ta...
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March 18, 2025 • 32 mins
Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask them. Stick with us here…
In this episode, host Charles Duhigg examines why deep questions are so powerful and how to ask them in everyday life.
He talks to Nick Epley, psychology professor at the University of Chicago and lifelong researcher of deep questions. And we catch up with Mandy ...
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September 8, 2024 • 48 mins
This week, hosts June Thomas, Isaac Butler, and Ronald Young Jr. reflect on the best tips, tools, and words of wisdom from the past four years of Working. They bid farewell to the show, to the listeners, and discuss the lessons that stuck with them and changed the way they work. They also save time at the end to reply to some heartwarming listener emails.
Past episodes that they mention include: How Choreographer Annie-B Parson ...
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September 5, 2024 • 21 mins
On this, the final episode of Working Overtime, hosts Ronald Young Jr. and June Thomas share some last bits of advice on how best to leave a job! Ronald has been let go, quit jobs, and switched gears in every possible way. June has moved across countries and allowed turning points in her life to be catalysts for moving on from certain work. Both of them share their experiences and offer some best practices for leaving on good terms...
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September 1, 2024 • 51 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Andy J. Pizza, an illustrator and creator of children’s books who’s also the host of the Creative Pep Talk podcast. In the interview, Andy explains what it’s like to be a working artist with ADHD, and he shares some strategies that have helped him channel his attention, accomplish tasks, and evolve in his career.
After the interview, Ronald and co-host June Thomas talk about creating like...
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August 25, 2024 • 54 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue, who fronts the 18-piece big band jazz group Secret Society. In the interview, Darcy talks about the thought processes that go into his compositions, like how his interest in mathematician Alan Turning inspired a track on the group’s most recent album Dynamic Maximum Tension. He also discusses the many hats he needs to wear, how he balances complexity a...
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August 22, 2024 • 25 mins
On this week's episode of Working Overtime, hosts Ronald Young Jr. and June Thomas get into the weeds on in-between time and pivoting from one job to the next. June is at the tail end of the promotional tour of her book, while Ronald is gearing up for a new season of his podcast Weight For It. How do you take the final steps of wrapping up one project and be ready for another one? They share tips like prioritizing deadlines, taking...
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August 18, 2024 • 42 mins
This week, host June Thomas talks to author and poet Judith Barrington about her knack for memoir writing and about a retreat called Flight of the Mind that she ran with her partner for 17 years. In the interview, they discuss what makes good memoir writing, what Flight of the Mind meant to women writers, and how to get the most out of writing retreats and workshops.
After the interview, June and co-host Ronald Young Jr. talk abo...
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August 15, 2024 • 31 mins
It's an off-week for Working Overtime, so we're presenting a special bonus episode from the Smart Money podcast! Smart Money features real-world advice to help people make better decisions about their money. In today's episode, a jazz saxophonist talks about navigating the financial ups and downs of a career in the arts.
If you like this episode, and if you could use some smart financial guidance, then go ahead and follow NerdWalle...
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August 11, 2024 • 48 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Mike Gauyo, a TV writer and creator whose credits include the beloved series Insecure and Ginny and Georgia. In the interview, Mike shares his process for thinking of new ideas for shows, refining those ideas over time, and pitching them to industry gatekeepers. He also talks about being from an immigrant family, initially studying medicine, and the events that prompted him to pivot to writ...
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August 8, 2024 • 33 mins
June Thomas recently published her book A Place of Our Own: Six Places That Shaped Queer Women’s Culture, and on this episode of Working Overtime co-host Isaac Butler asks her what went into the release and its promo-campaign. The weeks leading up to a release can be long and exhaustive, with questionnaires, blurb requests, and audiobook recordings to take care of. However, once the book is out in the world, there’s even more to th...
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August 4, 2024 • 52 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Dina Hashem, a stand-up comedian and writer for The Daily Show whose recent special is called Dark Little Whispers. In the interview, Dina discusses her reliance on inspiration rather than a formal writing process, her experiences in comedy roast battles, and the fact that her standards for good comedy keep getting higher.
After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas talk about why arti...
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July 28, 2024 • 52 mins
Host June Thomas speaks with authors Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling about their new novel, The Memo and their collaborative writing process. The pandemic took its toll on everyone, but for Mechling and Dodes, it became a time to collaborate via a Google Doc. They spewed ideas and paragraphs onto the same page, editing each other’s output in real time until they formulated their surrealist, comedic tale of friendship and career am...
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July 25, 2024 • 28 mins
It's halfway through the year, and hosts June Thomas and Isaac Butler are putting themselves back under the microscope to see which of their New Year's resolutions they’ve stuck with and which they’ve let peter out. June still wants to work more sustainably, and Isaac comes clean about his lapsed French studies. They get into routines that have truly worked out and how to let go of the goals that were far too lofty.
Do you have q...
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July 21, 2024 • 52 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to Darrin Bell, creator of the syndicated newspaper comic strip Candorville. In the interview, Darrin explains how hard it was to get Candorville picked up for syndication and how all newspaper comics artists face an up-hill battle to get published. He also talks about his routine for creating new strips every week, how he develops his characters, and real-life issues that inspire the strip’s ...
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July 14, 2024 • 54 mins
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Sally Franson, the author of two novels: A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out and the brand new release Big in Sweden, which was inspired by her real-life experience as a contestant on a Swedish reality competition show. In the interview, Sally digs into the challenges of writing her second novel and the realizations that got her unstuck. She also talks about her practice of plotting novels on giganti...
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July 11, 2024 • 22 mins
Hosts Ronald Young Jr. and Isaac Butler delve into coping with emotional trauma and the challenge of returning to work afterward. Following a death in his family, Ronald grapples with his grief while feeling overwhelmed by the backlog of work. Isaac, having faced his own unexpected personal struggles, explains that part of the return process is accepting that you simply can’t get everything done at once. They share practical tips, ...
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July 7, 2024 • 48 mins
This week, host June Thomas talks to Jim Saah, a photographer who documented D.C.’s legendary hardcore punk scene in the 1980’s and 90’s. In the interview, Jim explains how he fell in love with punk music in high school and soon started photographing bands like Minor Threat and Fugazi. He also discusses the chaotic environments he had to work in, and he explains how certain punk rock conventions—like simple lighting and the practic...
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June 30, 2024 • 50 mins
This week, host Ronald Young Jr. talks to John DeLore, a podcast editor and sound designer who’s been in the industry since its heyday. He’s produced hugely popular shows for companies like Gimlet and Stitcher, and now he runs his own production company, Starlight Diner Studio. In the interview, John breaks down his sound design process, shares tips for collaborating with clients, and explains how he keeps surviving despite the ind...
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June 27, 2024 • 26 mins
For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Ronald Young Jr and Isaac Butler are joined by writer Elisa Gabbert for a discussion of reading and rediscovering a love of books. Gabbert is the author of Any Person is the Only Self, a new collection of essays on art, culture, and reading habits. Gabbert delves into some of her reading practices such as always being surrounded by exciting-looking books, exploring the ‘Recently Re...
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