This episode's topic is so literally monumental, we brought in three experts to help us bring it to life. We’re going back more than 3,000 years, to New Kingdom Egypt, to visit two of the job sites that contributed to the production of some of the ancient world’s most iconic monuments. We start with the dynamic duo of Dr Maria Nilsson and John Ward…

In this episode, Karen talks with Master Mason Brad Steele about the ancient craft of building in stone, from its ancient origins through the medieval guilds which continue to provide fraternal and educational support to ensure its survival into the future.By LittleFire

Karen explores the history and evolution of licensed brands and “intellectual property,” and hears about the latest IP trends in heritage attractions and art museums. Join the conversation with guest Georgina Dorothy, archaeologist and historian turned heritage IP executive at ARTiSTORY.By LittleFire

In this episode, Karen talks with actor, director, and theatre historian, Dr Kyle A Thomas. Join us for a peek behind the curtain of European theatre in the Middle Ages. Spoiler alert: piety wasn’t the only value on display in medieval relgious dramas!By LittleFire

As we move through some holiday down time, celebrate with this WoT classic episode. It’s the story of the department store, or mall, Santa - the origins of the job, who were the big players, and its lasting legacy on the industry of holiday joy. Join us as we talk with Dr. Sheila Hoffman, and hear the tale of the very first Department Store/Mall Sa…

In today’s episode, which is Part I of II, we examine blacksmithing from the perspectives of the legends and folklore forged from the same fires as the revolutionary iron tools that so fundamentally shaped human experience. What better way to dive into this topic than with our guest, Mark Norman, whose own podcast, The Folklore Podcast, has enjoyed…

Halloween *bonus* Working Right Now episode, with returning guest, Isabella Connor, 17th-19thc New England historian and writer. Isabella loves Salem, and Halloween. Just not together. Tune in to find out why.By LittleFire

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “public art?" What is it? Who is it for? What is its purpose, anyway? In this episode we explore these questions, and more, through the lens of ancient Greco-Roman sculpture with archaeologist and educator Laura Aitken-Burt. Spoiler alert: the place and influence of state-sanctioned art strikes us as on…

For much of human history, finding shelter was something everyone did on their own, to survive. But with increasing labor specialization in complex societies, the act of designing and building structures evolved into a distinct blend of art and science, becoming the discipline we know today as architecture. But when did this job, as such, become a …

Classical historian and baker-in-residence, Dr Owen Rees, walks Karen through the ancient past and present pleasures of breadmaking.By LittleFire

We’re in the throes of a new space race, and it’s a whole new ballgame from the 1960s Cold War version, when the world’s superpowers duked it out to see who could be the first to send a man into space. Fast-forward to today, and we’re in the wild west of a “space tourism” race. The SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, slated to lift off TODAY, September 15…

In this episode, Karen is joined by Sam Wilson and Jem Duducu to take a look at the job specs and role of a medieval knight. Listen in as they compare the enduring myth of knights and the chivalric code to the brutal reality.By LittleFire

For decades, the independent toymaker has been eclipsed by corporate toy marketers funding defense-department-sized ad budgets across print, radio, TV, and the internet. Our chat with thoroughly modern indie toymaker Bobby Vala gives us hope that this hopelessly stacked landscape is shifting, as savvy small operators find ways to harness the power …

The gang’s all here, back in the Breakroom! This time, we’re chatting with production partner and Past Preserver Head Nigel Hetherington about what it’s like to do archaeology in Egypt, and to start a heritage media business. Join us for another behind-the-scenes look at how Aidan, Raz, and Karen create the podcast, and learn what’s involved in bei…

Have you ever seen an ad - on TV, in a magazine, or online - that was so clever it made you laugh out loud? Or just hit so close to home it took you by surprise? What about an ad that was so unbelievably “off” that you couldn’t believe anyone ever thought it was a good idea, much less got it greenlit and broadcast into the great collective consciou…

This episode takes us to some of the deepest, darkest and most awe-inspiring settings planet Earth has to offer. We’re doing a deep dive into, deep diving, as it happens. Specifically, the perilous quest to discover and map unexplored caves in our oceans’ harshest, most remote corners. Our guide is the intrepid Jill Heinerth, a renowned underwater …

Welcome to the emergent beauty industry of the early 20th century: a veritable Wild West that played fast and loose with the latest scientific darling, a new element called radium, which (spoiler alert) exposed users to concerning levels of radiation. Historian Lucy Jane Santos is with us today, to dish on how radium became the secret sauce in a di…

The current shifting season is the perfect backdrop for our first episode of the season:Greco-Roman Winemakers of the ancient world. Because - who doesn’t need a drink after the last decade *cough cough* We mean "year." That said, people have had lots of reasons to wine (and whine) since - well - ever. And today, we have Dr. Emlyn Dodd, a Greco-Rom…

On today’s episode - our last of this season - we’re addressing an age-old question: “Privateer or Pirate?” Ok, maybe not age old, exactly, but it’s a question I didn’t even know to ask until I spoke with maritime archaeologist Neil Dobson, whose work spans decades of deep-water shipwreck exploration and recovery. In his all his years of studying s…

For the past 60 years, following the trail blazed by Sputnik, we’ve put thousands of satellites into orbit, looping sentinels that serve critical functions in modern society, transmitting TV and radio signals, tracking the weather, and providing communications and positioning channels that serve a range of military and civilian needs. In this episo…

Today, we’re going to swim with some of the earliest and most intrepid explorers the world has ever known. We're talking about the brave souls who plunged to the ocean floors, beginning thousands of years ago, as free divers, collecting sponges, pearls, and the stuff to make princely dyes which could be found nowhere else on the planet. The human d…

Join Karen and her guest Jem Duducu for a conversation about a unique element of the Ottoman Empire- a central but often misconstrued aspect of this traditional Muslim household - called the harem - and the sometimes surprising influence it had on Ottoman politics. The members of the harem - the sultan’s many wives, concubines, and servants - were …

In this episode, we take a look at the job of the “Attagirls” female pilots in World War II, which have feet even deeper in history, over a hundred years before, and it’s no exaggeration to say that World War II might well have ended very differently without their courageous contributions. Join us as we speak with archeologist and historian Georgin…

On this episode, Karen talks with Sofia Aziz, an expert on the thriving business of death and funerary work in Ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom. We’ll cover everything you thought you knew about Egyptian mummification and burial, based on the incredible new biomedical technologies used by Sofia and her colleagues at the University of Manchester’s KNH Ce…

Who’s ready to start this year off with a good old-fashioned, relaxing “Roman rubdown?” Today we welcome returning guest, Tim Moller, to lead us through all the delightful distractions of an ancient Roman bathhouse. From lubing up for massages, poolside dining, shopping, politicking, and public posturing, the Roman bathhouses were central hubs of p…