Tell Me What It's Like

Charles Grimes has spent nearly 30 years as a business psychologist, helping leaders understand themselves so they could lead others well. But he’s also been trying to understand himself, with therapy, courses, and numerous self-assessment tools. But it wasn't until he was 65 — when a friend made a casual, throwaway comment — that the missing piece finally clicked into place. He had Asperger's. The diagnosis didn't feel like bad news. It felt like freedom."It's okay to be Charles. And that's something which I hadn't felt. And I'm 65. This is very late in life to suddenly feel it's okay to be me."Hear Charles talk about:What his friend said that set the whole thing in motion and why he didn't dismiss itWhat "masking" is, and the exhausting work of hiding in plain sight for decadesThe conductor who walked into rehearsal and transformed a mediocre choir without saying a word - and what this has to do with leadershipWhat fell into place when he looked back at his life through the new lens of his diagnosisLearning about love and connection later in life — and why he thinks it's never too lateMentioned in this episode:A Question of Leadership by Charles GrimesThe National Autistic Society — where Charles went for his formal assessmentSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social mediaMentioned in this episode:Help Others Discover the ShowEnjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.

Carol Lin spent her career inside newsrooms built for breaking news. She covered some of the most difficult moments in recent history, including being the first person to report the attacks on September 11. In this conversation, she reflects on her career in journalism and the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped her life. She also discusses what it was like to revisit those experiences while writing her memoir."And then I hear the music, the breaking news animation comes up and we are live."Hear Carol talk about:What it’s like inside a newsroom built for breaking newsThe moment she realized she was going live on September 11 without a scriptHow anchors rely on producers, reporters, and unseen teams during national crisesThe emotional discipline required to deliver information in uncertain momentsThe intersection of her career with major personal turning pointsWhy writing her memoir required revisiting both professional and private painWhat she hopes readers — and her daughter — take away from her storyMentioned in this episode:The first moments reporting 9/11 (viewer discretion advised)Carol Lin’s memoir, When News BreaksSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social mediaMentioned in this episode:Help Others Discover the ShowEnjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.

As the year comes to a close, guests from Season 1 of Tell Me What It’s Like share the holiday traditions that matter most to them. From longtime family rituals to traditions shaped by loss, life season, culture, and even wildlife, this bonus episode reflects on how traditions evolve and how new ones are created along the way.Season 1 Guests Featured in this Episode:Keri NelsonMorton BarlazAlexis BrozBill HoranRich "Big Daddy" SalgadoCarol HoenigLinda StraderSarah TeresinskiMentioned in this episode:Midwinter DayFeast of the Seven FishesCardinali Bakery, Carle Place, NYSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social mediaMentioned in this episode:Help Others Discover the ShowEnjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.

Susan Polgar’s father believed geniuses weren’t born, they were made. So when his three-year-old daughter found an old chess set in their Budapest apartment, he saw an opportunity to prove it. Susan quickly learned the game, but soon realized the real challenge: convincing the world that girls could play just as well as boys - which she did by becoming the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title under the same standards as men. In this episode, she shares how she rewrote the gender norms of chess, overcame deeply rooted sexism, and helped redefine what young girls believe they can achieve."You need to set a goal. And in this case, you need to set the highest goal possible. So even if we fall short somewhat, we still get further than if we set a lower goal."Hear Susan talk about:How, at six, she decided to specialize in chess (and not math)The sexism she faced as a young girl rising in a male-dominated fieldWhy her grandmother's words shaped her sense of perseveranceWhat came after winning world championshipsThe lessons chess teaches about focus, decision-making, and resilienceMentioned in this episode:Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster by Susan PolgarThe Susan Polgar Foundation - scholarships, training, and outreach for young chess playersIntroduction: Learn Chess in 30 Minutes (first instructional video for beginners)Support This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social mediaMentioned in this episode:Help Others Discover the ShowEnjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.