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What It's Like To Be... with Dan Heath

A Master Electrician

What It's Like To Be... with Dan Heath

Dan Heath

Curiosity, Careers, Storytelling, Business, Human Interest, Jobs, Society & Culture

4.9820 Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Calculating electrical loads, getting zapped by 277 volts, and savoring the freedom of the skilled trades with Doug Powell, a master electrician. Why are blue-collar professions growing increasingly more attractive? And what are the telltale signs of a hack electrician? Doug runs Lumen Brothers Electric Company with his business partner, Josh. WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be... "starter pack". It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes from ...

Transcript

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0:00.0

Doug Powell is a master electrician.

0:03.9

He and a business partner run Lumen Brothers Electric Company and Frederick Maryland.

0:08.5

Most days, he's working in people's homes, people he doesn't know.

0:12.5

One day, he gets a call.

0:14.7

It's an Indian family, really, really big mansion in Potomac, Maryland,

0:19.0

like really massive house, gated property. And they call

0:22.9

them, they say the jacuzzi tub in their in-law suite is not working. So, Doug, agrees to come

0:28.8

take a look. You know, it's a huge family. I think both sets of parents living there, big house.

0:36.5

And there's lots of people coming and going. There's cleaners. There's other tradespeople. It's like a really busy scene. He comes in to check out the malfunctioning jacuzzi. And I said, okay, I'm going to need to get underneath this tub as well. Is there a place below where that's accessible? And he says, yes, actually, there's an access panel in the basement below. So I leave my tools in that bathroom right next to that tub, and there's cleaners in there and stuff. There's lots of hustle and bustle. So I go downstairs. He shows me the access panel. So I say, okay, I think I've got everything I need. I appreciate your help. I'll come get you. If I have any questions, he says thanks a lot. So Doug takes a look at the access panel and then realizes he needs the tools

1:16.4

that he left next to the jacuzzi upstairs. So he goes back up there. And he can hear water running in the

1:22.6

bathroom. So I figured it's probably just somebody in there cleaning. So I walk in the bathroom.

1:28.5

I reached down to start unloading tools.

1:31.2

And I kind of get this vision in my right periphery.

1:35.9

And I look up.

1:37.9

And there is his mom completely naked in the glass door shower with her shower cap on covering her body screaming.

1:48.2

And so I was like, oh my God.

1:50.7

What went through your head in that moment?

1:53.7

On the one hand, I just couldn't believe it.

1:55.6

There was a part of me that was like, was this a move?

1:57.4

Was she making a move?

1:58.4

Was she like, you know, like, let me show this young man a thing.

2:00.6

I didn't know.

...

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