I'm Rachel Martin, host of Wildcard from NPR.

I've spent years interviewing all kinds of people,

and I've realized there are ideas that we all think about,

but don't talk about very much.

So I made a shortcut, a deck of cards with questions that anyone can answer,

questions that go deep into the experiences that shape us.

Listen to the Wild Card podcast only from NPR.

I'm Gene Demby.

And I'm B.A. Parker.

And this is Code Switch.

From NPR.

So, Gene, as you know, I used to be a professor before I got into journalism.

I know.

That's what you told us when we introduced you to the world.

Yes, that's right.

Yeah.

But I knew I wanted to try something different.

And so one day, I saw an announcement in an alumni email about a mid-career fellowship.

And it was at This American Life.

A big deal.

Yeah.

And it piqued my interest.

...