How To Talk to Contractors (With Sam Sanders and Mercury Stardust)

How To!

Slate Magazine

Business, Education, How To, Self-improvement

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sam Sanders is many things: journalist, podcaster, pop-culture obsessive, and a familiar voice from public radio. He’s also ”quite possibly the world's most hesitant homeowner.” Sam wants to fix up the house he recently bought, but three things are holding him back: First, he doesn’t have a clue where to start. Second, he’s not very handy. And third, he’s intimidated by the thought of talking with contractors (who might discover the first two things about him). In the first episode of a two-part series, Carvell Wallace brings on home improvement expert and bestselling author Mercury Stardust (aka The Trans Handy Ma’am) to guide Sam in conquering his fears. Mercury’s latest book is Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair. Check out the latest episodes of The Sam Sanders Show. Next week: How To Take Charge of Home Repair (with Sam Sanders and Mercury Stardust). Can’t wait for part 2? Slate Plus members can listen to that episode in their feeds right now! Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson and Sophie Summergrad. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob and our supervising producer is Joel Meyer. Get more of How To! with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of How To! and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the How To! show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/howtoplus for access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:45.0	Here at How Too, we know how crucial it is to find the right expert for the job, and we'll talk more about that and about Upwork later in the show.
0:53.4	Right now, when you spend $1,000
0:55.0	on Upwork Business Plus, you'll get $500 in credit. Go to Upwork.com slash save now and claim
1:01.8	the offer before December 31st, 2025. Again, that's upwork.com slash S-A-V-E. Scale smarter
1:09.7	with top talent and $500 in credit.
1:13.1	Terms and conditions apply.
1:16.5	It's like you reach a point in your adult life when you go after the things that you're good at and you pursue the interests you love.
1:24.2	You end up in these environments where you can have a life where most of the folks
1:28.4	around you consistently tell you, you're doing a good job. You know, the work that I do now,
1:34.0	I've done long enough that I work with people who think I'm good at it. And that feels great.
1:38.2	And the idea of doing things in my life that won't get me an add-a-boy. I find that intimidating. I find it intimidating.
1:47.9	I'm used to getting treats and being told I'm pretty and good.
1:53.8	Welcome to how to. I'm Carvel Wallace. If you regularly press play on how to, you know that we
1:59.3	invite listeners on the show to talk through all kinds of situations with experts who have advice to share.
2:05.3	And usually, we keep those listeners anonymous.
2:08.0	But today's listener could not be kept anonymous because his voice is one you might instantly recognize.
	...

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