10 Things That Scare Me

Biting fish and back-in-time lightening.  Ida and Noa are sisters from Brooklyn. Noa tasted her first snail last summer and Ida passed the purple swim test at camp. Now she’s allowed to swim all the way out to the dock. This audio recorded by Ida's and Noa's father on vacation in Maine, inspired the idea for our podcast but it’s also the final episode of 10 Things That Scare Me. Thanks for listening to the show! Please email us at 10thingpod@wnyc.org, we're always listening. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Back in January we brought you the fears of WNYC cultural critic and author Rebecca Carroll. She just launched a new podcast called Come Through, which will feature 15 essential conversations about race in a pivotal year for America. And whether you’re afraid to talk about race or sick of trying to make other people talk about it, this show is for you. Subscribe to Come Through wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy this rebroadcast of Rebecca's fears. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Jessica is a comedy producer in her 30s and until a couple of months ago she said she would describe herself as “eggs on ice, career on fire”. David is a 54 year old engineer living in Wales in the UK. He believes that given the chance, most people are kind and considerate. Nata lives in Azerbijan. Nearly 6,000 miles away.Charlie is 39 and lives in Jersey City. He told me he’s been waking up in a panic at 7:30 every Saturday morning worried that he has slept through the Tottenham Hotspur match. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I'm really afraid that one day I'll say something and people will be like Hank, you know, that they went to the moon like more than once, right? And I'll be like, yeah, no, I totally knew that.... Hank Green is the author of the novel An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. He lives in Missoula Montana with his wife Katherine and his son Orin. Hank is also one half of the Vlog Brothers. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

When I think about people who are doctors, I just have this like vision of intestines and having to sort through them. Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician, composer, and the creator of the podcast Song Exploder -- where musicians take apart their songs and tell the story of how they were made. Hrishi’s favorite memory from his time working in the fast food industry was learning how to make suicide soda, which is when you mix all the different flavors together. Apparently he makes ‘em good. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Raising a white son as a queer woman of color.  Anne Wolf is a 38 year old mother, strategist, and minimalist shoe enthusiast. She loves the idea of hobbies, but she hasn’t found the right one yet. One time, back in the 90s, she tried water skiing. Her swim trunks fell down immediately, but she stood up on the skis. With her head held high, she willfully maintained her balance all the way around the lake. As it turns out, that event has been a pretty good metaphor her life so far. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

There are too many people living in too close proximity to each other who don't even know each other anymore. George Divoky studies the black guillemots of Cooper Island in Alaska. He is also the director of Cooper Island Arctic Research. Divoky tweeted that there is no fresh water on Cooper Island this year because all the multi-year sea ice he has relied on for drinking water over the 45 years of his research has disappeared. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I'm afraid that we really do prefer comforting lies over truth. Sarah Haider grew up a devout Muslim, but left the religion as a teenager. Today she is the executive director of Ex Muslims of North America, and her dad is now an atheist. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I've never used a computer. The only electricity that I used is batteries for my radio and for a flashlight. That's the extent of my technology. Kent Bonar lives with his animals in the Ozarks region of Arkansas. Many years ago he started drawing the various plants he encountered on his walks in the woods. Eventually, he had over 3,500 illustrations. In 2017, they were collected in a book published by the University of Arkansas. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

There is a fear of missing out on my little boy's life as a result of my profession. If that happens is my own damn fault. Chris Thile is a traveling musician and the host of Live From Here from Minnesota Public Radio. He told us his son Cal is named after the comic strip character Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I think I'm a control freak and not that I necessarily want to have power over other people but in that I want to have power over my own life.  Mara Wilson is a former child actor and host of the podcast What Are You Afraid Of. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  

Seeing my mom's face in a crowd. Liz is a listener who called in to us from the suburbs of Chicago where she makes her living driving a book mobile. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I think sometimes people think it's funny to scare people. Nigel Poor is a visual artist and lives in California. She is the co-host and co-producer of the podcast Earhustle with Earlonne Woods. She met Earlonne while volunteering in San Quentin and says he was the quietest guy in the room. We played his episode last season and we are including it in this episode for you. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I just feel like one day a bear is just gonna come along or a hyena or a lion and just be like, well, now it's my turn asshole and just eat me like I'm a Philly cheesesteak.   Chris Distefano is an actor and comedian in New York City. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

When I'm feeling stressed about something it makes me feel calm when I take an inventory of the things that I own and I can see it in my head. Kathy Tu is the co-host of the podcast Nancy. When she and her co-host Tobin Low pitched the idea for a podcast about the queer experience, there was a time they wanted to name it "Gaydiolab". Here’s Tobin’s episode. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Jeffery Lackman is a 23 year old listener who called in to us from the Minnesota/North Dakota border. He is running around with a smile on his face, trying to pay his bills and believes that the Bigmouth Buffalo Fish is undervalued. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

It could have been a guy who sat next to me in geometry, I had no idea because my eyes were closed.  Ellen Ryan is a lawyer from Chicago. She told us that she met her husband while on a trek in the Himalayas. After Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted, she and her husband continued to visit him in prison. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

In our culture, Black culture, African-based culture, the mask is a sacred thing. It's not fun times. Michael W. Twitty is a culinary and cultural historian and author of The Cooking Gene. He converted to Orthodox Judaism at 25. Twitty is the first Revolutionary in Residence at Colonial Williamsburg. His comfort food is pot liquor. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Molly called in to us from Maryland. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I'm afraid of being dropped in the ocean. Maureen took up the challenge to tell us what scares her from her home in Mendocino County, CA. Where she works as a hospital chaplain. Maureen is also a writer and author of the play “It’s All About Sex”. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

"The line between thinking you have everything figured out and having nothing figured out is way closer than I think it is."  Jeff Emtman is the host of KCRW’s Here Be Monsters. He’s originally from Pullman, Washington. When Jeff was a kid, he ate a whole jar of tiny sea shells. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

What Billie and I have together... well, the first thing I can think of to tell you is that I was 69 years old before we got together, and she's the first person who's ever told me I was beautiful. As a married couple, Billie's fears and Gay's fears are echoes of each other. So Isaac Jones, our sound designer, did something special with their episode that we think you will enjoy. Billie Parker is a wife, sister, friend, activist, writer, a retired corporate video producer, and presently an addiction recovery teacher at Santa Fe County Jail. She lives with her wife Gay Block in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after residing in San Francisco for most of her life. Gay Block is a portrait photographer. Her work is collected by many museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Jewish Museum. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

"I'm a certified scuba diver but I don't go out much because it scares me." Vivian Wagner is a listener like you who who decided to share her fears with us. She is an associate professor of English and getting ready to marry a handsome commercial pilot. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

"Running out of gas in the middle of nowhere and then dying of thirst." Jia Tolentino grew up in Texas and  is a New Yorker staff writer and author of the essay collection Trick Mirror. Jia has never had a soda without alcohol in it. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

"I think I need to work on feeling comfortable in my own skin." Cameron Esposito is a Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor and writer. Cameron did a stint as ringmaster for El Circo Cheapo Cabaret out of Chicago. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

"I don't think I realized that I'm enough for my son." Rebecca Carroll is a cultural critic and Editor of Special Projects at WNYC. She met her husband on a subway platform in Brooklyn. He was on his way to a conference on race and social policy. He proposed to her on the same subway platform a year later. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

My dad loved talking to me. And I always felt bad because I didn't love talking to him even though I loved him. Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and host of the podcast How To! from Slate. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Ike is a listener from Chandler, Arizona. He is 11 years old and an artist.  Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Amy Pearl lives in Brooklyn with her animal family.  For our 100th episode and the final episode of season 1, we're presenting Amy Pearl. Then, a quick behind the scenes peek into how 10 Things That Scare Me gets made each week. Look for season 2 in late fall. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

By the time I got to high school, I became a featured twirler. Eddie Adkins is a retired accounting firm partner living in Washington, D.C. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

It's the slow feeling of becoming less. Jerry Roback was assigned by the State Department to humanitarian projects in Vietnam during the war. He lives in Washington state. We met Jerry when he called in to the Bill Radke show on  the KUOW.  Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I'm not out there trying to make amphibious friends. Jill has had many careers, from lawyer to dog walker to hand model. She currently takes care of her parents in Lansing, Michigan with her dog Sam. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I'm scared that I'm asking too much of her. Andrew Kim is the first Democratic congressman of Korean descent. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

One minute she's there for me and the next minute she's not. Billy Jackson lives in New York City. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I think the real reason I didn't reenlist was because they had wool uniforms. Mike Pearl is a retired newspaper reporter from New York. He wrote for the Daily Mirror, the Journal-American, the World Journal Tribune and the New York Post among others. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

The possibility that ultimately there is no cost to being despicable. Jon Mooallem is a journalist and the creator of The WALKING podcast which begins its second season today. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Tight wool sweater with syrup inside of it. Earlonne Woods is co-host and co-creator of the Ear Hustle podcast, from PRX's Radiotopia, which just launched its fourth season. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Paper cut on eyeball. Brenda Shaughnessy is a poet. Her most recent book is The Octopus Museum. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

We're singing against the man. Duff McKagan is best known for his stint as the bassist of Guns N' Roses. He is the author of It's So Easy and Other Lies, and his solo album Tenderness is out now. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Mothman related driving fears. Matt Collette makes Post Reports, the daily news podcast from the Washington Post. He used to make Nancy from WNYC Studios. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

When you're a little kid, everything looks big. Born Lamont Jody Hawkins, U-God is an American rapper and hip-hop artist and one of the founding members of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan. He is the author of Raw: My Journey Into The Wu-Tang. If you want to enter the Wu-Tang, just head to the corner of Targee Street and Vanderbilt Avenue on Staten Island in New York City, which has been officially renamed the "Wu-Tang Clan District." Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

This is all I deserve. Alex Goldman is the co-host of the podcast Reply All from Gimlet Media.  Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

My own heartbeat. Kathryn Harrison is a writer living in New York City. Her latest book is On Sunset. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

I wanted to read a masterpiece but this is just a book. Karen Russell is the author of Orange World and other books. She has received a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship and lives in Oregon with her husband and son. Her other books include: St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, Swamplandia!, Vampires in the Lemon Grove and Sleep Donation: A Novella. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

The woods at night. Garrett Crowe is a writer and podcast producer. Check out his work here. And follow him @crowegarrett. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Dead air. Kai Wright is host and managing editor of The Stakes, a podcast about social change, produced by the Narrative Unit of WNYC’s newsroom. He was also the host of the podcasts The United States of Anxiety, Caught, and There Goes the Neighborhood. He is a columnist and former editor for The Nation. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

The marionettes in my mom’s bedroom. Sarah Duckett is a mechanical engineer in Boston, Massachusetts. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Actually being betrayed. Felix Bircheneder studies English and German language, literature and culture. He sends his greetings from Germany. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

My future sucking. Zenna Wallace is a student who is homeschooled in Florida. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Being shot and killed by law enforcement. DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Why did I say yes to this party? Isaac Mizrahi is an fashion designer, artist, and performer from New York City. You can find him on Twitter @isaacmizrahi, Instagram @imisaacmizrahi, and at HelloIsaac.com. Join the 10 Things That Scare Me conversation, and tell us your fears here. And follow 10 Things That Scare Me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.