Hey y’all, 

Last week on the podcast, I had a sad conversation with my sister about getting laid off. I then heard from a lot of you, pretty much immediately, about being in similar situations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Reading through the emails felt surreal. I appreciated just how honest folks got with us, like the listener who told us she hadn’t slept in days, agonizing over how to keep her nonprofit afloat. Someone else said that thanks to COVID-19, she’s now experienced her second lay-off before the age of 30. 

For this week’s episode, we decided to share your stories. This is a really tough time and, more than ever, I want the show to reflect what so many of you all are going through. I hope it brings a little comfort. And as always, please reach out if you have something you’d like to share.

— Reema

The receipts

Your stories (with proof)

This week’s receipt is more like a pre-receipt, from Marketplace producer Eliza Mills. If you have a receipt you want to share, let us know. 

“My neighborhood has really been coming together the past few weeks to help each other with errands and staying connected. There's a phone tree and a couple of very active community Facebook groups, but I thought this simple sign letting neighbors know that there were people who could help them out was sweet.

I'm married to an occupational therapist who still needs to go in to the hospital every day for work, so seeing that everyone around us is doing their part to keep as many people as possible safe and healthy feels extra meaningful.”

This week on the podcast

Season 2 Episode 9
Hard choices

As states across the country close all non-essential businesses, people are rethinking what it means to do the right thing. Today we hear listeners' stories of pay cuts, layoffs and telling employers they're putting people at risk. (Listening time, 19:06)

The comfort zone

What our team is into right now, and what would make it even better. 

A lot of us are finding solace in our favorite advice columns. Hayley is a longtime fan of Ask Polly, our intern Daniel is reading John Paul Brammer and Megan loves BuzzFeed’s “How to Plague.”

Tony has been shaking up his Zoom hangouts with Jackbox party packs, a series of trivia, drawing and word games you can play on your phone. It takes a little bit of admin, but sharing your screen with the call is a lot easier than keeping your webcam trained on a “Risk” board. 

When you’re stuck at home, getting your body moving is super important. Peter decided to learn the extremely popular Renegade TikTok dance. It wasn’t easy, but we all got to see the results on a recent Zoom meeting and, trust us, it was worth it. Here’s a guide to that dance (and nine more).