For the fifth edition of the series “Interviews with Non-Evil People,” I didn’t secure an interviewee so did something a little different. Instead of one person answering a lot of questions, I had a lot of people answer one question each. My pool was self-selecting (I posted on Linkedin) and the questions were asked in the order I thought of them.

I have someone lined up for next week.

What's something/someone you wish you had taken more pictures of?

Sean Goodman: This is going to be hard to answer because I grew up in the heyday of Myspace. My friends and I took pictures of anything and everything. I also went to a high school that had a strong photography class with one of the last remaining and functioning darkrooms in the county. So taking pictures has always been a big part of my life. With that being said, I owned a One Step Polaroid camera as a child. I still have photos that documented my homelife in a box in my childhood home, but I wish I had taken more photos that documented all the fun things I did with my friends after school: skateboarding, building forts, and just playing at the park.

What's a movie that totally underwhelmed you and made you think "wow this didn't change my life at all."

Eric McClanahan: I have the answer loaded on my tongue at all times: Avatar. I saw it in theaters, in 3D, wearing Skechers Shape-Ups for the first time, so I had to re-learn to walk after the screening was over. It was amazing, spectacular, unlike anything I’d ever seen.

A few months later it was playing in an Apple Store on a screen so clear I thought the conversation between the characters was happening in the next room and I was staring through a window. As time wore on and the conversation around the movie grew I realized… that movie had no substance. I didn’t learn anything, didn’t feel anything, didn’t see my world through another’s eyes; it just happened and it was loud and pretty and REALLY hard to make. But why? What was all the pomp and circumstance for if it didn’t affect me at all? Needless to say I have not seen the sequels.

What's your favorite fun fact?

Kimberlee Ferrell: Mantis shrimp can see wavelengths of light ranging from deep ultraviolet to far-red and polarized light because they have 12 kinds of colors receptors, but humans only have three. Mantis shrimp are pretty cool dudes. 😂 I like to think of them as a reminder that there are always new perspectives that I haven't seen or imagined yet.

What's something incredibly petty that you've done and don't regret?

Lindsey Galloway: When a company asked me to relocate for RTO, I played along like I was willing to do it (I wasn't), and asked a bunch of annoying logistical questions, and legal questions to draw out the process and involve as much HR for as long as possible. They deserved it, tbh.

Who was the first person who told you that you are a good writer? How old were you and do you remember what the circumstances were?

Emily Hessney Lynch: I'm sure there was an instance of it when I was pretty young--I just kind of remember always knowing/thinking I was a good writer. I'm not sure if it was a parent or teacher who first told me. The most specific memory that comes to mind is a high school English teacher helping me with a college essay. I pronounced "albeit" incorrectly and she told me the correct pronunciation and not to be embarrassed, because it just meant that I learned it from reading. She said that reading so much was probably the reason I was such a good writer.

What do you do when you're trying to write your absolute best and only slop is coming out?

Dwayne Jenkins: Depends on how "salvageable" you believe your writing is in that moment! Writer's Block may rear its ugly head and give you the knee-jerk reaction of trashing the entire thing.

Usually, though, you can pluck and reorganize small gems even among the most misguided of pieces. I'd say part of the fun and challenge of writing is that sense of, "What can I extract from this -- and how can I create connective tissue from one fragment to the next?"

What's the dumbest thing you've ever said in a job interview?

Alexander Pyles: I was interviewing for an Archivist/Development job at the Diocese of Rockford. They help support Catholic parishes by doing admin work and other large scope projects in the Rockford/Chicagoland area. What I said during the first interview was "I am intimidated by the large role." Needless to say I was not asked for a second interview lol.

When was the first time you realized a thing you were good at is not a thing everyone is good at? What was the thing and what happened that made you aware that you had that unique skill?

Jillian Melero: It took a while for it to all come together, but when I first started to realize I was good at a thing not everyone is good at was college.

I was taking a media production class, and two separate but related things happened.

1. A classmate enthusiastically nominated me to be the producer for our weekly news radio show. I had not expected that. I had not thought of myself (or seen someone like me) in a leadership or organizational role. Let alone for something that can get so technical. I was thinking of myself as someone who was there to learn, but not more than that.

2. In that producer role, I had created a progress spreadsheet to keep track of who was working on what and how far along it was. Another classmate — a nurse or nursing student — came over to say something to me and saw my screen. She asked me what was going on and I told her. She said “You got all that from looking at that screen?” I said, “Yeah.” She said “That all makes sense to you?” I was concerned, since I meant this to be a tool for everyone. “Yeah, doesn’t it to you?” She said, “If you can read all that from that, then this job is perfect for you.” I didn’t get what she meant at the time. But I do now.

Growing up, my grandfather used to tell me I “have it up here,” and tap his temple. Teachers have told me I “just get it.” Classmates have told me I’m “organized.” I think I have a knack for learning information and improving or creating systems. I try to understand how things work, why, and what I can do to make things easier to understand or access for people.

And that has been a constant across a range of roles I’ve taken on, especially within journalism, maybe even before that. But, at the time, when it came to Journalism, I didn't really know what it would mean for me besides reporting and writing. And I hadn’t imagined myself beyond that. Meanwhile, the amount of stuff I’ve done since then under that umbrella has been wild.

When did you learn that "freelance" is an option? Who taught you?

Art Anthony: Is it crazy that I honestly don’t even remember? I can only think it must have been a colleague at my full time gig who was considering doing the same? Or maybe a character in a TV show or movie? It’s almost like the idea just filtered into me through osmosis or something. A little spooky, now I think about it!

What book cover trend are you eager to see go out of fashion?

Zara Miller: I personally can't stand "the girl on the cover." Let me explain! When it's done in an artsy, impressionist style, it can be beautiful. But I cannot stand well-defined, candy-colored fantasy girl who almost looks like an AI generated fever dream of a woman rather than an actual woman. I [also] can't stand the cartoonish ways romance book covers are presented.

What's something you always notice and judge them on when you go into somebody's apartment? Can be good judgement or bad judgement.

Patrick deHahn: I always take notice on how they welcome me into their apartment, and how they host me. Is there an offer for water, coffee, or a drink? Do they put out snacks? And show me the bathroom, and where to plug in a phone charger? It's those little things that show they care in welcoming me into their home warmly. That's other than noticing unique artwork, judging a clean bathroom, or seeing if they have a washer and dryer in their apartment (in New York, no less!)

What was the first album (or song) you bought with your own money? Tell me about the circumstances and why that one.

Amanda Marsh: Shania Twain - the album with Let's Go Girls!!! I saved up money from chores to buy it and played it on my walkman until it skipped from being played on repeat.

What's your greatest podcast pet peeve?

Andy Vasoyan: Greatest podcast pet peeve (from the editing end): when people forget to do clean pickups. It's fine to miss an ad read, but pleeeease come back in clean. It's like, if you flub something i.e., "This pod is brought to you by Squarsapceaoera," you need to start again. That's a pickup; sometimes if the host is in a hurry, they don't stop and restart fully, so it can sound weird and/or be a big headache to stitch together later.

Aside from with family and friends, in what space has given you the greatest sense of belonging? And why?

Kopal K: My journey with “belonging” started out of necessity. I moved out of my parents’ house at 19, which forced me into a very sudden and intense period of introspection. At first, I was just looking for a way to be okay on my own, like every teenager trying to accept their new “adult” role. At times of stress, I began traveling solo to the mountains a lot. Along the way, I realized that my greatest sense of belonging didn’t come from finding a tribe; it came in the moments when I was furthest away from one.

Where I come from, we’re often taught that belonging is social. That it requires a group, a shared hobby, or a specific social circle. But this social belonging has almost always been conditional for me. More often than not, it was based on how I show up, what I contribute, or how well I fit the vibe of the room. So, I always faced a constant, subtle pressure to perform even when I was around my closest friends or family.

For me, sitting isolated in a mountain valley or by a riverside was the only place where that pressure evaporated. And in that silence, I was not just “on my own.” There, I felt like a part of the world in its purest form. And that’s when I realized that “belonging,” for me, isn’t social. It has always been existential.

The towering mountains and (rather chaotic) riversides always gave me an unconditional value that I’ve never found in a city or a boardroom. A mountain doesn't care if I’m successful, or if I’m 'at my best' that day. It witnesses (and validates) my existence in the same way I witness its glory. In a way, it also makes me proud of my existence. Being in a space that accepted me exactly as I am made me aware of my own inherent value. And the awe-inspiring thought that the same universe that brought nature into existence also thought it needed me? I cling to that. So, I never looked for a group to belong. My greatest sense of belonging came from a state of solitude in nature, which embraces me in my silence and chaos alike.

What are the signs in an email that you're annoyed? What are your tells?

Brianna Soloski: I'm really formal in emails when I'm annoyed - no small talk, no emojis, there's probably going to be a list of tasks because you didn't listen to me the first time.

What's the last thing that made you cry?

Apeksha Bhateja: I am moving out of my apartment tomorrow. I live in a tiny rented apartment in a really good neighborhood of Jordaan, Amsterdam. This was my first grown up home, and I loved nesting here. I’m 34, and I never dreamt that I would have this life, not when I was growing up in India in a very different environment.

It has memories of my friends sitting outside and having ice cream, going to Pride, celebrating different journeys, including our graduation. There’s a neighborhood cat who lives across the street and sits on the windowsill all day. I work from home, so he was my companion from afar.

All week whenever I have reflected on it (including right now), I’ve had tears rolling down.

I’m in a good place in my life and it’s a new milestone to move out. But I’ve been feeling like I’m leaving a part of me behind. This was home.

If you could market something totally intangible what would it be and what would the message of the campaign be?

Laura Lanier: I would market an execution mindset. There are so many people (in marketing leadership specifically) that are completely visionary. They have big ideas, dreams, and half-baked plans, but they lack an executor to carry out their vision. If I could sell them an executor, I think they would benefit from buying it.

The campaign would be called “Hey Visionary.” (people love to be called visionaries, it makes them feel smart). It would appeal to their intelligence while marketing an executor to do all the “hard work”. In some way, this should exist in every organization, but people often don’t realize what they want in a strategic hire.

If you were giving someone a tour of your brain, what room would be off limits?

Jenny Baumgartner: It's probably the "junk room."

It's like the "junk drawer" in the kitchen--you know, the one with 20 pens, half of them dried out, an unsharpened pencil, a used bottle of Super Glue that is permanently sealed shut, a Post-it pad nearing its last sheet--and a couple of loose screws that no one knows what to do with. 😜

Sometimes there's change. because it may come in handy. Occasionally an important keepsake that hasn't found a home yet. And always, when I declutter and reorganize it once a year, a surprise--usually an item I put in a "safe place" and couldn't find again when I needed it. :)

dried pens: dried up hopes and dreams

sealed glue bottle: emotions I didn't, wouldn't, and still won't feel

Post-it pad with only a few sheets: the limited time I have to write my story (now that I'm 55)

loose screws: my periods of anxiety and then depression, particularly the one with anhedonia that came after leaving the career I loved and helping my daughter through her severe medical and mental crisis.

the unsharpened pencil: the embarrassing moments-- and the ones that brought shame

the change: always change, especially when my husband wanted out--a divorce--and our twins were only four, one with special needs

What's a word or phrase that for no good reason you never use in your writing?

Dhruti Shah: Up in Arms...