distanced.: Life during the age of the Coronavirus.

Most of us are having a hard enough time handling life without some basic comforts and amenities. But can you imagine shelter in place with 4 kids? Kate Rossettie and her husband are managing with two jobs and four kids.

I talk to Kate about life in San Diego at the moment. Are Californians really flooding beaches and state parks in defiance of shelter in place orders? How is the San Diego community managing with COVID life and does being in a sunny place help at all? We learn about how San Diego has reacted to the virus and how life has changed in her community.

Kate and her husband are two working professionals and have 4 boys. We learn about the unique challenges that presents to day-to-day life - especially given her boys are of varying ages. How effective is distance learning and is it realistic to have high expectations at the moment?

We learn about Kate and her family routine of cleaning, sanitizing and generally attempting to stay safe during this period. If you think you have it hard, listen to this episode and you might gain an appreciation for just how hard it can be to manage your time during the pandemic.

Natalie Hawkins is a designer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She's lived in CA, and recently moved back to the midwest. I ask Natalie how Michigan is handling the COVID crisis.

Natalie talks about her experiences both living in CA and MI and whether there is a place she'd prefer to live at this particular moment. We get a sense of Grand Rapids - which is a friendly town that is a slice of Americana. But the crisis has changed things and has likely given some a different attitude - at least temporarily.

Natalie's brother in law owns a popular restaurant, but was forced to shut down everything but takeout service. We talk about the effect that had on his staff, and we generally discuss the survivability of small business post pandemic.

Natalie talks about travel restrictions placed within Michigan and how that has affected her day to day life. And we talk at great length about how she first knew COVID would be an issue, and how she and her family responded.

Enjoy today's episode of distanced.

Ryan Panchadsaram was Deputy CTO at the Obama White House, where he helped launch Healthcare.gov. He has an opinion or two on how we can react better to the next pandemic, and what we can to do stave off the worst effects of the current one.

Ryan talks about the different agencies involved in pandemic response, and explains to the layperson how agencies potentially respond in a pandemic. He talks about data and why it varies from place to place, and whether it means anything or not as it relates to our response in the United States to COVID-19.

We talk about the potential short and long term effects the Coronavirus will have on our economy, on the future of tech, and on the future of our social interactions. Ryan spends some time talking about how he is volunteering his time toward a project spearheaded by journalist Alexis Madrigal.

Ryan talks about his own life experience as a new father, and what his hopes/fears are for life in a post-COVID era.

Sumit Shah is a Doctor at Stanford, where he treats cancer patients. Sumit is atop his field and is highly concerned about the effect COVID can have on the vulnerable population - which is literally everyone he treats.

I talk to Sumit about testing and why it is important. We get a detailed glimpse into what life is like in the hospital. Eerily, it's quieter than usual. But is it the calm before the storm? Many are waiting for an influx of patients that may or may not come.

And strangely - the normal patient population - people who would have otherwise showed up to the hospital are not there anymore. What has happened to that group of people? We ask Sumit this and more.

Sumit describes the day to day risks frontline workers have to take in this environment - and their outlook and attitude on potentially catching COVID and exposing their families.

We ask Sumit about day to day life - including questions around food delivery and quarantine. Don't miss this informative episode of distanced.

Americans are just getting used to life in quarantine during the age of the Coronavirus. But China has an 8-week head start. The first episode of 'distanced./ explores what our future holds through a lengthy interview with an American expat in China. What will life look like for us in the future?

Austin Sheppard works in the software industry and has been in China for many years. He recounts the moment he first knew COVID-19 was going to be a big deal. And what the immediate ramifications were after.

Austin talks about how life immediately changed. And the American media's mis perception that China's lockdown measures were 'draconian'. Austin talks about what a return to normalcy may look like, and how many years it may take til things get back to the way they were.

We learn about the effect of COVID on small businesses in China. And Austin talks about his love for Orangetheory and Taco Bell.

What does the future hold for all of us? The first episode if distanced explores this and more.