The To Do Show

Jen Tracy
  • 5.0 (2)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Everyone has a to-do list. But nobody talks about what's actually on it. I'm Jen Tracy, and I'm endlessly curious about how people get stuff done. I ask people from all walks of life to share their real to-do lists. We explore how daily tasks add up to whole careers and whole lives. How people prioritize. What systems they use. What falls through the cracks. And what makes them tick. You'll discover new ways to think about your own work, relate to the messy reality of getting stuff done, and meet fascinating people you'd never otherwise encounter.

  1. Lauryn Reifinger: Wedding Photographer

    6D AGO

    Lauryn Reifinger: Wedding Photographer

    Lauryn creates dark, moody wedding photos. Not the bright, airy Pinterest style everyone expects. Her style makes people feel something they can't name. She edits each gallery two or three times, uploads it, then sometimes pulls it back down to re-edit more. While doing this obsessive perfectionism, she's listening to Stephen King and wondering who the killer is. Her 8-year-old daughter has adapted. She doesn't ask "Mom can you do this?" anymore. She says "Mom, can you set an alarm?" What You'll Learn: How constantly witnessing the deepest sentiment of people's hearts at weddings makes her "kinder to my husband. I'm like, aw my God, I guess I love you too." The printed list method: checking off every shot so the next 45 minutes are free to just be creative Why one bride grabbed scissors and redid her entire bouquet mid-wedding (and Lauryn just said "okay I'll be back") Her slow season list includes: taxes (sad face emoji), call Fidelity, make welcome guide, blog 47 weddings The question creative people face: "It's generally creatives who have the most awful evil taxes, and it's like, this is the opposite of what our brains were built for" What Taylor Swift knows about work-life balance that wedding photographers should steal About Lauryn: Lauryn is a moody wedding photographer based in the Philadelphia area who specializes in dark, saturated, atmospheric images. She got diagnosed with ADHD a little over a year ago and runs her business through a system of alarms, post-its, and organized chaos. Links: Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quiz More episodes: thetodoshow.com

    33 min
  2. Alina Fattakhova: High-End Matchmaker

    FEB 10

    Alina Fattakhova: High-End Matchmaker

    Alina Fattakhova tells her clients which women rejected them and exactly why. She's a luxury matchmaker in New York City, and people pay her to deliver brutal honesty wrapped in strategy. She treats finding a life partner like applying for jobs. Spreadsheets, data points, reverse engineering your timeline from age 35 backwards. What You'll Learn: Why people apply to 200 jobs in two weeks but won't do the same for dating The "illusion of choice" problem in New York City dating (and why it makes people less willing to commit) How raising prices actually brought better, more self-reflective clients What it's really like to tell a 40-year-old man why stunning blondes keep rejecting him Why nerdy clients with dating spreadsheets often find patterns they need to break The accountability party trend: forcing yourself to do hard tasks (like scheduling a sleep study) About Alina: Alina Fattakhova is a matchmaker and founder of a boutique matchmaking agency in New York City. She went from luxury jewelry sales to construction bidding to discovering her real talent: connecting people. Now she runs events, screens matches, and gives people the reality checks they're paying for. Links: Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quizMore episodes: thetodoshow.com

    41 min
  3. Vicky Daws: Calligrapher & Founder, Inviting Writing

    FEB 3

    Vicky Daws: Calligrapher & Founder, Inviting Writing

    Vicky used to run weddings. She'd be there when the couple arrived and couldn't bring herself to leave until the last guest did. Now she's a calligrapher doing around 100 weddings a year, engraving £360 perfume bottles while people watch, and trying to figure out how to stop saying yes to everything. What You'll Learn: What a calligrapher actually does in a day! The different perceptions of calligraphy in the UK versus the US. Why the creativity is always the first thing to go when your calendar gets too full How doing cold outreach feels like sending a naked photo of yourself Why two artists obsessed with beauty both keep the plainest to-do lists The spa day that completely backfired because she couldn't stop thinking about work Why this is the first year she's putting a cap on how many weddings she'll take About Vicky: Vicky is the calligrapher behind Inviting Writing, based in the UK with her husband and dogs. She went from hotel management and wedding coordination to building a calligraphy business that covers weddings, luxury brand events, signage, and hand-lettered maps. She teaches calligraphy courses, listens to nineties dance music while she works, and is currently learning the hardest skill of her career: saying no. Links: Instagram (Inviting Writing): https://www.instagram.com/invitingwritinguk Instagram (Signs by Vicky): https://www.instagram.com/signsbyvicky Website: https://www.invitingwriting.co.uk Teepublic: https://www.teepublic.com/user/inviting-writing Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quiz More episodes: thetodoshow.com

    39 min
  4. Ryan Doyle: Comedian, Poet & Clown

    JAN 27

    Ryan Doyle: Comedian, Poet & Clown

    Ryan Doyle grew up with an Irish Catholic grandmother, strict rules, and a constant sense of doing everything wrong. Then he went to clown school in France where they insult you, f*ck with your head, and force you to face the fact that people are going to hate you... What You'll Learn: How Catholic guilt and shame actually become creative fuelHow clown school trains you to stop caring what people thinkThe cut-up technique: stealing text from anywhere and sculpting it with the delete keyWhy his fiancée is his only audience before anyone else sees his workGremlin Day: one day a month with zero rules, pizza, weed, and Real HousewivesThe Hindu priestess who gave him a flower that unblocked his throat chakraHow he's working 10-12 hours a day on one insane show after years of being scatteredAbout Ryan: Ryan Doyle is a writer, performer, and clown creating Free Speech, a one-hour show that performs every type of speech possible. He does typewriter poetry at weddings, wrote a board game over seven years, and paints himself green to sing Rat Pack songs as a goblin. Links: Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quiz Follow Ryan: ryan-doyle.com More episodes: thetodoshow.com

    53 min
  5. Coach Lee: Defense Attorney & Productivity Coach

    JAN 20

    Coach Lee: Defense Attorney & Productivity Coach

    Coach Lee wakes up at 2:30am. Works out, builds her coaching business, then goes to her full-time job as a criminal defense attorney. She's in bed by 8:30pm. And her coaching philosophy is "The goal is once we finish working together, for you not to come back." That's a terrible business model. And exactly why it works. What You'll Learn: Why she calls it "procrast-planning" (when you plan instead of actually doing the thing)Her 2:30am-8:30pm schedule that lets her run two full careers without burnoutThe three categories for any task: must do, need to do, want to doWhy following productivity gurus without adapting to your lifestyle always failsHer "terrible business model": teaching clients to never need her againHow to check if what you say is important is actually, factually what's importantWhy she's "very anti hustle and grind, but not anti hard work"About Coach Lee: Coach Lee is a criminal defense attorney and productivity coach who believes in realistic, sustainable systems over guru advice. She helps high-achieving women build schedules that actually work for their lives, not someone else's Instagram version of productivity. Links: Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quiz Coach Lee's Website: www.legallee.me More episodes: thetodoshow.com

    28 min
  6. Amanda Kwan: Global Marketer & Underground Chef

    JAN 13

    Amanda Kwan: Global Marketer & Underground Chef

    Amanda Kwan works her corporate marketing job from 8:30am to 6:30pm. Then she preps food until 2am for her underground dining concept that seats 22 people and has a 400-person waitlist. She sleeps 4-6 hours a night. She hosts 60-person Thanksgivings. And she chose all of this. What You'll Learn: The invisible labor of being The Organizer: the friend who remembers birthdays, makes reservations, hosts everythingHow she manages calls at 3am with Japan and 11pm with the West CoastStarting a private dining concept during COVID that turned into a 400-person waitlist, all word of mouthHer "if I die tomorrow, I'd die happy" operating principleAbout Amanda: Amanda Kwan runs global marketing for a Hong Kong brand while operating Savour Cinema, an underground dining concept she co-founded during COVID. She also runs an events company, organizes TEDx talks, and leads Women of Influence at AmCham Hong Kong. Links: Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quiz Savour Cinema: @savourcinema on Instagram More episodes: thetodoshow.com

    29 min
  7. Jen & Rory: Word of the Year

    JAN 6

    Jen & Rory: Word of the Year

    Jen and her husband Rory share their alternative to New Year's resolutions. It's called Words of the Year, and it's the practice that's completely transformed how they approach everything.If you're tired of failing at New Year's resolutions, this one's for you. What You'll Learn: Why New Year's resolutions lead to burnout (and the February crash we all know too well)How to choose one word that guides your entire year without crushing you with expectationsThe story of how Rory's word "family" led to an unexpected marriage three months laterJen's wellness journey: 2-3 hours daily of nervous system regulation and becoming a different personHow to use AI to help choose your word (and the concept of word ladders)Why focusing on your weakest area beats optimizing what you're already good atThe difference between open vs. restrictive words (and why "flow" works better than "money") About This Episode: Jen and Rory share their personal experiences with Words of the Year, from unexpected marriages to complete personality transformations. This is for anyone tired of failing at resolutions and ready for a simpler, more powerful approach to personal growth. Links: Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quiz More episodes: thetodoshow.com

    24 min
  8. Santa Mike: Professional Santa & Former Court Officer

    12/30/2025

    Santa Mike: Professional Santa & Former Court Officer

    Santa Mike spent 21 years working warrants for the courts. Parking tickets to wanted felons. He saw families at their absolute worst. Then he retired, met another Santa in a Zoom acting class, and everything changed. Now he's a full-time professional Santa using every bad Christmas he witnessed to show up better. What You'll Learn: "Santa enters through the heart, not the chimney" and what that actually means Why Christmas is invisibly hard for people and how he reads every room The countdown exit strategy so kids don't have an awkward Santa goodbye How he engineers the perfect photo when kids are terrified of sitting on Santa's lap December schedule: one day off until Christmas, sometimes 400 kids in one brunch The 200-year history of stockings hanging by the chimney (St. Nicholas origin story) Why he carries quiet bells for kids with sensory needs About Santa Mike: Santa Mike is a professional Santa based outside Philadelphia. Real beard. Blue eyes. Fifth year in the business. He works with photographers, does home visits, corporate events, tree lightings, and parades. He's watching the same kids grow up year after year. Links: Discover your To-Do List personality: thetodoshow.com/quiz    Connect with Santa Mike: https://www.instagram.com/get_santa_mike/  More episodes: thetodoshow.com

    33 min
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About

Everyone has a to-do list. But nobody talks about what's actually on it. I'm Jen Tracy, and I'm endlessly curious about how people get stuff done. I ask people from all walks of life to share their real to-do lists. We explore how daily tasks add up to whole careers and whole lives. How people prioritize. What systems they use. What falls through the cracks. And what makes them tick. You'll discover new ways to think about your own work, relate to the messy reality of getting stuff done, and meet fascinating people you'd never otherwise encounter.

Information

  • Creator
    Jen Tracy
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jen Tracy
  • Show Website
    The To Do Show