Bloodworks 101

Hosted by Bloodworks Northwest

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Episodes

266

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Started in 2020, Bloodworks 101 is an Anthem Award-winning, weekly podcast produced by Bloodworks Northwest, a Seattle-based blood bank and research center. It is the nation’s only regularly scheduled podcast in the blood banking industry. Episodes are designed to inspire and educate listeners to donate time, money or blood. On Bloodworks 101 you'll meet experts who can discuss everything from the importance of blood donation to trypanophobia (fear of needles). Emmy Award-winning producer John Yeager, is joined by a team of gifted storytellers; Helen Pitlick and Juan Cotto. In 2025, Bloodworks 101 won its sixth coveted Anthem Award, beating out more than 2,500 entries from 43 nations.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 11, 202623 min

"We have to keep dancing" — Remembering the Pulse Nightclub shooting (S7 E33)

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire during Latin Night at Pulse, a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, FL. 49 people lost their lives, 58 were wounded, and countless worlds changed forever. Ten years later, Bloodworks 101 host John Yeager sat down with Bloodworks staff to reflect on the impact that The Pulse Nightclub has had on blood banking, the LGBTQIA+ community, and the country as a whole.Support the show

June 5, 202627 min

"We haven't even gotten to the weird parts yet" — Steve Edmiston & The Maury Island Incident (BONUS)

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In our episode yesterday, you met Steve Edmiston: lawyer, cancer survivor, filmmaker, microhistorian, and founder of one of the Men in Black Birthday Bash. As a special treat for Bloodworks 101 listeners, Steve shares all about his area of expertise: the Maury Island Incident of 1947. It gets weird.Support the show

June 4, 202628 min

"Just like in science fiction" — Steve Edmiston (S7 E32)

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message It’s June 1947, and Bloodworks’ first donation center in Seattle has been open for six months. Roughly 20 miles southwest, Harold Dahl and his crew experience something strange near Maury Island in Puget Sound. What happens next will launch a mystery and a mythology that persists to this day. The truth is out there, and, nearly 80 years later, Steve Edmiston wants to find it. But, as Bloodworks 101 co-producer Helen Pitlick learned, there was a time that Steve was the star of a scary SciFi-esque story of his own.Support the show

May 28, 202619 min

"Soccer is a big deal" — Kyle Boynton and the World Cup (S7 E31)

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Western Washington expects an additional 350,000–600,000 visitors in June and July for to the upcoming World Cup tournament, the largest sporting event on the planet. It’s going to be great for the local economy — and a potential concern for the blood supply. Bloodworks 101 co-producer Helen Pitlick sat down with Kyle Boynton, Bloodworks' Product Strategy Manager, to learn more about what the beautiful game has to do with blood donation.Support the show

May 21, 202614 min

ENCORE: "The New Puyallup Donor Center - Jeremy Tanner"

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message Hello, Tacoma! On June 9, Bloodworks Northwest will hold the Grand Opening of our newest donor center in Tacoma. The Tacoma supervisor is someone Bloodworks 101 listeners are already familiar with: Jeremy Tanner from our Puyallup donor center. And, as producer John Yeager shares, Jeremy is no stranger to blood donation.Support the show

May 14, 202612 min

100 Deadliest Days Dr. Kirsten Alcorn (S7 E30)

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message The blood banking industry, hospitals and first reponders all over the nation refer to the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the "100 Deadliest Days." Today, on Bloodworks 101, our Co-Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kirsten Alcorn tells Producer John Yeager that this summer, the 100 Deadliest Days include a global sporting event that'll draw thousands to the Pacific Northwest - The World Cup. And while Bloodworks Northwest is hoping for the best, they're preparing for the worst - just in case. Support the show

May 7, 202622 min

"Ahead of the Curve" — Stanford Blood Center and Super Bowl LX (S7 E30)

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message The Seahawks are the reigning NFL champions! Three months after Super Bowl LX, we’re still riding that high here in the Pacific Northwest. Major events are fun but come with a potential impact to the local blood supply. With the world’s largest sporting event — the FIFA World Cup — coming to Seattle and 15 other cities in June, Bloodworks 101 co-producer Helen Pitlick sat down with a few of Bloodworks' friends at Stanford Blood Center to get insight into how they prepared for a Big Game.Support the show

April 30, 202615 min

FAN FAVORITE #1 "Fear of Needles I Want to Donate But"

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In the last five years, Bloodworks 101 has published more than 250 episodes. It's been downloaded more than 37,000 times. We've won six coveted Anthem Awards, beating out more than 2,000 entries from 42 countries. But we couldn't have done anything without you, our loyal listener. So for the last couple weeks, we've been republishing your Top Three favorite Bloodworks 101 podcast episodes. Here's Number One.Do you have trypanophobia? It's the fear of needles and it's way more common than you think. In fact, it plays a huge role in whether you donate blood or not. In this premiere edition of the Second Season of "Bloodworks 101," John Yeager talks to those who suffer from a fear of needles, a phlebotomist who tries to calm down those anxious blood donors, who are afraid of the needle and finally with a clinical psychologist who helps patients face their fears head-on. Originally published October 30th, 2021.Support the show

April 23, 202610 min

FAN FAVORITE #2 "Natasha's New Car"

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In the last five years, Bloodworks 101 has published more than 250 episodes. It's been downloaded more than 37,000 times. We've won six coveted Anthem Awards, beating out more than 2,000 entries from 42 countries. But we couldn't have done anything without you, our loyal listener. So for the last couple weeks, we've been republishing your Top Three favorite Bloodworks 101 podcast episodes. Here's Number Two. We call it "Natasha's New Car."We all have our reasons for donating blood that finally compel us to schedule an appointment. Whidbey Island's Natasha Vanderlinden had to overcome her significant fear of needles but as host John Yeager tells us in this episode of "Bloodworks 101," once she overcame that fear, you'll never guess what happened. Natasha's story didn't happen overnight. It would play out over 20 years. And little did she know that it would begin on one of the most horrific days in American history, September 11th. 2001.Support the show

April 14, 202614 min

FAN FAVORITE #3 "Paying It Forward with Tommy Newman"

Got a story idea for Bloodworks 101? Send us a text message In the last five years, Bloodworks 101 has published more than 250 episodes. It's been downloaded more than 37,000 times. We've won six coveted Anthem Awards, beating out more than 2,000 entries from 42 countries. But we couldn't have done anything without you, our loyal listener. So for the next couple weeks, we'll be republishing your Top Three favorite Bloodworks 101 podcast episodes. Here's Number Three. It was the first podcast we ever published, back in January of 2020, just before the pandemic. Tom Newman is a courier for Seattle-based Bloodworks Northwest. In this episode of the monthly podcast, Bloodworks 101, Newman explains why he'd do this job whether they paid him or not. Tom delivers blood products from Bloodworks Northwest's transit center in Georgetown (on Seattle's South side) to hospitals and blood drives from the Canadian border to Southern Oregon and just about everywhere in Western Washington. He drives hundreds of miles a day in all kinds of traffic but wait til you hear how Tom got started and why. Newman told host John Yeager all about it on this premiere episode of Bloodworks 101 entitled "Paying in Forward with Tommy Newman."Support the show