This is super tricky to navigate. I think a lot of it depends on the depth of the conversation and the familiarity of the listener with your line of work. I always try to find something innocuous to describe the work, something very neutral. Working on healthcare policy = making health insurance less expensive. Reducing energy carbon intensity = helping people make their own energy instead of needing to buy it. Something real short, relatively simple, always positive, and always politically neutral. Most of the time people just “cool” and want to move the conversation on.