Curating Career Life Stories: How did I get here?: Recent Episodes
Kathy Lawless
Insightful and inspirational interviews about career journeys from those well established and those just starting out.
Join me for the career reflections of TJ Hovel, sales executive, and coach. At the young age of 8 TJ knew he wanted to be a coach in a small town, just like his dad, who coached TJ in high school.
Even though school wasn’t his thing, he earns a business degree and starts his own trucking business. After running it for 8 years, the 100-hour work-weeks leave little room for coaching, or anything else. He makes an aggressive life change -- sells his business, house, and car; gets divorced; and then couch surfs for a year while earning an associate degree in physical therapy.
For about 3-4 years TJ loves being a PT. However, he can’t shake the call to coach and starts seeing a limiting future as a PT. After talking to a friend about what he really wants to do, the friend connects him to a coaching gig – 8th grade basketball! It’s a great start, where he makes valuable connections. Another friend connects him to a technology owner who is so impressed by “who” he is (values, work ethic, ability to transfer skills, etc.) that she makes an offer after 48 hours of meeting him.
Today, he's livin’ the dream! Doing work he loves that’s flexible for his lifestyle as a dad, strongman competitor, physical fitness trainer and coach of an elite high school basketball program!
What’s served TJ best, two things:
1) “Hard work and discipline. Growing up on a farm I understand how the world works, how you have to put in a whole lot of hard work before results are seen.”
2) “If you know what your path looks like and you want something different, you have to do things differently or you will get the same results you’ve always gotten.”
His words of wisdom: “If you can really understand yourself -- understand what drives you both good and bad – and understand what you ACTUALLY want -- not what you THINK it is you want -- but what you ACTUALLY want to do with your life, then you can make the decision and start taking steps to move forward.”
Join me for the career reflections of Carlene Thissen, singer, songwriter & author. Her dream is to become a doctor, but then discovers she has an aversion to blood. Unsure about what’s next, she drops out of college and gets a job as a secretary.
Working as a secretary, and wanting to do more within the business, she becomes an expert in coupon bar code scanning. Leading her to bigger roles and ultimately to starting her own consulting business. Music has always been part of her life, but she never thought of it as a career until much later in life.
After a successful 35-year corporate career, she leaves it all behind and begins searching for what’s next. As someone who pays attention to signs, she discovers new opportunities prompting her to write her first book and song. And the rest is history.
What’s served Carlene best is: “My ballsiness!”
Her words of wisdom she’s got three:
1) "Be Useful." -- A quote she likes from Arnold Schwarzenegger's documentary and booktitle.
2) “Do what comes easy.”
3) “Watch for signs.”
Join me for the career reflections of Shara Ruffin, clinical social worker, and consultant. Her dream is to be the next Mariah Carey,
once reality sets in sheshifts to becoming a lawyer, then to psychology and ultimately social work -- because what's behind human behavior is so interesting!
She’s the first born in her family, setting her on path of more firsts: first to go to college and graduate, first to get a master’s degree, first to get a professional license and first to launch her own business. Her’s is story overcoming far too many of life’s major challenges: the death of a child and a brother, her second child diagnosed with only months to live, divorce, poverty, coming to grips with her own depression and mental health issues.
What’s served Shara best is: “My willingness to adapt, remain flexible and have faith -- which was hard. I always kept going, I never looked back. No matter what bomb was going on in my life – every hardship is to teach you something.”
Her words of wisdom she’s got three:
1) “She quotes a story from Will Smith’s memoir about building awall ‘brick by brick’ – it’s not thinking about the whole wall; it’s thinking about one brick at a time.”
2) “Know that you’re not perfect, be willing to make mistakes andtake chances.”
3) “Live every day, not like it’s your last day, like you are proudyou lived it.”
Join me for the career reflections of Christine Clyne-Spraker, former co-CEO, board member and author. Her dream was to become a civil engineer, but after receiving a “C” in calculus she panics and switches her major to advertising.
A bold move after college takes her to California where she’s recruited by Enterprise Rent-A-Car into their management and sales training program. Which turns out to be a great fit, setting her up with skills she’ll leverage throughout her career. She’s drawn back to Colorado and at the urging of her dad, starts exploring the pharmaceutical industry which leads her into selling medical and surgical devices. Through her intense preparation and training, she becomes a trusted advisor in the industry. This is also where she meets her business partner.
What’s served Christine best? Three things: optimism, tenacity and naiveite. She credits her naiveite to not always knowing what she was getting into, she just jumps in; her optimism for knowing that things will work out for the best no matter what; and her tenacity to get through anything. It’s a recipe that’s worked well for her!
Christine’s words of wisdom are words from her dad: “A job worth doing is worth doing well.”
Join me for the career reflections of Amy Friel, program leader at a health tech start-up. Growing up in Detroit in the 70s & 80s she experiences the impact that both Japan and China have on the global economy, the car industry, and her family. These influences factor into her career choices.
In grad school she earns dual degrees, her MBA and a masters in Asian Studies. She meets her husband in grad school who is also pursuing similar dual degrees. Both share the desire to work in Asia, which they achieve after a few career steps working for international companies in the US.
What’s served Amy best is her player/coach approach; she becomes a subject matter expert herself and then facilitates excellence in others nurturing their talents so they can do their best work.
Her words of wisdom: “Don’t worry about ticking what you think are all the right boxes, think about being evaluated as a whole person, not just line items on a resume.”
Join me for the career reflections of Susie Moss, Regional Director of Development for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Mountain States Region. While she didn’t always know her career path, she did know she was someone who needed to be engaged and connecting with people. In college the realization hits her that she is good at sales, which was also her dad’s career,another positive indicator this would be a good path for her.
Susie is not one to shy away from risk or challenges. After 25 years in corporate sales roles, she and her husband bought into an interior design franchise. New career paths for both and great timing for their family situation, but bad timing for the economy. This journey leads her to a series of steps landing her where she is today – in the right job for a cause she believes wholeheartedly in!
What’s served Susie best: “my gut instincts -- when making career decisions and as a parent.”
Words of wisdom, she’s got two sets:
1. “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”
2. “When you’re at a bad point in life, youneed to ask for help."
Join me for the career reflections of Karl Peters, creative director & designer of Bluebird Branding. In the fifth grade his design for the cover of the class directory is the top pick! As a result, he knows that this is exactly what he’d like to continue doing but he didn’t know what it was called -- until he’s introduced to commercial art and graphic design classes in high school and college.
He sees himself as creative versus artistic and as a problem solver. Someone who helps solve strategic client problems with words, visuals and video/sound. Self-described as a brand loyalist, he’s only worked for four companies in his career and each one prepared him for the next and ultimately where he is now – partner at a branding firm.
What’s served Karl best: “I don’t cry over spilt milk. I move on and don’t get too frustrated; I move on in a positive way.”
Words of wisdom, he’s got two sets:
- “I never tell my kids ‘Good luck’ if they’ve got a test or game. I believe in hard work not luck. My encouragement to them is usually something like: 'work hard and have a great game!' ."
- Quote from Arthur Ash: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Then he adds: “There’s no crying over spilt milk. This isn’t ideal but we’ll get out of it.”
Join me for the career reflections of Jervis DiCicco, co-founder & CEO of ProsperBridge. At a young age he’s fascinated by the stock market and investments because both his dad and stepdad are in the financial industry.
But he’s bored with his econ class in high school, so focuses his college courses on international relations and theater, earning a bachelor’s degree with a double major in political science and theater. His love for the theater and writing (plus a girlfriend) draws him to LA doing temp work while writing a screen play. He describes these early years as going where the wind takes him.
Once marriage is on the horizon and the possibly of starting a family, he decides he needs a career with strong earning potential, pointing him back to the financial industry. It’s not easy getting a start, but he finds the right opportunity where his hard work pays off.
Unfortunately, the 2008-09 financial crisis hits causing the bottom to fall out of his market. Within one year his income is down 80%, his wife leaves him, and his dad dies.
His faith, finding his purpose and collaborating with friends are what get him through this super low point. Applying what he learned from these experiences and continuing to learn and collaborate, he’s now living his purpose leading ProsperBridge
What’s served Jervis best: collaboration & self-awareness.
His words of wisdom: “Find what really activates your passion. What, based on your core values, do you want to go fix?”
Join me for the career reflections of Richa Singh, consultant for family-owned businesses. Born and raised in India her dreams as a young girl are to be a pirate -- eye patch and all! She’s fascinated with the idea of being a rebel and traveling the world.
As she approaches college, she gets more serious choosing engineering because of her aptitude in math. After graduation jobs are scarce due to a recession prompting her to go back to school for an MBA. This is where she finds her true calling -- organizational behavior and change management!
Cultural norms cause her to quit a dream job after getting married. Unfortunately, the marriage doesn’t work, leaving her without a job, feeling depressed and stuck. She wrestles up just enough energy to apply for a part-time teaching job, where she starts gaining confidence, pulling her out of her funk and setting her on a course of successes that ultimately lead to where she is today!
What’s served Richa best: "Hard work. Being humble saying I don’t know. Willingness to learn and then applying what I learn.”
Her words of wisdom when feeling stuck or in a crisis: “What is actionable – what can you do now? You can cry later, but right now what is the first step you can take?"
Join me for the career reflections of Kristy Yoder, founder/CEO of SMART VAs LLC. Born and raised in the Philippines, her entrepreneurial DNA kicks in at a young age helping in her mom’s business doing whatever’s needed to earn a living.
She describes living her teen years as young, wild and free! So much so, she drops out of high school at 14. Through her mom’s urging she passes a high school equivalency exam -- with little or no studying -- then goes on to earn a college degree. Still, she’s more interested in her social life than her career, living paycheck to paycheck, and looking for that right person to complete her. After a six-year relationship leaves her heartbroken, devastated and feeling like she’s not enough, she’s finally willing to go to church with her aunt.
This is when her life turns around -- she finds God! And discovers that she’s perfect and complete just the way she is. God has been protecting her and has a plan for her. She meets her husband, moves to the United States and decides to start her own virtual assistant business -- which now has over 70 employees including her husband!
What’s served Kristy best is also a primary characteristic of the Filipino culture – Resilience!
Words of wisdom that have impacted Kristy: “God will always come through. God comes through regardless. Even when I didn’t know him or have a relationship with him, God comes through!”
Join me for the career reflections of Chelle Johnson, executive career coach & fractional talent officer. Her dream to be a broadcast journalist is dashed in college with feelings of inadequacy after assessing herself against her classmates.
Not one to pitch a tent in pity, she switches majors to speech communications leading to opportunities in Spain, Japan and Mexico. While completing a master’s in international management, she’s exposed to courses and an internship in organizational development setting her on a career path in human resources across a variety of companies and industries. A couple of decades of corporate experience -- success & failures -- is why she is perfectly positioned as an executive career coach & fractional talent offer.
What’s served Chelle best: “Having grit and being persistent. Continuing to move forward.”
Her words of wisdom come from her time walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain: “No matter where you are in life, there’s going to be mountains."
Join me for the career reflections of Chris Natzke, life leadership coach & keynote speaker. At age eleven he knows that martial arts will someday be his profession. At age sixteen he’s teaching adults martial arts, and then in his early thirties he opens his martial arts school.
The martial arts school was a side gig as he already had a successful career in corporate sales. Until his wife made him pick between running the school and his corporate sales job because the family was getting the short end of the stick.
Of course, his passion the school wins and he starts planning and taking steps to leave corporate. But that is when the panic attacks start -- taking him down hard. Find out how he bounces back and continues a lifelong journey of personal and professional development eventually leading him to discover his coaching and speaking genius.
What’s served Chris best: “Leading by example. And vulnerability is a big part of that. If people can see you’re vulnerable, they can also see your potential & greatness.”
His words of wisdom come from a boss early on: “You can come to me with any problem, just come with a solution and ask for feedback. This starts a dialogue versus conflict and causes you to think for yourself and have some ownership.”
Join me for the career reflections of An Ly-Tampere, business coach. Her journey starts in a tiny little city in Belgium, that doesn’t exist anymore, traversing to France and the UK, then landing in Singapore right before COVID shuts down that city.
An avid reader and excellent student, she works 2-3 jobs while attending college full time. She speaks four languages, holds a law degree plus a master’s in finance specializing in mergers & acquisitions.
After a bumpy start she’s recruited for her dream job in London, best time of her life! Four years later, she’s ready to start a family and decides with her husband to explore Singapore with his parents as somewhat of a sabbatical.
COVID has other plans for them. Singapore locks down earlier than the rest of the world and her strategies for going back to work aren’t exactly working out -- causing her major stress but results in a pivot she never would have expected where she’s now coaching coaches!
What’s served An best is: “staying in curiosity – if there’s a problem there’s a solution and I’ll go look for it!”
Her words of wisdom: “There’s always a way to get what you want. It’s not a matter of IF I can open the door, it’s HOW can I open the door.”
Join me for the career reflections of Nicole Zimmerman, founder & CEO of Zelocin & Partners LLC. Born and raised in Germany she’s fascinated as a young girl with Agatha Christie novels and dreams of being an archaeologist traveling the world discovering new things.
Her dad, the voice of reason, suggests that archaeology could be a hobby AFTER she finds a way to earn a living. Following this practical advice, she interns at a tax & accounting firm giving her some real-world work experience, but then she discovers marketing, right away she’s hooked and decides to become a "marketeer".
Leveraging both her accounting and marketing knowledge her career advances in the telecom and financial services industries. She continues learning & growing as a leader, then accepts an opportunity to move to Colorado. After some dream roles, and a few not-so-great roles, a company restructure caused by the COVID pandemic prompts her to leave the corporate world and start her own consulting firm.
What’s served Nicole best is her curiosity, resilience and her gift of being structured & process oriented – these three things helped her in her career, and life, getting know to cultures, people & countries.
Her words of wisdom, she has two sets: 1) “I regularly remind myself of ‘Carpe Diem’ -- to use the day to be present, to embrace and enjoy this journey – even in the negative and heavy times you need to trust yourself. 2) A quote by Allyson Felix, track & field superstar: “Use your voice, even when it shakes.”
Join me for the career reflections of Heather Hukari, owner of Video Service Hub. As a youngster she loves being in front of the camera, but her focus shifts after taking a multi-media & video production class. She discovers her real passion is making and editing videos.
It’s a passion throughout her career and something she always comes back to, even while taking a two-month road trip with a friend, she’s feeling a bit anxious because she wants to be making videos. Through different roles and experiences, she gets a big ah ha when an intern shows her and her team up. He’s the epitome of the “growth mindset” and she realizes she’s the opposite possessing a “fixed mindset.” After shifting her mindset and embracing him and how she can be better because of him, they’re now great friends.
What’s served Heather best is going with the flow, trusting that things will work out and seeing what the universe presents to her.
Her words of wisdom: “Get really, really good at what you do, so good at it that people want to work with you, that you’re the person they think of first for this work!”
Join me for the career reflections of Rachel Jenks, The Brand Boss. She achieves her dream of being a professional ballet dancer at age seventeen, but after a year into it she is heartbroken as her body starts failing.
Depression sets in as she sees her dream slipping away. Close to hitting bottom a friend shakes her out of this funk, where new possibilities present themselves. Taking her on the road with rising authors, traveling internationally saving the world, and finally a journey into advertising, marketing, and branding. There are lots of starts and stops along the way, not all on her terms nor within her timelines, but she’s now exactly where she wants to be!
Two things have served Rachel best: 1) perseverance, keeping your eyes toward a better future, and 2) figuring things out, according to Rachel “life is figure-out-able”.
Words of wisdom that impacted her are from Winston Churchill: “Success isn’t final, failure isn’t fatal: it’s the courage to continue that counts”.
Join me for the career reflections of Jeff Pomranka, executive director of Meals on Wheels. His senior year in college, he switches majors from math to psychology after getting totally hooked from just one psychology class. Preparing him for a life-long career helping people.
Midway in his career, after finding Simon Sinek’s first TED Talk, Jeff discovers clarity about his “why” – helping people live their lives the way they want. He continues to follow Sinek on-line recognizing that staying true to his “why” is what helps him connect with people throughout his various roles and it’s what helped him get the dream job he has now!
What has served Jeff best, according to one of his colleagues, is his ability to stay calm when things get crazy.
Jeff’s words of wisdom: ”Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”
Join me for the career reflections of Tracy Graf, CEO of FUSE Igniting Communication. She picks communications as her major because it seemed the most useful and applicable. It suits her well -- leading her into careers in PR, marketing and now training.
Tracy attributes a big part of her success to bosses & mentors who coach and connect her to opportunities. Of course, one of these new opportunities comes out of a fairly significant failure on her part. Find out she turns her failure into a new future – one she absolutely loves!
What’s served Tracy best, two things – 1) her drive and everlasting energy, and 2) her positive outlook on life.
Her words of wisdom is quote from one of those great bosses, that at the time seemed cheesy, but it’s something she uses regularly today: “Leap and the net will appear!”
Join me for the career reflections of Tonia Martinez, founder of Career Transformations. Find out how her love for helping people, a family value, leads her to a career in HR which ultimately becomes the foundation and expertise needed to start her own business.
She loves learning about new roles and industries and was a pioneer recruiting veterans and diverse candidates before it was the popular thing to do.
What’s served Tonia best: “I’m truly blessed for my HR career. I understand interviewing, hiring, retention, turnover, training – so I can have meaningful conversations with hiring managers.”
Her words of wisdom “Starting a business is not as easy as it sounds. It’s important to have a reserve of income set aside to fall back on. Be patient and give yourself grace, especially in the beginning. It’s a lot of work!”
Join me for the career reflections of Lori Hanson, The Success Whisperer. Her journey starts in business wanting to be like her dad running a hospital and secretly wanting to know what earning a bonus feels like!
Her first roles are in HR in healthcare, shifting then to the insurance industry, another pivot into higher education & training, onto project management, and a stint in sales. All with loads of success -- ultimately preparing her to be an entrepreneur, coach and now “The Success Whisperer.”
Find out how she overcomes some significant bumps along the way -- a handful of layoffs, no-to-low self-esteem, an eating disorder, negative mindset issues around sales and money and racking up a pile of debt.
What’s served Lori best: “Going into pit bull mode! I’m incredibly determined, I just never, ever, ever, give up. Never giving up is a choice.”
Her words of wisdom “You have no limits! The only limits you have are in your head.”
Join me for the career reflections of Amanda HarNess, fractional COO & business growth "excelerator". Her journey starts as an occupational therapist, a transition to medical device sales, then discovering her true gift -- improving systems and operations.
Ultimately leading her to start her own consulting business as a fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO) and business growth "excelerator" where she does serious work without being too serious.
What’s served Amanda best, two things: 1) being open for help; overcoming the mindset that when you open a business you should be good at everything; and 2) “once I’ve decided something, I’VE DECIDED!” I know how to push, persevere, and stay the course.
Her words of wisdom, she shares two sets that have impacted her: 1) “A small phrase – asking what if? The idea that the other side is possible if you challenge thoughts with what if”; and 2) three rules for life that she learned on the ski slope: “don’t panic; be tenacious; & party (celebrate!).
Join me for the career reflections of Shannon Saviers, VP Sand Cherry Associates. The daughter of an air force pilot, she travels the world growing up. Requiring her to move every two years, so to make friends as the newbie, she finds joining groups like theater, cheerleading and student council help break the ice.
Her career aspirations are all about getting into business which she excels at in college and her first HR roles. At the encouragement of a mentor early on, she decides to pursue a career in technology and promptly gets her master’s in information technology at a time when very few women are in the field.
Once again, she excels and continues to manifest new opportunities for herself. Ultimately leading her to start her own consulting practice. A next logical step and one she designs, but what she didn’t expect was the identity crisis that came with not being part of a bigger company. It’s a great learning experience causing her to come into her own.
What’s served Shannon best: “feeling comfortable around others, giving others grace and pulling my own experiences into solutions.”
Her words of wisdom: “I’m a big believer in being intentional, once I set my intentions -- I’m all in!”
Join me for the career reflections of Margot Zaher, life empowerment coach & author. A journey that starts with fulfilling her dream to live and work in Paris at a fortune 100 company. The ideal job, right? So why is she so unhappy, constantly doubting herself and feeling a lack of purpose?
At the urging of her mom, a recently certified hypnotherapist, she embarks on a personal development journey which includes two weeks of hypnotherapy. It works wonders on her self-esteem, right away she feels different and within three months she’s promoted.
But the bigger discovery, is that it ignited a new energy within her to want to help others with their personal development like she was helped. She gets certified in hypnotherapy, leading her down a new path where she meets a life coach. Totally inspired by this role, she now knows this is what she wants to be. She gets certified as a life coach, begins coaching and continues to add other certifications & techniques to her toolkit over the years.
What’s served Margot best: “My willingness to confront fear, become friends with fear, accepting that fear is a part of life instead of thinking something’s wrong because I’m scared. I think of it as an ally or friend, it’s just a sensation.”
Her words of wisdom: “a bit cliché she says, but she quotes Nike’s “Just Do It!” Whenever I doubt myself, I think “Just Do It!” – there aren’t really any wrong steps.”
Join me for the career reflections of Michelle Hoglan, visionary behind The Boob Report. The oldest of four, her independence and strong family commitments guide her journey. Working several part-time jobs in high school to earn money for the things she wants and then working full time jobs to support herself while attending college courses when she can afford them.
After several successful office management roles which include marketing responsibilities, she and her husband start their own marketing firm. These skills and her natural curiosity help her navigate and survive a breast cancer diagnosis. At the urging of her husband, a Facebook page that starts as a means to update friends and family about her journey, ultimately becomes The Boob Report. An online website report for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her goal is to make women feel empowered with knowledge and the courage to get through their journey with as much grace and ease as possible.
What’s served Michelle best: her ability to try and stay positive, acknowledging when things are crappy, but knowing that it’s going to get better if she just keeps moving forward, and that she can figure out what she can change to move forward.
Her words of wisdom are a quote from Brené Brown: “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” Michelle tries to own her story every day!
Join me for the career reflections of Sarah Irizarry, marketing executive. Her journey is all about learning and growth, taking risks and really knowing her strengths and how she adds value.
Typically, the youngest, and only female in the room, she learns how important it is to know her value. Knowledge she gains from her MBA program and developing relationships with mentors that help her succeed through stretch opportunities.
What’s served Sarah best: Perseverance and curiosity, she likes to go beyond the obvious to find the right solutions. She’s found that while the first diagnosis of a situation is right, it usually is not the end, but the beginning.
Her words of wisdom: “When you’re in transition or stuck, don’t just look inside. We always have inner work to do but check with mentors on next steps and for encouragement. We’re not on an island, there’s so much knowledge outside of us that others hold.”
Join me for the career reflections of Candice Kingston, leadership and success coach. A journey that starts with a dream of being a teacher, but it’s swashed when her good friend and role model suggests she should do something else.
She decides on psychology for her major because of her interest in human beings, but then when faced with the jobs associated with psychology she’s not really interested in more school or listening to people’s problems. Just getting a job becomes her priority, she finds a sales job selling medical devices, which kicks off a career of jobs that aren’t a fit. Frustrated after being fired multiple times, she’s depressed, lacks confidence and direction so she decides to see a therapist, who quickly recognizes she doesn’t need therapy she needs a career coach. Which is exactly what she needed and where she discovers her genius and career fit – as a leadership & success coach!
What’s served Candice best: “Tenacity” but with a clarifying point that it is what is serving her best now, but it probably hurt her in the beginning of her career, because she never quit. She let others end her employment, even when she knew it wasn’t a right a fit.
Her words of wisdom: “It’s not rejection, it’s re-direction – keep going, you’ll figure it out.”
Join me for the career reflections of Ann Wagner, executive director of Ann Wagner Live. At age 7 she knew she wanted to be surgeon and mapped out a plan to accomplish that. However, her grades in pre-med didn’t support this plan so she needed a "Plan B".
First on the agenda was attending professional baseball umpire school and becoming an umpire, which she still enjoys calling games today. Recognizing the need to make a living, and a desire to stay in healthcare, she lands a sales role in healthcare which leads to a successful and lucrative career in sales. Almost two decades later, after overcoming serious health issues, she’s now reinventing herself and putting herself on-stage as a coach and speaker to help others overcome depression, anxiety, and self-limiting beliefs -- all inflictions she experienced and conquered.
What’s served Ann best is: persistence – getting through all the negative stuff and not giving up; moving forward, even when it’s all going wrong.
Her words of wisdom is a quote from Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself: everyone else is already taken.” And she adds: “Be yourself, do what really drives you.”
Join me for the career reflections of Darren Kanthal, leadership coach. He grows up quick when he’s expected to take over his dad’s business just as he’s finishing up college. Great experience in the business world, but when another crisis hits, a house fire, he loses his home and the business.
He resets and starts down the corporate path, which is littered with great -- and mostly not so great experiences. After losing the job he really wants, he’s hit with an “ah ha moment” that he is the only constant in all the jobs and stories that didn’t work out. A real turning point for him, he starts reading books, hires a coach, decides to become a consultant, then ultimately finds coaching is his sweet spot.
What’s served Darren best? He credits his up bringing that taught him self-reliance and independence.
His words of wisdom, he’s got three: 1) from Richard Branson: “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”; 2) “Practice Positive Intelligence – accepting life, staying neutral, trying not to categorize or evaluate events as good or bad, everything could be a gift!”; and 3) “Rely on yourself, but don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it!”
Join me for the career reflections of Julie Ulstrup, founder & CEO of Julie Ulstrup Photography. Her journey starts following her love of photography, but then she abandons her dream to get a “real job”, one in sales that ultimately leads to twenty years in academia and career counseling.
Her love for photography continues to pull her, and with a leadership change at her school it’s the right time to explore going out on her own. She then finds an incredible mentor/coach who helps her launch her photography business and she couldn’t be happier! She even gets choked up talking about it!
What’s served Julie best is courage, following her heart into what she really knows & believes to be true.
Words of wisdom, she’s got two, one from her dad: “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no, so ask for what you want.” And for the second she quotes Marianne Williamson: “When we let our own light shine, we give others permission to do the same.”
Join me for the career reflections of Andrea Andrews, founder & creator of salleejay.com, a travel & lifestyle blog. Her journey is one with themes in music, writing and community.
After about a decade of career and life experience she discovers another theme -- that’s she’s living for other people, trying to fit into a mold that doesn’t work for her, and focusing on making other people comfortable when she’s miserable.
Prompting her to make some big bold changes to her life all in one month -- March 2013! Fast forward to today where she describes her life as “awesome” and has big plans for travel and her blog -- inspiring others to travel solo (guided by her) to see the world!
What’s served Andrea best is passion, commitment and integrity.
As a writer she has no shortage of words of wisdom:
· “Good, better, best – never let it rest until your good is your better and your better is your best!”
· “Begin with the end in mind.”
· “Pay yourself first.”
· “To thine own self be true!”
Join me for the career reflections of Riah Gonzalez, founder & CEO of Linq Consulting Solutions. A journey with various starts and stops, each leading to learning and growth and closer alignment with her areas of expertise until she finds her niche!
What a cool and unique niche it is – she’s a virtual assistant match maker, a delegation educator and an entrepreneur maximizer! Riah is a big idea person and loves working with people to expand their business.
Tenacity (or maybe it’s stubbornness she kids) is what’s served her best.
Riah’s words of wisdom come from someone she interviewed on her podcast who said: “Any action is good action!” Then she adds: “If you take one step, one tiny step toward something, that is good action!”
Join me for the career reflections of Claudia Miller, career coach & workplace expert. For many of us, getting that first job is a struggle, but Claudia takes that experience and decides she’s going to “figure this career thing out!”
And figure it out she does! Not only does she successfully negotiate significant salary increases, she gets the jobs and roles she wants at the salaries she wants. Find out how she does it for her own career, then how helping friends and family with their careers reveals her expertise prompting her to start her career coaching business.
What’s served Claudia best: “Success favors the bold – I’ve been bold!”
Her words of wisdom: “Do what others won’t to achieve what others can’t”.
Join me for the career reflections of Joyce Feustel, social media trainer. A journey with themes in education, health care, public information, non-profits, politics, public speaking, chambers of commerce, on-line education, and now social media.
She’s always been open to new ideas and learning new things, as evidenced by the variety in her career choices. It was at the suggestion of others that she even considered going into sales and starting her own business.
What’s served Joyce best -- perseverance, she’s pleasantly perseverant, with kindness and friendliness.
Words of wisdom that have impacted her are based on a quote from Henry David Thoreau: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined.” And her own words of wisdom: “Be open to opportunities, be willing to learn and embrace new concepts.”
Join me for the career reflections of Marla Press, transformational life coach. After adventurous college experiences following her passion in psychology, her first job in that field leaves her disillusioned and looking for something completely different -- which she finds in dental hygiene school.
A flexible career she’s still working in and still finds gratifying. That flexibility enables her to pursue other passions – being with her kids, writing and coaching.
Marla references three things that have served her best: 1) having a really good work ethic & focus, she puts 110% effort into everything; 2) seeing the positive, focusing on the positive, and seeing opportunities and the good in people; and 3) being creative in problem solving, thinking out of the box.
Her words of wisdom: “think bigger” and “everything is up for grabs.”
Join me for the career reflections of Kelli Dennehey Christina, CEO of two companies and international bestselling author. A journey where doing the hard work pays off -- success, promotions, new opportunities -- then the bottom falls out and she finds herself homeless and working three jobs.
Not one to stay down, Kelli learns from her experience and uses her strong work ethic to reopen her business plus give back to the community with a non-profit she started. Kelli shares her “rollercoaster” story in her book and coaches people who are “flatlined” on how to build themselves back up.
What’s served Kelli best is having the ability to move forward, she has that go-getter attitude, she’s willing to learn and willing to go that extra mile.
Her words of wisdom are a quote from Abe Lincoln: “You should learn something new every single day.”
Join me for the career reflections of Marc Cherabie, director of sales for SiteStaff Chat. A journey with a plan to become a physical therapist working temporary jobs to support him through this plan, until one of his temporary roles is such a great fit that it becomes the new plan!
He’s constantly learning and growing from his peers, employees, bosses and clients.
What’s served Marc best is his natural ability to really connect with people of all ages and backgrounds.
His words of wisdom come from a toast in the movie Cool Runnings: “Peace be the journey.” Marc adds his own wisdom: “When you’re spreading a lot of positivity it has a funny way of coming back into your life.”
Join me for the career reflections of Carol Ross, leadership coach, healer & writer. A journey about transition and discovery revealing her natural leadership, coaching & healing abilities.
Leveraging her engineering approach to solving problems and the trust she's built with her engineer colleagues, Carol discovers she’s a natural leader when it comes to personal growth and development. So much so, she successfully makes the case to create a new role for herself as Retention Leader.
What’s served Carol best is “keeping a higher truth, always digging and digging for the truth, even if it might not be pretty.”
Carol’s words of wisdom come from a trusted friend: “We are all walking miracles, follow the miracles.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Molly Vaile, CEO & founder of her life! A journey using all her degrees (PR, marketing & management), taking her around the world, through multiple industries, culminating now into a career as a strategic accelerated growth consultant.
Her career choices are based on where she could ski or bike, and contribute her unique skill set – which she describes is like a Swiss Army Knife.
What’s served Molly best is “trusting and listening to myself, really believing that I have the answer. I just need to sit quietly with myself, and the answer will come.”
Molly’s words of wisdom come from a card her mom gave her at a pivotal point in her life: “She put on her brave and decided to be amazing!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Dave Johnson, managing partner of C Squared Solutions. A journey traversing many disciplines from farming, engineering, accounting, military service as a pilot, telecommunications, technology, operations, teaching, economic development and now business leadership/consulting.
For his undergrad degree, he double majors in engineering & accounting, to figure out which he likes best and is best at, plus giving him more career options. After a stint in the military, he uses his GI Bill to get his MBA and then while working full time somehow finds time to get a master’s in psychology. Later in life he earns his PhD in the economic development of Native American land.
With such a versatile background it’s no surprise that what has served him best through his career is the skill of being able to fit into high performing teams. His words of wisdom: “You have to believe in yourself, be humble and trust others.” One of his favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Beth Klepper, founder of Mainstream Video Production. Starting at an early age, she’s obsessed with movies and how they influenced her perceptions of what’s cool.
After a BA in Speech Communications and master’s in Film and Visual Cultures she lands at a national network (located in Denver!) producing reality shows, travel shows, celebrity gossip shows, etc. Then she's onto producing live concerts and music shows which came with lots of perks but also lots of stress. Prompting her to start her own business Mainstream Video Production where she’s created over 800 videos for her clients in a variety of industries.
What’s served Beth best is having a really good attitude when things don’t go your way. Her words of wisdom: “Don’t ask for a lighter pack, ask for a stronger back.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Jennifer Kenning, CEO & co-founder of Align Impact. Initially her dream is to be a sportscaster because of her love for competing in and watching sports, but then her interest in finance, investments and economics drives her career decisions.
An internship solidifies her love for investment banking, but then her first job is not a fit – way too much analysis and not enough people interaction. A serendipitous meeting leads her to her next role, company, long-time mentor and ultimately where she is today.
What’s served Jennifer best is discipline and always being able to speak up for injustice – both she started at the very early age of 5. Her words of wisdom are from a Howard Thurman quote: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Pattie Money, CEO of Pinnacle Leadership. Her journey starts with the pursuit of a music career but that gets diverted once she starts working at GE and finds she loves business.
Her first job out of college introduces her to recruiting/staffing where she ends up running a division of the staffing company. Ultimately, she transitions into HR leadership roles in manufacturing and technology, building her expertise in acquisitions and IPO’s -- a significant aspect of her coaching practice today.
What’s served Pattie best is her positivity and always believing we can make things better. Her words of wisdom: “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail”, and “we can have it all, just maybe not all at one time.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Melinda Cross, communications specialist with an emphasis on book writing. A fellow storyteller, her journey is all about books and writing.
She finds her way with an internship in politics, then a master's degree leads her into advertising, where she finds her niche as a communications specialist. Initially she works for advertising agencies, then goes out on her own contracting on projects for a variety of companies and across industries. Ultimately she lands where she really wants to be, book writing.
Melinda shares two traits that have served her throughout her career: 1) Always doing her very best, taking great pride in her writing craft, and 2) being resilient. Her words of wisdom: “It’s how you do the little things that reflects how you’ll do the big things.” And, “Things aren’t always going to go your way, but if you keep your eye on your work and just do the best you can, you’re going to go places!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Mary Gaul, business strategy & focus coach. A journey of “can do” and the courage to raise her hand to learn new tools and skills to solve problems. Routinely resulting in promotions and increased responsibilities.
With urging from her coaches, Mary starts her own virtual assistant business and through her experience and exposure to helping so many entrepreneurs (plus some more encouragement from her coaches), she becomes the coach she is today!
What’s served Mary best: raising her hand when she saw a problem and offering solutions, which many times meant learning new tools and skills, so having the confidence in herself that she can learn new things and solve problems.
Her words of wisdom come from a quote she loves: “There’s two kinds of people in this life -- those who walk into a room and say ‘well here I am!’ versus those who say ‘ah, there you are!’” She tries to be the later, she’s here to connect, contribute and celebrate with people.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Kacey Kingry, life coach & yoga teacher. A journey with seeds planted as a young person but that don’t fully develop until now when she’s in her forties.
A journey in pursuit of understanding the mind, body, spirit connection. Discovering that life is how you handle “getting dirty” and deciding to learn from the dirt rather than try to avoid it.
What’s served Kacey best is: being resilient; never, ever, ever, giving up on herself. Words of wisdom that have shaped her are from the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh: “No Mud, No Lotus.” Her added wisdom: “All of us are going to get dirty, not everyone is going to learn & grow from it. Use the dirt to flourish and thrive!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Debbie Thibault, IT Director with the Office of Information Technology for the State of Colorado. A journey shaped by being the youngest of three girls and not wanting to be left behind and by an insatiable appetite for learning and building new things.
She is exposed to early database tools and technology through a co-op program in high school in the early 1980s, prior to Microsoft products BTW, and figures out how to solve real business problems with them. Key bosses/mentors see her potential and keep giving her more things to learn, build and solve. She has the uncanny ability to manifest career opportunities for herself at start-ups and then her own consulting business, until 2008 when the financial crisis knocks her off course.
Recognizing the need for a more stable stream of income she lands at the State of Colorado where she continues to learn, grow & build solutions.
What’s served Debbie best is her gut, but she says can also be a double-edged sword. Her words of wisdom: “Being cause in the matter,” a definition of leadership that she has adopted and lives by.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Lori Dubois, owner & chief storyteller at Marketing Troubadour, LLC. A journey guided by curiosity and learning, driven by a desire to learn things from the ground up.
While she didn’t become a librarian after earning a master’s degree in library & information sciences, the skill set she learns is invaluable to her as a marketer.
What’s served Lori best is being curious and wanting to learn everything making herself more valuable to the companies she works for. Her words of wisdom are based a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Lori then adds her wisdom: “Being willing to do those things that scare you, you’re going to get someplace else.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of ME! -- Kathy Lawless, life story curator & podcaster. A journey that starts with always saying yes to doing more and taking on more responsibilities, then with experience & wisdom shifts to being more intentional about what’s next.
Kathy finds the structure and opportunities at a fortune 500 company fits well with her natural leadership abilities and work ethics -- until it doesn’t. Which happens to coincide with her 20-year anniversary at that company. Causing her to question “what do I have to show for 20 years of work?” Always one to celebrate the completion of projects and her team & colleagues’ contributions, she decides to start her own business helping people capture & celebrate their career and life stories.
Of course, transition is never easy. She talks about the challenges that most entrepreneurs face: having to do it all, knowing when you should be finished with something, dealing with the highs and lows of a new company, selling yourself, measuring success, sticking it out, etc.
What’s served Kathy best is: assuming positive intent, operating with a hand forward and hand back, and recognizing the difference between circumstances and what she is committed to. Her words of wisdom come from two Stanford professors who wrote Designing Your Life: “Be curious, talk to people and take action” – she adds her interpretation that: “you can only do it (figuring out what’s next) for yourself, but you can’t do it all by yourself (meaning, you have to get out of your head, talk to people and take action).”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Jeff Harry, international positive psychology play speaker. A journey inspired by the movie Big with Tom Hanks back when Jeff is in the third grade. Prompting him to start writing to toy companies at that age and through high school, asking about the types of jobs they offer.
After following a suggestion from one of these toy companies to get a mechanical engineering degree, Jeff lands a job at a toy company! Only to have his dream crushed of what working at a toy company would be like. At 25 he starts sole searching, finds an opportunity to teach kids using Legos, which he loves – he then grows that company from seven people to 400! Next, he’s tapped by Silicon Valley to lead a team building event. Taking him in a whole new direction and motivating him to attain a coaching certification acquiring the relevant positive psychology language to train adults.
What’s served Jeff best is connecting with people, he measures success by how deep and how many connections he makes every day. His words of wisdom are from a quote by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Donna Riccardo, speaking power specialist. A journey with dreams and desires for what she wants to do and be, but where fear causes her to freeze and feel stuck.
Her pursuit to overcome these fears leads her down a personal development and spiritual path that frees her up and gives her the confidence to train others on what she’s accomplished – speaking powerfully!
What’s served Donna best is her drive, tenacity and attention to detail. Her words of wisdom: “I’ve always gone after what I was interested in or that was important to me, and it all came together.” And a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of ClaireYvonne Naisbitt, executive & life coach. As a young person her decisions are based on her heart, gut and what piques her interest & curiosity. Which is how she chooses her college, major and career. A hard worker and determined not to fail, she’s top of her class and receives a premier job opportunity at an oil & gas company resulting in a successful 20-year career.
Over time the hard work and high stress begin taking a toll on her physically and emotionally, so she finds a coach who helps her navigate a promotion and how to better cope with the stress. Because of the impact of this coach, she’s excited to learn more about coaching, and once again follows her heart, gut and passion into this new venture of executive and life coaching.
What’s served ClaireYvonne best is using and enjoying her optimism and enthusiasm, seeing it as the gift that it is, and sharing it with others. Her words of wisdom: “Follow what you’re passionate about or enjoy doing. If you don’t know, go and try new things, have some fun finding out what you love doing, you’ll know it when you feel excited and curious about something, that’s your flow state.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Helen Young Hayes, founder & CEO of Activate Workforce Solutions PBC. A journey with roots in China and Mississippi, then onto Yale, Wall Street and Colorado. She discovers her love for economics at Yale then takes a research analyst position at an investment firm which leads to a 20-year career retiring as Chief Investment Officer.
Having grown up in the south during times of segregation and witnessing generations of poverty she’s feels called upon to champion for individuals who have been marginalized. After stepping out of the workforce for about a decade to focus on raising her five children, she starts researching how to best make an impact on poverty and launches Activate Workforce Solutions a Public Benefit Company (PBC). Her goal is a formidable one -- to end poverty for people in Colorado.
What’s served Helen best throughout her career: “My ability to work with a tremendous amount of passion and enthusiasm at whatever I’m doing. And integrating my faith into my work.” Her words of wisdom: “At a micro level – make yourself indispensable, then you can call the shots. At a macro level – think about what it is in the world that brings you joy or that makes you mad – then figure out how you’re going to leave the world a better place than when you got here.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Jamie Dandar McKinney, president of Jamie Empowers. A journey that starts with a knowing about wanting to go into business, but uncertain what that really looks like. After college, Jamie’s recruited into the automotive industry, enticed by a company car, phone and management training. Quickly she discovers she’s the youngest employee, and only the third female out of 400, so right away her peers start testing her.
Jamie rises to the challenges of her peers and starts focusing on what’s working for her -- her presence and confidence in meetings – deciding to do more of both. Her curious nature prompts her to research confidence and mindset so she can get even better at them. She knows she can’t change mindsets, so instead strives to navigate and work with people’s differences versus working against them. Fast forward to today, she’s now empowering women to ditch their doubts, speak out and achieve the careers they desire.
Being intentional about surrounding herself with the right people and boldly stepping into her fears when she is nervous about speaking up are what’s served her best. Her words of wisdom: “When you feel those butterflies and wonder whether you should do something or say something – DO IT!! The rewards are well worth the risks.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Kelli Hansen, founder of BCC Evolution. A story about turning tragedy into action and making a difference.
After a few career starts and stops, Kelli now has profound clarity about her purpose – education and awareness about mental health. Find out how her sister’s suicide compelled her to start a non-profit, BCC Evolution. Initially she’s focused on suicide awareness but discovers she can have a greater impact addressing the root cause, so she’s now focusing on mental health education and awareness.
What’s served her best is her openness and open heart, having space in her heart to help people; and finding different things that make her happy and surrounding herself with like-minded people. Her mantra: “Dance like no one is watching!” And her words of wisdom: “Open your mouth, minds & hearts and together we can make mental health matter.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Kim Lakin Creger, instructor & facilitator for Darkness to Light the Stewards of Children. After raising her kids, she discovers Darkness to Light the Stewards of Children program and finds it helps her in dealing with the abuse she experienced as a young girl and inspires her to help other kids and now her grandchildren stay safe.
Kim’s now a certified instructor and authorized facilitator informing children about body safety, and educating parents, teachers and other adults on child sexual abuse prevention.
What’s served her best is her passion -- knowing she can make a difference for even one child -- and her work ethic. Her words of wisdom: “Listen to your higher power or being and where you’re being directed to go.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Bill Roth, founder of the Basics Team. As a young man he knew he wanted to be a businessman. Whether working for himself delivering two paper routes, mowing lawns, shoveling snow -- or working for someone else at the local brickyard, turf farm or driving a truck.
Even after earning a BA in business, he knows he needs someone who’s successful in business to teach him about being a businessman. He finds that right mentor who helps him launch a successful business career, they become lifelong friends, and it’s how he meets his wife of 50 plus years.
Bill’s now coaching young business owners on the basics of business. What’s served him best: being addicted to learning; finding his perfect Daily Method of Operation (DMO) to maximize his productivity; and constantly looking to simplify his life and career.
His words of wisdom: "Exercise has always been a big part of my life. And the greatest therapist in the world is mother nature, so exercising outdoors even better."
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me as I recap and highlight key characteristics, strengths, ah ha moments and words of wisdom from my last ten interviews (Ep. 81-90).
You really must check out these amazing stories and insight!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Porcia Chen Silverberg, chief re-inventor and creativity officer. She starts her story with “I was made in Taiwan”, and goes on to talk about immigrating to the United States as a teenager, a defining and impactful event in her life.
Twenty-two jobs later in seventeen different industries, including starting her own business four times and two non-profits -- she definitely qualifies to be called a “chief re-inventor”! Always passionate about working and confident in herself, it isn’t until later in life that she discovers the importance of pausing and reflecting to celebrate successes and accomplishments and to heal from any trauma.
As a flaming optimist and joyful person, she earned the nickname “The Yenta of Joy”. These traits along with being resilient and having passion and grit are the characteristics that have served her best. Her words of wisdom are from Wilma Mankiller: “The most fulfilled people are those who get up every morning and stand for something larger than themselves.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Maggie Drucker, chief relationship officer for ProsperBridge & queen of culture for RISE. She’s at her best when managing a half dozen priorities and activities all at once. She discovers this in college and that it’s a theme throughout her life.
Maggie finds a career in HR by always being willing to take things on, she never thinks that’s not my job. Because of her social and inquisitive nature, she’s drawn to people and wanting to help them be more productive. After rising the ranks of HR in a variety of companies and industries, she reaches a reflection point and takes a year off to backpack through Europe and walks the Camino de Santiago in Spain. An instrumental time in her life creating a lot of internal peace and confidence.
What’s served her best is being inquisitive and trying to make a difference, not sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it. Maggie’s words of wisdom: “If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always have what you’ve always had. I want to be comfortable financially AND have a lot of great life experiences. I can make that happen and everyone can make that happen for themselves. You just have to pull yourselves up by your bootstraps and make it happen.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Leslie Jones, founder & CEO of SpiralMethod, executive coach and master facilitator. A journey that starts in mental health, left turns into selling computers, then the “ah ha” that she likes selling ideas more that things.
Tapping into her background in both therapy and business she’s recruited into transformation work. A great fit until the birth of her first child, changing her priorities almost overnight. Her work must maximize her time away from her daughter, so she launches her own transformation coaching business.
Leslie shares that perseverance and journaling are what’s served her best. Her words of wisdom: “The way that we spend our days, is the way that we spend our lives.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Mel Austin, founder of Squeaky Clean Comedy. A journey that starts in the Marines as a Bulk Fuel Engineer, he then leverages his talents as a “professional passer of gas” to enter the business world, starting as a delivery driver for a propane company where he moves into sales and sales management.
His leadership abilities emerged at an early age; in high school his thing became firing people up for the football game, in the military he leads bible study groups and is known for his ability to rally the troops. After his military service, he keeps his day job to pay the bills, and to keep strengthening his passion for public speaking, he joins Toastmasters and then an acting class which he loves and where he finds his funny.
Mel shares that his faith and doing his internal work – meditation, yoga, martial arts and his military training and discipline -- are what served him best. His words of wisdom: “You have to stay in your passion. Initially paying the bills can be from another source, but keep a toe in your passion, stay the course. Find the things that bring you joy, and the money will take care of itself.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Valerie Recore, productivity specialist. A journey that starts in mental health working with teens, then earns a master’s degree in adult learning where she’s introduced to books and concepts about productivity & time management. She’s intrigued, makes productivity her area of expertise and now her business.
What’s served her best: patience and being open to what’s next. Knowing that the right experience or next avenue is going to appear so she focuses on where she is now and what skills she can gain there.
Her words of wisdom: “We don’t have to do it all. Look at what’s on your plate, does it need to be there? This pandemic has created a brilliant opportunity for people to reset, to rethink and to reevaluate everything that they were doing. And now we can be intentional about who and what we bring back into our lives, not just diving back into what we were doing before.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Gail Hamilton, motivational speaker and author. A journey about facing fears and overcoming obstacles – blindness, abuse, discrimination, depression, and suicide. Now on the other side of these obstacles, she’s sharing her story to help others see that they too can get to the other side and create and live the life they desire.
An ah-ha moment for Gail, is when she figured out that "it is the six inches between my ears that matters." When she learned, and really started believing deep down at her core, that she was the creator of her destiny. What’s served her best: being funny and committed – having the determination to fly, to be better, to expand and grow, is what motivates her every day.
Her words of wisdom: “I truly believe that all things are possible. It takes faith, authenticity, alignment, attitude and action. If you do these things, you’ll be who you want to be in your life. And do whatever it is that you want.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Christine Valenzuela, owner of Pearl & Thistle. A journey with themes steeped in music, ministry, motherhood and manifesting opportunities that fit her life while fulfilling her passion to keep learning and growing.
Starting her own business is her latest growth opportunity, one that continues to evolve and provide challenges. Her impulsive and impatient nature have served her well, because she’s honed her intuition on which ideas to act upon. She’s now learning to treat her impatience as a gift versus a flaw.
Her words of wisdom: “When you get comments like “you were made to do this”, listen and store up these beautiful consolations from people because they’ll carry you really far. If I’m doing what people perceive is ‘the thing’ that I’m made to do, then I know I’m on the right track.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for Part Two of the career reflections of Komal Goyal, managing partner at 6e Technologies. Born and raised in India, a defining moment for her as a young woman, is choosing education and a career over the tradition of marriage. Leading to another pivotal decision, counter to the wishes of her mother and the norms of her culture, accepting a job in a city far from her family.
It’s been a tough road being the only female programmer at several companies. Regularly she finds she’s not included in discussions with male colleagues collaborating to solve problems or in after-hours activities. She starts doubting herself, her self-esteem declining over time.
Finally, she finds a company and culture where right away they seek her input, participation and collaboration. A wonderful experience where she thrives! Giving her the confidence to launch out as a consultant and ultimately take over as managing partner of the consulting firm.
No surprise that persistence and perseverance is what’s served her best. Her words of wisdom: “Make a decision and take action in a timely manner, if you don’t, the universe will make it for you.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Komal Goyal, managing partner at 6e Technologies. Born and raised in India, her journey is one of perseverance and breaking traditions – cultural, gender and family traditions.
Hear how her dad encourages her life choices by asking questions and getting her to think for herself. As she says, if it wasn’t for him, her life would be totally different. Even without any female role models to inspire or guide her, she chooses education and a career over marriage. Not an easy choice going against the wishes of her mother and the norms of her culture.
This is just Part One of her journey, a significant part to gain better insight into the challenges she faced. Stay tuned for Part Two next week where she shares what it was like being a female programmer (maybe even the first) in India in the 1990s. And how the resistance of her peers, even after moving to the United States, erodes her self-esteem for decades. Not a surprise that perseverance is what served her best.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Yolanda Webb, Executive Director of the Office of Adult Aging & Disability Services for the State of Colorado and Principal Advisor at WEBB Advisory Group. A journey guided by a curiosity and passion to understand humanity regardless of whether she’s working in mental health, state services, or her own businesses.
Her career progresses until she hits that boss that’s not a fit. Always one to make the best of a situation, she decides it’s time to start that side business, something she’s really passionate about -- shaping the narrative for her teenage daughter about what it means to be young, gifted and black in America. Hear how Yolanda creates a super successful beauty line for African American women, her first entrepreneurial experience. She’s all about people helping people with the work she’s doing at the State, and changing the narrative around diversity, equity and inclusion with her consulting business.
What’s served her best: understanding that none of us are perfect, that we are going to make mistakes along the way. Her words of wisdom: “I’m here on this planet for a purpose and I daily seek to fulfill that purpose. That doesn’t mean being stagnate, it means knowing and learning and wanting to embrace the world around me, that’s who I am.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me as I recap and highlight key characteristics, strengths, ah ha moments and words of wisdom from the last eleven interviews (Ep. 69-79). Normally I create these recaps after nine interviews, but I had a gap in my interview schedule last fall and created the previous recap at Ep. 68, adding two interviews to this recap.
You really must check out these amazing stories and insight!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Jess Sato, co-founder of 2 Smart Girls. A move from the Midwest to the Middle East at age 10 significantly impacts her outlook on the world and her career. She learns the language, loves the culture and decides she wants to become an international lawyer.
Once in college, she realizes being a lawyer is not for her, she leaves with a double major in Arabic language and political science with a focus on Middle Eastern politics. Her first job is amazing -- decision analysis at a major aerospace company! At 21 she’s facilitating conversations with military leaders and subject matter experts trying to make decisions that solve future problems – like deciding the future needs of American fighter jets. Wow!
What’s served her best: being curious about the possibilities and then making a decision and taking action. Her words of wisdom: “When you’re stuck it’s easy to get bogged down in trying to figure out all the pieces. I’ve found that if I do just one little thing it moves me forward. Action begets action, and action begets clarity. You get clarity by taking action.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Veronica Munoz, executive director of ACG Denver. Faced with the reality, and sacrifices, to become a professional ballerina, she shifts her sights to her next interests, being academically challenged and international business.
After earning a master’s degree, she lands a role at the American Bar Association and connects with a boss and mentor who helps propel her 20-year career there. She strives to reach a point of comfort and confidence in her roles, then as soon as she does, she’s onto the next opportunity that stretches her outside her comfort zone again. A pattern she sees repeated regularly looking back.
What’s served her best: thinking before speaking, being measured and unflappable, having a strong sense of diplomacy. Her words of wisdom: “As a perfectionist and control freak, I’ve had to learn how to forgive myself for mistakes. I’m human, people make mistakes, it’s ok, so I have to get over myself.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Michelle Barnes, executive director for the Colorado Department of Human Services and member of the governor’s cabinet. While everything in her career has prepared her for this role, it was not a grand plan that got her here. It was the desire to serve.
It’s her first job in public service, and the first job she’s not expected to be the subject matter expert. She is a leader of leaders who are the experts. She’s a delegator, dot connector and decision maker – tapping into all of her strengths. Grateful to be of service during these challenging times, she’s proud to be empowering terrific and talented people to do what they do best.
What’s served her best: curiosity and trusting her heart. Her words of wisdom: “Always bring your authentic self, your best self, to the workplace. And, as long as you’re learning and engaged, working with intelligent people on something that gives you passion, it doesn’t matter where you are on the org chart.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Nicole Powers, philanthropy associate at Street Business School. A story about giving up what feels really comfortable, for more learning and growth, and for more alignment of her career legacy with her values. A scary thought though, leaving that comfort zone for a new role, company and industry.
Hear how intentional she is in preparing herself for all this change and being new. How she plans to show up more authentic, giving herself permission to ask questions and not know things. A different way of being for her, but one that feels more powerful and less complicated.
What’s served her best is the idea that: “You never know if your voice is the one missing. Sometimes we downplay our value when we might be the smartest one in the room, but we don’t contribute. I’ve learned to speak up without doubting myself.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Stephanie Klein, founder and president of Experience Factor. She begins her journey relying on her strengths, her soft skills: connecting with people, communicating and organizing. Leading her to roles in human resources, staffing, then running her own staffing business.
She describes at least three “ass kicking, sole searching” moments where her thriving business comes to a full stop. All due to events way outside of her control, a recession, an embezzlement, and now the pandemic. Learn how she pivots, rebrands and moves forward.
What’s served her best: her ability to pivot, to be flexible and work on, and develop, her response to things. Her words of wisdom, based on years working with people looking for work: “the world is moving super fast, you need to be able to pivot to move forward. Keep a growth mindset versus getting angry about what you’ve lost or how you think things should be.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Jodi Foster, senior project manager at Ultra Consultants and certified integrative health and wellness coach. A journey that follows her passion for psychology and sociology starting out in the mental health field, pivots into corporate sales, then the discovery of project management and coaching.
Loving and thriving in project and program management she’s ready for the next step of leadership when her health turns – OVERNIGHT – causing her to step back from everything to regain her wellness. Always an extreme athlete this health scare is a huge shock and set-back, but one she’s learning a great deal from and now coaching others on.
What’s served her best: tenacity and discipline – being committed to do what it takes. Something she learned from her training for extreme races. There are no shortcuts! Her words of wisdom: “Go for it! If you have something you’re wanting to do, go for it! You’ll be surprised where life will take you!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Robyn Burkes, sales leader at CISCO Systems. After abandoning her dream of becoming a lawyer, she finds a job just to get by and is blown away by the sales training she receives. Setting her on a career path that feeds her strong competitive nature.
Combine that with always having a healthy level of confidence, she excels quickly in several sales roles, even one she considers the worse job ever. With more experience she’s more particular about what she’s looking for and lands at a great company, with an amazing culture, where she thrives. After fourteen years, she’s ready for a new challenge and creates a new position for herself. Which doesn’t work out, but it was time to leave, and now she’s found something better and loving where she is today.
What’s served her best: directness and influencing. Her words of wisdom: “Find someone to help you, look for a mentor, someone who has been there. So many people out there will help, and want to help, and that can be the difference. Then their network becomes your network, it just opens up. And it makes you look at things completely differently through a different lens.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Eleanor Allen, CEO of Water for People. A journey that goes left and right and not necessarily always up and to the right, guided by intuition, adventure and where she can make the biggest impact. Oh, and water!
After several international assignments, her family is ready to come back to the United States. She accepts a unique assignment in Denver as Chief of Staff for the CEO of the $6B company she’s working for. Giving her new insight into leadership and decision making and what it takes to be a CEO.
What’s served her well: risk taking, strong intuition and finding allies and advocates. Her words of wisdom: “I don’t dwell on what could have been. Here’s where I am and where I want to go. Once you figure out where you want to go, tell others so more people are working on helping you get there.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Jen Coken, executive leadership coach, Fortune 500 speaker and imposter syndrome expert. A journey that starts in politics, crosses into non-profit organizations, with stints in consulting, corporate and stand-up comedy, and now coaching.
Wanting to make a difference in the world and totally inspired by one of her first college professors, she becomes an activist and pursues a master’s degree in political campaign management. Driven to do more, and make more of a difference, her career follows a series of recruitment opportunities. Where she loves the challenge of getting ideas/causes started, funded and moving forward, then she’s ready for the next opportunity. Until now! She loves, loves, loves what she’s doing – helping to empower women!
Two things have served her best: “1) always having hope and being positive that things will turn out, and 2) tenacity, which you don’t have to be born with, but you have to be willing to try things out and be willing to fail!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Jamie Walsh, ADHD coach. A journey filled with pivots, which may not seem unusual, except that as time goes on the pivots are more frequent and driven by fear and lack of confidence.
A defining moment is getting fired after only four months at his last job, prompting him to finally start managing his ADHD -- something he had been avoiding and downplaying for several years. After finding the right combination of medication and exercise he’s now experiencing clarity and energy – new feelings for him.
He’s pivoting once again, but this time with confidence! Coaching teenagers, college students and young adults diagnosed with ADHD on the systems, structures and accountability needed to be successful.
His words of wisdom: “If you think you’ve been living with ADHD, go out and learn more about it. Talk to your doctor about medications. You need to do what’s best for your mental health, you owe it to yourself and your family, to be the best version of yourself.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Cynthia James, transformational coach, international speaker & best-selling author. A journey with a dream to become an actress and singer -- which she achieves -- performing in theatre, television & films! Find out how dancing on a huge stage at the MGM Grand and performing on a cruise ship prepare her for where she is today.
Always curious and adventurous, Cynthia follows opportunities as they arise, taking her from the Midwest to New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles then ultimately to Colorado. Being a seeker, her curious and adventurous nature, are what she believes have served her best.
Her words of wisdom: “You’re here for a reason. You are not an accident. You’ve got something that nobody else can do the way that you can do it. Even if it feels scary, and you don’t know what you’re doing, trust that that calling, that urge within you is important. And all you have to do is one step at a time.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me as I recap and highlight key characteristics, strengths, ah ha moments and words of wisdom from the last seven interviews (Ep. 61-67). Normally I create these recaps after 9 interviews, but I had a gap in my interview schedule and thought it better to recap early and post something than to skip a week. I'll include the next two interviews when I recap in Episode 80.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Tamara Alexander-Johnson, commercial corporate real estate leader. A journey from a rural ranching community to the bustling streets of downtown Denver.
After a start in banking at a downtown location, she discovers she loves downtown, but not banking. She loves all the buildings and the commercial landscape, prompting her to pursue a commercial real estate broker’s license. Being a natural connector and risk taker, her persistence pays off after eight calls to the owner of several local buildings — landing her a job, a mentor, and launching her career!
Find out how she’s survived three major real estate recessions and continues to stay positive about the innovation and redevelopment of the commercial real estate industry. What has served her best throughout her career – finishing her education, continuing education, connecting with people and staying positive!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Georgia David, Community Engagement Manager for an international NGO, Water for People. A journey that starts by following her interests in sports and marketing, landing internships and paid roles in high-profile sports organizations and giving her great exposure to for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Her next career choices become more purposeful when a pivotal event causes her to re-evaluate her priorities. Recognizing that life can change quickly, she and her husband decide their timeline for the future should be now not someday. With only eight years in the workforce she’s already in her third dream job because of her clarity about pursuing roles and organizations that align with her values and strengths. Three themes that have served her well -- empathy, assuming positive intent, and giving grace.
Her words of wisdom: “Everyone has their limitations including myself. It’s important to give others and myself permission to make mistakes. It’s a freeing way to live!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Russell Kyncl, financial planner and writer. The son of a minister growing up in rural Colorado, his plans for college are more about learning to be a better thinker than preparing for a career.
He’s drawn to psychology and lands an internship at a mental health facility. While his career starts to advance, he’s surprised when his boss invites him to not only leave his current job, but to exit the mental health field altogether. Terminal burn out had consumed him, he couldn't see it but everyone he worked with could.
Determined to make a better career choice he finds a career counselor who helps him assess his gifts to identify a career where his uniqueness will thrive -- financial planning. Fast forward to today where he now owns his own financial planning business, and sees his work as teaching, educating and strategic planning.
At age 65, he’s retired from the things that annoy him, and spends his time on the things he loves – helping people be more effective and productive at what they do. His strategic plan is to keep working and contributing for another 20 years. Words of wisdom that have served himwell: “Once you decide to do something, you can’t quit until you are successful at it.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Susie Wargin, realtor, DJ and sideline reporter. A journey that starts with landing her radio dream job, taking risks and saying yes to new opportunities leading her into television, until one day, when the demands of these dream jobs become too much.
After two successful decades in radio and television, Susie decides to follow her mom’s advice and pursue a career in real estate. You’ll have to listen to the interview to find out the pivotal event that triggered such a transition. What’s served Susie best through her career – networking. Her words of wisdom: “Be kind and be good to people. Be aware of who is around you, everybody can be an opportunity to something, you just don’t know what it is.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Donna Deteau, Mindset & Success Coach. A “crackpot problem solver” she uses her creativity genes to think outside the box. And to successfully navigate leadership roles in both corporate and non-profit organizations, until she finds that she’s really at home being an entrepreneur.
Starting and running her own catering and renovation businesses was amazing and where she discovers her entrepreneurial spirit. But it’s nothing compared to the passion she’s feeling now after coaching for ten years. She’s leveraging all of her experience, wisdom and business tools to help her clients design their future self, live into that self, and get results! Her words of wisdom: “Take the risks, make the mistakes, I call it imperfect action. Just act! Take imperfect action and clean it up along the way!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Michelle McGlade, CEO & founder of Evolutionize Media. A journey of success in whatever field she enters, but that comes with physical distress to her health.
After receiving a serious health diagnosis that she cannot ignore, she recognizes a pattern in her career that takes her to the brink over and over. She dives into the sources bringing her success and those hindering her wellbeing and takes action to break these patterns.
As she enters new seasons of her life, she’s rethinking her definition of success and focusing on cultivating herself from the inside out. Her words of wisdom: “My goal is to show up as the human being that I want to be, so that I can be a powerful force to lead others. When you can stop looking outside of you and listen to that voice inside of you, then that’s the voice that wants to be amplified. And I want to role model that!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career reflections of Nancy Sullivan, Chief Energy Officer (CEO) of Transition Points, LLC. She’s also an author, speaker, facilitator and executive coach. Her first memory of public speaking is in the second grade and loving it. While she didn’t know what her career would look like, she knew she wanted to be on stage.
Right out of college she’s selected for a leadership program at Mountain Bell nicknamed the “Jet Jockey Program." It’s designed to air-drop new leaders into new roles every six months -- without any training -- to see who survives, if they can think on their feet, and whether they are likable and can get along with people. Out of 24 “Jet Jockeys”, Nancy is one of three that thrives in this environment. She learns to trust people to teach you and how to get things done with people.
She’s not a planner or worrier. She trusts her inner knowing and her guidance within. High on risk taking (she doesn’t have a risk inhibitor) she approaches life and new opportunities by asking: “What good can come out of this? This is going to be awesome!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Celebrating the one year anniversary of starting this podcast! Whoo hooo! And, celebrating Episode 60 -- two major milestones in my podcast journey!
Join me as I recap and highlight key learnings and themes (14 of them!) that I found insightful and interesting over the that last year. I'll describe each learning/theme along with highlights from some of the folks who mentioned them, to give a bit of context. I'll also include the episode number in case you're interested in going deeper into that topic.
An amazing amount of insight and wisdom!
Many thanks and appreciation to all of you that I’ve interviewed – thank you for sharing your stories!
Through this last year I’ve gained so much –
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Reconnecting with family and friends -- learning new cool things about each of you!
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Meeting and connecting with new friends!
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Reminders about strengths I possess but forgot about or hadn’t been giving myself credit for.
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Revisiting fond memories about great bosses, high performing teams I led or was part of, accomplishments I’d forgotten about – then one of these stories brought them back to me!
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Ideas, inspiration and energy to tackle challenges and overcome that feeling of being stuck or bored or scratchy!
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Insight and wisdom about when to be open to listening to others and knowing when to trust yourself!
Powerful stuff!!
I am so grateful for all of these wonderful people in my life who shared their stories and with such authenticity.
I hope you enjoy this recap of the highlights as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Thank you for watching and listening!
Here’s to another year of amazing storytelling! Cheers!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of David Blaha, former executive at American Express now pursuing entrepreneurial and consulting ventures. A 30-year journey that starts in telemarketing because he needs a job, but he then becomes very purposeful about his career moves acquiring the acumen and experience needed to become general manager.
With restless and boundless energy, he covers many areas at American Express: sales, account management, product development, marketing, international, domestic, consumer, corporate, finance, etc. And because Amex is such a large organization, it is like starting over each time -- new people, processes, and priorities to learn. A tough decision to leave, but he knew it was time and is excited about what’s next.
David’s words of wisdom: “People are at their best and greatest when we’re excited about a challenge and learning and growing. Typically, that’s when we’re doing something for the first time, something we don’t know how to do, and it might be uncomfortable, but it’s probably the most fun.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of JC Heinen, Executive Coach & Founder of Jessie’s Heart Foundation. A journey with themes steeped in responsibility, risk taking and intuition.
At an early age she’s responsible for helping raise her siblings and for her own financial well-being, so of course she would take actions to be responsible for creating her future. For JC that involves taking risks by proposing solutions, that she is willing to lead and execute, and that solve client and organizational problems she sees around her. Never mind that she’s not done the exact thing that she’s proposing, she trusts her gut and her abilities. It’s not that she doesn't experience some doubt or fear, she does, but her belief that it will all work out because it always has, is stronger.
JC’s words of wisdom: “Be responsible for your future. Be strong enough and courageous enough to go for what you want, do it before you’ve got all the answers. Reach out and try things before you believe you’ve got all the education, experience and skills. Just go for it and it will come to you! You’ll find a way!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Danyle Dupray, Digital Marketing Specialist. A journey that starts with a learning disability, that she wouldn’t trade, because it strengthens her emotional intelligence and her ability to connect with others.
Three pivotal moments shape who she is today: the first as a junior in high school; the second a sophomore in college; and the third her first three months in a job that wasn’t a fit. The first two moments are about discovering who she is and how she learns, the third she calls the “three months of torture” where she learns a deeper level of understanding for anxiety, people and empathy.
Danyle’s words of wisdom: “Things will eventually work out, finding the right fit is worth the wait, life is too short to hate your job. If you’re feeling anxious, take a step back, you’ll figure it out, talk to others, you’re not alone.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Dr. Debbie O’Reilly, Human & Animal Chiropractor, Acupuncturist & Holistic Healer. Initially her career choices were guided by how fast she could get started. She did not want to go to school for very long because she was ready to get started on her career.
An amusing statement when you look at the amount of schooling she’s been through and that she considers herself an education junkie. A pivotal moment was a dream sending a message that she should become a chiropractor. A message she tries to ignore but finally gives in to. Just one of many messages, or intuitions, that has guided her through life and her career. Words of wisdom from Dr. Debbie: “Sometimes your path is not what you think it’s going to be. You have the ability to change your mind, as you just don’t know where the path leads. Have the courage to move forward and try something different, even when it’s scary.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of David Harriman, Independent Home & Auto Insurance Broker. David begins working odd jobs at a young age to help pay for his education and other basic needs. Determined that he won’t struggle financially as an adult he seeks counsel from a friend’s parent who is the most successful person he knows.
This new mentor surprises him with advice about careers he wish he’d pursued instead of the one he was in. David follows his advice and 10 years later is living the life he loves! Of course his journey is not without challenges -- getting started, surviving the lean years, staying the course when he felt frustrated or bored. A pivotal moment for David is when his first child is born “a switch got flipped and I never cared again that I was bored. That feeling that my work had to be my purpose went out the window, my kid was my purpose. Now, NOT being defined by my work, I’m suddenly able to enjoy my job more than ever. I really love what I do!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Phillip Aronoff, Chief Number Cruncher at By the Numbers B and A. What starts as a part time job in high school working in his mom’s bookkeeping business ends up a lifelong career in accounting.
After several starts and stops owning his own businesses, he’s right where he wants to be -- being a dad, running his own business and connecting and helping others. His lessons learned and words of wisdom are the same: “If you’re stuck or not sure what you want to do, always, always find what you can do for others first before what you can do for yourself. And, volunteering is the best way to meet people. The more you can get out there and help people the more you’re going to figure out how to get unstuck.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Katie Brinkley, Social Media Strategist. As an only child she’s super active, so her parents keep her super busy with sports, horseback riding, acting and modeling. She keeps herself busy by creating a radio show in her bedroom, commercials and all.
Thanks to an amazing teacher her junior year and the influence of her dad, she gets involved with her college radio station leading to an internship at 850 KOA and then a full-time job as a sportscaster -- dream job #1. Except it wasn’t financially lucrative. A friend suggests she become a flight attendant, not really of interest but could be good experience interviewing – dream job #2, traveling the country. When the airline gets sold, she's drawn back to the sports scene, and because she was always dabbling with social media she lands a sports marketing role – dream job #3! Until she’s laid off when that company is sold, prompting her to start her own social media business – dream job #4!
Characteristics that have served Katie well: “I don’t stop. I have a strong drive; I want to be successful and I want my client’s to be successful. I set goals and am constantly learning and growing.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Jennifer Henneman, Associate Curator in the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum. Not knowing what she wants to do for a career, she follows her interest in studio art and French to guide her in selecting this double major.
During her college experience she realizes that she doesn’t have a passion for what she wants to say with her art, prompting her to transition to art history -- the study of art vs the creation of it. Which is also what she pursues for her master’s degree in London. Needing a break from school and still not sure what she wants to do or become, she travels the world for a year working various jobs, some in museums, some in coffee shops.
A pivotal moment is when she’s back in the UK, working a great high paying job, but still questioning “is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?” You’ll have to listen to the interview to find out how she decides on more schooling and how she ends up being an art curator in Denver.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Kelley Colvin, Research Instructor at the Anschutz Medical Campus. A story about pivotal moments at a young age that help her learn and grow into the person she is today.
You’d think as a leader of a research lab that Kelley was always a brainiac student, but school was a real struggle for Kelley early on. She was super shy and didn’t know how to read. All that turns around in the 7th grade after her 6th grade teacher helps her find success in school and she finds sports. A college softball scholarship takes her to Nebraska where following her love for Biology reveals her strengths in molecular and cellular experimentation. With her MA and a clearer direction, she comes back to Colorado to work at National Jewish for a 3-year stint. Which ultimately connects her to her current business partner and then the two of them establishing their lab at Anschutz, The MYKC Lab. Kelley’s words of wisdom: “You have to really like yourself for who you are, if there’s a quirk you don’t like, work on it, change it. Everyone can change.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Episode 50 another milestone in my podcast journey! Join me as I recap and highlight key characteristics, strengths, ah ha moments and words of wisdom from the last nine interviews (41-49).
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Danny Chacon, master trainer in the field of martial arts & professional athlete. As a youngster he wants to be a nurse or doctor, but without the financial means to do so, he shifts his focus to business.
Then that route is interrupted when he discovers martial arts. Something that starts as an invitation from a friend to join him in his karate class, turns into a lifelong journey of training, discipline and then competing on world stages. Two themes that stand out in his life: “I’m all in or all out” and “big risk, big reward”.
Some words of wisdom from Danny – “The rougher the water, the more glorious the travel. We’re all in this together, and we’re all doing our best. We have to have patience with ourselves and one another.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Gayla Wick, Love Relationship Coach & Author. With a strong sense of justice at an early age, she knew by age 8 that she wanted to be a police officer/detective. And she did it! She became the first female police officer for the Concord Police Department.
She then finds herself in corporate security managing guns, gates and guards for 25 years. Two pivotal events, summoning the courage to get a divorce and being invited to leave her corporate job, send her down a spiritual journey that totally changes her life. She learns “you can’t change anyone else and happiness is actually a choice.” A big “ah ha” moment was realizing that her happiness was up to her! She embraces her happiness and her health, changes her energy about life opening the door for new opportunities – the love of her life and the new work she’s meant to do, helping women find love.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Falon Velez, CEO & Founder of TeachGeek. As a kid her dream is to be an actor, director or anthropologist. At age 18 she moves to LA and discovers how hard it is to get the roles she wants but finds she enjoys the production and editing side. After six years she decides to pursue the anthropology degree.
As a gamer and self-described geek she was always playing with, and fixing, technology and electronics at a very young age. She didn’t see technology as a career, or her knowledge of it as a gift, it was just a hobby. Once she gets the anthropology degree however, she is fascinated how technology is changing human behavior. Seeing how she can combine the two, she gets both Apple and Windows certifications working as an Apple Genius, then becomes a technology consultant and ultimately starts her own businesses TeachGeek and TeachGeek Academy. She’s now an inspiration and role model for young girls and women in the technology space!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Suzanne Mitchell, President of Zamar Screen Printing, Inc. Her dream is to be a stay at home mom, but that all changes when she and her husband decide to start their own printing company after the one, he was working for, burns to the ground and the owner decides not to rebuild.
Tapping into her natural gatherer of people and leadership gifts she discovers an entrepreneurial spirit that fuels her and provides a flexible schedule to home school her two boys. She finds her way by doing, trying new things, leveraging resources and adjusting as she goes. While college was not for her, she’s huge on education – business coaches, seminars, finding resources when needed, and asking people she admires for help. Suzanne’s words of wisdom: “Ask for help when you’re struggling with something. It’s not a sign of weakness or failure, it’s learning. People want to help, so if you admire someone for any reason, ask them for their thoughts.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Adam Kemper, Client Acquisition Manager at Plumb Marketing. He starts his career journey doing what he thinks he "should do", calling it the “I have to" chapter and the “Dark Ages.”
A pivotal moment is during a time of transition, where he purposefully takes seven months off to decompress and play. By totally stepping away he is able to “re-embrace his value” and start asking questions like: what makes me happy, what do I like, what is fun, what do I see myself enjoying? Taking leaps of faith, aligned with his integrity, he finds new opportunities and finds a passion for sales and marketing -- which he views as helping customers understand their customers better. Adam’s words of wisdom: “If you’re not nervous about the choices you’re making, you’re probably playing it too safe.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Diane Zile, CEO and founder of JERA Partnerships, LLC. A journey with a leadership theme starting as early as the fourth grade.
Attributing a great deal of her success to the feedback she received at important times in her life, she’s extremely grateful for the leaders who had the courage to give her that feedback. And, is fortunate to have worked in organizations and with leaders way ahead of the times in understanding people strategy versus business strategy. Lessons learned: “Every leader has a shelf-life (her's is 5 years), it’s important to know what your's is. Doesn’t mean you have to leave the organization just maybe reinvent yourself or the role. Talk to your manager about what’s going on with you, have the courage and confidence to try new roles. Don’t worry about failing, you’ll live to tell a great story.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Skylar del Sol, professional volleyball player and master coach. One of the rare stories of knowing what he wanted to be at a very young age and then doing it!
Self-educated and self-built he’s working hard to build a foundation of knowledge in order to build a tower of greatness. He’s all about giving 100% effort in all aspects of his life. A work ethic inspired by his dad. When faced with challenges he turns fear into fight -- working hard to get the best result! His words of wisdom: “If you don’t work hard, you’re not going to get anywhere, you’re going to fail before you even try. Work hard. Be a good person. Get the best result you possibly can!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of David DeCamillis, VP of Sales & Marketing for Platte River Networks. A journey about starting over (multiple times), taking risks and playing big!
He’s had four very different careers, each in a different industry. A common theme, relating to people – which is how he views sales and marketing. Marketing comes easy to him, it just makes sense -- when you find good companies you need to get the word out about them. Resilient and resourceful his words of wisdom: “Be willing to take risks, especially when you’re young. Don’t worry so much about ‘what’ you’re studying it’s experiences and taking risks that lead to learning!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Tripp Gebhard, multi-generational wealth planner. Find out how growing up in a multi-generational wealthy family shapes his perception of the world and his self-worth. As he reaches adulthood, he finds himself feeling lost and not sure how he fits in.
After blowing through his trust fund and a handful of jobs, he’s desperate for structure and knows he needs to change. By reaching out and asking for help, he finds a sponsor who becomes that positive role model for turning his life around. A practice he continues today, surrounding himself with positive role models. Tripp explains that -- “I am the sum of my mentors, that’s how I created my value system, and how I can serve others in an authentic way.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Raylene Decatur, leadership transition & strategy consultant. A rare story of knowing at age 8 that she wanted to be a museum director and then achieving that dream!
A journey of hard work, role modeled by her family, and at age 13 she was working at an art gallery because she was tall and looked 20. Throughout her career she loves that she’s never had the same day twice, always meeting new people, doing something different every day and continuing to learn new skills. A lifelong learner, she’s amazingly curious and likes learning forward – making things better! For Raylene, it’s about showing up and doing the work, being productive and leaving a place better than you found it!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Episode 40 another milestone in my podcast journey! Join me as I recap and highlight key characteristics, strengths, ah ha moments and words of wisdom from the last nine interviews (31-39).
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Join me for the career story reflections of Erica Duran, international business coach & lifestyle mentor. A journey of transition and evolution -- transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship to coaching while continually evolving her areas expertise.
After fifteen years moving up the corporate ranks in the hospitality industry, she finds herself feeling stuck. Determined and self-reliant she gets licensed in not just one new area but three! Real estate, securities and life insurance, where once again she’s successful, until the market crashes in 2008. Leveraging her natural OCD tendencies, she becomes a certified professional organizer. With her success in this area, other organizers seek her counsel, launching her into the coaching space and on a path of continuous evolution and growth for herself and her clients.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Bob Neuman, business partner with BBSI, a management consulting firm. His is a story of transformation, a theme he discovers about his career later in life.
Early on it was about transforming workspaces to help people be more productive, then recognizing this notion of transformation also applies to himself and wanting to help others be the best versions of themselves. He combines leadership coaching and his love of adventure to create his own consulting business which ultimately leads him to BBSI. His lessons learned: “trust your instincts, do that next right-feeling thing and don’t overthink it!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Cheryl Campbell, independent director on two boards. A journey navigating the gas utility industry, working her way up the corporate ranks and now sitting on the board of the director’s side.
She attributes her success to raising her hand for new opportunities, stepping outside her comfort zone. She is confident that she can figure anything out. And BTW no one else has done it before either, so by raising her hand she knew she’d learn a lot, expand her skill set and get noticed for more opportunities. Of course, she also knew that she needed to prove herself by knocking it out of the park, which she did -- regularly!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Kaitlyn Tucek, Artist. At a young age she knew she wanted to be an artist when she grew up, figuring out how to get there, and what “there” looks like, that is her story.
It takes some pretty disruptive measures, meeting her husband, moving to Colorado, becoming a mom, and paying off student loans to free up her creative edge giving her the confidence to boldly put herself out there. Where she finds “the more you are really putting yourself out there, the more momentum you get!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Chris Koch, Director of Membership and Strategic Partnerships at Colorado Thought Leaders Forum (CTLF). A Colorado native and ski racer whose journey starts by discovering careers that aren’t a fit.
Then, to appease his father, he tries ski instructing -- which he loves -- and that evolves into a series of successful roles within the ski industry, at a guest ranch and the eSports realm. Experiences that prepare him for his current role at CTLF leveraging all of his unique talents around leadership, coaching, creating strategic partnerships, innovative programming, and building coalitions. All with the intention of helping elevate business leaders in the Colorado community.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Helen Raleigh, CFA, Founder & Chief Investment Officer of Red Meadow Advisors, LLC, and author. Hear her story about growing up in China and how being the youngest of three children -- and the adventurous one -- got her to America!
More than once she’s started from zero but with ambition and persistence, she achieves high levels of mastery and success. Early on she’s driven by making money and being successful because her entire family sacrificed and invested in her to come to America -- there’s no way she’s letting them down! Now looking to make a bigger impact on the world, she wants a seat at a bigger table, the corporate boardroom table -- where she’s part of the decision making!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Brian Strandes, owner of 9 to 5 Search and 10 til 2. A journey based on a philosophy that it’s all about what you make of it, which started in school for Brian, where he played sports, was student rep on student council and a member of a fraternity.
A lifelong learner, not just from school and books, but also learning from others. One of the smartest things he did was joining a peer advisory group to learn how to work “ON” his business versus just working “IN” his business. When learning from others he’s all about being transparent with the good stuff and the challenges. “It feels good when we help others, so let others feel good about helping you. Don’t be afraid to share when you’re struggling. Give others the chance to serve.”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of RH Hinkson, business owner and writer. A perfect example of living the American Dream -- where he starts out as a young man sweeping floors and then ends up owning the company!
A journey based on strong work ethics, an obsession with gaining efficiencies, always making things right for customers, learning & growing, inviting and teaching employees how to have an owner’s mindset, and sharing profits. He’s a "multipotentialite" – meaning he excels at a number of different things. His words of wisdom: find your path, there is success in non-traditional roles, and never say no to an opportunity because it scares you.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
This episode is a bit different, since it is Episode 30 somewhat of a milestone, I thought it was the perfect time to pause and reflect on what I've been learning, share a few fun facts and highlight some of the words of wisdom from the last nine episodes. Nine might seem like an odd number, but it has been nine episodes since I last reflected and recapped in Episode 20.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Brenda Kaser-Burger, Board of Director Certified and CEO of Conscious Investing Group, LLC. While as a young person she wants to be a wild animal trainer, her journey traverses technology and leadership. She does ultimately enjoy a stint running a non-profit featuring wild animals!
An internship at IBM and then an opportunity her senior year of college to work on a NASA grant, help her stand out as a young recruit. She chooses IBM and is quickly tapped for a team lead role because she could communicate and knew technology. It also helps that she is a woman adding to their leadership diversity. A great fit as she was drawn more toward leadership vs the technology track. She saw a bigger purpose for her role -- making IBM better and the lives of clients and employees better! Ready for something different, she transitions her leadership value to a non-profit, which leads her to consulting other businesses. She’s now certified and looking to contribute her breadth and depth to a board of directors.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Carol Ann Bartz, VP of PM Excellence. She describes her career in two parts, the first part involving some floundering and figuring things out, then the second part where she hits her groove!
Two of her superpowers: 1) seeing the root cause not just the symptoms and 2) relatability. She discovers them by listening to others, acknowledging that others saw her leadership abilities before she did, and hearing from employees that they love working for her! With a belief that the employees are the ones who bring value to an organization, she sees her role as eliminating barriers so they can perform their best which might at times mean finding roles that are a better fit. Words of wisdom from Carol Ann: “If you hate going to work in the mornings, you’re not doing anybody any good -- the company, yourself or your family. Figure out what makes you happy and go after it. Keep searching!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Kent Frazier, Chief Evolutionary Officer. A journey guided by integrity while experiencing the sequential booms and busts of both the dot.com and housing industries.
He’s drawn to leaders and organizations that care as much about the human outcome as the financial outcome landing him at a company in the “love business” – the love between pets and pet owners that is! A great fit for a bit, until he’s inspired at a leadership retreat to leave corporate America and take a two-year deep dive into his own psyche to make sense of himself and the world. Now he’s super clear that his life is about helping people through career transitions, hence the title Chief Evolutionary Officer and the launch of his company Fully Human At Work.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Rob Ham, Principal & Owner of Rob-Ham Marketing Communications. His journey starts with a move to NYC to pursue his dream of being an actor, where he lands a week-long stint on a soap opera and a few off, off, off Broadway theater gigs. But his dream is disrupted in his early twenties with a serious medical diagnosis bringing him back to his family in Colorado.
Hear how he turns a temp position as a receptionist into the Director of Business Development by tapping into his ability to connect with people. He admires the approach of one of the partners who models how to be honest, have integrity, connect with people and make money! An approach he adopts that serves him well through a variety of for-profit and not-for-profit marketing roles. He’s now pursuing a new dream, starting his own marketing firm giving him flexibility to spend more time with his family. And, more time to write -- EVERYDAY – which is his ultimate dream job -- to become a full time writer! Words of wisdom from Rob: “Love yourself, love others, know that you’re not alone (ever!), and be productive in this world!”
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Kim Carver, President & CEO of The Leading Network and advisor for The Human Advantage. Hear how she launches her career at STAR Television in Hong Kong a week after graduating from DU.
Four years later, she accepts a new role with GALAXY Television in Sydney, Australia, then establishes herself as one of the top managers in the sports broadcasting industry while launching several FOX networks under the FOXTEL brand. She’s in the right place, at the right time, with the right connections…until her job gets eliminated. Devastating at the time, but something she bounces back from. Driven to create value, not just manage it, she’s reinventing herself as a leadership consultant, finding the right words to describe the leadership instincts she’s trusted throughout her career that made her successful.
Join me for the career story reflections of Sarah Hendricks, Director of Community Relations and Marketing at one of Denver’s biggest landmarks: Union Station. In college, she finds her way through hands-on discovery working internships in radio, television and public relations.
After a series of successful roles in marketing and PR, she lands at a food delivery start-up. Every millennial’s dream, right? Being part of a start-up…or so she thought. She’s determined to make it work, sticking it out for three years even though she’s frustrated and feeling unproductive. Hear how she gets herself “unstuck” -- taking time to evaluate her life, identifying what's really important to her, listening to family and friends, and making a bold decision to move to Colorado – where she lands her dream job!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Denise Liebetrau, founder and CEO of Prosper Consulting, LLC. Her's is a corporate HR career journey navigating a variety of industries: mining, financial services, telecom and retail -- landing now in consulting.
Hear about the life experiences that made her resilient and unshakeable. Experiences that when looking back, helped her solidify her priorities at a profoundly deep level, and solidify the impact she wants to make in the world! A fellow storyteller, she’s helping her clients tell their stories about how they create value, so they can get paid for it, AND so they have a life aligned to their values. A “life on purpose!"
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Shane Bauman, president of two companies, RISE & Prosper Bridge. A leadership and entrepreneurial journey guided by values, faith and God.
A disrupter in the financial services industry, he’s up to something really big – eradicating poverty! As a disrupter he’s had to overcome the objections and doubt of others and his own at times. He shares how he didn’t feel like he fit in as a kid, that he has always been wired different, then realized it might be because he was being called to be a leader. He’s now found his tribe and his cause!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join me for the career story reflections of Michele Ashby, corporate director and entrepreneur. A journey building expertise and organizations based on intellect and values, filling gaps, solving problems and making a big difference in a variety of industries.
Learn how starting out as a stockbroker she gravitated to the “gold bugs” because of their values, a preference that propels her into a successful career in the gold and mining industries. Listening, trusting her intuition and deciding to specialize in one area are behaviors that serve her well. As does taking time to think, taking care of herself, knowing when to cash in her winnings, and when to start something new. Like what she’s up to now -- training an army of a thousand women who are ready to sit on corporate boards!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Check out the career story reflections of Kathy Lawless, Life Story Curator and your host of this podcast series “How Did I Get Here?”. A journey successfully navigating the corporate landscape, transitioning into consulting and now solopreneur. Hear why she started this podcast series and what’s she’s learning.
While she hasn’t always been a Life Story Curator, she's been a storyteller for a big chunk of her life. Capturing and celebrating the completion of the projects she leads and the accomplishments of team members through storytelling -- making it super fun! As a catalyst mentor in a mentoring circle, she discovers how powerful storytelling is for learning and development. She’s loving the opportunity to capture and share so many insightful and inspiring career stories.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Listen to the career story reflections of Brigitte Ades, a serial entrepreneur who at the very young age of 11, knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. She loved hanging around adult entrepreneurs like her dad and the polish lady who owned a beauty salon.
Taking advantage of a trade school program her senior year in high school, she attends beauty school in the morning, her last few required HS classes in the afternoon, and works part time in the evening -- so she can open her own beauty salon just two days after graduating high school! She attributes her success to “backwards thinking.” A mindset of always improving and being the best where you are versus thinking you need more of something.
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Check out the career story reflections of Aaron Owens, founder of Leading Your Revolution, a growth marketing consulting firm. His passion for politics lands him a campaign manager role at the age of 20, then by 24 he’s training candidates on how to run for public office.
For his next career move, instead of focusing on just the specifics of the job description, he introduces a more strategic value to the position, which BTW, happens to align with his unique talents and differentiate him from the other candidates. An approach he continues to use throughout his career and one he recommends to others. He admits to never feeling settled and always looking for what’s next -- explains the vast scope of his career: politics, utilities, government services, communications, PR and marketing. While he’s helping companies grow at a 4X pace, he’s not working with the most sexy of brands. He’s in spaces like B2B and government services, but he recently discovered that he loves “turning the boring into something sexy!”
Join me for the career story reflections of John Garrett, speaker, emcee, thought provoker, catalyst for culture change, and fellow podcast host. Self-proclaimed as a recovering CPA -- hear his journey from CPA to comedian to culture coach.
Logging over 2,000 stage appearances he can face any audience, even those filled with white collar nerds like lawyers, accountants, engineers, IT professionals, etc. Reflecting on his career today it all lines up and makes sense, but as he was experiencing it in the moment, it seemed like absolute chaos. His podcast and coaching mantra “What’s your and?” is based on his own experience and studies that show employees are more engaged, make better decisions and have better relationships when they know each other on a more human level. He’s helping companies retain talent by creating cultures that value sharing "your and” causing them to stand out amongst their competition.
Check out the career story reflection of Daniel Widrich, systems programmer in the real estate document storage space. Find out how he discovered his passion for programming using a free on-line tool.
After a variety of technology positions leave him feeling bored and unfulfilled, he realizes he’s been placing the responsibility of his career growth with his employers and educators. Taking a totally different approach, he stumbles on a tool that helps him see that programming is really about solving puzzles. Once he solves that first programming puzzle, he’s totally jazzed and wanting to solve more. However, he must first overcome his long-standing belief about programmers -- that he’s not smart enough. Then he’s on fire, learning the basics, networking to find out what he needs to know, and now in control of his new career.
Join me for the career story reflections of Tom Phelan, Personal Banker, a journey about finding your way, even when things don’t go your way, when others get in your way, and when sometimes YOU get in your own way.
Tom seemed pretty set that engineering was his future going into college and even after three years of engineering school, but then all that changed. Find out what caused his mind change, how he wishes he had stuck with it, and about other pivotal moments that influenced his journey. He credits a strong support system, his parents, wife and friends, as a key aspect to his success and goes on to say that “life is easier if you have a support system.”
Check out the career story reflections of Genea Cunningham, recently turned small business owner and entrepreneur. Hear how she is designing a new life after being laid off from a run of corporate IT roles. And how she discovers, after being out of that environment for about three months, that her migraines and stomach issues disappeared.
Her journey is one of early setbacks and trauma that initially condition her to accept a life that is thrust upon her, not one that she chooses. She’s resigned to thinking her dreams and goals aren’t important, that taking care of others comes first, and what she wants comes second. A pivotal moment is when she realizes she has choice, and that she is responsible for her health and happiness. Now in her 40s, her journey is about living a happy, joyful life, and helping others achieve the same.
Join me for the career story reflections of Rachel Lyons, Executive Director of Space for Humanity. A non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate a global community of citizen astronauts who transform the world as social impact ambassadors.
And the WOW factor doesn’t end there! At the ripe old age of 24 she’s a force of nature, not only leading this organization but leading herself successfully as well. Listen to the cognitive shift she experiences after watching a space documentary changing the trajectory of her career and life. Hear about another pivotal moment where she realizes that she is responsible for how she shows up in the world and how the world shows up for her. Through this “ah ha” moment she discovers that she can choose to have a good day!
Check out the career story reflection of Katie Arvidson, healthcare IT manager with a small business side gig as a professional organizer. A journey of wanderlust, chasing dreams, then the tough realization when she knew it was time to grind it out and get that first a real job.
Now in her 30s she feels she’s hitting her stride, knows what she’s good at and what to improve on. Financially and career wise, she’s in a place where she's turning her passion for organizing into a side business. Words of wisdom from Katie – “Go play, experiment, especially when you’re in your 20s, work will always be there. What you learn along the way will help you later in life.”
Join me for the career story reflection of Stacy Taubman, Founder/CEO of RISE Collaborative Workspace. A journey about achieving her initial career aspirations of becoming a teacher, principal and school counselor. Then the events and realization causing her to reinvent herself as an entrepreneur after twelve years of teaching, two master’s degrees and two undergraduate degrees.
Learn how she evolves her side hustle into a successful business by staying focused on her “why” and being flexible with the “how” and the “what”. Interviews that started as a means to learn from smart, strong, successful women entrepreneurs, were really unintentional qualitative market research. Thousands of interviews later, she’s running two RISE collaborative workspaces in two different cities. She attributes her success to her high standards acquired as a competitive gymnast and to her ability to solve math problems.
Join me for the career story reflection of Christine Daspro, who continues to reinvent herself with bold moves from New York to Colorado and trading comfortable roles where she could stay behind the scenes to now launching her own business, really putting herself out there!
Listen to how she created an entire new network and career for herself after attending a women’s leadership conference. She was blown away by the generosity of the attendees and determined to be a part of it. Her strengths in building relationships and curating connections is what made her successful and became the foundation (and name!) for her business where she’s educating women on their leadership journeys helping them weave the art of success.
Check out the life story reflection of Abbe Guarino, grad student at the Teachers College at Columbia. Her journey follows her love for languages, learning new cultures, studying abroad in Spain for part of her undergrad, teaching English in Chile then Brazil, requiring her to learn another new language, Portuguese, in order to teach and live there.
Hear how she’s discovering what’s next for her career releasing the notion that the next step needs to be perfect. Her mantra “if I feel 80% sure, then I’ll be alright!” She’s self-aware and knows how important it is to take care of herself to be at her best, especially during times of major change. A piece of advice from Abbe – “make sure you’re doing “something”, it doesn’t have to be the perfect thing, anything is better than being stagnant, and it will steer you in a direction.”
Join me for the life story reflection of Briana Rossi as her career story is unfolding. Four years out of college she’s found something reliable and something creative! She attributes her courage and ability to figure things out to being the oldest of four siblings.
Hear how she’s a planner, but also stays open to shifting her plans should they not work out – like when she shifted from environmental science to biology to public health. Listen to how she found (& leveraged!) amazing resources at her college career center, helping her get comfortable with information interviews and networking. She lives her own advice “be open for opportunities and things that come your way, try them and see where they go!”
Join me for the life story reflection of Vanessa Barker, currently a free agent pursuing her next adventure in the finance, CFO, consulting space. A boss once described her as “an all-around athlete”, a leader that can be thrown into any situation, who can quickly make sense of things and develop action plans to move forward.
A theme for her journey -- transitions – from public auditor to corporate accounting; accounting to finance; divisional CFO in large, corporate, public company to controller in small, family owned business; financial services industry to real estate industry; living/working in the United States to living/working in Ireland & Poland; financial reporting to CFO to leading integration teams. She’s resilient and brilliant and available!
Check out the life story and passion of Danny Guarino, a recent college grad and pop music artist. Learn how he discovered his passion for song writing and performing at the age of seven and the mission he’s on to share what’s in his heart. While working in his other passion, the fitness industry, as his day job.
Hear about the people and music that inspire him and in turn the inspiration he wants to bring to the world. He’s creating a platform to gain followers around his message of love, faith and youth – inspiring people to follow their dreams, like he’s doing, and to be the best version of themselves fulfilling their potential. Wise beyond his years and tapped into his gifts, talents and passion!
Join me for a life story reflection of Kami Guarino, whose love for school and psychology inspired her career in education. Hear about her start as a high school counselor taking an unconventional route, and how her first three days on the job 30 years ago shape who she is today.
Listen to the growth in her journey from high school counselor, to stay home mom (aka family counselor), back into the education system as a positive behavior specialist, on to assistant principle and her latest venture as an educational leadership consultant. Hear how she's supporting teachers and educators to be their very best for the kids they are in front of every day, using three simple leadership strategies: listen, relate and celebrate.
Check out the career story reflections of Joan Miller, an experienced leader in the engineering and construction industry, who very early in her career was leading bold new endeavors for her company. She reveals that she must have been born with “an extra dose of confidence”, empowering her to take on new challenges and risks. A theme throughout her career journey.
Listen to how she built a reputation as someone willing to take on new things and successfully deliver results in significant new markets her company was pursuing. Hear how she approaches learning, leading, collaborating and connecting the dots to create environments where people can do their best and be successful. One lesson of many she shares – "be willing to take on challenging assignments, they are more interesting, anyone can do the easy stuff, differentiate yourself by doing the hard work, it’s more satisfying!"
How Did I Get Here: Episode 3 - An Interview with Suzy Zeng
Join me for this life story reflection of Suzy Zeng, a journey starting in China as a chemistry instructor with a bold move to the United States earning a master's in food science while learning to speak English. Hear how she transitions from science to management, developing deep appreciation for what other people bring to the table.
Listen to how she landed roles and growth opportunities at Pepsi, Kraft, General Mills and White Wave. How leveraging her strengths, connections, skills and talents prepared her for new and bigger assignments. A lifetime learner, hear how she continues to reinvent herself now focusing her energy on Holistic Wellbeing, stepping away from corporate to entrepreneur launching three businesses of her own.
How Did I Get Here: Episode 2 - An interview with Lauren Anuszewski
Join me for a life story reflection of Lauren Anuszewski, a junior in college but wise beyond her age and with a clear vision for the future. Learn how she was able to find and tap into her passion for art history and align her internship and future career goals with that passion.
Hear how Lauren has not only found the internships that fit her career aspirations but also how she is getting the most out of them. Hear Lauren's perspective on preparing for her professional career, her perspective on Gen Z's perception of career and advice for how to ensure you get want you want - a lesson for Gen Z'ers and seasoned business executives alike.
How did I get here: Episode 1 - An interview with Theresa Anuszewski.
Listen to the life story reflection of Theresa Anuszewski and how she reached multiple pinnacles in her career.
Hear how Theresa started her career right out of high school, completed her bachelor’s degree of Business Administration while working, seized career growth opportunities, and acquired numerous skills along her path. Two lessons of many from this podcast – "No" doesn't mean forever, the key is knowing when to be persistent versus when to hit the pause button, and in life there are two things — your circumstances and what you’re committed to — which of the two are you letting drive your life?