Life Changing with Dori Fern: Recent Episodes
Dori Fern
Life Changing with Dori Fern is podcast about the messy middle between when you hit pause and what comes next. Join Dori each week for unvarnished short stories from her middle-aged pivot in progress.
In this episode of Life Changing with Dori Fern, Dori talks with longtime friend, colleague, and fellow nerd, Ken Gibbs Jr., a digital media consultant with a distinguished career at companies like Spotify and BET Networks. They share stories that both align and diverge in striking ways, beginning with two very different family tales—told a decade and a world apart—connected by fireworks and fathers. They geek out over podcasting and hip hop, with Ken sharing intimate family memories and his experiences as a father. Dori and Ken also reflect on the impact the late Reggie Ossé, aka Combat Jack, had on their lives and careers. The conversation explores the importance of personal growth, his Art of Storytelling series, and the hope for more inclusive societies driven by cross-cultural communication. They also discuss the lasting influence of parental choices, personal evolution, and the idea of "winning" through life experiences.
00:00 Introduction to Season Two
00:39 Meet Ken Gibbs Jr.
01:52 Nerds Unite
02:44 Welcome to Life Changing with Dori Fern
04:35 Ken's Earliest Family Memories
17:35 The Impact of Reggie Ossé, aka Combat Jack
25:34 Reflections on Fatherhood and Life
29:51 Hopes for the Future and Final Thoughts
32:33 Closing Remarks and Credits
Text Me!
Connect with me!
Instagram: @dorifern
LinkedIn: Dori Fern
Email me: lifechangingwithdorifern@gmail.com
Visit https://dorifern.com for more about Dori's coaching services and to sign up for a complimentary session.
Dori's long-term consulting job had ended and her next-door neighbor Khori Petinaud's Facebook post about the urge toward negative thinking as her show, Lempicka, was closing struck a chord. Khori talks about choosing faith over fear, a lesson that took Dori years and a coaching certification to learn.
Khori shares her journey to becoming a Broadway dancer and performer, from her traditional ballet roots to the experimental world of downtown dance during her NYU days and the instability inherent in an artist's career, insights that resonate with Dori's childhood dreams to be a musical theater performer.
She reflects on her single mother's influence, a woman who pursued her dreams in cosmetics with relentless ambition, shaping Khori's views on success and parenting. Khori also opens up about the challenges she faced as a
Black ballet dancer, about her struggles with body image and disordered eating and how she's developed a healthier relationship with food.
The episode explores the courage it takes to chase dreams, even as they change, the shaping of a balanced life, being an artist in NYC, and how, in trusting the process, new connections are made.
Follow Khori
X @khorirpetinaud | Instagram @kmr8787
TW: This episode contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please listen with care. In the United States, the suicide help line to call is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can reach them by dialing #988
Text Me!
Connect with me!
Instagram: @dorifern
LinkedIn: Dori Fern
Email me: lifechangingwithdorifern@gmail.com
Visit https://dorifern.com for more about Dori's coaching services and to sign up for a complimentary session.
Dori and Jennie Baird talk about resilience, grief, and the role of timing in their lives. They reflect on their childhoods and the influence of their parents, particularly their fathers. And Dori updates listeners about what happened to her father after this interview with Jennie was recorded.
They talk about their time at Aol, when Jennie hired Dori in 2006 for her first job after a decade as a stay-at-home mom, producing a branded contest sponsored by Dove called Chief Everything Officer. She shares the five words she looks for in all job candidates. Jennie also reminds Dori what she learned from our host about cooking. In admitting that she is not much for looking back and evaluating the past, Jennie reveals much about herself, yes, but also about resilience itself. This is an episode you won't want to miss.
From Dori:
This episode is dedicated to the too many fathers my family and friends lost in 2024, many in this year's very challenging summer. I name some but, in my community alone, there were more. Too many. Much love and care to those in the complex, life-changing process of grief and mourning.
TW: This episode contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please listen with care or consider skipping this episode. In the United States, the suicide help line to call is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can reach them by dialing 988
Text Me!
Connect with me!
Instagram: @dorifern
LinkedIn: Dori Fern
Email me: lifechangingwithdorifern@gmail.com
Visit dorifern.com for more about Dori's coaching services and to sign up for a complimentary session.
Nicole Taylor, a James Beard Award-nominated food writer and cookbook author shares her journey in the food industry and the role of timing, intuition, and sense of self in shaping life paths. She and Dori bond over her experience with podcasting and feeling like an outsider in the food world, and Nicole shares how activism has shaped her life. Nicole also opens up about her childhood, her relationship with her incarcerated brother, and the impact of her mentor. The conversation explores themes of identity, belonging, and the power of storytelling.
Connect with me!
Instagram: @dorifern
LinkedIn: Dori Fern
Email me: lifechangingwithdorifern@gmail.com
Visit dorifern.com for more about Dori's coaching services and to sign up for a complimentary session.
Life Changing with Dori Fern returns for season 2! Hear what Dori has been up to and what she has in store for this new season.
Connect with me!
Instagram: @dorifern
LinkedIn: Dori Fern
Email me: lifechangingwithdorifern@gmail.com
Visit dorifern.com for more about Dori's coaching services and to sign up for a complimentary session.
Ep 12: It's a full-circle moment here at Life Changing with Dori Fern. For this last episode of Season 1, I interviewed fellow life changer, Danny Palestine -- who once interviewed me on his podcast -- about navigating his own messy middle following a layoff, some major health news, and the birth of his son at the start of the pandemic. We talk about his sometimes-rocky career pivot, how he leans on his professional network for support, and how hobbies soften rejection and empower him in the face of personal challenges. Find out what he has learned as someone navigating life at a very different stage of it from Dori.
Dori lets you in on some job news and coaching program updates, and she bounces around some ideas for Season 2. Reach out to share your own thoughts and what you might like to hear more or less of moving forward. Links to contact Dori on social media or via email are in the footer below.
Thanks for listening to Life Changing with Dori Fern!
Connect with me!
Instagram: @lifechangingwithdorifern
LinkedIn: Dori Fern
Twitter: @dorifern
Email me: lifechangingwithdorifern@gmail.com
Ep 11: Following a month of anxiety navigating finances and trying to stay calm in her end-of-summer search for work, a tectonic shift happened that brought about much change and a narrative shift. It got Dori thinking about what is true and what is truth and how not conflating the difference takes an easy kind of discipline that she is still learning how to navigate. Knowing the difference between an experience and her perception of it, she realizes, comes with the potential for powerful rewards.
This is the second-to-last episode of Season 1 of Life Changing with Dori Fern. Look for Episode 12 in a few weeks and, in the meantime, please do share this podcast, rate, and -- if you like -- review it where you can.
Ep 10: I'm back! What a rollercoaster couple of weeks. Started my professional coaching program. Woo wee, it was quite a ride to get there, to pull the trigger on this big move, but I did it! I'll tell you how all that went down. Much of the rest of my time has been spent negotiating my budget, figuring out how I can lower my spending since -- aside from a catering gig, which I'm working with my daughter (weird), there's been no major developments in my job search. Being the "cool" mom isn't always all that cool.
Get ready for a ride. The funds Dori has been living off of are suddenly -- or so it seems -- running dry. Our host finds herself unmoored and scrambling for income, but grateful for the mentors who have supported her over the years and especially now. Find out why Dori believes people don't talk about money more than they should, and listen 'til the end to find out what to expect for the final episodes of Season 1 of Life Changing with Dori Fern.
Enjoying this podcast? Please rate and review it on Apple or Spotify, and share it with someone you know who would dig it. Thank you!
Life Changing with Dori Fern on Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-changing-with-dori-fern/id1623490090
Life Changing with Dori Fern on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Dw0aEwN8IuCNC8DlIkkdW?si=96df8dfb4965416c
Ep 8: An invitation to try out for a cooking job at a Catskills inn takes Dori by surprise. What is she to make of this new opportunity, which could prove promising on many levels? Might she also, maybe, possibly, meet the man of her (literal) dreams? Dori follows the signs, which lead her in an unexpected direction.
Ep 7: Today is Michele 'Meta' Harper day on Life Changing with Dori Fern.
July 2, 2022 was the date episode 7 should have run and, of course, July 4 weekend. It was also the one-year anniversary of Dori's job "independence." She had planned to rebroadcast an interview she gave on another podcast about race, and how white people should be talking more about it amongst themselves. But something about it didn't feel right, and it wasn't really the topic itself. Then a series of unforeseen events happened -- including the (not quite unexpected) SCOTUS reversal of Roe v Wade -- and decided to follow her gut and not post that episode. Instead, she talked to her dear friend: Hypnotherapist, Personal Stylist, Reiki Master, and more, Michele Harper to find out what was in the cards for her.
Michele Harper is the founder of Metaphysica Spa, and can be found on Instagram @MetaphysicaSpa or at metaphysicalbeauty.com
Ep 6: Seeking the necessary help is an essential ingredient to life changing, but knowing where to find it -- and who to ask -- isn't always clear. In this episode, Dori talks to Carmen Hughes, career coach and diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant about how to find an accredited coach, self-help tips for those who can't afford or aren't ready to commit to hiring one, and about the pivotal role Carmen played in Dori's own readiness to leave her job.
Learn more about Carmen Hughes and her company, Edelweise Consulting, at edelweiseconsulting.com.
Search for a credentialed coach in your area at https://coachingfederation.org/find-a-coach
For more thoughts and recommendations about coaching, follow and connect with Dori on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorifern/ or on IG at https://www.instagram.com/lifechangingwithdorifern/
Ep 5: Dori feels a shift in family dynamics when her stepfather dies. And after a rocky start to a London trip to see her son, a new day and an attitude adjustment bring surprises.
Ep 4: Following her painful latke pop-up, Dori reflects on the role of food and cooking in her life, and the people who influenced her most. She comes to some crucial realizations.
NOTE: YOU'LL FIRST WANT TO LISTEN TO LIFE-CHANGING LATKES, PART 1
Ep 3: Dori talks about the big latke-making popup she did over the holidays. It didn't go as planned.
Read more about her latke venture here.
Here's Dori's recipe for her Life-Changing Latkes, an adaptation of the recipe published after she won the 2011 Edible Brooklyn Latke recipe contest, which she forgot to mention in the podcast - whoops!):
Ingredients:
- 3 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1T kosher salt or to taste
- Freshly ground black or white pepper or a combination of both
- 1 large egg
- Duck fat and/or vegetable oil for frying. (A mix of the two is fine. Or if you’re vegetarian, can’t find duck fat, or are on a duck-free diet, just use vegetable oil.)
Directions:
- In medium bowl, grate onion on the large holes of a box grater.
- Peel and grate potatoes into the onion (this helps prevent the potato from discoloring).
- Add salt and pepper and mix thoroughly, tasting a strand of potato and adding more salt and/or pepper to taste.
- Scoop the potato-onion mixture with your hands, squeezing out excess liquid and placing dry mixture into another medium-large sized bowl. Repeat until all the “dry” potato-onion mixture is in one bowl, and save the potato liquid in the other. Let the liquid sit about 10 minutes, giving the potato starch time to settle to the bottom of the bowl.
- Add egg to potato-onion mixture and mix well (hands are the best mixing implement here!).
- Pour off the liquid squeezed from the potato and onions. There should be a nice layer of potato starch accumulated at the bottom of the bowl (the starchier the potatoes, the more you’ll find). Scoop out the starch and incorporate it into the potato mixture.
- In a heavy, good-quality skillet or cast iron pan, add about an inch of oil (you’ll want the latkes about halfway submerged in fat while frying) and heat over medium-high flame. You’re ready to go when a strand of potato sizzles when added to the pan.
- Scoop out a small handful of the potato mixture, and press between your hands to flatten and squeeze out any excess liquid. Make sure the pancakes are even, not too thick in the middle, and about 3 inches around for an average-size latke. Gently add to skillet and cook, making sure not to crowd the pan, for about two to three minutes per side or until golden brown. Take care not to fuss with them while they’re cooking or they may fall apart.
- Add more fat after each batch as necessary. Too little will cause the latkes to burn on the outside before cooking inside.
- Remove from pan and place on a paper-towel lined cookie sheet rack.
Ep 2: Dori was struck by a piece of advice she heard on a podcast about career pivoting, given by Faye Penn, Executive Director of women.nyc and Executive Vice President of Initiatives at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. She invited Penn on to discuss the deeper meaning behind three deceptively-simple words.
Ep 1: Dori finds herself overcome by doubt and a good deal of discomfort about how to shape this new phase of her life. Cooking lunch helps... sort of.
Introducing Life Changing with Dori Fern, a soon-to-launch podcast about the messy middle between when you hit pause and what comes next...
Join host Dori Fern each week for short, 10-20 minute, stories that take an unvarnished look at her personal and professional midlife evolution. In some episodes, she will interview guests to talk through a particular topic or issue; in others, it'll just be Dori.
Life Changing with Dori Fern is a show for anyone open to change, at any (st)age.