A Life Worth Working

Artist, musician, and archivist Paul Rucker shares one of the messiest moments that shaped his life and work. Paul opens up about the first time he experienced explicit racism as a young classical musician—an experience that derailed an audition and revealed the deep inequities embedded in the systems he aspired to join. From everyday microaggressions to structural exclusion in classical music auditions, Paul explains how these injuries became fuel for his life’s mission: to uncover what has been erased from our collective memory and to help us see our histories—and one another—more clearly. His work urges us to confront the sanitized stories we’ve inherited and to embrace historical truth, no matter how uncomfortable, as a pathway to empathy, accountability, and better decisions for the future.

A self-taught cellist turned visual artist and archivist, Paul Rucker thrives by moving beyond the limitations of expectations. In this episode of A Life Worth Working, you’ll learn how Paul has woven storytelling, music, and history into a career defined by curiosity and creative defiance. 

In this episode, Vriti Saraf shares how tough feedback from a VC and repeated rejection led to the creation of a new nonprofit helping educators navigate emerging tech. Make sure you listen to this powerful story about reinvention.

In this episode of A Life Worth Working, hosts Michelle Weise and Dana Allen Walsh talk with Vriti Saraf, founder of a nonprofit upskilling educators for the age of AI. Vriti shares how she went from a discouraged learner to a bold innovator leading the world’s first avatar-based virtual conference for teachers. She explains why AI won’t just replace jobs—it will raise expectations—and how we can use it to think more critically, not less. A conversation about courage, curiosity, and crafting your own path in an AI-powered world.

In this raw and redemptive conversation, Rev. Molly Baskette, pastor and author, shares her own “shit pile” moment: guiding her church through a painful conflict over affordable housing after a devastating fire—while enduring profound personal loss. This episode is a powerful reminder that transformation often begins in the mess—that healing, humility, and meaning are cultivated not in our triumphs, but in our willingness to be undone.

✨ For Molly’s full story of becoming a psychedelic chaplain, listen to her complete interview on A Life Worth Working.

Dana and Michelle sit down with Rev. Molly Baskette, co-senior minister of the First Congregational Church of Berkeley and author of five books. After nearly 30 years in ministry, Molly found herself called into a surprising second act—as a psychedelic chaplain.

She shares how she discovered “a new kind of medicine,” and now helps people heal and grow through guided psychedelic sessions. Molly walks us through the process of legal ketamine-assisted therapy—how it works, what it feels like, and why the real magic happens during integration, when people learn to harvest the insights and emotions from their experience and reconnect with their own inner healing intelligence.

For anyone seeking healing, meaning, or a renewed sense of purpose, this episode offers a powerful look at how ancient practices and modern medicine are reshaping what it means to live—and work—with authenticity and liberation.

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Former Korean pop star Soeun Lee shares how one of the greatest moments of despair led to her crafting a new voice for herself. 

In this episode of "A Life Worth Working," hosts Michelle Weise and Dana Allen Walsh chat with Soeun Lee, a former Korean pop star who navigated a demanding career starting at the age of 16. Soeun shares her fascinating journey from being a young pop sensation to becoming a practicing lawyer and now a studio producer. 

Wallis Annenberg GenSpace Executive Director Christopher Leech shares how the hardest career experience of his life led to an understanding that although what he was doing was noble and important, it wasn't what he was supposed to do with his life. 

This episode delves into the remarkable journey of Christopher Leech, whose deep curiosity about people led him to work in dementia care and later into bioethics. His passion brought him to GenSpace, a unique community center in Los Angeles designed for innovative aging. Christopher shares his experiences from his multifaceted career, emphasizing the importance of challenging aging stereotypes, fostering intergenerational relationships, and encouraging older adults to embrace new experiences. He highlights the powerful impact of creating meaningful, inclusive spaces for the elderly.