Are your career ambitions tied to landing one specific role or working on one specific company? Or are they guided by your core values? Jessi’s guest for this episode, NPR’s Ari Shapiro, learned the value of the latter approach early on, and this has served him throughout a career that is both wildly successful and eclectic. He’s co-hosted All Things Considered since 2015. He’s a singer with the "little orchestra" Pink Martini* and made his performance debut with them at the Hollywood Bowl. And now, he’s out with his first book, THE BEST STRANGERS IN THE WORLD: Stories from a life spent listening. In this conversation, Ari shares his take on creating a professional life full of adventure and meaning.

Order Ari Shapiro's debut memoir, and check out his music with Pink Martini, and his cabaret, Och and Oy!, with Alan Cumming.

Follow Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn and order her debut memoir.

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*Special thanks to Pink Martini for the use of their music in this episode. "But Now I'm Back" is available on their Splendor in the Grass album. "Finnisma Di" is available on their Je Dis Oui! album.