Adaptation is a skill.

In this episode, Kristin sits down with her sister Kenzie (she/her) for a conversation about nonlinear careers, survival skills, and what it really means to “read the room.”

Kenzie’s path, from reality TV casting to corporate recruiting to a bold pivot toward law school, is a masterclass in adaptation. Together, they unpack how early chaos shapes professional instincts, how work inevitably collides with life, and why being “off track” is often exactly where growth happens.

This episode is about transferable skills born from resilience, the limits of changing systems from the inside, and remembering that behind every résumé, interview, and job title is a human trying to make it work.

How to get in touch:

• Instagram and TikTok: @kenziedgardner

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Do all the things, with purpose.

In this episode, Kristin sit down with longtime friend and multi-hyphenate creative Heidi (she/her)--marketer, DJ, podcaster, higher-ed storyteller, civic-tech comms pro, and now small-business founder--to explore the many twists and pivots of her career. From clerk-of-court cubicles to national civic tech work to launching her own consultancy, Heidi shares what she’s learned about work boundaries, risk-taking, pay cuts, unionization, and staying grounded through it all. It’s a conversation about reinvention, and creative renewal.

How to get in touch:

• heidikerr.com 
• Heidi on LinkedIn
• @alsothatheidi 

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Life changes. So do we.

Dolores returns for part 2 to share what life looks like after the classroom. She talks about how retirement became “the best job she’s ever had,” from early-morning VIPKid lessons with students in China to unexpected cultural exchange, care packages, and real connection across oceans.

We also walk through the hardest years of her life—losing my dad and later my sister—and how she coped by staying busy, learning to live between “the cloud and the sun,” and finding support in unlikely places. That journey eventually led her to a fresh start and a new chapter: managing the Pocono Phoenix, the Airbnb she sees as her own rise-from-the-ashes story.

It’s an honest look at grief, reinvention, and building a life beyond one career. And a reminder that it’s never too late to begin again.

How to get in touch:

• @thepoconophoenix on Instagram

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Work changes. So do we.

In Part 1 of this two-episode arc, Kristin sits down with her mom, Dolores (she/her), to explore a life built in classrooms and the way work evolves as people do. Dolores shares how she felt called to teach at an early age, and how her career unfolded through shifting curriculums, school politics, and dramatically different parent dynamics. She reflects on the joy of whole-language learning, the inequities between systemically underfunded and affluent schools, and her unexpected pivot into becoming a technology teacher; eventually creating a student-run news broadcast that became a beloved “happy place” for kids across the building.

She also speaks candidly about a deeply personal chapter: the years when one of her daughters was struggling, and how she channeled that grief and uncertainty into mentoring students who needed extra care and attention. Her story is a reminder that the work we do is never separate from the lives we live, and that small acts of care can leave lasting impact. Next week in Part 2, the conversation turns to what came after the classroom: retirement, loss, and the process of rebuilding a full life beyond a long career.

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It's not that serious.

In this episode, Kristin talks with Mary Ann (she/her), a former ska-punk zine kid turned corporate law firm website manager, about what it really means to not dream of labor. They trace her path from AOL fan sites and popcorn shifts at the mall, through nonprofit burnout and film/TV detours, to a corporate web career that pays the bills without owning her identity. Mary Ann shares how books like Work Won’t Love You Back helped her de-center work, stop taking every email so personally, and build a life where quitting a bad job is an act of self-care. They also reminisce about early-internet nostalgia, hybrid work fashion, and the career armor that comes from remembering: we’re not saving lives here.

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Nothing is real, but you are!

In this special episode, the mic flips as host Kristin becomes the guest. She traces her path from bookstore counters to boardroom tables, unpacking what it means to lead yourself before you lead others. With humor and honesty, she explores perfectionism, patriarchal workplaces, and the lifelong lesson that leadership starts within and that every version of you counts.

How to get in touch:

• [email protected]
• @everythingcountspod on Instagram
• @kristinonshuffle on Instagram

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Ease is a power move.

Executive coach and organizational psychologist Talia (she/her) joins to talk about what happens when “working hard” becomes who you are, and what it takes to rewrite that story. We trace her path from AmeriCorps to L&D and consulting to launching Stepping Stones Coaching, the moment she realized job satisfaction can’t sit in someone else’s hands, and the practice of designing for ease without abandoning ambition. We also unpack the overachiever script so many women inherit, why “boundaries” rarely stick without self-kindness, and how to try on new ways of being like swapping lenses, no identity crisis required.

How to get in touch:

• Talia on LinkedIn
• steppingstonescoach.com (complimentary intro session available)

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Leadership doesn't have to be loud.

In this episode of Everything Counts (but nothing is real), host Kristin interviews Sam (she/her), an operations leader with a rich background in nonprofit work. From aspiring musician to business student to AmeriCorps alum, Sam’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, curiosity, and quiet leadership.

We talk about the impact of service, what it means to lead from behind the scenes, and why leadership doesn’t have to be loud. The conversation dives into the invisible power of operations in fundraising, the art of team culture, and navigating work relationships with empathy and humor.

If you’ve ever wondered whether being “the support” is just as valuable as being “the lead,” this episode proves that quiet work doesn’t just count, it holds everything together.

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Job security is a myth.

In this inaugural episode of Everything Counts (but nothing is real), host Kristin interviews her partner Loren (they/them), an artist turned web developer turned business owner whose story embodies the everything counts spirit. Loren started in sculpture, taught themselves design and web, and said yes to the kinds of opportunities that don’t look like a plan, until they do. After nearly two decades in nonprofits, tech, and e-commerce, a layoff at 40 became the turning point.

We talk about the intersection of creativity and technology, the myth of job security, and the quiet rewards of building something on your own terms. Loren shares what self-employment has taught them about growth, money, and meaning and why believing companies will care about you as much as you care about them is… cute.

If you’ve ever wondered whether starting over is riskier than staying put, this conversation might rewrite your equation.

How to get in touch:

• [email protected]

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