In this episode, Amy speaks to John Felleman. John graduated from MIT with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and has had a long career full of opportunities he never imagined were possible. In this conversation, he shares how his father’s role in the Apollo space missions inspired him from a young age to pursue engineering and to do something that would play a role in having a positive impact on many people’s lives. John shares how he built a career that was interwoven with his professional skillset and his personal interests. He also gives advice for people at all stages of their careers. Although he has had a varied and successful career, he notes that there are still many possibilities and opportunities for him.

Topics in this episode:

• Being open to change and new opportunities as they arise
• Shifting from working in for-profit to the nonprofit sector
• His role as a presidential innovation fellow
• Finding ways to use information and technology to make government better for all of us
• Level of satisfaction in working for government/nonprofit, versus working in for profit
• How John measures meaningfulness of a position
• Advice to those that are unhappy in their career and are struggling with what they should do next
• Overcoming imposter syndrome

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfelleman/

https://www.rcap.org/

This episode was produced by Ciara Kaiser.

Today Amy has a fascinating conversation with Vivian Chen, founder of Rise, which Chen defines as “a flexible work platform for ambitious women”. This unique online platform is a springboard for motivated women who want to push boundaries and reimagine what they see as their own limits. Rise not only provides an ecosystem of on-demand benefits, but also fosters a sense of community of like-minded independent women. But how did Chen’s experiences over the years bring her to this place in her own career? What path did she set out on that led her to create an innovative concept to help women excel in today’s new marketplace?

Chen began when she armed herself with a first-class business education from The Wharton School. That education readied her to land nearly “every girl’s dream job” after college. She worked at L’Oreal with brands such as Garnier and Kiehl’s, but after several years in that business, she began to feel an attraction to the West Coast and Silicon Valley where many of her friends had migrated. Would it be possible for her to pivot from the cosmetics world to a tech company there? Without a tech background, she was unable to get her foot in the door. Vivian made the leap and left her job to concentrate on upping her tech game. She took advantage of as many free and affordable courses as she could to give herself a more solid tech background. Doors were easier to open after that as tech employers saw evidence of her commitment. She landed a great position at what she terms a “rocket ship startup” and received invaluable on the job training. After a couple of years though she came to realize that at heart she had always been an entrepreneur. It was time for her to start her own cosmetics company and marry her old and new skills and experience. As she struggled to bankroll her product for market, those multiple skills and broader experience collided rapidly in a very positive way. What others might see as a negative outcome, Vivian analyzed, learned from and used to envision an online presence that today has taken her desire to be an entrepreneur in a satisfying and invigorating new direction.

Vivian Chen’s enthusiasm is infectious. She models the engaged and excited person everyone wants to be in their middle career years. She is a creative and dynamic entrepreneur and her story will leave you without a doubt that your own career goals are attainable when addressed thoughtfully and fearlessly.

Topics in this Episode:

• How increasing your skillset by taking classes can be valuable to a career change
• Recognition of the desire to be an entrepreneur and work for yourself
• How to stay relevant, challenged and excited about your work
• How to find the positive takeaways in any work experience
• How to break away from the 9 to 5 world and call your own shots
• Changing your thinking about temporary work and smaller projects and the concept of portfolio careers
• Keeping skills sharp to stay on top of the rapidly changing demands created by technology
• The value of continuing to learn and feed your curiosity
  
  

Contact information:
joinrise.co

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivianmingweichen/

This episode was produced by Ciara Kaiser.

In this episode, Amy talks with Christine Blackburn, actress, comedian, and host of Story Worthy, a weekly storytelling podcast that recently celebrated its 10- year anniversary and has over 630 episodes. Christine shares that from very early on, she wanted to be an actress, and even though her life took some twists and turns, and she has had to make some sacrifices, she is doing what she loves, and it has all been worth it. In the conversation, she details why her time in the Peace Corps ended after only two months, the struggles of life in Los Angeles, and her experience starting a podcast.

Currently, you can listen to Christine on her podcast, Story Worthy, a storytelling podcast in which she interviews guests (mostly comedians) who share their stories. In addition to the podcast, she also launched a weekly Zoom-based show called Hour of Power at 6pm Pacific, followed by her game show Story Smash. To learn more about Story Worthy, go to https://www.storyworthypodcast.com/

Topics in this episode:

• The life events Christine experienced before getting to Los Angeles
• Starting her acting career
• The struggle of how competitive it is and the hustle of going to auditions
• Pivoting to a career in stand-up comedy
• The benefit of saying yes to any potential job
• Why it’s important to ask yourself: What do you need in your life?
• The process of getting sponsors and advertisers for a podcast
• Life is short. Why not go for what you want?

Contact Information:

Story Worthy Podcast: https://www.storyworthypodcast.com/

Christine’s website: http://christineblackburn.com/

On today’s episode, Amy is joined by Mike Mittleman, a career coach specializing in helping his clients get jobs making $150,000 or more per year with his “Customized Strategic Plan.” Mike began his career out of college working for a money management firm and transitioned to Wall Street shortly after where he spent the majority of his career. Eventually, he left Wall Street and worked in the solar industry for about 6 years before making the change to his current role as a career coach.

Mike uses the depth of his knowledge and skills to help coach people who are looking to up-level their careers or to re-enter the job market after being away for some time. In our conversation, he details the importance of networking over job boards and how to make the most of your connections. He also shares a script and step-by-step process for reaching out to people for their assistance in finding a position. There is a ton of helpful advice in this episode, so you won’t want to miss this one.

Topics in this episode:

• The change from a position in finance to a corporate position
• Turning a hobby into a career
• The effects on one’s life of being without a job
• Answering the question: “What is it that satisfies me as a person?”
• People are happier when the work they do aligns more with their values
• Why networking is much more important than simply applying to jobs on job boards
• The layers of connections within a network and how to make the most of those connections
• Layers of Networking Connections:
  • People that know you and the quality of your work and skills very well
  • People you connect with on LinkedIn
  • People with commonalities
  • Second connections (referrals)
• How to respectfully ask for a referral
• Making the most of networking events
• Relationship first. Job later.

Links:

Website: https://mikemittleman.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemittleman/

Course: https://thebestinclass.thinkific.com/courses/program-direct

This episode was produced by Ciara Kaiser.

In this episode, Amy speaks with Carley Read, the founder of Y’earn, the first peer marketplace to rent full rooms of furniture from people and businesses in your local community. Carley has had a bit of a nontraditional path in her career, which started with the decision to forgo university and instead go right into the job market straight from high school. From there, her career has been made through a variety of positions, sometimes ones that started as temporary but lasted longer than she expected. Her experiences prove that she has the passion and confidence to live her life based on what makes her happy.

In our conversation, she shares some of the experiences she has had along the way and the importance of having a supportive safety net. She describes Y’earn, the inspiration behind the idea, and what it looks like to launch a startup during a pandemic. I left this conversation feeling upbeat and optimistic, and I hope you will too.

Topics in this episode:

• Building a career, even without a clear destination or end goal
• Getting a job out of a dare that would last two years and create great opportunities
• The conversation that sparked the idea for Y’earn
• Having a successful career and the travel bug and blending those two things
• Steps to starting her startup and building a platform from scratch
• How to stay determined and positive while launching a startup during a pandemic
• Talking with a career coach to understand what is possible and to cut through the noise
• Carley’s advice for others looking to make a change:

If you’re already thinking about making a big move, it probably means that you aren’t happy in what you’re doing and life is too short for that. Take time to reflect and think about what makes you happy. Then go out and find it.

Contact Information:

Website: https://www.yearn.club/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yearn_furniture/

In Episode #5, Amy talks to Steve McCready, a coach and psychotherapist. Steve started his career in IT before going back to school to become a therapist.

Amy and Steve talk about his career journey and how he dealt with self-doubts or as he says “the stories he told himself.” We will also explore the how he figured out what type of career would lead to his career happiness and much more. We talk about:

• How to deal with self-doubts
• How to figure out what you want to do
• How the road to career happiness can be long, but worth it
• The benefits of working with a career coach

Links:

www.stevemccready.com

www.limbicvisions.com

This episode was produced by Ciara Kaiser.

In Episode #4, Amy talks to Leah Davidson who started her career in consulting and then made several pivots before co-founding Canduit. Canduit is a SaaS platform for experiential learning, matching students looking to gain real-world experience with companies hosting exciting virtual projects. It was her own experience with the job search process out of college that inspired her to co-found Canduit. We will talk about:

• How pivoting in your career path can lead you to career happiness
• The benefits of being an “intrapreneur”
• The importance of work-life balance

Links:

Canduit.co

In Episode #3, Amy talks to Steven John who made the leap to become a full-time writer after working in Los Angeles for a major entertainment company and a talent and writing agency. Steven has written for multiple websites and journals and is the author of two novels. We talk about:

• How can you distinguish between a hobby and something that can be turned into a career?
  
  
• Is it best to start a writing career as a side hustle?
  
  
• How can you effectively work from home?
  
  
• How does doing something you’re passionate about lead to increased success?

Links:

www.stevenjohnbooks.com

@stevenjohnbooks (https://www.instagram.com/stevenjohnbooks/)

https://www.businessinsider.com/work-from-home-productivity-hacks-2019-6

This episode was produced by Ciara Kaiser.

On today’s episode, Amy talks to Mary Eberle, J.D. Mary founded DNA Hunters in 2015 after spending 13 years as a biotech patent attorney and 10 years as a scientist. Mary talks about navigating her career changes and she offers some advice for people who know they need a career change, but aren’t sure what to do next. Mary also discusses the fascinating field of DNA genealogy and why she finds her work so rewarding.

Links:

DNA Hunters Website: https://dnahunters.com

Free DNA Roadmap Download:  https://dnahunters.com/tfl 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DNAHunters/  

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-eberle-j

On today’s episode, Amy talks to Jake Messier, CEO of Heard Strategy and Storytelling. Jake is a former Marine who has worked at iconic news and entertainment entities such as CBS News, Antiques Roadshow and WGBH before starting his own company, Heard Strategy & Storytelling. We talk about:

• How to deal with fear of failure
• How being an “olderpreneur” can have advantages
• Why taking stock of your career happiness is so important

Links:

https://www.heardstrategy.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/heard-strategy-storytelling/

https://www.facebook.com/heardstrategy/