I Do This for a Living

Andrew Bohon is a newly sworn-in lawyer and clerk for a Judge on the Missouri Supreme Court. Describing a number of spiritual and practical layers behind his decision, Andrew has been unwavering in his pursuit of a career in law since he first felt its pull. And that was in middle school! Andrew and Serenity (mom and son) have wildly different career stories but a shared love of reading, writing, singing, and quoting Friends. You'll hear about all of it in this episode of I Do This for a Living. Note: Andrew Bohon approved this picture from childhood.

Chapters
3:37 Supreme Court Clerk
9:06 Aspirations
20:54 Pulled Like a Magnet
23:01 Practicalities
27:07 Choosing a Major
34:31 Burnout Dangers
42:30 Learning to Rest
52:56 It Worked for Me

This episode is sponsored by H34Contracting.com.

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Raven Nickerson holds a degree in promotional planning that she has never used and a Master's in Divinity, which she uses to be a volunteer chaplain. She is also a substitute elementary teacher who has taught preschool at home to her own kids. These are things Raven is today. Ask her in a couple of weeks, and the hats may have changed. "Dreams are big in this house," she says of herself and her husband (Lt. Joe Nickerson, from a previous episode). Raven says she does not ever expect to be fully content because she will always have aspirations and questions to pursue. Incidentally, asking questions is not defiance! Raven's conversation is fascinating, funny, and relatable. I hope it inspires us all to keep imagining what could be next.

Chapters
2:11 Who is Raven Nickerson
8:08 Questions are Not Defiance
13:12 Seasons and Personality Types
18:37 I didn't think I would live past 18
21:44 First Career
24:55 Transition to Ministry
38:02 Not Yet Content
45:44 How Each Job Fits
54:39 It Worked for Me

This episode is sponsored by H34Contracting.com. 

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Serenity visits with her long-time friend, Fr. Mike Coleman. We told the audience in the intro episode that we want to highlight a million different kinds of jobs on this show, and it's still the goal. Fr. Mike and Serenity talk about what led him to feeling called to this work, what it takes to get there, and the fact that he doesn't think of it as work at all. There are very few stories that inspire like a person who loves their work. We think you'll be inspired, too. 

Chapters
3:05 Introducing Fr. Mike
6:10 A Glimpse of the Calling
10:36 Becoming a Priest
20:58 Priestly To-Do's
30:17 St. Louis Cardinals!
35:06 There's a Priest in this Car
39:50 It Worked for Me

Links
Vote for Serenity in the Top Host contest (and sign up for reminders) Go to serenitybohon.com/guest and scroll to the bottom. While you're there, sign up to be a guest!
Direct link to vote for Serenity: tophost.org/2026/serenity-bohon

Sponsored by H34Contracting.com

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Today's guest is Parker Bohon. Only four years out of college, Parker has found a remote job that offers a positive work culture and the perfect work-life balance for a new mother. Encouraged throughout her life to be kind and work hard, Parker has found success at work by doing just that. In life, Parker is determined to keep a growth mindset and to love well. Her conversation with Serenity, who happens to be her mother-in-law, touches on all these things and more, including the encouragement that a degree is NOT who you are.

Chapters
1:46 Who is Parker Bohon
8:03 Billable Hours
10:55 Remote for the Win
14:44 Degree Talk
21:01 When Life Surprises You
41:09 That Grown Up Life
42:54 Still Dreaming
47:11 Being Mama
47:45 It Worked for Me

This episode is sponsored by H34Contracting.com.

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

It's Episode 25! Serenity invites journalist and podcast host Jodie O'Brien to celebrate 25 episodes of I Do This For a Living. Jodie teaches us that journalism is more than a skill; it is a worldview. She is a proud graduate of the Mizzou School of Journalism, the oldest journalism school in the country and part of the University of Missouri (Mizzou Rah!). Today, Jodie hosts two podcasts, Influential Women and 39/94. The latter features residents of the northwest corridor of Missouri where Jodie lives and works. Jodie is passionate about local news and featuring the amazing stories we can all find in our friends and neighbors next door.

Chapters
4:11 Jodie's Professional Journey
14:05 Journalism is a worldview
24:44 Make it local
44:41 Dream Roles and Aspirations
45:53 Advice to Our Younger Selves
47:28 Finding Authenticity
50:43 Make it short and simple!
53:05 It Worked for Me

Links

jodieobrien.com

The 39/94 podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-39-94/id1840534384

The 39/94 Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/cw/The3994 

Influential Women podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/influential-women-podcast/id1850947661 

This episode is sponsored by H34Contracting.com

For the beaded designs Serenity’s wearing today: https://www.instagram.com/createinthemargins/

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Serenity welcomes Kiyoko Hairston, author of the children's book Freeda's Fabnificent Feet. As a young adult, Kiyoko earned her SAG card for delivering a line in a movie with Jeff Bridges and Barbara Streisand. While her acting career continued for a time, today Kiyoko is confident in her identity as a storyteller. Her new children's book empowers readers to see their perceived weaknesses as superpowers. Kiyoko's personal story is about figuring out what fills your heart and staying in alignment with what you know you're meant to do until the perfect timing brings it all together.

Chapters
2:20 Who is Kiyoko Hairston
8:56 Work keeps us apart
11:36 Actress Dreams + Reality
31:00 I am a Storyteller
35:44 Freeda’s Fabnificent Feet
56:17 The Perfect Time is Now
1:17:59 What Fills Your heart
1:21:56 It worked for me

Links
FreedasFabnificentFeet.com
Kiyoko on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedasfreedom2025/

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Joyful Judy C. Harvey is a retired teacher, living a real life Hallmark movie with her high school sweetheart in a small town in Missouri. Judy has been mentioned on the show many times for her college story, which began when almost all three of her children had graduated high school. Judy always wanted to be an English teacher. She loved it, and she loves retirement. She has brilliant advice for finding joy in our work and in life. Plus poetic words to live by like these: Students don’t care what you know until they know you care; I’d rather rather believe the best about someone and be wrong than believe the worst about them and be right; and a poem in the It Worked for Me section that I’ll never forget. 

Chapters
6:09 Judy in her own words

9;59 Back to school!

24:17 Growing up on the farm

27:37 English teacher dreams

30:22 English teacher reality

44:06 The joys of retirement

51:47  Judy’s Journey to Joy

1:01:29 Peace of mind takes time

1:08:42 How to enjoy your work

1:22:42 It Worked for Me

Links

Angel Wings by Judy C. Harvey (https://a.co/d/08RQuwb8)

Shawn Achor’s happiness Ted Talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work)

This episode is sponsored by h34contracting.com

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Please welcome Jesse White! Jesse is a musician and entertainer who is finding the day job brings him balance. Jesse has a familiar story of artistic dreams. He was determined music would one day be his job, and he worked toward that throughout high school, college, and beyond. Eventually, economic realities sent him to his network to find work that paid. Surprisingly, he found that stable income and the structure of a 9-to-5 was just what his music needed. In today's episode, he describes the dream, the reality, and the relief he's found in a job that makes more room for his music, not less.

Chapters
1:56 Let’s Talk About Work
6:24 Jesse White: Entertainer
17:05 Musician Dreams
27:01 Education: Music & Tech
29:32 The Music Dream Evolves
40:15 Your Creative Work Has Value
42:19 The Joy of Theater
1:03:47 The Job Makes Room for Music
1:24:35 Fantasy Football & Feeling Most Myself
1:32:15 It Worked for Me
1:36:17 How Work Makes Room for Art  
1:36:50 Lean on Your People

Links
Jesse's band, Bad Self Portraits: https://www.badselfportraits.com/

References
Movie: That Thing You Do (which I did indeed watch the night after we recorded this)

This episode is sponsored by h34contracting.com

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Serena Berrey is five years post-college and in a job she LOVES because she didn't waste her time in misalignment. As an Executive Recruiter, Serena has tons of motivational advice, including starting your day right, surviving any day in the industry of your choice, and filling your cup before pouring it out. Serena has hot takes and hot tips for interviewing with recruiters, networking constantly, and always finding ways to feel you're moving forward. This episode is getting me through my own survivable but challenging work days. It's worth a listen, a relisten, and some notes!

Chapters
1:12 Serena: Obnoxious Optimist
8:41 How are you going to change the world
26:09 ADHD: Attention isn’t the problem
30:00 Don’t Stay Just Because (Hot Take 1)
49:55 Always Be Networking
57:23 Fill Your Cup First
1:03:58 Diagnosed: Type I Diabetes
1:14:25 Be Curious
1:23:20 When They Ask About Your Weakness (Hot Take 2)
1:27:12 Get Outside
1:29:07 Today is Survivable
1:38:44 The Best is Yet to Come
1:41:00 It Worked For Me

Links
Serena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-berrey/
Serena quoted Serenity’s book, The Thank You Room: https://www.serenitybohon.com/thankyouroom

This episode is sponsored by H34Contracting.com

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com

Please welcome Jason Benson, general contractor in Wyoming, former worship leader, and someone who never used to ask himself, "What do you want?" It's a question he learned through therapy after a series of panic attacks and a sabbatical made him realize he was headed into a very big quitting story. You know I love a quitting story. For Jason, this one felt more like Owen Wilson's line in the Loki TV series: "Burn it to the ground." (Reference mine. I have no idea if Jason watched Loki.) Jason's story is heartbreaking and inspiring, and I love that it can be simplified to the gentle question we are allowed to ask ourselves: What do you want?

Chapters
2:16 Let's talk about fame
5:53 Jason Intro: Geography and Childhood
10:25 Music Interest or Identity?
35:01 Quitting
52:53 Therapy & Learning What You Want
1:14:09 Back to school + Running a Biz
1:25:06 Telling Our Stories and Showing Up
1:41:57 It Worked for Me

Links
h34contracting.com

Books discussed
Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson 

The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero

Music discussed
Prizefighter, Mumford & Sons (album)
Dan Fogelberg (artist)

I Do This For a Living is independently produced. 

serenitybohon.substack.com