Jazzed About Work

The nitty gritty of managing a career shift is the focus of today’s episode.

Instead of interviewing a guest, Bev will talk with her colleague, Tom Hodson, about ways to navigate a transition in your work life. The two will discuss strategies and insights from Bev’s book, “Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO – 50 Indispensable Tips to Help You Stay Afloat, Bounce Back, and Get Ahead at Work.”

They will talk about how it’s never too early to lay the groundwork for your next career move. You can gradually do things like developing new skills or expanding your network.

Eva Moskowitz is a pioneering and sometimes controversial figure in urban politics and American education. And she is well known as the founder of Success Academy Charter Schools, a network of more than 40 high performing schools in New York City.

On today’s episode, we will hear about her new book, “The Education of Eva Moskowitz – A Memoir.” Of course the book talks about how she built the Success Academy, in the midst of sometimes rough-and-tumble NYC politics. Beyond that, with Eva’s characteristic “radical candor,” the book tells the story of her own life and career, complete with emotional ups and downs.

In the conversation, as she describes the Success Academy’s philosophy and programs, Eva also shares tips for building a career in education today.

ESPN’s Mark Wright is a journalist whose dynamic career not only allows him to closely follow the sports that he loves, but also provides him with an opportunity to explore issues that he cares about deeply.

After a long career in print and then digital journalism, today Mark creates projects for The Undefeated. That is ESPN’s premier media platform for exploring the intersections of race, sports and culture.

In today’s episode, Mark will tell us the story of how he produced “Redemption Song,” a short film about how Howard University’s soccer team lost – and then won back – the chance to be the first Historically Black College to win an NCAA title.

And as the conversation continues, Mark will share his insights for creating a resilient, entrepreneurial career.

It’s time for university leaders to get serious about changing the way they teach students, says higher education thought leader Dave Goldberg, in this episode. Expertise doesn’t matter so much anymore, he says. The way to go is to be “more deeply human.”

Dave says it’s time to change higher education from the inside out. He says that, in preparing students for their careers, educators should help students shift their focus away from obedience to authority, and, instead, guide them towards the development of human values.

The change in the teaching of students should resemble the way that the job of leadership is changing, Dave says. Both students and leaders need what he calls “shift skills,” like awareness, and listening, and being able to notice your own emotions.

For many years, Dave was a widely published and highly regarded traditional academic leader. In 2010, after going through a series of executive coaching sessions, he decided to resign his tenure and professorship at the University of Illinois, and work full time for the transformation of engineering education.

Today Dave is a leadership coach, a change management consultant, and the leader of a change movement. He works with individuals and educational organizations around the world to collaboratively disrupt the status quo. In 2014, Dave co-authored the book A Whole New Engineer: The Coming Revolution in Engineering Education, which seeks to bring emotional and cultural transformation to higher education around the world.

Artists may look like they’re just having fun. But they have to work hard and carefully every single day, says distinguished curator Merry Foresta, in this episode, focused on creating careers in the arts.

Merry says that artists who enjoy professional success tend to be passionate about what they do, regardless of what other people may say about their work. And one thing that helps them to keep up their energy is that, despite criticism, they keep saying to themselves, “yes I can.”

Merry created and served as the Director of the Smithsonian Photography Initiative from its inception in 2000 until 2010. In addition to building one of the world's premier collections of American photography. she has curated more than 50 exhibitions, and authored numerous books and catalogs.

These days she frequently serves as a guest curator at the Smithsonian and many other leading art museums. Among her recent shows, and books, is “Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty,” featuring 161 images from the iconic photographer.

On this episode of Jazzed About Work, Bev talks with John Tarnoff, a reinvention career coach who provides career counseling for baby boomer and late career professionals looking to defy ageism, work beyond retirement, and pivot to a new job or new business as a second act or encore career.

John began his career as a literary agent, film studio production executive and film producer. In these capacities, he was responsible for films including"Diner," "The Year of Living Dangerously," "Pink Floyd The Wall," "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," and "The Power of One."

John talks with Bev about his long career and it's transitions, and gives advice to baby boomers looking to extend their working life.

Buses, trollies, subways and ferries can be key to a lively and sustainable community. But it’s not easy to develop this kind of urban infrastructure. It typically takes carefully crafted public/private partnerships, requiring coordination across geography, political bodies, social issues and areas of expertise.