Even though he played with chemicals and blew stuff up when he was young, our guest this week still found choosing a college major was one of his life's hardest decisions. Still, he followed his passion, studied  chemical engineering, and has made a career "making things better." Now a VP of Development and Technical Services at Amalie Oil Company, John works with a cross-functional team of marketing, sales, and chemical engineering professionals who take ideas and turn them into products like engine oil and grease for electric vehicles (just two of the approximately 1,000 formulations John manages!). In this episode, hear how John and his team helped a well-known drag racing team start winning races, learn once and for all how frequently you should change the oil in your car, and pick up some priceless leadership advice from someone who has moved up the ranks but has never stopped loving his time in the lab.

Do you remember rainbow looms? How about adult coloring books? Well, those fun crafty items and thousands more come from somewhere, and that somewhere in the case of the over 1,400 Michael's crafts stores is the buyers who stay in front of trends and find manufacturers the world over to bring those items to US consumers. In the words of our guest Tara, "our job is to make people happy," and she has been doing that for over ten years in a range of positions leading to her current buyer position at Michael's. What's a buyer's work life like? Tara explains ... 70% math, 20% strategy, and 50% hard work! In this deep-dive episode, hear more about the reality versus the myth of being a retail buyer, and get ready to be energized by someone who makes very clear being a buyer is a "heavy lift" but super-worth-it if you have the underlying passion. 

It was the dead of night when Joaquin was backpacking and got stuck in a severe snowstorm. "I could have survived the night," he said, but fate would connect him to the owner of a local tour guide company who miraculously found and rescued him - and then offered him a job! In this episode, hear more about Joaquin's experiences conducting over 1,000 tours to the Grand Canyon, famous red rock formations, the Coconino National Forest, and other iconic destinations as a tour guide for the well-known Pink Jeep Tours operating out of Sedona, Arizona. But as they say in those commercials, "wait, there's more!" And the "more" in this case is Joaquin's story as a boy who dropped out of high school but worked hard, learned all he could, and eventually achieved a master's degree in finance - all the while cherishing the natural and cultural landscape around him. Joaquin is proof that there is no 'right' path - but one's path can be right in the end.

Quant evangelist? What in the world? This week our guest Dimitri Bianco tells us about a profession and field of discipline focused on developing and validating predictive models used to make important business decisions with potentially significant financial implications. Every wonder why the same person who approaches five lenders for mortgage quotes gets five different terms and rates? As Dimitri explains in this episode, it's because each one of those lenders has a different risk profile and a different model for deciding what to offer its prospective customers. And although the details of modelling can be very technical and complicated, Dimitri demystifies and simplifies what this work really involves, explains why it gets him out of bed in the morning (and sometimes in the middle of the night!), and provides priceless advice to those who love solving problems and are looking for opportunities to apply that talent in the real world.

Could you clean teeth for a living? Looks simple right? It's not! This week's guest, Dorothy Smith, demystifies a profession we have all experienced up-close and personal (after all, their hands are inside your mouth for about 30 minutes). Having done this for 28 years, Dorothy tells us what is required to be trained and certified in this field, how posture and ergonomics play into this physically taxing job, how she was a little grossed out a few times, and what she does to make her patients comfortable. But beyond all that, Dorothy also shares how she overcame an accident that halted her life for about a year and left her with a badly injured dominant hand. However, Dorothy explains, "I've always been stubborn," and that stubborn streak drove her to emerge from a dark time to pursue - and obtain - a nursing degree that she hopes will soon position her to work in a hospital operating room. A surprising career shift? Not at all, since Dorothy's favorite TV show as a young girl was the surgery channel!

Our guest this week, Guy Averill, has loved working the land since his boyhood in England. And while some get to their current professions by way of a circuitous journey involving many different jobs, Guy's path never veered too far away from farming. Why? Because he loves it too much, calling it a true vocation. Is it hard work? Yes. Are there a lot of things that can go wrong? You know it. Is it a career that requires constant learning? Absolutely. But Guy has embraced all of those things and is now the president of a watercress farm that supplies this extremely healthy dark, leafy green to England and the U.S. In fact, his mum in England makes it a habit of telling every grocer who will listen, "My son grew this!!!!" Learn about the farming profession - the joys, challenges, and more - in this honest and revealing episode.

Unconventionally refreshing, forever fun, and intrepid to the fullest, Corey McGonigle is an IT project manager by trade and an adventurer by heart who approaches life with vim, vigor, and a huge dose of kindness.  Dropping out of college early in her career, Corey found her passion in project management early and, after working overseas, decided at her son's suggestion to return to college and get her degree (listen to hear the funny story about which school she chose and why!). From that point, there was no holding her back. Recording this episode from her RV - which she is driving to various destinations across the country - Corey tells us about the job of being a project manager and shares her secrets for being really good at an important and fun profession that has and continues to enrich her life. As she says near the end of our conversation, "You never know what's going to come around that next curve, but you know it's going to be great!"

Vince Harris started his career as a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force. Now he is a measurement expert who ensures the tools we use and the parts on which they are used are all perfectly calibrated. Why does this matter, you ask? Because without calibration, things eventually break - like airplanes, for example (yes, this is important stuff!). In this episode, learn about Vince's job as a calibration specialist, his journey getting there, and how he uses the "power of positivity" to fuel his success and "shine his light." In his own words, "Any day I wake up is a good day indeed!"

This week's guest Ray Vicks  was the first in his big family (12 kids!) to attend college.  Having landed a solid job with Arthur Andersen right out of school, Ray spent his first years "learning how to xerox" before buckling down and moving up the ranks. Hear how his biggest professional disappointment led to his eventual ascendancy to partnership in a competing firm and eventually the role of Chief Financial Officer for a healthcare company. You don't achieve all of this without accumulating a full suitcase of life lessons, and Ray unpacks them all in this story-rich episode. Settle in, take a few notes, and let Ray's lessons shape your career path.

Most people would never say, "social services" and "entrepreneur" in the same breath. And those people have never met our guest this week, Kim Young, who started her career working for an international adoptions agency (she would fly to countries like Nicaragua and pick up the babies!). Later, Kim worked for an agency providing services to the Department of Children and Families in Connecticut; in fact, she was so good at that job, the owner asked her if she'd like to take it over. Fast-forward a few years, and Kim has grown that business to 15 employees and, never one to sit still, has opened her own private therapy practice in Maine focused on helping kids aged 11 through 18. In this episode, hear more about Kim's journey and learn about that special "something" that has propelled Kim to succeed at everything she's attempted.