Lane Change

Before becoming a filmmaker, Serena Schuler worked in New York in the tech industry for start-ups as well as companies including IBM and Yahoo! But an after-hours interest in screenwriting and witnessing the questionable treatment of bright, ambitious women in the industry helped inspire her to move to San Francisco and join a film incubator.

These days, as an award-winning writer, director and creator, Serena's films have been screened at festivals internationally, winning multiple audience awards. Recently she has taken the insights from her previous work experiences into her newest project, Makeshift Society, an original TV comedy series about a rising star who’s been booted from the tech bro world.

In this episode, we not only discuss changing lanes from tech to filmmaking, but talk about carving out an innovative path as an independent creator. From building an audience to financing her own work, Serena has used some of the strategies of the tech industry to push her vision forward without waiting for a studio or network to give her the green light.

V. Tiarrá was a successful doctor and the medical director at a large primary care organization in South Florida, but divorce and a diagnosis with Lyme disease led her to rediscover her passion for music. Since then she has developed a smart and soulful R&B/hip hop/pop sound, with lyrics that reflect on the social conditions of the world, ranging from politics, money, feminism, to love.

In this episode, Tiarrá talks about finding her true voice, following her passion, and gaining the courage to step away from the path that was expected of her, even when the people around were asking her to get a “real job”.

For many of us, COVID was a career wake up call. Companies pivoted, laid-off employees urgently looked for how to make a living, and it seemed like everyone started writing, podcasting, making TikToks, and looking for new ways to marry their passions with their careers.

This is Lane Change, a show about the messy process of switching careers, pivoting businesses, and owning your story.

In our second season we celebrate rich, complex careers, focusing on musicians, filmmakers, influencers and everything in between - many of whom transformed their 5-9 into their 9-5.

Subscribe to Lane Change Pod wherever you get your podcasts.

Lane Change season two drops February 11th.

Alina Serebryany started hosting Lane Change and thinking about what it means to work on your story as she was pivoting her startup through COVID.

In this episode, we talk about what it looks like to support people working behind the scenes, recognizing the importance of having voice, and why there’s no shame in changing directions.

Hailey Swartz was taking a sabbatical from her high stress career managing product for the likes of Alibaba and AOL, when she started exploring different opportunities for new businesses. When COVID hit, she found herself at the helm of not 1, but 2 of these new ventures!

Shimite Obialo was running an art-focused membership community for diverse creatives and professionals in New York City while balancing her day job as a corporate lawyer. As Shimite was set to launch the first physical location of Anoko House, COVID lockdowns started rolling in. 

In this episode, we talk about building communities for people of color, using community as the driving force for inspiration, and the difference between taking time to rest versus giving up on what matters to you.

Amanda Signorelli was the managing partner of one of the oldest and most iconic steakhouses in Las Vegas when COVID hit. It also happened to be her own family’s business. When the restaurant shut down, Amanda moved quickly to re-envision what fine dining could look like in a socially distanced world.

In this episode we talk about navigating family dynamics, establishing your own identity as a leader, retraining restaurant staff for ecommerce, plus Amanda shares her framework for decision making. 

Danielle Payton was running a PR firm for beauty salons and fitness studios. Rachel Siegel was helping major fashion brands and startups with their digital strategy. When COVID hit and their clients were directly impacted, the two former colleagues teamed up to create a new kind of fitness experience. 

In this episode we talk about finding a cofounder during COVID, lessons of resilience from early career challenges, and creating a community that empowers independent trainers.  

Maren Kate was building her 3rd tech-enabled company when COVID hit and she realized that the funding landscape was unstable. So she set out to write a book supporting remote workers instead. 

In this episode we talk about the power of starting small, doing one thing at a time, and the process of writing a book!

Jen Saxton was wrapping up an M&A deal when COVID hit. The same week as the transaction was set to close, she launched a second company into a quickly changing and uncertain landscape.

In this episode we talk about dealing with uncertainty, downsizing and subsequently growing a remote team, and finding ways to juggle both family and professional pursuits.