In this first episode of Office Hours, host Savan Kong talks with longtime HR leader Ringo Nishioka about what really happens behind the scenes when layoffs, promotions, and performance reviews unfold. Ringo shares decades of experience from inside the world of human resources, explaining how employees can protect themselves, how to negotiate an exit package, and what it actually means to be “layoff resistant.”

This is an unfiltered look at the business of people. Whether you are between jobs, managing a team, or just trying to understand how to stand out and stay visible, Ringo’s perspective offers clear, actionable advice for anyone navigating today’s uncertain workplace.

Ringo's Blog: http://hrnasty.com/

Hashtags:

#LifeBetweenTitles #OfficeHours #CareerAdvice #Layoffs #HRInsights #JobSearch #Leadership #WorkCulture #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #FutureOfWork

Support Life Between Titles: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LifeBetweenTitles 

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeBetweenTitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savankong/

In this solo episode, Savan Kong opens up about a recent health scare that forced him to slow down and reflect on what it really means to show up authentically, even when life doesn’t look perfect. After experiencing a seizure earlier in the week, he shares how the moment reshaped his understanding of progress, recovery, and self-worth. This isn’t just a story about setback; it’s about slowing down long enough to remember what matters. Savan talks about guilt, grace, and the surprising kindness that comes when you finally give yourself permission to rest. He also shares what’s ahead for Life Between Titles: • New expert segments featuring HR leaders, recruiters, life coaches, and mental health professionals • A new conversational series with Mike Lee, diving into creativity, compassion, and cultural reflections • Continued stories from real people navigating change and rediscovery If you’ve ever felt uncertain, burnt out, or in-between, this episode is a reminder that showing up imperfectly is still showing up.

Support Life Between Titles: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LifeBetweenTitles ▶️

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeBetweenTitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savankong/

Hashtags: #LifeBetweenTitles #SavanKong #Podcast #Resilience #SelfReflection #MentalHealth #CareerTransitions #Authenticity #Healing #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #RestAndRecovery #Empathy

What does it mean to move beyond survival and start creating something that didn’t exist before? In this powerful episode, Savan sits down with Vanny Whitchelo, host of Khmer Voices and co-founder of the Cambodian Cultural Center of Vancouver, for a deeply personal conversation about courage, community, and the next generation of the Cambodian diaspora.

Born in the same refugee camp as Savan, Vanny shares how she turned reflection into action—launching a podcast, co-founding a nonprofit, and building community while working full-time and raising two kids. Together they explore the guilt many 1.5 and second-generation Cambodians feel, the weight of honoring their parents’ survival, and the responsibility to carry that story forward through joy, not trauma.

This episode is about starting before you’re ready, finding meaning in the work you create, and redefining what it means to thrive.

Support Life Between Titles: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LifeBetweenTitles 

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeBetweenTitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savankong/

#LifeBetweenTitles #KhmerVoices #CambodianDiaspora #SecondGeneration #Resilience #Identity #Community #Courage #Storytelling #Leadership #Purpose #VannyWhitchelo

What if success isn’t about how far you go, but how deeply you listen to yourself along the way?

In this episode of Life Between Titles, Savan sits down with Vanessa Okoro, a first-generation Nigerian-American who spent over a decade climbing the ranks of management consulting at firms like Ernst & Young before making a bold shift into federal service with the FAA.

Vanessa shares her journey of navigating identity across cultures, careers, and expectations—and what it means to walk away from a title you’ve worked your whole life to earn. Together, she and Savan explore the weight of representation, the reality of burnout, and the power of slowing down to rediscover who you are beyond achievement.

If you’ve ever felt caught between who you were and who you’re becoming, this conversation will remind you that stepping back can be the most courageous step forward.

#LifeBetweenTitles #BurnoutRecovery #CareerTransitions #Leadership #Purpose #Authenticity #Belonging #Transformation #PodcastStorytelling

Support Life Between Titles: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LifeBetweenTitles 

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeBetweenTitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savankong/

Amazon is cutting tens of thousands of jobs. Federal agencies are facing RIFs and shutdown chaos. Two very different worlds — but both are reshaping what work, purpose, and identity mean in America.

I’ve lived in both. I worked at Amazon and served in the Department of Defense. In this episode, I share what happens when the institutions we trust begin to shake — and what we can learn about resilience, empathy, and rebuilding ourselves beyond the title.

What would happen if you sold everything, left your job, and traveled the world for a year?

In this episode, Reet German shares how one bold decision transformed her life, her marriage, and her relationship with her mother—whom she reconnected with after more than twenty years apart.

Born in India, raised in Canada, and now living in Hawaii, Reet opens up about trusting her intuition, healing generational wounds, and redefining success beyond the corporate ladder. This journey across twenty-three countries became a spiritual homecoming, leading her back to her roots and forward to her purpose.

Chapters:

00:00 – What happens when you stop chasing outcomes

02:00 – The courage to leave everything behind

08:00 – A plan without a plan

15:00 – Health as the true measure of wealth

23:00 – Family reactions and learning to trust yourself

31:00 – Lessons from 23 countries

47:00 – Returning to India after 38 years

56:00 – Finding her family and her mother again

1:10:00 – Healing, forgiveness, and acceptance

1:17:00 – Starting over in Hawaii

1:19:00 – Coaching women to rebuild from within

1:23:00 – How to reignite your inner light

Hashtags:

#LifeBetweenTitles #ReigniteWithReet #TravelTheWorld #SelfDiscovery #HealingJourney #MotherDaughterReunion #MidlifeAwakening #PersonalGrowth #TrustYourself #CourageToChange #SpiritualJourney #FamilyHealing #WomenEmpowerment #InnerWork #Podcast

Support Life Between Titles: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LifeBetweenTitles 

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeBetweenTitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savankong/

This month marks one of the most meaningful periods since starting Life Between Titles. When I began this project a month ago, I never imagined I would already have recorded ten interviews filled with so much honesty, emotion, and connection.

What started as simple conversations about job searching quickly turned into deep reflections about who we are when the titles are gone. Guests opened up about rejection, uncertainty, and rediscovering themselves. Katie Spector said something that really stayed with me, that it is not normal or human to be rejected over and over again. It does something to you, and she is right. These moments reminded me how important it is to give ourselves grace and space to heal.

I have also noticed recurring themes in nearly every conversation, the search for identity, the importance of rest, and the quiet strength that comes from community. These stories have helped me see how connected we all are, even when we feel alone in our struggles.

Looking ahead, I am launching a Patreon community to keep building this space together, one where we can share stories, support each other, and keep the conversation going. The podcast has already reached the top 15 to 20 percent of new shows on YouTube, which feels incredible for something so new.

If any of these stories resonate with you, I hope you will subscribe, comment, and be part of this journey. Together, we can make this time between titles a little easier and a lot more human.

#LifeBetweenTitles #CareerTransitions #UnemploymentStories #Identity #Grace #PodcastCommunity

What holds us together when the fabric of our life begins to come undone?

In this episode of Life Between Titles, host Savan Kong talks with Anne Gore, a veteran, educator, and single mother who has spent her life piecing together meaning through change. Anne begins with a reflection that lingers in the air: “I think you asked me about where I am right now, relative to the dismantling of USAID.”

From there, she unfolds her story like a quilt—the patches of childhood on Appalachian farmland, the years of raising two sons in the home her father built, and the resilience it takes to keep stitching after loss. Each piece carries its own thread of service, belonging, and renewal.

This conversation is about finding beauty in the frayed edges, reclaiming home, and learning to sew purpose back into the spaces where life has come apart.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

01:12 Anne reflects on where she is now

04:45 Growing up in Appalachian farmland

09:30 Losing her father and learning resilience

14:18 Living in the house her father built in 1976

19:03 Service, education, and community

24:40 The meaning of rebuilding after change

28:55 What it means to belong again

33:20 Reflections on gratitude and legacy

36:10 Closing thoughts on stitching a life back together

Hashtags

#LifeBetweenTitles #AnneGore #CareerTransition #Identity #Resilience #PublicService #Belonging #Renewal #Storytelling #Community #WomenInLeadership #PersonalGrowth #Podcast

Support Life Between Titles: https://www.patreon.com/cw/LifeBetweenTitles 

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeBetweenTitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savankong/

What happens when purpose is born from pain?

In this powerful episode of Life Between Titles, I sit down with Katie Spector, an actress, improviser, yoga instructor, and storyteller. We open with the story of her father, a veteran who lived with Gulf War Syndrome, and how that experience shaped her why. At twenty three, Katie filed a FOIA request for his VA medical records, read thousands of pages, and saw in detail how the system failed him. That heartbreak became fuel for a career focused on improving programs and services for veterans and their families.

From stage work to yoga, from mindfulness to fostering kittens, Katie shows how creativity can be healing, how curiosity becomes momentum, and how her five minute rule helps turn ideas into action. If you cannot stop thinking about it for five minutes, do it.

This conversation will inspire you to face uncertainty with imagination, to choose kindness, and to create meaning from even the hardest moments.

Key themes:

• Finding purpose after loss

• Creativity as healing

• Curiosity and play as growth

• Yoga, mindfulness, and emotional release

• Redefining identity during transition

• The five minute rule for courage

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@lifebetweentitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/savankong

#LifeBetweenTitles #KatieSpector #CareerTransitions #VeteransVoices #Creativity #Resilience #Mindfulness #Storytelling #HealingThroughArt #Podcast

In this deeply moving episode of Life Between Titles, host Savan Kong reconnects with his high school friend Michael Lee for a raw and reflective conversation about identity, fatherhood, and finding peace through life’s storms.

From growing up as one of the few Chinese American kids in Wichita, Kansas, to navigating Wall Street, entrepreneurship, and single fatherhood, Michael shares how suffering became his greatest teacher.

They discuss the challenges of cultural identity, emotional intelligence, and the quiet work of rebuilding after divorce and career transitions. Together, they explore what it means to find serenity—not in the absence of chaos, but within it.

💬 Topics in this episode:

• The immigrant story and shaping of cultural identity

• The connection between suffering and empathy

• Redefining success after career transitions

• The emotional lessons of fatherhood

• The struggle between control and acceptance

• Rock climbing as a metaphor for life and growth

• Why community and vulnerability are essential to healing

🕰️ Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:31 Navigating Suffering and Serenity

05:23 Cultural Heritage and Identity

08:04 Reflections on High School Experience

11:06 Transitioning to Southern California

13:58 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence

16:36 Socioeconomic Dynamics in Education

19:46 Cultural Conversations and Emotional Awareness

30:49 Navigating Challenges and Family Legacy

36:27 College Experience at Dartmouth

43:23 Identity and Cultural Connection

49:42 The Pressure of Titles and Identity

53:38 Transitioning from Finance to Entrepreneurship

01:03:51 The Struggles of Entrepreneurship

01:06:58 Reflections on Fatherhood

01:10:43 Navigating Single Parenthood

01:15:56 The Challenge of Fixing Everything

01:17:45 The Importance of Community and Support

01:33:10 Finding Joy in Rock Climbing

🎙️ This one hit deep.

It’s a conversation about letting go, rediscovering self-worth, and realizing that serenity isn’t the absence of the storm—it’s the calm we find within it.

#LifeBetweenTitles #MichaelLee #Fatherhood #Identity #EmotionalIntelligence #Serenity #Suffering #CulturalIdentity #MentalHealth #PersonalGrowth #Podcast #CareerTransitions #ImmigrantStories #SelfDiscovery


▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeBetweenTitles

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1olZo0VDvHh9w0F2D2vEir

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-between-titles/id1844748787

💼 Follow Savan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savankong/