My Life Be Like...

Have you ever been to a show on Broadway or watched live musicals in the theater? Curious to know about what the life is like of someone who lives that life!?

Matthew Smedal grew up wanting to be an astronaut, but that quickly changed as he veered his life away from space and into the music scene!

He graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with her BA in Music, got her MA in  and all but his PhD Dissertation in Piano Performance/Music from West Virginia University.

He stepped away from school to work and what a decision that turned out to be. From WV to Los Angeles to Broadway... Matt has worked for some of the biggest theater productions in the last decade+. 

Currently (pre-pandemic, of course), Matt is the Associate Music Director for Mrs. Doubtfire which will open on Broadway in Manhattan as soon as the restrictions are lifted! 

Listen to Matt talk about life on the road, life behind the scenes of major productions, the business of Broadway, balancing home/work life, contract negotiation, and so much more! 

If you're a fan of musicals, Broadway, theater, or anything creative... you need to here this episode! 

Vikas Chokshi always knew he wanted to work in sports, it just took him a little longer to get there than he thought he would. Starting in the IT industry, Vikas has an incredible journey finding him finally opening up his own sports marketing consultancy, publishing articles as a sportswriter, and hosting his own sports based podcast!

He received her BS in Information Technology from Marquette University and is currently working on getting his MBA from the University of Illinois! 

Vikas spent 8 years out of college doing IT work and then started his own painting w/ drinks location, but nothing was going to keep him from getting into the sports industry. After dealing with multiple "crossroad" moments in his career, he made it to where he is by sheer determination and confidence in himself. 

He's got great insight, a wealth of knowledge, and real world experiences that have all shaped him into the person he is today. He continues to juggle his company, his articles, his podcast, his MBA, his family, and his life... and is successful at all of them! 

Feel free to reach out to him or follow him on the various social media platforms! 

Hear his journey now! 

Marisa Debboli-Cop started out her life wanting to be a "baby doctor" aka pediatrician or someone who worked in the medical field. She was always interested in science, medicine, and healthcare.

She started her college career focusing on Exercise Science, but ended up getting her her BA in History from the University of New Hampshire after changing her path along the way! 

After getting her degree from UNH, Marisa thought PA school was next in her journey. She took classes at a local community college to set-up her application for that process. When she didn't get into the schools she applied to, Marisa ended up on a different path than what she started out on. 

In her current role, Marisa now works for Yale University focusing on clinical trials and working through pharma proposals for the implementation of new clinical trials for various disease types! 

Marisa is a perfect example of someone who took a detour from the "standard" route, but has ended up in a position and field that she feels is perfect for. 

Hear her tell her unabashed version of her story now! 

Ragini Baxi initially wanted to be an astronaut. Then, because she didn't like Math... Medicine/Healthcare was it for her. She started out thinking about being a doctor and has instead changed her path to focus on some other aspects of the healthcare world!

She received her BS in Biology from UCLA and then went on to get her Masters in Health Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill! 

If there is anything you can take away from Ragini's story, it's that people and networking are major parts of all industries. You can't do anything if you can't deal with people and having a sizable network can come in handy in so many ways! 

In her current role, Ragini focuses on growing her organization's internal culture and operational focus. On a path to the C-Suite, Ragini has some amazing experiences that she's open to sharing with everyone! 

Hear this story now and feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn to grow her network even further! 

Brian "BJ" Klock had one goal in mind when he was growing up and that was to help people and make a lot of money doing it. It wasn't about one specific path, but the end goal had been established.

He left high school and attended High Point University in North Carolina, planning to complete his psychology degree and then take on the world. 

Before completing his Junior year of college, BJ returned home to Connecticut and started looking for jobs and opportunities to earn some money to fund his education. His life would never be the same after that. 

Listen in as we talk about BJ joining my sales team doing door-to-door sales and how that helped him establish some foundational principles that led him to start multiple ventures in his professional career. 

In her current role, BJ is the Founder & CEO of Advisight that helps celebrities and organizations with their marketing and social media footprint. 

Hear this story now! 

~Note~ Please be prepared for mature language. 

Born and raised in Belgium, Divya's journey is quite interesting on how she got from Antwerpen to Chicago with stops in London and Philadelphia!

Divya was initially thinking about doing something with animals... like being a veterinarian or a zoologist. She ended up taking numerous biology classes in her Brussels high school and went on to fall in love with genetics!

She graduated from University College London with her B.S. in Human Genetics and got her M.S. in Genetic Counseling from Arcadia University. 

By the stroke of luck, a lecture in her final year of undergrad sparked an interest in the field of genetic counseling and Divya has never looked back! 

In her current role, Divya is a genetic counselor for a genetic testing company that primarily focuses on embryonic testing for patients struggling with infertility or a history of genetic disorders! 

Hear her full story now! 

Tune in as Mark takes us on his journey from wanting to be an illustrator to having an idea for a product and creating his own company!

He graduated from Sacred Heart University with his BA in Graphic Design and also spent a year at the School of Visual Arts focusing on spec design and portfolio work. 

In his current role, Mark is the Founder of Gatherband & Gatherband.com

His journey was headed in a very specific direction for a while, but then took numerous turns through the Concrete Jungle of New York City to finally land him in his current position in North Carolina. 

Mark had an idea for Gatherband and nurtured that idea into a full-blown product and now a legitimate company. Hear how this creative went from art to advertising to entrepreneur to company owner! 

Listen in now! 

Tune in as Matt and I talk about his road from a small town to being a TV reporter in the #11 market in the country!

He graduated from Syracuse University with his BA in English and then got his MS from Quinnipiac University in Journalism. 

In his current role, Matt is a TV reporter for the Fox affiliate in Phoenix, AZ!  

His journey is pretty incredible when you think about where he started and where he has ended up, especially considering the amazing pieces that had to fall perfectly into place for him to be on that journey from Connecticut to New York back to Connecticut to Florida to Arizona! 

Matt has an incredible story and one I'm excited for you all to hear! Also, if you're anywhere near Phoenix, be sure to follow Matt at @MattGalkaFox10 on social media as he continues to cover all the stories in your area! 

Click on it now! 

Rishwa grew up wanting to be a teacher, but then a summertime college program before her Junior year of high school changed all of that. She heard about Industrial Design on a college visit and the rest is history!

She graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology with her B.S. in Industrial Design and has been in product design ever since! 

The road wasn't as smooth and direct as you may think as there was a point where she needed to find her passion and commitment to her craft. Rishwa candidly talks about overcoming adversity and how that has brought her to the place she is today! 

Rishwa started her career designing shoes for a small shoe design consultancy outside of Boston and now she works on projects for major brands at a product design firm in Connecticut! Can you imagine seeing a product that you designed on the shelves at a major retailer like K-Mart or Sears? What a feeling that must have been. 

Check it out now! 

In honor of Blackout Tuesday...