In this episode of NEXT, Erika Parker Price sits down with career expert, writer, consultant, and speaker Jeremy Schifeling to talk about what it really means to build a meaningful career in a time of rapid change. Jeremy shares his unconventional path from teaching kindergarten to working at LinkedIn and Google, and eventually building his own career-focused business. Along the way, he explains why the old rules around job hopping no longer make sense, why small side projects can become life-changing opportunities, and why human skills are becoming more valuable than ever in an AI-shaped world. This conversation is packed with practical advice for anyone feeling stuck, curious, or ready for a change. Jeremy offers a simple framework for exploring what’s next, including how to use AI tools in a human-centered way, how to identify the overlap between your strengths and the world’s needs, and why doing the work is still the biggest differentiator.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why career paths no longer need to be linear
• How to start building something on the side without quitting your job
• Why “power skills” matter more than ever in the AI era
• How to use AI to uncover real human pain points
• A practical way to explore your next move using Ikigai
• Why high agency may be the most important skill of the future

Key takeaways:

• Small, consistent steps can lead to major career pivots over time.
• AI is powerful, but it works best when paired with empathy, storytelling, and human judgment.
• LinkedIn is not just an online resume — it’s part of your story and positioning.
• The best candidates and creators are the ones who do the work others won’t.
• Feeling stuck is often solved by creating options, not making a sudden leap.

“The work is the differentiator.”

“If you can dream it, you can build it.”

“We need people to build those skills and bring them into the workforce.”

“You are not a pawn in someone else’s game.”

About Jeremy Schifeling

Jeremy Schifeling is a writer, consultant, speaker, and career strategist who works with universities, students, and professionals around the world. His work focuses on helping people navigate career change, use AI thoughtfully, and build more human-centered careers.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

In this episode, Erika explores a question many people quietly ask themselves: why does someone else’s job sometimes look so appealing? Using the familiar “I want to be a barista” fantasy as a metaphor, she breaks down what’s really happening when we romanticize a different path. Erika shares insights from client conversations, Reddit threads, and a real-life conversation with a former barista to uncover four key reasons people are drawn to certain jobs: the environment, the meaning behind the work, the feeling of competence, and the financial/security piece. Along the way, she connects these themes to the concept of ikigai — the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for. Rather than treating these fantasies as signs that you should quit your job and become a barista, Erika reframes them as clues. They can reveal what you’re missing in your current life and point you toward what deserves more attention, research, and reflection.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why people are drawn to “other” jobs that seem simpler or more satisfying
• How the barista fantasy connects to deeper needs and values
• The four themes behind job envy: environment, meaning, skill, and money
• How ikigai can help you understand what you’re really seeking
• Why romanticizing another job can be a useful lesson, not necessarily a career directive

Key takeaways:

• If you keep wishing you had a different job, pay attention to what exactly appeals to you.
• The thing you admire may not be the job itself, but one of the elements inside it.
• Your envy can become a guide for what to explore next.
• Momentum comes from noticing the clues and moving toward them, even if you later decide it’s not the right path.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Ikigai
• Client reflections on career change
• Reddit discussions about leaving corporate work
• The “third place” idea and the value of community spaces

Closing thought:

The job you’re romanticizing may not be your destination — but it can be a powerful teacher on the way there.

Call to action:

If you’re interested in exploring ikigai more deeply, join Erika’s waitlist at erikaparkerprice.com/findyournext.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Today we're diving into how to tell when it's actually time to leave a job you could keep.

Leaving on your own terms is it's own kind of hard. There's no severance, no clean story, no external event to point at — just a growing sense that this isn't it anymore, and no obvious moment to act on it.

This episode is about that gap: how to know when the feeling is real, and what to do before you hand in anything.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Connie Kwan on story habits, identity, and building a new writing routine

Erika Parker Price interviews Connie Kwan, a builder and storyteller whose career spans product leadership, AI-powered prototyping, teaching storytelling, and now writing a book called STORYHabits. This conversation is both an origin story and a practical coaching session, as Connie walks Erika through her STORY framework for changing habits through identity and motivation.We discuss how habits shape career transitions, why identity is the missing piece in habit change, and how to make a goal small enough to actually stick. The episode also explores how AI is changing engineering team habits, code review, and norms faster than most organizations can adapt.

Key topics

• Connie Kwan’s path from corporate product leader to portfolio career as a builder and storyteller
• The origin of Story Habits
  • Connie’s thinking on habit change was shaped by her work at a smoking cessation company.
  • That experience gave her a scientific lens on motivation, behavior change, and what helps habits actually stick.
  • She later connected that with her storytelling work and realized identity and story were missing from the habit-change conversation.
•  Why identity matters more than streaks in habit building
• Workshop: Erika’s writing habit
• The S T O R Y framework
  • S - Set the right goal
  • T - Ten values
  • O - Overlay the habit onto a value
  • R - Run the test
  • Y - Evaluate whether the story worked or needs revision
  • Connie uses Erika’s own values to find an anchor that supports the writing habit.
• How to think about confidence and motivation
  • The goal should feel 90 percent achievable.
  • Connie emphasizes keeping both confidence and motivation above roughly 90 percent throughout the process.
  • Small wins matter because they create the loop that makes the habit repeatable.
• How AI is changing team habits

Timestamps

00:00 - Introducing Connie Kwan and the purpose of the episode
 01:46 - Why Connie fits both sides of the show’s mission
 05:14 - Connie introduces herself as a builder and storyteller
 06:23 - From smoking cessation to the origins of Story Habits
08:00 - Why identity is the missing piece in habit change
10:57 - How habits can rewrite your life one step at a time
13:16 - Inherited habits, hacked habits, and chosen habits
16:43 - Choosing Erika’s writing habit to workshop live
18:08 - S T O R Y begins with setting a realistic goal
20:50 - Defining values as anchors for habit change
22:27 - How connection becomes the strongest writing anchor
24:50 - Using courage as a possible motivation, then ruling it out
27:04 - Why creativity is central to Erika’s identity as a writer
30:10 - Future-focused fiction and the pressure to “get it right”
33:07 - Purpose as a deeper reason to write the book
34:42 - What Erika does instead of writing and why
36:25 - Moving from story work to logistics and calendar design
39:21 - The “because” that gets Erika to the desk
41:23 - Reviewing the S T O R Y framework and running the test
43:28 - Small goals for career change and skill building
48:41 - How team habits are changing in an AI-driven workplace
53:49 - Why teams need to rebuild norms around AI use
57:51 - Where to find Connie and what’s next for the follow-up
58:19 - Connie’s closing thought: rewrite your story to rewrite your habits

“Rewrite your story to rewrite your habits.”

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Kelly Tibbitts is an educator, a pastor, a coach, and a podcaster. When it comes to self-awareness, she's done all the work - Enneagram, StrengthsFinder, Human Design, Pat Lancioni's Six Types of Working Genius - and even coaches on many of the disciplines. 

That's why she was so surprised to discover that all that self-awareness didn't translate to her resume. She'd spent years accepting lesser titles and lower salary, as she'd been raised to believe that "women get paid in praise." 

A little bit of coaching and a resume re-write was all it took for her to step into her full capability - and land her next role as an Executive Director. 

For more information on Kelly, check out her website or podcast, Live a Vibrant Life. 

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

How do you want to approach the rapidly changing landscape of your career when it comes to AI? In this episode, Erika proposes the framework proposed by Encode at Plan for AI. 

1. Sleeper
2. Tactician
3. Anchor
4. Shaper

If you haven't seen it yet, check out The AI Doc: How I Became an Apocaloptimist, currently streaming on Apple.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Elizabeth Field DiGiovanni was only a few hours into her layoff from Meta when she had already established the LLC for Parcel Air, her entrepreneurial venture providing screen-free activity boxes for flying with little kids - individually wrapped and shipped straight to your door! 

Rather than jump into a job search, she decided to take advantage of the time and money her severance offered, and run a 6-week sprint to see what was possible with a strong vision, an AI back-end, strategic freelance hires from within her inner circle plus Claude as her Chief of Staff. 

When we spoke she was 60 days into the business, already breaking even, and finding an entirely new level of work-life integration as she discovered her ikigai (the intersection of what she loves to do, what she's good at, what the world needs, and what she can get paid for). 

Watch her build the company publicly by subscribing to From the Desk of EFD on Substack. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

If you're curious to discover your own ikigai, stay tuned for my Find Your Next workshop this fall. Join the waitlist to be the first to be notified! 

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

While it's harder to "land your next job" in 2026 than it's been in years, it's easier than ever to build something of your own.

In this first episode under the new name, I make the case for both — and walk through the six pieces of the stack I used to build my own business, most of which cost nothing.

Whether you're staying, searching, or ready to pivot, you're the one in the driver's seat.

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

This is our last show under the name Land Your Next Job. 

I'm shifting to NEXT so we can answer the bigger question of what's next that so many people are asking me. 

It'll still be in your feed, so if you haven't already like, subscribe, and follow! 

And come find me on Substack!

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn

Running towards = positive energy 

Running away = negative energy

Regardless of the circumstances of how you landed here, you can definitely reframe where you're headed into a future-facing "towards" rather than a past-looking "away."

That simple change shows up in your words, your body language, your energy - and eventually, the outcome you seek. 

Ready to get support on what's next? Check out erikaparkerprice.com and book a free call.

Questions? Comments? DM Erika on LinkedIn