Paths in Progress

Gitte has worked across a wide variety of industries in multiple countries around the world.  Listening to her story, you will hear about someone who strives to push herself to try new things and accept new challenges, often in a new country!  As a young person, Gitte experienced watching the fall of the Berlin wall in her home country of Germany. That experience, as well as watching her own father’s enjoyable legal career, led her to want to pursue an education in law.  Gitte’s experience is incredibly varied through each of her professional experiences, and yet all of the threads weave well together in her story to lead her to where she is today.  I have no doubt she has more exciting adventures ahead, too!  Don't miss her story and the lessons she has learned along her path.

Growing up in the Washington, D.C area with two parents working for the Federal government, it’s not surprising that Katie was raised to love history and eventually work in the Federal Government and the rich museum culture her city is famous for.  How does her love of music and theater lead her down this path?  Listen to hear about how Katie has woven together her multiple interests and experiences to form her career path, and like many of us, it’s still a Path in Progress!  

Growing up in Italy, Urmi thought she may want to study either psychology or pursue her interest in languages. After moving to Canada to begin college, she started to pursue International Business, but soon discovered that Finance is what truly sparked her interest.  Urmi’s love of learning and devoted discipline have helped her to flourish within her career, as well as within the pursuit of her personal interests. Join us to hear about how Urmi has already reached many significant goals on her path and why Finance is the industry she chose for her career. 

You can follow Urmi on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@urmihossain

As a leader in nonprofit organizations, Jenni Rebecca has used talents and skills she has developed along her path–but has also made sure to be aware of what she doesn’t know, and seek learning opportunities to fill those gaps.  If you have interest in the nonprofit space, Jenni Rebecca speaks at length about her experience in different nonprofit organizations, both within and outside the arts, to give us some insight into what is involved in that career path.  Jenni Rebecca’s story is another example of using transferable skills across your career, genuine networking, and how participation in the arts can teach us some of the most valuable lessons for our professional careers. 

How do you choose an educational path when you are interested in several subjects, and then one you choose first ends up not being the right path for you? You keep your options open, take classes in as many areas as you can within your degree, talk to a lot of people, ask a lot of questions, and try things out until you find your way.  That’s what Claire did, and it led her to some incredible opportunities that helped her build a meaningful career in a field she loves.  In this episode, you will hear about several opportunities for career paths within our federal government, and Claire will describe the fellowship she received, a Presidential Management Fellowship, and why she recommends applying for fellowships like this if you are interested in federal service. We talk about networking and how many of Claire’s opportunities resulted from conversations she had with people she didn’t initially know. If you have an interest in Ecology, mission driven work, and the preservation of our National Forests and resources, don’t miss this episode!

For information about the Presidential Management Fellowship, look here: https://www.pmf.gov/

To learn about the Resource Assistants Program, go here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/careers/resource-assistants-program

Many students find a home in the Arts in high school. Some students build their education and career dreams from that experience, and sometimes those dreams don’t initially work out. When he didn’t get into his dream school, Jeff made some different choices to not only become a better actor, but to become the person he wanted to be. Life circumstances gave him reason to take some unexpected turns along his career path (political campaigns?), but everything came together in the career he has today–in Broadway Licensing!  Who knew he would end up in a space with such historical significance to the acting field? Check out Jeff’s story to hear how everything came together into the incredible career he has today.  

Jeff’s TedEx talk that we reference in our conversation:

How To Make A Lasting Impression | Jeffery Keilholtz | TEDxRockville

Most of us have encountered Human Resources when we have applied for jobs or internships, through our applications, interviews, paychecks, and policies. What is it like to work in Human Resources?  What kind of things do you do? Melissa had many interests in college and began to identify some things about her strengths and interests to help guide her in her early career decisions.  She has taken intentional actions throughout her education and career to learn more and gain skills to advance. This episode is helpful not only for those interested specifically in Human Resources and Project Management, but also for those who have a wide variety of interests in college and are looking for how to take steps forward throughout their career.  I wanted to interview Melissa because I knew she would have fantastic advice and guidance for people in a variety of places in their education and career - and she delivered!  

From a young age, Christina loved reading and writing, so she thought she would someday become an author.  As she grew up, theater became another love in her life, and she was encouraged by her voice teacher to pursue singing. When looking at colleges, Christina wanted to find a school where she could pursue both English and Music.  Join us as Christina describes her experience double majoring in undergrad, what graduate school taught her, her first career as an active opera singer and her life in New York City, followed by a new chapter starting a family and launching a business. As a business owner in a different city, Christina explains why it was important to her to dive into community engagement and leadership opportunities. In the marketing strategy work she does now, she goes full circle back to her love of storytelling, using the skills from her English degree every single day. 

Life events can often shape how we choose the career path we follow and how we want to make a difference in the lives of others.  For Jennifer, a significant event in her teenage years impacted her significantly and led her to learn how she could use her love of music as a career in a way she had not imagined before. Even if you think you know something about Music Therapy, you will leave this conversation knowing so much more and be inspired by the limitless possibilities to help others in ways you didn’t know existed.  If you have any interest in music, psychology, the medical field, physical therapy, or inventive ways to help people, you need to hear Jennifer’s story!  

If you are interested in learning more about the field of Music Therapy, please visit The American Music Therapy Association at www.musictherapy.org. 

How did Kylie go from studying journalism and Spanish in college, to working several years in advertising, and then return to school to pursue a fulfilling career in nursing? You may be surprised by how many skills are transferable between these different academic and career spaces. Join us to hear how Kylie wove everything together along her unique career path, while continuously following what was best for her and her family in each chapter of her life.  It’s never too late to alter your path, learn new skills, and pursue different types of work that best suit your life and your interests.