The 100 Jobs Project

Hey there! My baby has officially arrived!! 

I originally planned on having episodes prepped and ready to go when he made his appearance — but during the weeks leading up to my due date, my extended family had an unforeseen loss that shifted my plans and the time I had previously set aside for interviews. 

I’m sharing a bit of detail about what’s new in my life on this mini episode/update, as well as what you can expect from the few weeks of “maternity leave” that I’m taking! I’ll be back in a few weeks with fresh interviews (probably the first week of October?) — but in the meantime, I’ll be snuggling my new little one and adjusting to life as a family of four. 

Thanks for listening, and thanks for sticking around! Can’t wait to chat again soon. 

Have you considered becoming a teacher—but wondered if it would limit your opportunities for travel, family or a well rounded life you love?

In this episode, I’m talking with my sister, Lexi, a high school choir director in the Pacific Northwest, about her path into teaching. We get into everything from the classes in her program and a summer teaching music in Kenya, to student teaching, licensure and landing a job out of state. We talk through what it’s taken to build up a music program she’s proud of and how she balances her career with her husband’s job, raising kids, and prioritizing travel with her family.

She shares how she’s grown her choir numbers, built new events and fundraising programs that have allowed her students to travel internationally (including a recent trip to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania!) and ultimately led to her being awarded “Teacher of the Year” by her school district. Plus, we get into what’s in her workbag and how she spends her evenings and summers!

If you’re considering teaching or curious about how one teacher has built a career that works for her life, this one’s for you.

This week, I'm joined by Alicia, a physician’s assistant working in emergency medicine in the Pacific Northwest. We talk about what first drew her to PA school and the ER, what a typical shift actually looks like, and the realities of working nights before jumping back into daytime life with a family. Alicia also shares how growing up with older brothers, playing sports, and moving across the country for school and work shaped her career and life. We chat through what she brings (and wears!) to work, coordinating childcare with a partner who also works in healthcare, and building a life that leaves room for both financial security and travel.

Beyond medicine, Alicia has built a platform around investing, financial freedom, and intentional spending after realizing many of her highly educated coworkers didn't feel confident navigating retirement accounts, employee benefits, or planning for the future. 

Whether you're interested in a career in healthcare, curious about emergency medicine, or looking to be more intentional with your money, this episode is for you!

Connect with Alicia:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicia_kags/

Find me on social/online at:

📸 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/100jobsproject⁠

🔗 Web: ⁠⁠100jobsproject.com⁠⁠ 

About this podcast: The 100 Jobs Project shares personal stories about work. Each guest speaks from their own experience, and their views and opinions are their own—not those of their employer or affiliated organizations. 

In this episode, Hannah shares her unique journey from chemical engineering to psychology (and back!), her experiences as a woman in STEM, and insights on balancing career, family, and personal growth. We chat through interesting projects she tackles during her day to day job, and get into what starting her own business (and podcast 👏) looked like, along with how she navigates those personal commitments alongside her day job.

Hannah co-hosts a podcast and runs an Instagram channel highlighting relatable insights and real advice for women in STEM careers. Connect with her here:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemwithhannah

🎧 Spotify: (Fe)male Dominated Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6nv8X2xn8kg1dpfXW6tOiU?si=VXG7-4zjTlGqQrC5Zby-Cg

If you're interested in practical advice for women in male-dominated industries and how to thrive professionally and personally, this episode is for you.

Find us on social/online at:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/100jobsproject

🔗 Web: ⁠100jobsproject.com⁠ 

About this podcast: The 100 Jobs Project shares personal stories about work. Each guest speaks from their own experience, and their views and opinions are their own—not those of their employer or affiliated organizations. 

Summer tends to be a season when routines change—maybe you're traveling, spending more time outside (or finally catching up on podcasts you've had saved for months). 

So instead of introducing someone new today (I know!! we're all set to be back on our interview grind next week), we’re revisiting a handful of conversations that I think are especially great summer listens. 

Whether you're brand new here or you've missed a few episodes along the way, these are five conversations I'd recommend starting with, depending on your vibe for the summer. 

Tune in for inspo if:

…if you’re binging anything with east coast beachy vibes,

…if you’ve caught the travel bug this summer,

…if you’re feeling energized to start (or work on) a side hustle,

…if you’re reorganizing your house,

…OR if you just want a dreamy escape.

See you next week with our next interview!

Taking a quick break from interviews this week because…after three years, countless late nights, changing careers, starting a business, raising a toddler and announcing my second pregnancy—I finally graduated from Georgetown with my MBA!

Two of the questions I've been asked most since finishing are, “What are your plans now?” and, “How did you do grad school as a (super cute, fun, young, amazing, insert flattering adjective here) mom?” 😉 So this week, I'm taking a break from interviewing someone else to answer those questions—because a big part of why I started this podcast was to figure out my next steps while I was in school.

In this solo episode, I'm reflecting on going back to school for a graduate program, the strategies that helped me balance classes with work and parenthood, and the lessons I wish I'd known before I started. From setting realistic expectations and communicating with loved ones, to finding routines that actually work, these are the practical tips that helped me along the way.

Whether you're single or a parent considering grad school, starting a new program this fall, or simply trying to juggle multiple priorities in a busy season of life, I hope this episode gives you a realistic picture of what's ahead—and reminds you that sometimes "good enough" really is enough.  

🔗 Website: 100jobsproject.com

📸 IG: https://www.instagram.com/100jobsproject 

How does a Product Manager at Microsoft land a job, and what does their day to day actually look like?

In this episode, I sit down with Noopur to talk about her journey from growing up in India and Shanghai to building a career in product management at Microsoft. After attending college and starting her career in India, she moved to the U.S. to pursue a master's degree at Duke University, where she landed an internship—and eventually a full-time role.

We talk about what any job as a product manager entails, her career progression, and what it’s like working in a hybrid environment with teams all around the world. Noopur also shares how structures her workdays, balances life outside the office through running, cooking, reading and more—and (as usual!) gives us a peek inside her work bag. We also chat about how she maintains long distance relationships with loved ones living across the glove.

Whether you're interested in product management, Big Tech, or simply curious about what a career as a product manager looks like day-to-day, this episode offers an honest look inside the role—and the life that comes with it.

About this podcast: The 100 Jobs Project shares personal stories about work. Each guest speaks from their own experience, and their views and opinions are their own—not those of their employer or affiliated organizations. 

What does it take to build and scale teams at some of the world's fastest-growing companies?

In this episode, I sit down with Angie Balfour, a seasoned Chief People Officer who (among many impressive roles!) previously served as Head of HR at Instagram, to discuss her journey from a high school business competition to leading people strategy at high-growth companies.

Angie shares how an early mentor helped her recognize her strengths, her first role after college, earning an MBA while working full-time, and the path that eventually led her to Meta. There, she helped scale Instagram's workforce from a few hundred employees to more than a thousand during a period of rapid growth.

Since leaving Meta, Angie has served as Chief People Officer at multiple companies, including leading one through an IPO. We talk about how early-career choices can shape long-term opportunities, how to identify the right stretch assignments, lessons learned from failure, and the traits that make great leaders.

We also discuss how Angie's personal life has intersected with her career. As a cancer survivor and caregiver to her mother following a Parkinson's diagnosis, Angie shares how she navigated stepping away from work during difficult seasons, returning to her career, and how those experiences now shape the way she supports employees facing health challenges and major life events.

This episode is for anyone interested in people leadership, HR, career growth, navigating life's unexpected challenges, or building a meaningful career over the long term.

From studying bats in Belize to launching her own research as a new professor, Alyson's career has taken her across the country—and deep into the world of wildlife biology.

Growing up surrounded by the forests of the northeastern United States, Alyson developed an early love for the outdoors that eventually led her to study biology. In this episode, she shares how she narrowed her interests over time, along with her journey pursuing specialized master's and PhD programs focused on bat research–and moving around the country for the school, fieldwork, and new opportunities that came with it.

We talk about conducting research in places like the Pacific Northwest, Belize, and Panama, the path to highly specialized graduate programs, and why finding the right mentors can make all the difference when pursuing a niche area of study. Alyson also explains how complementary postdoctoral research experiences helped prepare her for a career in academia.

Today, she's back near her hometown as a university professor in Pennsylvania. We discuss her first year of teaching, starting her own research, contributing to conservation organizations, authoring a book, creating educational content online, and balancing it all with life outside of work.

If you've ever wondered what a career in wildlife biology or academia really looks like, this episode is for you.

Connect with Alyson:

🎥: https://www.instagram.com/alyb_batgirl

🔗: https://www.alysonbrokaw.com/

Learn more about Bat Conservation!

https://www.batcon.org/news/blog/

Ever daydream about owning a flower shop in New England? 🌸

In this episode, I sit down with Liz, founder of Mellow Botanical, to talk about her journey from nannying and  marketing to becoming a self-taught florist and successful business owner.

Liz shares how a love of flowers emerged during a challenging season of life as she navigated motherhood and divorce, eventually leading her to build a thriving floral business from the ground up. We talk about landing her first wedding, opening a storefront, surviving COVID as a predominately event-based business, marketing her services, hiring staff, and growing into a larger studio.

She also gives a behind-the-scenes look at life as a florist today, including what a typical day looks like, how she found mentors in a field she entered without formal training, and her advice for aspiring florists and serious hobbyists alike.

Whether you're dreaming of owning a floral studio, considering starting a creative business, or simply curious about what life as a florist is really like, this conversation is full of practical insights and inspiration.

Connect with Liz & Explore Her Work:
💐 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mellowbotanical/
🔗 Website: https://www.mellowbotanical.com/