The Career Guy

This is the final segment of a two-part interview with Anique Sara Taylor. Anique is an established author of the following books Civil Twilight, Where Space Bends, and Poems. She is regarded with a high profile in the writer community with her numerous awards and nominations including the winner of the 2022 Blue Light Poetry Prize for Civil Twilight.

Anique has an MFA in Poetry from Drew University, a Diploma from The Sorbonne located in Paris, an MFA with Highest Honors in Drawing and Painting from Pratt Institute, and a Master of Divinity Degree. She studied literature at Antioch College, poetry at St. Mark’s Poetry Project with Alice Notley, and then Bernadette Mayer. She is also a regular at Wallson Glass Poem-Making Sessions with Geoffrey Nutter.

As the title suggests this episode explores Anique's long-life devotion to writing. The episode starts with sharing how other adventures of her life such as art have led her into who she is now. In essence, developing her writing has created a life of lessons. It is not a linear process, it is a conglomeration of experiences.

We talk about her daily practice and the habits she infuses into her writing. There may be some real surprises, such as the fact that discipline and focus are the nuances of producing good writing. We explore the myth of “writer's block” and how she overcomes it and remains productive. We explore creativity, and how someone like her unleashes her imagination. Above all, and most importantly, her frame of mind is the product of her good physical health. Her dedication to her self-care ensures that she is in a good place for good creative writing. She explains how she works on herself and her craft trying to improve consistently. To be a better version of ourselves is the lesson.

The business side of being a writer is talked about. This includes complex and sensitive topics of being creative while making deadlines. When she knows it is time to call an editor and to work with one. Book publishing and resources that are available are discussed. In addition, how she has developed herself as a leader in her communities by being a resource and an inspiration to other writers is shown.

This interview does cater to anyone interested in writing or being a published author. It will appeal to anyone interested in any avenue of creative endeavors and how to approach them. It addresses how to live as an artist, encompassing in particular the business side. Overall, it is about life, as Anique is an example we all could live up to. We should all strive as she does, to the devotion of her work by constantly improving it without the need for outside validation. It is about our work and how it fulfills us, and remaining true to ourselves which is the best measurement. In her case, it is about writing and working with the words. She is a real example to live by.

https://aniquesarataylor.com/

This is part one of a two-part interview with Anique Sara Taylor. Anique is an established author of the following books Civil Twilight, Where Space Bends, and Poems. She is regarded with a high profile in the writer community with her numerous awards and nominations including the winner of the 2022 Blue Light Poetry Prize for Civil Twilight.

Anique has an MFA in Poetry from Drew University, a Diploma from The Sorbonne located in Paris, an MFA with Highest Honors in Drawing and Painting from Pratt Institute, and a Master of Divinity Degree. She studied literature at Antioch College, poetry at St. Mark’s Poetry Project with Alice Notley, and then Bernadette Mayer. She is also a regular at Wallson Glass Poem-Making Sessions with Geoffrey Nutter.

Anique’s story is revolutionary, as we talk about growing up in the 50s, and exploring the idea of being able to express oneself fully. Her influences from family, friends, and teachers are shared. All of this led to her interest in the art, and, more so writing.

We talk about some of her setbacks including depression. Her take on this health issue is brought forward, leading to a fruitful discussion on how to overcome this and prosper. Anique’s adventure in Paris while attending The Sorbonne and how the culture furthered her development toward the arts.

Returning to the United States and completing high school, the story opens up on her academic journey. Studying literature, her desire to pursue writing, and how art was presented to her are fully discussed. The development of her hidden talent in drawing, painting, and sculpting is illustrated.

This interview will appeal to anyone interested in creativity and how we develop that, particularly in the arts and writing. History is included as Anique’s life is extensive. Life lessons are discussed as Anique demonstrates how she approaches setbacks and adversity, with a sense of curiosity that inspires her to grow as a person. Her story is an inspiration for how devotion and commitment to unpredictable opportunities (in her case art) will allow a person to flourish in multiple dimensions. We further explore this in the next episode, focusing on her development as a writer.

https://aniquesarataylor.com/

This interview is with Murray Emery, owner and head recording engineer of “Crooks Hollow Studio” in Calgary Alberta, Canada. Also, he is an accomplished musician and the founding member of the rock band “Prisoner”. Murray is a graduate of the Broadcast System Technologies program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology known as SAIT. He is also a graduate of the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology program referred to as OIART.

This interview starts with Murray describing growing up and his experiences working for his dad’s construction company. He emphasizes that this experience from working at a young age enabled him to develop his discipline, work ethic, and interpersonal skills that have led him to prosper. He talks about how he grew his interest in music and in doing so, established his skills as a musician.

Knowing this, we talked about how he wanted to pursue music as a career. Understanding that this is not a stable career choice, Murray explains how he researched all possible avenues that would enable him to build a more stable career in this industry. This leads to a discussion regarding his educational endeavors listed above.

Upon graduating we delve into his journey as a musician including starting his band “Prisoner”. This led to a conversation on his travels to Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville where he furthered his understanding of the ins and outs of the music industry. Coming back to his roots in Calgary, we discuss how he built his recording studio “Crooks Hollow Studio”.

This conversation encompasses the physical build-out and equipment that furnishes his studio. How he works with musicians and how he is establishing himself in the local music scene are all illustrated. In addition, this is all supported by his knowledge of the music industry as a whole and as an artist.

This interview will cater to anyone interested in having a career in the music industry, the arts, or in music in general. It will intrigue anyone interested in broadcasting and or film. Entrepreneurship and leadership are fully disclosed by Murray’s many examples of how he is building his business by further establishing and enhancing the local music scene. Above all, this is an insightful, motivational, and inspiring interview as Murray’s story is an example of how we should all live our lives. If we are willing to take the time and effort to figure ourselves out, to become clear with our intentions, and then be willing to work towards our goals or desires, we will live a fulfilled life as Murray does.

https://crookshollow.ca/

https://www.instagram.com/prisonerbandofficial/?igsh=MWx3d2QxeHVidGg1Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

This episode is with Shikhar Sachdev. Shikhar is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley where he completed a bachelor's degree in philosophy and environmental economics. He is also a graduate of the Launch School Software Engineering Program. He is passionate about career development which is supported by the many blogs he has written, particularly one called “Job Hunting Sucks; which went viral.

This interview starts with Shikhar’s background which includes immigrating from Switzerland to California. He talks about his experiences at the University of California and why he majored in philosophy. The benefits of pursuing such a degree are highlighted and there are some surprises. Also, there are good discussions on how one should approach a university education. It is revealed that it is a time of exploring and discovering abilities, interests, and passion. It is a unique time in life in building the foundations for life. Some really important life and career lessons are shared.

Living in the Bay Area Shikhar explains how he came about his first line of employment as an “Account Manager”. More importantly how he made the transition into a more technical role as a “Solutions Engineer”. There is insight on how a person can pursue a career in the technical world of IT. The conversation comes from both perspectives. Technical people graduating from computer sciences and engineering and non-technical such as Shikhar with his education in philosophy.

We talk about how Shikhar explores his creative side by writing blogs on his website www.careerfair.io. There is a good conversation on his famous blog “Job Hunting Sucks”. First, we talk about what it is like when our work goes viral, there are some good points for any creative person. More importantly, there is a good dialogue on job hunting and career development.

This interview will cater to anyone interested in getting into the technical world of IT. It will appeal to anyone interested in pursuing an education in philosophy or one of the liberal arts as the many hidden benefits are revealed from such an undertaking. Creative people will benefit from this as well, as there is an inside look at how someone like Shikhar approaches his artistic endeavors. Above all and more importantly, career development, why it is so important, and how we all go about developing our path. This is an informative thought-provoking and inspiring episode with the conclusion that the only obstacle, we face is our own.

www.careerfair.io

This interview is with Andy Read a man of many talents. This is an amazing story that deals with self-discovery leading to transformation which results in Andy living an amazing life.

The interview starts with Andy growing up in England and joining the military at the age of 19. He gives a very detailed description of his experiences within the force which lasted 9 years. In leaving the army, he describes how he and his family adjusted to civilian life. This is an eye-opener as the transformation was not easy.

With the skills he acquired from the military, we talk about his first employment opportunity outside the military which was at the Welding Institute in Cambridge, England. Also, at this time he describes the process it took to establish immigrant status that would enable him and his family to move to Canada.

There is a good account regarding the process of moving to Canada, and more importantly, how he came about an employment opportunity as a technician in the Science Workshop in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary. We then go into a dialogue regarding this role and what it entailed. The listener will develop an appreciation for the type of work that involves doing research in the sciences and engineering.

Andy spent three years in this position as he describes to the one day where he was being laid off. In doing so he became self-employed doing contract work within the same area. He reveals the turmoil that this caused for him and his family by painting a realistic perspective of being an entrepreneur. Furthermore, he exposes the emotional trauma that this caused him leading to an undesirable path.

Being at a low point he then describes his turning point in life and how he discovered and developed his faith. The process of how he unites himself with his faith which leads to building his relationship with his family and establishing his new leadership role in the science workshop is talked about in detail. There is a fruitful discussion on leadership and how someone like Andy made the Science Workshop a viable and vital entity within the U of C. In establishing this success, determining the next phase in life is further discussed.

Andy conveys the next chapter in his life which is deciding to retire from the U of C. Exploring options and making the decision to pursue missionary work and what that entailed are talked about. There are examples of the work he does now and how he serves his community.

This interview will cater to anyone interested in a career in the military. Listeners interested in an area that involves prototyping, fabricating, optics, welding, and machining for science and engineering research would benefit from this episode. A candid look at entrepreneurship is talked about as well. In addition, there are many examples of leadership as Andy is a leader in many facets of his life. More importantly, it is about leaving a legacy of how we can become better, and by doing so we can benefit others as well. This is all furnished by his missionary work and serving his community. This is an open and honest interview about self-exploration. Understanding that we are more than our careers or jobs and knowing how we can all develop to find and follow our purpose will enable us to shine.

This interview is with Richard “Ric” Lindberg, an IT specialist focusing on cyber security and analytics. He is a well-known leader for coaching and mentoring people to build healthier and better relationships which, is supported by his podcast “Results and Relationships”.

In this interview, Ric explains how he went from gaming to becoming a computer nerd, leading him to a career as an IT specialist. As Ric explains at the start of the interview his passion for gaming developed his technical ability to build computer networks for him and his friends. With limited resources, he talks about how he learned to improve computer performance and increase the capacity of the games.

There is a good talk on how he came about his first line of employment at a local computer store and how he transcended into the business world of Information Technology (IT). In doing so Ric opens up and talks about how he as a young insecure person was dealing with much more prominent business people. There is a good dialogue on how a person like him started to realize and how he went about developing not only his soft skills but also his business skills.

As we go through his career, we talk about the responsibilities he had and some of the interesting work he encountered. This was for small firms that grew because of the IT craze but also for some of the Fortune 500 companies as well. He provides some insight based on his experiences of what it is like to work for some of these Fortune 500 companies.

The listener will develop an understanding of how and why the world of Information Technology has affected business and our daily lives. There is a discussion on the future of IT, incorporating AI. The listener will develop an understanding of how someone like Rick started to develop his leadership roles and what that entailed. We talk about his various learning endeavors including the Akimbo workshops Ric has completed and coached. In addition, with the ever-changing advances in technology, there is a good talk on strategy for learning.

This interview is full of insight and information regarding our technical world and people and their relationships. It will appeal to anyone interested in a career in the technology sector. There is a history of how the computing world has changed both our personal lives and business. There is some eye-opening conversation as to how some Fortune 500 companies use technology. Above all and more importantly, it is how a person can learn to be a better person or become a leader as vulnerability, humility, and communication are talked about.

If interested Ric can be reached at the contact below. In doing so make sure in the connect request to add the listener listens to the “Career Guy” podcast hosted by Mickey Horvath.

https://linkedin.com/in/RicLindberg

This is the second installment of a two-part interview with Henry Yiu. Henry is the principal and creative director at “States of Matter” a marketing firm in Seattle, Washington.

This episode continues where Henry is attending Cornish College where he talks about working on an associate degree in engineering. There is a good discussion on his transition from Purdue University to Cornish College and some good insights and surprises. More importantly, he talks about taking art classes as his electives and how this sparked his passion. He explains that in these classes, he realized that art was important and required just as much discipline as engineering. Also, how and where art is used and the type of career a person can have encompassing these interests is discussed in detail.

Henry is using art as the focal point. The interview goes through how he tried and researched various disciplines such as industrial design, graphic arts, and finally marketing, which he pursued. This episode then goes into a detailed discussion of marketing as a field, covering topics from education to getting a job, working in the industry, and starting a marketing firm.

This is an uplifting and encouraging episode illustrating how someone like Henry discovers his passion which is art and explores various avenues where this discipline can be used. In doing so this episode will appeal to anyone interested in the arts in general, industrial design, graphic arts, and marketing. Entrepreneurship is talked about as Henrey’s story includes striking out on his own and building a business “States of Matter”. More importantly, it is how someone like Henry tested various career paths to find his calling. Some life lessons on finding one's true colors.

https://www.statesofmatter.com/

This is the first segment of a two-part interview with Henry Yiu principal and creative director at “States of Matter” a marketing firm in Seattle, Washington.

In this interview, Henry opens up and describes his experiences when he immigrated from China. He talks about how he overcame the English language barrier and adapted to the school system in the Midwest of the United States. He paints a story of growing up and how he developed his interests in math, sciences, and the arts.

He conveys a lot about himself in trying to figure out what he could do as a career with his passions—leading to a discussion on how he decided to pursue a predictable route in engineering. This then, led to how he researched and evaluated a variety of universities leading to his selection to attend Purdue University.

In attending Purdue Henry gives the listener a vivid illustration of his experiences attending such an institute. This includes the culture shock as he came out of high school as a student at the top of his class and then struggled to keep up with the demands placed on him at Purdue. This interview has many good conversations that address the pressures on the social and psychological front that some students face when they are on the wrong career path.

This interview will cater to anyone who has experienced or is experiencing the implications of being an immigrant and how someone like Henery adapted settled down and excelled. There is some insight into engineering programs at respective universities. More importantly, this illustrates how someone like Henry dealt with the turmoil of being on a questionable career path. It is an eye-opening and candid look at how some will deal with the vulnerabilities and confusion that are the result of being on the lesser desired career path.

https://statesofmatter.com/

This is the final segment of a three-part interview with Chris Wilson, snowboard instructor, hardware associate, helicopter pilot, aircraft maintenance engineer, author, business owner, and entrepreneur.

This interview continues from the previous segment where Chris is pondering the idea of what’s next. It is clear that he has established himself and is living the dream. However, he talks about how he starts to entertain the voice in his head that may want more or something else.

There is a good insight into how Chris goes about experimenting with an array of ideas to figure out what his desire might be and what he may want to pursue. This is true self-reflection. He talks about hiring a coach and that relationship and how that worked. There is a good discussion on how Chris developed projects such as writing books and how that materialized. He discusses how he embarked on the various avenues in the online world including social media. All this leads to developing an online business where he can give back by assisting others with their career paths.

This interview will cater to anyone who is pondering the idea of a career change or starting their career as there are many dialogs on self-reflection and how someone can go about figuring themselves out. More so on how to execute on this as well, note that there are some surprises here. This interview will inspire potential authors as there is a good road map on how to go about writing, editing, and publishing a book. There is a good discussion on entrepreneurship and how someone like Chris has gone about leaving a good-paying day job to pursue a calling and starting his venture. This is an insightful, inspiring, thought-provoking, and informative interview that will leave the listener with sound information on career development.

This is the second segment of a three-part interview with Chris Wilson, snowboard instructor, hardware associate, helicopter pilot, aircraft maintenance engineer, author, business owner, and entrepreneur.

This interview starts with Chris confessing that his ambition of being a helicopter pilot was limiting. With narrow job prospects, living in an unfamiliar environment, and accumulating debt, he had to take a time out and regroup himself.

In this segment, he explores what he did during this sabbatical, how he faced some of the turmoil and anxiety, and how he overcame these setbacks. He describes how aviation was still a passion of his and in doing so he looked at other opportunities in this field. This is how he discovered an opportunity as an aircraft maintenance engineer. Knowing this he discusses how he developed a new road map to enable him to pursue this new venture.

There is a good discussion on what is entailed in pursuing such a career from pre-requites to education and how this industry functions. Chris describes how he rebuilt his career and his life. In essence, how he went about turning himself around from being in debt with minimal opportunities to living well.

This interview will cater to anyone interested in aviation or more specifically becoming an aircraft maintenance engineer as there is a detailed conversation pertaining to education, training, and how the industry works with all the logistics. More importantly, it is how someone like Chris has turned their career and life around to live prosperously. There are extensive suggestions and tips regarding career change or career turn-around. Above all, this is a motivational and inspiring story with a strong message that anyone can achieve their ideal life if they are clear, committed, and willing to do the work. Surprisingly, this episode ends with Chris entertaining the idea of exploring his calling, which is continued in the next episode.