The Curious Middle

As President George W. Bush's White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino has mastered the art of handling stress. And, if this were a game of superlatives, you could also say she's most likely to be the most prepared person in any room. She also broke a glass ceiling during her time working in the White House, as during her tenure as White House Press Secretary, she was the first female to serve as a spokesperson in a Republican administration.

Respected across the aisle, Dana was appointed to the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors by President Barack Obama after departing the White House.

In 2009, she joined FOX News Channel as a contributor. And in just 11 years at FOX News, she is appearing on two hours of national television on the channel each day. Dana anchors FOX News Channel's afternoon news program, The Daily Briefing and is one of the co-hosts of The Five a weekday roundtable discussion program where different voices across the spectrum break down the biggest issues of the day.

Dana also leads the 2020 election coverage and has anchored special events for the primary and Iowa caucuses. She also made news herself when she nabbed an exclusive interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss the state of social media and political advertising, which also was his first interview with the network.

In episode #118, Dana shares some of her career defining moments, advice for pursuing career goals and managing fear. We speak about her passion for guiding the future female leaders as the founder of Minute Mentoring. We also talk about her book, And the Good News Is... Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side, which shares career advice from lessons Dana has learned along her path.

Dana also shares one of her get-ahead secrets – her ability to transfer her energy to an audience. She says, "If you are not amped up a little bit, your audience is going to be bored." Dana also shares other insights about nabbing your dream job. She advises that even if you are offered the second-in-command role, you should still grab the opportunity to learn as much as you can, so that when your time comes, you know how to be in charge. We also talk with Dana about how her parents and grandparents, ranchers in Colorado, gave her the values and mindset that have shaped her path, love of news and work ethic.

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Esther Wojcicki has experienced tremendous success as a mother and a teacher. Each of her daughters have impressive career achievements. Daughter Susan Wojcicki, is the CEO of YouTube; Janet Wojcicki, is a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco; and Anne Wojcicki, is the founder and CEO of genetic testing company 23andMe.

Esther has been squarely at the center of Silicon Valley for her entire career as an influential, loved and respected teacher. Similar to Forest Gump living through pivotal moments in history, Susan has witnessed tech history firsthand. Google famously began its empire in daughter Susan’s garage. Susan and Ann lead disruptive tech companies. Plus, thousands of students who went through the journalism program Esther created at Palo Alto High School (and later on to pivotal roles in the tech industry and others) often consider the experience life-changing – both for the work they did, and for the respect, autonomy and the bar set by Esther.

Given her wisdom and experience as a mother and teacher, we were excited to speak with Esther once again about her thoughts on opportunities for the K-12 education system to evolve throughout the COVID-19 crisis. As Esther shares in our conversation, the current education system is operating at a model that is 100 years old. In today’s episode she shares ideas for modernizing education through a hybrid model that encourages students to practice creativity, while also spending a portion of their time on projects they are interested in pursuing. Esther suggests we see this time as an opportunity to set up systems that encourage students to focus on critical thinking skills vs. the standard memorization model. She also shares tips for parents on how to inspire younger, and older, students during homeschooling.

Once you listen to episode #117, we recommend you go back and download episode #96, recorded in 2019. In that conversation Esther shared the guiding principles she has used to raise her wildly successful daughters, as well as empower students through her journalism program. In that show, we discussed Esther’s book, How To Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons For Radical Results, and the parenting philosophy Esther uses called TRICK — trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness. You can also sign up for Esther’s new newsletter, wojway, for guidance on navigating the COVID-19 world of remote learning.

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There is something you can do one day a week that has the potential to change your life, and it I s a practice thousands of years old with proven wisdom from the beginning of civilization. In this conversation, Tiffany Shlain shares how starting a Technology Shabbat has transformed and enriched her life.

Tiffany's new book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, explores how unplugging for 24 hours a week has actually increased her productivity, creativity, presence and connection with her family. Tiffany's book is also a guide for how to start a Technology break in your life, with research and wisdom to support why this day of rest can be so deeply transformative.

In our conversation, we discuss why taking a day off allows your brain to process the information and experiences from the week, while creating space for doing things you love. A tech free day also creates the space and time for connecting more deeply with your friends and family. Tiffany is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, speaker and Webby Awards Founder with over 80 awards and distinctions for her films and work. If you are curious and enjoy exploring topics related to neuroscience, gender equality, technology or character, check out some of Tfffany's short films.

For a quick introduction to Tiffany's work, her two minute films Dear Parent and Dear Student may drastically change how often and when you choose to use your phone and other technology throughout the day.

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Imagine you wrote your first book in your senior year of college, found an agent, and sold the publishing and film rights before graduating. Imagine a few years later, you wrote two more novels that sold over 5 million copies and went to the premiere of the film based on your first book. This is actually the way Veronica Roth’s career started.

As the best-selling author of the Divergent series, Veronica has hard-earned advice to share on starting to write and nurturing your writing practice. With her latest book, Chosen Ones, Veronica is moving into a new phase of her writing career. In the book, the five characters from the Divergent series deal with prior trauma while adjusting to the expectations and responsibilities of their adult lives.

In this episode of  I Want Her Job The Podcast,  we discuss where Veronica finds inspiration and why she finds science fiction an easier and more interesting world for writing. Veronica shares how she discovered and learned to manage her anxiety disorder, including her experience with exposure therapy of which she says, “It’s the kind of uncomfortable that makes you better.” We talk about ways she moves through life while managing anxiety and fear. “Discomfort can be endured, and it has to be for your life to be rich,” she says.

Join us in episode #115 for this conversation, and get to know the wildly creative Veronica Roth.

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Today’s job market feels uncertain. How long will it be this way? We caught up with Tara Sinclair, an associate professor at The George Washington University and a senior fellow at Indeed, the #1 job site worldwide. During our conversation, Tara shares her thoughts on the current labor market and interprets what it can mean for your future job planning. Her research focuses on recessions, so her insights on labor market trends can help you think through your career options and goals during and after the COVID-19 crisis.

In episode #114 of I Want Her Job The Podcast, we discuss industries where job growth is strong, ways to pivot your career and possible economic scenarios within the labor market. We also talk about the continued job strength within the technology and health care sectors, as well as options to pursue certificates, training and degrees for jobs in those sectors. Tara also shares insights into the great divide between job seekers.

If you like today’s episode, we recommend you scroll back through our podcast archives to our October 2016 conversation with Tara in episode #25.

 

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If you’re a parent, educator or someone interested in exploring parenting topics, today’s episode is for you. Deana Thayer and Kira Dorrian, founders of the Future Focused Parenting Podcast, offer their tips and advice for parenting through this unique season of life.

Deana is a childbirth educator, birth doula and has expertise in sleep consulting, parent coaching and blended family support. Kira is a mental health professional with a private practice. She’s passionate about mental health and wellness of a whole family as a key to a positive parenting experience.

In episode #113, we talk to Deana and Kira about how to check in with our kids during the COVID-19 crisis, home schooling and parenting to raise adults. Deana reminds us to, “Keep in mind, as upside down your world feels right now, that is how upside down their world feels too.” We talk about questions you can ask your kids and warning signs that indicate when kids need may need extra support.

The Future Focused Parenting approach, according to Deana and Kira, suggests that as parents we should check in, and communicate often, with out kids so that we can identify and prevent issues from getting bigger. We also discuss the Future Focused Parenting philosophy pillars, including how to parent with a strong why, setting intentions and being proactive.

Deana and Kira bring different backgrounds to their work. Deana is a practicing Christian, and Kira defines herself as a liberal agnostic Jew. These different viewpoints help the two lean in, learn from each other and genuinely listen to different perspectives. Through their podcast, the pair have created a welcome space for exploring different approaches to family life, while revealing we often have more in common than we assumed. And that’s something we could all use more of right now.

Kira and Deanna share details about their upcoming projects including a group coaching course and an online course for helping kids with anxiety. 

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Lynn Perkins was in a situation parents everywhere face. She was in need of a baby-sitter. It dawned on her that she could leverage her social network to find a sitter for her twin boys. It was during this moment that she realized the opportunity to leverage one's social networks for finding short- and long-term childcare.

A natural matchmaker, Lynn recruited three co-founders to join her in this initiative. Each had complementary strengths — in engineering, product and marketing. The business idea became UrbanSitter, a network that offers background-checked sitters and nannies nearby. Even better, it shows the baby-sitters and nannies who take care of the children of other parents in your social network. After signing up and paying a monthly or annual membership fee, you'll gain access to 120,000+ active sitters and nannies in the company's database. And, the site averages a response time of under three minutes.

In this conversation, Lynn shares how UrbanSitter is helping to find childcare for the more than 12,000+ health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Lynn also shares her story of navigating the 2008 financial crisis, and she offers advice for people who may need to seek career changes due to COVID-19 related impacts. The two also discuss two groups that are using UrbanSitter for the flexibility and income streams it provides — college students and retirees.

Whether you're looking for childcare, or you're a kiddo-loving individual looking for a job that can provide more income, listen to this episode to learn about this new way of connecting kids with care.

UrbanSitter is offering a free month of membership to parents working to help them find childcare. Register for an account at UrbanSitter.com and enter code: HEALTH on your My Account / Credits page to redeem your free month. If you enjoy this show, please share it with a friend. To contact the show reach out to: [email protected]

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We hope you and your family are safe. And for those of you struggling right now, or for those of you who are scared, we hope you are finding the support you need. With the events all around us right now you may be wondering, "Will I still have my job a week from now?" Or, maybe with this extra time to reflect you've been thinking your current role no longer fills your heart.

If a career switch is on your mind, start creating your own career pivot plan. But first, download our 'Career Quickie' I Want Her Job The Podcast episode with Dr. Dawn Graham. Dr. Dawn is the author of, of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers and Seize Success and a coach for the Wharton School's Executive MBA program. You also might have heard her on Sirius XM channel 132 where she hosts Career Talk.

An expert on career switching, Dr. Dawn's advice is among the best we've ever heard. And although recent events can make our lives feel wildly out of control, we hope you'll listen to this episode to get solid advice for working on the things you can control. In this curated mini-podcast featuring some of our best moments from our interview in episode #104 with Dr. Dawn, we share advice for questions such as: Should I go back to school? How do I interview for a job in a new career track? How do I know if my job switch is worth it? How can I prove my fit to the hiring manager?

Download and listen on for advice on all of the following …

• What you need to demonstrate to the hiring manager in an interview
• Why you need to be really clear on what you want to do
• What you need to demonstrate to the hiring manager

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Colombian-born Renata Black lost both of her parents in an airplane accident when she was a toddler. A tragedy of this type could devastate and stunt a life. But that is not Renata’s story.

Instead, Renata shares how the loss of her parents, and her knowledge of the precious nature of life, became her competitive advantage. Renata was adopted by her aunt and uncle and was raised in Miami. She dropped out of school at 15 and returned to Colombia to stay with her grandmother. After moving back, she saw the differences between living in the United States and the poorest areas of Colombia. It gave her an early understanding of the vast differences in how people live.

Later in her 20’s, when a dream job with MTV didn’t work out, Renata purchased a ticket to travel the world. In doing so, she expanded her perspectives regarding how fellow women live in various areas of the world. It was Renata’s world travels that gave her a deep motivation and burning desire to find ways to help other women rise through microfinance. And, it was while she was volunteering in India that she had a moment of inspiration after a woman came up to her and said, “I don’t want your money, but can you teach me how to make it?” So, Renata studied under Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner, for three months and then launched a microfinance program in India – the Seven Bar Foundation.

 

In 2016 Renata met Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara though a mutual friend. The two launched EBY, a direct to consumer size inclusive seamless underwear membership program. Their products are for “women who kick ass every day and who want to empower other women to kick ass, too.” Through the online subscription, you can share your style profile. Then, boxes of selected-for-you underwear will arrive every 1, 3 or 6 months. And to support other women while you support your best assets, 10% of net sales are directed to the Seven Bar Foundation– to empower women in business around the world through microfinance. In their first year they’ve helped 1,800 women and children rise out of poverty.

Renata lives her life by asking herself every morning, “What can be possible if I live outside of fear?” After listening to Renata’s story, you may be inspired to ask yourself the same question, and then take the first steps toward the living the in the answer.

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Bethany Hamilton is unstoppable. Since losing her left arm at the age of 13 to a tiger shark, nothing has stopped her from living her life to the fullest. When Bethany returned to surfing just one month after losing her arm -- and two years later won a national surf title -- she became an inspiration for millions. The move Soul Surfer released in 2011, starring AnnaSophia Robb, shares that story. Bethany's latest documentary, Unstoppable, offers a deeper, wider and more personal view into her life -- including her early childhood, competitive surfing career, marriage and motherhood. It also follows her into magnificent waves while she surfs Jaws and other breathtaking locations.

In episode #109 of I Want Her Job The Podcast, Bethany shares how her values, family, faith and love for the ocean have guided her life path. If you need the courage to go after your deepest desires, you'll be blown away by Bethany's mindset. Hearing about her life, and everything she has achieved, can seem impossible and too distant to be relatable. But that is precisely why you have to listen to this conversation and put Unstoppable on your must-watch list. Bethany's kind, compassionate and unassuming nature makes her relatable as an athlete, mother and friend. Hearing her describe how her faith and passion are her source of energy to pursue her goals, is likely to give you a boost toward turning what is possible into a reality.

In our conversation we also discuss Bethany's other pursuits including her organization, Friends of Bethany; her new yearlong Unstoppable course; and her books, Soul Surfer, Be Unstoppable, Body & Soul and Unstoppable Me.

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