Guest: Jen Burkart

What'd we talk about? Literacy. Teaching. Dream jobs. Opportunity gaps. Chest puff-up moments. Raising multiple children. Supportive partners. Hobby time. Work clothes. Leadership books we've never read. Managing complex change. Finding focus. Allocating personal resources. The feeling of agency. Searching for Lake Michigan. Powell's circa 1998. Defining the outcome. 

Work-Shaped Life is a production of Sheepscot Creative in Portland, Oregon.

Hosted by Dave Weich, edited by Bailey Cain and Michael Nipper, with production support from Benna Gottfried, Rosie Struve, Amelia Lukas and Kate Sokoloff.

Find more episodes and tell us about your own work-shaped life at WorkShapedLife.com. Or follow Work-Shaped Life on Substack.

Guest: Katie Silver

What'd we talk about? Executive recruitment. Job seekers. Introverts. Closing a deal. Finding alignment with ethos and values. Enforcing work-life balance. Helping people get unstuck. Building a network. Growing your career. Understanding the market. The art of the possible. Coaching and mentoring. AI. Throwing your resume into the void. Curiosity. Doing more with less. 

Run time: 41:08

Work-Shaped Life is a production of Sheepscot Creative in Portland, Oregon.

Hosted by Dave Weich, edited by Bailey Cain and Michael Nipper, with production support from Benna Gottfried, Rosie Struve, Amelia Lukas and Kate Sokoloff.

Find more episodes and tell us about your own work-shaped life at WorkShapedLife.com. Or follow Work-Shaped Life on Substack.

Guest: David Gutterman

What'd we talk about? Intellectual and emotional capacity. What it is to be human. The liberal arts. Funeral dancing. Sustained community. Learning how to listen and be present. The time horizon. How to finish cooking half-baked ideas. Capitalist frameworks. Fear and powerlessness. Asking better questions. Kathryn Schulz. Changing your mind. Styles of learning.

Run time: 39:54

Work-Shaped Life is a production of Sheepscot Creative in Portland, Oregon.

Hosted by Dave Weich, edited by Bailey Cain and Michael Nipper, with production support from Benna Gottfried, Rosie Struve, Amelia Lukas and Kate Sokoloff.

Find more episodes and tell us about your own work-shaped life at WorkShapedLife.com. Or follow Work-Shaped Life on Substack.

Guest: Katie Fine

What'd we talk about? The Department of War. Evanston, Illinois. Forensic archeology. The Neolithic period in Greece. The job market. Coffee shop conversations at the Pentagon. Heated Rivalry. Tethers. Losing a parent. The Vietnam War. MIA POWs. Adventure. Loneliness. Research security. Career goals. Identity. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Run time: 37:16

Work-Shaped Life is a production of Sheepscot Creative in Portland, Oregon.

Hosted by Dave Weich, edited by Bailey Cain and Michael Nipper, with production support from Benna Gottfried, Rosie Struve, Amelia Lukas and Kate Sokoloff.

Find more episodes and tell us about your own work-shaped life at WorkShapedLife.com. Or follow Work-Shaped Life on Substack.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

In Work-Shaped Life, people talk about how the path to “what they want to be” is going...and where it’s taken them along the way.

Who’s able to build and sustain a career that fits the life they want? How have they done it? And what does that even look like today, in 2026, as the economy falters and the future of work seems less certain than ever?

Have you ever had a job that rewards what you're good at, suits how you’re wired, and leaves you free to thrive when you’re not working? Do you have a job like that now? 

Work-Shaped Life is a podcast about what making a living makes of our lives. 

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform or visit WorkShapedLife.com to find every episode, show notes, transcripts and special bonus shorts.