You Have a Cool Job

On this episode we’re talking with Carie Grant, a dog trainer who opened her own pet boarding and training business. Carie graduated from the prestigious Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior, where she learned positive training methods, including clicker training. But Carie’s world wasn’t always filled with wagging tails. Listen as she explains her transition from a career in mortgage lending to the world of dog training.

Peterson's interviews Dave Dellecese, creator of the comic book series Holidaze.

On this week's episode of You Have a Cool Job, our podcast guest works with computer hacking, but don’t worry, he isn’t the bad guy. Mike Harris is a consultant who finds weaknesses in a company by attempting to hack the system as a hacker would. In other words, he’s an ethical hacker. But Mike’s job title is fluid, as he explains that he is a sort of jack of all trades when it comes to the computer security field. He explains while he has chosen breadth in his career, while others may choose depth. Mike talks about the ways his job has and hasn't changed with all the attention given to cybersecurity in recent years. He also shares how he got into the field, and talks about the classes he teaches. Mike explains that the field he's in creates a social setting for people who are interested in computer security.

On this week’s episode of You Have a Cool Job, we focus on a person whose career centers around social goals rather than a specific industry. Coltrane Stansbury works to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, as well as community engagement on a local to national level. Coltrane earned his Master’s of Public Policy at Rutgers University Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. He then began his work in policy, and explained how this was a perfect jumping-off point for his career. Discussing the various industries he has served in, Coltrane talks about how each position feeds into his ultimate goal of eradicating poverty. He explains how he is able to stay focused on this goal. Coltrane shares the most satisfying moments in his career, and gives advice to up-and-coming professionals on making an impact personally and professionally.

On this week’s episode of You Have a Cool Job, we talk to someone who works with brides, celebrities, actors, and even students who soak up her knowledge of beauty and color. Brittany Chambers is a makeup artist, hairstylist, educator, and founder of Fluff, a beauty salon in Denver. Brittany explained how beauty was actually her plan b, after her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina were no longer practical. She talks about her time in Los Angeles working with the entertainment industry before she landed in Denver. Her first goal was to make the process of hair and makeup, specifically for brides, much more efficient. Brittany shares who her main clients are, which changes depending on the day of the week. She also talks about trade schools and how this can be a great alternative to college for students who are interested in an industry such as beauty. Brittany leaves us with advice on balancing business and art within the beauty industry.

We all know and love college sports, but do we know what goes on behind the scenes? On this week’s episode of You Have a Cool Job, we talk to Jason Smith, a college athlete recruiter. Jason is the Director of Recruiting Services for NCSA, Next College Student Athlete. Jason starts by explaining his personal story as a high school and college athlete. Jason worked for years as a college baseball coach at each NCAA level, before landing at NCSA. He shared the admittedly tough transition he experienced before finding his groove as a recruiter and coach to students and their families, and now "coaches the coaches" as he says. He talks about the misconceptions in his field, and gives advice for student athletes and their families.

On this week’s episode of You Have a Cool Job, meet trivia host David Gottlieb. David works for Last Call Trivia as host as well as a creative specialist–meaning he also gets to create the trivia questions. David shares his process of coming up with questions for the shows, as well as comical stories from his years hosting trivia. He talks about the community that is formed between hosts and trivia teams, and reflects on how a job as a trivia host started as a side gig for him, but has transformed into a fulfilling career.

On this week’s episode of You Have a Cool Job, we talk to Trish Bonney, who gets to create beautiful living spaces as a career. Trish is an interior designer who has a day job as a designer at Kieding, a commercial building interior design company, and a side hustle as the founder of Tab interior designs. Trish didn’t think she could make a living as a designer when she was young, and first went into the military, and then worked as a teacher before returning to her artistic inclinations. Trish shares why she started her own company despite the fact that she does not always enjoy the business side of running an interior design business. She shares her perspective on co-working, as she hired her business partner two years ago and has a strong opinion about how these relationships should work. Trish talks about her design process, and how she is working to make Tab Interior Designs as sustainable as possible so she can leave her day job and make her business her number one priority.