Second Act Stories

Kristin Connor was living a typical life as a business litigation attorney, a job she held for about a decade and absolutely loved. Then, while she was pregnant with her second child, everything changed. Her unborn son was diagnosed with an unusual form of neuroblastoma, a cancer that’s rare in children to begin with, and almost unheard of in unborn babies. After he was born, Kristin and her family spent two years going through test after test, tracking the tumor and evaluating options – all before any invasive surgery ever occurred. After trekking 3,000 miles, clear across the country, to meet with a doctor who seemed to offer the least worst alternative, the hand of god stepped in a performed what can only be described as an honest-to-goodness miracle. More on that in the interview. This experience led Kristin to leave her law career behind and dedicate her life to helping other families whose children are battling cancer. Today, Kristin is the CEO of CURE Childhood Cancer, a national nonprofit organization that raises millions of dollars each year to fund childhood cancer research and help families. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and your donations are encouraged today and every day. You can donate directly at THIS LINK. In this inspiring episode, Kristin shares more about what she loved as an attorney; the way she got involved in childhood cancer research; how she became totally disillusioned with the other cancer nonprofit organizations out there; what Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine and then-Commissioner Bud Selig had to do with it; why she does what she does today; and of course, the miracle she experienced. Again, please donate to Kristin’s organization, CURE Childhood Cancer, at THIS LINK. No amount is too small, and every penny brings them one penny closer to saving a life. ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.

Andrew Pudalov spent 15 years working his way up the ladder in the competitive ranks of NYC's financial industry. But the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center changed everything. "I was traumatized. My wife too. We have little kids. I lost good friends. One jumped. I could not believe the towers came down." Andrew, his spouse and their young family were ready for a change. So they headed west to Boulder, Colorado with very little idea what was ahead. With zero experience in the retail food industry, Andrew started Rush Bowls a company  that specializes in all-natural acai bowls and smoothies. Over the past 20+ years, the company has grown to over 50 locations across the United States with another 20 stores in development.  

What would happen if you were suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver for someone you love? Would you have any idea what to do or how to do it? It’s estimated that as many as 50 million people in the United States are caregivers, a job that virtually none of them trained for. We all know someone who became a caregiver and had to learn on the fly. Unfortunately, there are precious few resources that can help. Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster experienced it first-hand. These inspiring women worked together in the software industry before finding themselves facing a similar life challenge: becoming caregivers for their husbands, both of whom were battling dementia. There was plenty of information about their husbands’ diagnoses. Doctors were happy to provide them with hordes of information about what to expect as the disease progressed, but nobody was there with practical information about how to be a caregiver for someone with dementia. Their lived caregiving experience gave Sue and Nancy all the training they needed to make sure nobody else would have to figure it out on their own. That’s when they founded the sensationally popular podcast, The Caregiver’s Journey. Each episode features truly practical advice about how to manage as a caregiver. Topics range from self-care to advice for clipping your loved one’s fingernails. They truly cover it all. The Caregiver’s Journey has since grown to a powerhouse brand that fills a hugely meaningful gap for anyone who finds themselves having to be a caregiver. The organization was recently granted nonprofit status. In this episode, Sue and Nancy discuss their former careers, their friendship, and their own personal journeys. It’s at times compelling, heart wrenching and funny, but it’s entirely inspirational and helpful. To learn more about The Caregiver’s Journey, visit them at thecaregiversjourney.org. And look up “The Caregiver’s Journey” on any podcast app. ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.

What would happen if you were suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver for someone you love? Would you have any idea what to do or how to do it? It’s estimated that as many as 50 million people in the United States are caregivers, a job that virtually none of them trained for. We all know someone who became a caregiver and had to learn on the fly. Unfortunately, there are precious few resources that can help. Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster experienced it first-hand. These inspiring women worked together in the software industry before finding themselves facing a similar life challenge: becoming caregivers for their husbands, both of whom were battling dementia. There was plenty of information about their husbands’ diagnoses. Doctors were happy to provide them with hordes of information about what to expect as the disease progressed, but nobody was there with practical information about how to be a caregiver for someone with dementia. Their lived caregiving experience gave Sue and Nancy all the training they needed to make sure nobody else would have to figure it out on their own. That’s when they founded the sensationally popular podcast, The Caregiver’s Journey. Each episode features truly practical advice about how to manage as a caregiver. Topics range from self-care to advice for clipping your loved one’s fingernails. They truly cover it all. The Caregiver’s Journey has since grown to a powerhouse brand that fills a hugely meaningful gap for anyone who finds themselves having to be a caregiver. The organization was recently granted nonprofit status. In this episode, Sue and Nancy discuss their former careers, their friendship, and their own personal journeys. It’s at times compelling, heart wrenching and funny, but it’s entirely inspirational and helpful. To learn more about The Caregiver’s Journey, visit them at thecaregiversjourney.org. And look up “The Caregiver’s Journey” on any podcast app. ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.

Jonathan Schwartz was at the top of his game serving as a business manager to top stars including Beyonce, Alanis Morisette, Gwenyth Paltrow, Mariah Carey, Linkin Park and others. But this Hollywood insider had a dark secret; he was a compulsive gambler and cocaine addict. And over the course of six years, he embezzled over $7 million from his clients to fund these addictions. Jonathan's criminal behavior earned him a six-year sentence in prison. When Jonathan returned to society in 2020, he found it almost impossible to get a job. But he went back to school and got a degree in alchol & drug counseling followed by an advanced degree as a therapist. Today, he makes a living as the Director of Programing at Altus Rehab, a top-tier, luxury treament facility in Encino, California. According to Jonathan, "I make very little money, but it's the happiest I've ever been. Money never brought me happiness. And today, helping people like me with the same in the commonality and the way our brains are wired, it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life."  

Peggy Rowe has accomplished a lot in her 87 years. She started her career as a schoolteacher in Baltimore, where she and her husband John – also a teacher – raised three sons. It was a pretty normal life by all accounts. But life got extraordinary somewhere along the way. One common thread in the Rowe household was humor, and Peggy had a finely tuned ability to recognize funny and write about it. See, writing has always been her creative outlet. She wrote all the time. She wrote fun poems for her students, which she would later hear them recite on the playground; she wrote short stories that were published in newspapers and magazines; she wrote stories about things that happened in everyday life; and she wrote about her family. Her son Mike (yes, THAT Mike Rowe) loved her stories, but every time she called to share one, he’d tell her, “Mom, don’t TELL me about it; sit down and WRITE about it.” This happened a lot. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Peggy had a wonderful career as an educator, but it wasn’t until long after that came to an end that her real career took off. When she was 80, Peggy’s first book of humor was published. “About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Daughter and Her Baseball-Obsessed Mother: A Memoir” became a New York Times bestseller. Then came more bestsellers. “About Your Father and Other Celebrities I Have Known: Ruminations and Revelations from a Desperate Mother to Her Dirty Son” was Peggy’s next bestselling book, when she was 82. “Vacuuming in the Nude: And Other Ways to Get Attention,” book number three and bestseller number three, was published when Peggy was 84. Judging by the title, it seems Dirty Jobs run in the family. Her fourth book, “Oh No, Not "The Home": Observations and Confessions of a Grandmother in Transition,” came two years later. At age 87, Peggy is working on her fifth book and she shows no signs of slowing down. Thankfully. In this inspiring episode, Peggy shares her incredible journey from the classroom to the bestseller list, complete with a few fun stories woven in. ******* If you enjoy Second Act Stories, please leave us a review here. We may read your review on a future episode! Subscribe to the Second Act stories Substack. Check out the Second Act Stories YouTube channel. Follow Second Act Stories on social media: Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes

With an undergraduate degree from New York University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Jon Malankar joined the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 2018. He climbed the corporate ladder at this top managment consulting firm and became a partner in his mid-30s. But the bureaucratic burden of working for a large consulting firm with Fortune 100 clients and a strong desire to be more plugged in to his local community ("I felt like a nomad in my hometown"), Jon yearned to be his own boss. After a year of exploration, he opted to become a Mr. Handyman franchise owner in Long Branch, New Jersey. Despite no experience in home repair work, Jon is successfully managing four teams of repair professionals. According to Jon, "Owning a very local, present, visible, tangible small business really filled up the scorecard for me."

Since her mother taught her to sew at the age of eight, Vanessa Gavin always wanted to be a fashion designer. Throughout high school, she made her own clothes experimenting with different colors, fabrics and patterns. But in college she opted to study biology, went on to get her masters in public health and finally got a degree in medicine. Now Dr. Vanessa Gavin-Headen, she spent the next 25 years in a rewarding career as a family physician in Long Beach, California. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic when health professionals started wearing medical scrubs again that Dr. Vanessa returned to her fashion dream by creating a tailored product for "curvy women" in healthcare. Her new company, Valmasi, offers medical scrubs for females with a comfortable fit across the breasts, waist, hips and thighs. Click here to learn more about Dr. Vanessa and Valmasi.  

C. Scott Votaw is the Assistant Vice Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, where he is responsible for overseeing the Georgia Film Academy. After growing up in Georgia and graduating from college, Scott packed his car and headed west without a plan. With no relevant experience in film and production, he eventually networked his way onto a crew as a runner. Just by being present and paying attention, he found a way to save the production money and was rewarded with an almost immediate promotion to second assistant director. That auspicious start launched him into what would become an incredibly successful 25-year career in the film and production industry. His big break, a job working for Saban Entertainment on its new and wildly popular Power Rangers television show, set him on a course to work with Hollywood legends including George Lucas and Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt. Then came his moment of reckoning. After building a career that was largely unplanned, Scott returned home to Georgia to care for a relative and try something new. He eventually networked his way into opportunities in education, but the timing was serendipitous as Georgia was in the process of building the infrastructure to support the growing film industry in the state. Thanks to Scott’s experience in both education and production, and his availability and willingness to take on something new, he found himself in a position to help launch and run the Georgia Film Academy. In this episode, Scott shares his unplanned journey through the film industry, his tough decision to leave it behind and move back home to Georgia, and the incredible timing that set him on a course to transition from an industry insider to an educator at the highest level. Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes

Brent Rivard had a long, successful career in advertising, working for major ad agencies in New York and Toronto. But as he entered his 50s, Brent faced an industry that is focused on youth in both it’s work and it’s staffing. The average age of an individual working in advertising is just 29 years old. Teamed with two advertising executives also in their early 50s, he is in the process of building a groundbreaking agency called “Geezer.” The new company is different from traditional agencies in two major ways: Geezer is focused on serving the 50+ market (the most lucrative segment of the population); The agency is staffed by seasoned veterans – all with 25+ years of experience in the advertising profession. According to Brent, “Ageism is a big problem in the advertising agency world and we need to do something about it.” Click here to learn more about Geezer and their unique approach to advertising.

Justin Farmer is one of the most recognizable people in Atlanta. He spent 17 years as the evening news anchor on WSB-TV, Atlanta’s top-rated news station, and one of the biggest local market news stations in the country. News was a Farmer family business; Justin’s father, Don Farmer, was an ABC news correspondent, a founding CNN anchor, and later the evening news anchor on WSB in Atlanta, a job he held until 1997. Ten years later, Justin landed the same job, at the same station. But let’s rewind: this all meant that Justin grew up with an inside track to history. While he graduated from Boston College with a degree in political science, his family legacy and several internships at WSB naturally led him to broadcasting. His first TV job was as a sportscaster in Albany, Georgia. But a life in TV news is nomadic, and Justin moved from market to market before eventually landing back home in Atlanta and working for WSB. In 2007, he finally landed at the anchor desk. Everything was going well until the early 2020s, when in the span of 14 months, Justin lost both his biological parents and his beloved WSB co-anchor, Jovita Moore. This series of traumatic losses caused him to rethink what he wanted from life. He challenged himself to do something different, and his passion for investing and wealth management emerged as his new career goal. It wasn’t an easy path. Studying for the Series 65 - Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam, is a full-time job itself, but Justin climbed that mountain around his very high-profile full-time job. He passed the first time he took it. Then, on November 26, 2024, he signed off from WSB-TV with three hilarious words and launched Exit Wealth, a private investment firm that works with ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Our interview with Justin happened just weeks after he embarked on his second act. In this episode, Justin shares his history in TV news, some of the fun stories that are always part of live TV, his painful turning point, the thought process behind leaving what appears to be a “cushy” job, and the mountains he had to scale to make his second act a reality. Learn more about Justin by Googling his name and learn more about Exit Wealth by visiting their website. Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes

Kathleen Biggins is a prime example of an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. The genesis of Kathleen’s second act began in 2006 when she was asked to attend the Garden Club of America’s National Legislative Conference in Washington on behalf of her local garden club. That’s where her education about climate change began and ultimately led to the formation of C-Change Conversations. The organization is dedicated to helping people across the political spectrum understand the science behind climate change. Kathleen and her colleagues have made presentations to 21,000+ individuals across 33 states. To learn more about C-Change Conversations, you can visit their website at www.c-changeconversations.org. .

Second Act Stories Annual “Best of” Episode give us an opportunity to re-share a remarkable story from the past year and welcome new listeners by offering a taste of what we do: profile courageous individuals pursuing a more rewarding life in a second act. In the “Best of 2024” episode Scott interviews Amy Siewe, an amazing woman who left lucrative career as a real estate broker to hunt pythons in the Florida Everglades. Amy proudly shares that she’s 5’ 4”, 120 lbs., and captures pythons as big as 180 lbs. by physically jumping on them and wrestling them into submission. We hope you enjoy Amy's incredible profile and tune in for more Second Act Stories in 2025!!!  

Alonzo Bodden is one of the hardest-working and funniest working standup comics on the touring circuit today. He won Season 3 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing; he has four standup specials so far; he’s a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!; he’s played a bouncer or a security guard in countless movies and TV shows; and he even voiced monsters on the Power Rangers. He’s been around. But before he had anything to do with show business, Alonzo was an aircraft mechanic who got a job working for Lockheed Martin on the F-117 Nighthawk stealth bomber – one of the most advanced top secret aircraft in the world – when he graduated from Aviation High School in New York. At 18, he moved to Los Angeles, started making a lot of money, found himself in the throes of addiction, and wound up in jail. The sound of the cell door slamming shut was his turning point. In this episode, Alonzo shares details about his New York upbringing, his battle with addiction, his path to sobriety (36 years ago!), and how it all led him to find his calling: comedy. He also shares the one hilarious joke he told at the 1997 Montreal Just for Laughs festival that immediately transformed him from a guy who did standup comedy to fully realized comic. You won't want to miss it. Wherever you live, Alonzo will be in a town near you sooner or later and seeing him live should be high on your priority list. Find him at www.alonzobodden.com. Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes

Fran Tarkenton is unquestionably one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game of football. A true legend who rightfully earned his place in the NFL Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame (for his championship career with the University of Georgia Bulldogs), and on the list of the 50 Greatest Minnesota Vikings AND the 50 Greatest New York Giants. In his rookie season in 1961, Fran joined an expansion team called the Minnesota Vikings, and in the first-ever Vikings game he threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth, upsetting the great Chicago Bears. At the time of his retirement from the NFL in 1978, Fran owned every significant passing record: 3,686 pass completions, 47,003 passing yards, and 342 touchdowns. Legend. After retirement, Fran became a commentator alongside the one and only Howard Cosell in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth, he landed a job hosting That’s Incredible, one of the biggest sensation TV shows of the 1980s, and he became an early entrant into the software business, a visionary move that launched what would become the longest-lasting and most lucrative part of his illustrious and multifaceted career. At 84.6 years old as of the date of this interview, Fran is as sharp – and as busy – as he’s ever been. His company, Tarkenton, is as highly regarded as it is successful in helping other businesses grow and prosper. All the incredible lessons he learned growing up, on the gridiron, in entertainment, and in his many business ventures coalesce into his leadership of Tarkenton to this day. But Fran claims no responsibility for the success he’s achieved. He attributes it all to the coaching he’s received; in the NFL, from greats like Sid Luckman, Norm Van Brocklin and Bud Grant; and in business, from former IBM CEO John Akers to Walmart founder Sam Walton. In this episode, Fran shares colorful stories about his journey from the streets of Washington, DC; to Athens, Georgia, home of UGA; to the NFL; to entertainment; and ultimately to a wildly successful business career. You can learn more about Fran by Googling his name, and you can learn more about Tarkenton Companies by visiting www.tarkenton.com. Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes

Bruce and Mira Brach opened Toy Utopia, an independent toy store, on May 27, 2022. Based in Red Bank, NJ, their aim was to create a “magical place that sparks interest, curiosity, imagination and creativity in children and adults.” The business is a leap for both of them. Bruce had managed a landscaping business for over 25 years. Mira was – and still is – a registered nurse. A lifelong collector of vintage toys, Bruce was ready to exit his company. Mira asked him, “What do your really want to do next?” Bruce’s response…open a toy store. And that's what they did together. Click here to learn more about Toy Utopia. And if you find yourself in Red Bank, NJ, we hope you’ll give Bruce and Mira a visit.

Dan Spitz is a true pioneer in every sense of the word. As the lead guitarist of legendary band Anthrax, Dan was one of the innovators who birthed the entire genre of thrash metal music. Anthrax is one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands, a group that also includes Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. He sold millions of albums, played on the world’s biggest stages, and saw his music influence legions of acts that would follow. In 1995, as Anthrax continued to reach new heights, something changed. Dan realized his heart was no longer in it, so he quit the band without a plan for what was next. Dan had been exposed to watchmaking at a young age through his grandfather, who owned a jewelry store where he repaired watches in New York’s Catskill Mountains. That childhood experience came rushing back when he stumbled across an ad for the Bulova watchmaking school. The pieces fit together as perfectly as the mechanics of a complicated watch, and Dan enrolled, graduating a four-year program in 18 months. Then he became the first American to be accepted into a Swiss watchmaking school, and his incredible second act was official. Today, Dan is one of the world’s most sought-after master watchmakers. He’s the watchmaker who watchmakers go to when they can’t solve a problem. In this episode, you’ll hear some of the details about the birth of thrash metal, the conflict that led to Dan’s departure from Anthrax, and the journey that led a thrash metal legend become a legend in the world of fine watches. You can learn more about Dan Spitz by visiting his website at www.delraybeachvintagewatches.com, and www.danspitz.com. Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes

For most of his adult life, Henry Rock working in advertising sales representing a wide range of black media . His work brought him in direct contact with a number of inspiring, African-American entrepreneurs and that gave him an idea: what if we could inspire young black males in inner cities to explore entreprenurial opportunites? After relocating to North Carolina, Henry began pursuing this idea with the help of National Urban League and it's local chapter in Charlotte. His TEDx Talk, Creating A New Class of Entrepreneurs, put the wind in his sails to launch City Startup Labs. Over the past decade, the organization has trained over 220 young men and women to get into the startup game. Recently, City Startup Labs has focused on helping formerly incarcerated individuals pursue their business dreams. Now 72 years old, Henry reports he's the happiest he's ever been. "And I owe it to not taking my hands off the steering wheel but not gripping the steering wheel and trying to steer my life but rather allowing my life to unfold...And it has unfolded in a very beautiful way."   

Mark Greaney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His debut thriller, The Gray Man, was published in 2009 and became a national bestseller and Netflix film starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. He wrote twelve subsequent Gray Man novels that have been released to date. He is also the co-author of seven Tom Clancy novels. His latest book, Sentinel, was released on June 25th, 2024. It is his 25th published work. Before emerging as a top thriller author, Mark spent 20+ years working as a bartender, waiter and midlevel office worker in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. But in his late thirties and after the death of his father, he finally got serious about writing. "I had this amazing epiphany. I was stressed about where I was in life. I didn't have a good position. And I had a lot of social anxiety. I drove a beat-up car. But it came to me one day that I loved to write and I was doing what I loved. And I realized I was successful even if I never got published...And within two years, I was published. And within four years, I was writing with Tom Clancy. And within twelve years, I had a movie out."  

Sam McKinlay experienced something a lot of people can relate to in work and in life: she spent almost 25 years married… in her case, to a career that was exciting, fulfilling and rewarding. But over time she and the career she once loved grew apart from one another. They fell out of love and split up. Sam faced plenty of adversity over the years: a series of poorly timed recessions in her native England; an initial move to America that landed her in Florida (which wasn’t a match for her); and later the clean break from a well-established career and a leap into the unknown. After dipping her toe in the real estate waters, Sam found her calling. She was able to apply a surprising amount of her PR and marketing experience to launch a new career as a concierge real estate agent. And it worked! In her first year she earned a prestigious “Rookie of the Year” award from her broker. In this engaging episode, Sam walks through the challenges she faced trying to find a meaningful career path early on; her journey through working for other people, then working for herself, then selling her firm and working for other people again; and the eventual abrupt end of her time working in PR. You can learn more about Sam McKinlay by visiting her website at www.sammckinlay.com. Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes