On this episode of Real Work, Real Life I’m talking with Meg, who is recently retired after 15 years in the army. While in helicopter pilot then worked in special operations as a psychological operations officer. If you’ve ever considered joining the Armed Forces, this is a great episode for you, we cover so much about that this path, from the educational opportunities and wide-ranging benefits, to the challenge of a job that you can’t just quit when it’s not a good fit for you anymore....
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Tiffany Baxter of Backyard Butchery, a mobile whole animal butcher. Tiffany also manages her own farm and a business doing bee removals. This was such a fun discussion, and so much of what we talk about is applicable to any small business owner. If you’re interested in learning more about what Tiffany does, you can find here here: If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy two other recent episodes with folks in the ...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Katie Dotterer, founder of Agvokate Agriculture Education, teaching Spanish and English as a second language, primarily to people working in agriculture. I learned so much in this episode. We get into a lot of the challenges and joys of entrepreneurship, using language to improve life for everyone working in agriculture, and that A.I. means something completely different in the dairy industry. You’ll have to listen to the end fo...
On this week's episode, I have a very special guest, I’m talking with my best friend and husband, Corey. Corey is a merchant mariner, working as an engineer on an oil rig. If you’ve listened since the beginning of this series, you might remember that the original idea behind this podcast came from a desire to help guide our children as they thought about their own careers and how work would fit into a fulfilling and joyful life. Corey has been my biggest supporter throughout this project (and...
On this week's episode, I’m talking Saranya, an attorney in intellectual property. Saranya originally went to undergrad and graduate school and started her career in engineering and after finding success in the field, realized the paths ahead of her weren’t the right fit, so she went to law school at night, and is now a partner at a major firm. I know you’re going to enjoy this interview as much as I did, and if you want to hear more from Saranya, check out her Instagram account, Shelves of C...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Annie Yang. Annie is employed full time as an accountant, but also has a side gig doing similar work for other clients. Annie also helps job seekers land positions quickly, so we talk a lot about strategies there. If you’re currently on the job hunt, check out Annie’s website, which you can find linked in the shownotes. Annie is one of so many people out there that don’t just do one job, they have lots of plates in the air, and ...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Caite, who works remotely full time for a software company, hosts a podcast called Barnyard Language, and raises beef cattle and sheep with her husband on their farm. The work that Caite does in the software field is really interesting, essentially preventing abuse of the software, and would be a great option for nonlinear, creative thinkers, even if they don’t have the skills you might typically associate with someone working a...
Welcome to Real Work, Real Life where I talk to real people about what they do for work and what that means for their lives. Today I’m talking with Beth Sandlin, a Pilates Instructor, and the founder of Trifecta Pilates. After years of working as an in person instructor, Beth started Trifecta to expand the reach and accessibility of Pilates, offering teacher training and online Pilates workouts (long before that became so normalized during the pandemic) available through membership, an app, a...
On the week's episode of Real Work, Real Life I'm talking with Ed, a merchant mariner who works on tug boats and captains a charter fishing boat, the Rita B, in his off time. We talk a lot about general life in the maritime industry and also get into all the details of working as a charter captain. It can be great gig for passionate anglers who love active work on the water and meeting lots of new people you might never meet otherwise. Because it’s seasonal in our area, most captains either h...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I'm talking with Jenna Jozefowski (also known as Jenna J). Jenna is a semi-retired professional dancer, dance teacher and yoga teacher, turned personal trainer and kettle bell instructor. Jenna describes her approach as anti diet, so she doesn’t coach intentional fat loss. We talk about that in the interview, but if you want to learn more, check out her podcast Tough Cookie Talks. While this interview would be great for someone that ever conside...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Charles Read. Charles is a CPA and the CEO of Get Payroll, which provides payroll services for companies across the country. Becoming a certified public accountant today requires a master’s degree and an incredibly challenging three day exam, but it’s a field that is in high demand with tons of potential if you’re well-suited to the work. We cover so much much in this interview, from good business practice advice for any entrepr...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Jorge Gonzalez. After a successful career in warehouse logistics, Jorge was injured on the job and found himself unable to do the work that he once did. We talk a lot about that work and his new career as a Real Estate agent, so if you’re interested in either of those fields, this will be a good episode for you. But I also think his experience with injury and unexpectedly being unable to continue in a career he was thriving in c...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Urmi Hossain, an investment associate based in Canada with the goal of becoming a portfolio manager. Urmi is a CFA, or a Chartered Financial Analyst. CFA is a globally recognized professional designation that measures and certifies the competence and integrity of financial analysts. Candidates are required to pass three levels of exams covering areas, such as accounting, economics, ethics, money management, and security analysis...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Dalene, who retired at 50 after a career working for the government supporting law enforcement agencies. If you missed last week’s episode, I talked with Tim who retired after 30 years in the air force and is about to retire again after working for the government in security, so that would be a great episode to go back and listen to if you’re considering a career in the public sector (you can find it here: https://podcasts.apple...
Welcome to Real Work, Real Life where I talk to real people about what they do for work and what that means for their lives. Today I’m talking with Tim Murphy, a veteran who retired from the Air Force after 30 years and now works for the government in security. Working in the Armed Forces and for the government are distinct in so many ways from the private sector, so we talk a lot about that since the vast majority of my other guests have worked in the private sector. We cover than and ...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Trina, the host of the internet radio station and podcast, Run Radio. Trina built a career in radio before launching her own station, so if you’re interested in radio or podcasting, this could be a great episode for you. We also talk a lot about the shift from employee to entrepreneur, an experience that would be applicable to anyone thinking about taking that leap. We didn’t get much into pay, especially because in T...
Welcome to Real Work, Real Life where I talk to real people about what they do for work and what that means for their lives. Today I’m talking with Sabrina, an Obstetrician-Gynecologist finishing up her residency before continuing into a fellowship in urogynecology. If you’re considering a career in medicine, this will be such a great episode for you. And if you aren’t, this will give you a whole new appreciation for the physicians that care for you over the course of your lives, and the sacr...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Brittany, an executive director and cofounder of a school of theatrical violence and stage combat in Philadelphia, Argent Combat. We cover so much about this work, from the many paths you could take within this broader field, to the impact of AI on the industry, to the way Brittany’s organization is advancing equity, inclusion, and best practices around consent in this community. If you liked this episode, you might like so...
On this week's episode of of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Tracey, a pediatric occupational therapist. One thing Tracey mentions is that a lot of people don’t know what OTs actually do. Occupational therapy enables people of all ages to participate in daily living. Occupational therapy intervention uses everyday life activities to promote health, well-being, and the ability to participate in the important activities in your life. This includes any meaningful activity that a person wa...
On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Ethan, a theatrical lighting designer, primarily for local theaters. This role is a really interesting combination of creative expression and technological skill. This could be a great job for someone that lives and breathes theater, but doesn’t necessarily want to be on the stage. It could also be a great path for someone that wants to live a bit of a nomadic lifestyle traveling as needed to support different productions. Ethan...