Real Work, Real Life

Send us a textOn this week’s episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Chaundria Singleton, a medical imaging and radiation therapy professional, or a radiologic technologist. One path we talk about here is one that I don’t hear quite as much about, the path from entrepreneurship into a career as an employee. I’m so glad to have an opportunity to share that path, because we so often romanticize the path of ditching your 9-5 to be your own boss, but there are tons of reasons that being...

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Ashlee Cervantes Thomas, an experienced security professional from Guardian Protection Force in California. Like so many of the fields I’ve spoken with people about, there are so many different paths you can take within security, from the security guards we’re all familiar with in retail stores and offices, to events security to executive or celebrity bodyguards. There is room for all types of people with tons of d...

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Meagan Tehseldar, a high school English Language Arts teacher. When I first envisioned this podcast, teacher was definitely a career that was high on my list, and Meagan was the perfect guest for this because she’s had experience across different states, public, private, and charter, and now is teaching virtually, so if you’re curious about what life as a teacher might be like, we get into so many different paths y...

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life I’m talking with Scott Fulmer, a seasoned private investigator. This field is in high demand, and includes a lot of different specialties within it, so it could be great for someone that’s not interested in a regular job and interested in the freedom and variety that can come from this type of work. I learned so much about this field that I didn’t know, I think you’re really going to enjoy this interview. If you’d like to learn more...

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Janice Marquardt, an experienced Supply Chain professional that recently struck out on her own as a consultant, founding Passwall Solutions. If you’re curious about a career in Supply Chain, this episode is for you, but we also cover a lot of ground here and many of the themes we talk about would be relevant to many jobs in the corporate realm, pursuing advanced degrees, building strong professional networks, and m...

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Jordan Barnett-Parker, a master goldsmith. Jordan has had a really interesting career, and he’s one of quite a few people I’ve talked to at this point that found their career passion through a class in high school, so maybe a vote in favor of just trying as much as you can as early as you can, because you never know what might catch your interest in a way nothing else has before. We also talk about how pursing your...

Send us a textOn 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 fo...

Send us a textOn 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...

Send us a textOn 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...

Send us a textOn 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 thi...

Send us a textOn 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...

Send us a textOn 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...

Send us a textOn 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 som...

Send us a textWelcome 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 members...

Send us a textOn 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 cap...