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 so...

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 Trina’s...

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...

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 some...

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...

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...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Samantha, a board certified music therapist. Music therapy is not as common as many other therapies you might be familiar with, there are only a few thousand certified therapists in the US. If you’re not familiar with it, I found more information on the American Music Therapy website: Music Therapy is the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Paige. All of my previous episodes have focused on the guest’s work, and we do talk quite a bit about Paige’s work as Head of Operations at an eCommerce Aggregator. So if you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to work in start up leadership, there’s a lot of great information for you here. But we also talk alot about another topic: the realities of life as a working parent. Paige’s popular social media account...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I'm talking with Rachel, a Creative Director working in User Experience. People working in UX focus on making products or services usable, accessible, and enjoyable. Most of the time, we’re talking about the design of websites or apps.  If you’re creative and collaborative, this field has so much to offer. You can work across many different industries, as a freelancer, an employee of a company, or an employee of a consultancy. There are many...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Sarah, a nanny family assistant. You might also know Sarah as the Modern Nanny, her popular social media account that provides community for people in this typically coworker-less industry in information for employers and parents.  If you’re interested in the caregiving field, working as a Nanny if you find the right employers offers a ton of benefits. Many different schedule options, more freedom, often better pay, and the...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Morgan, a social media manager through her business Casco Collaborative. If you’re curious about social media management or what it’s like making the leap from a corporate role to entrepreneurship, this is a great episode for you. Most of Morgan’s clients are in beauty and wellness, an industry that she is personally passionate about too. I think this is also a great episode about the power of knowing yourself. Morgan built a...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I'm talking with Stacie, an owner and operator of an accredited, licensed family childcare out of her home. You know this if you’re a working parent of small children, but childcare workers are in incredible demand right now, so if it’s a field that you’re passionate about, you will likely have your pick of jobs and options, and access to low cost or free education in the field. It’s also an opportunity to have a meaningful, impactful role in a...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Maria, an economist at the World Bank. This can be an amazing career path for someone that wants to explore the far reaches of the world professionally, make a meaningful impact through their work, and work in an incredibly diverse environment.  We also cover some of the unexpected perks of working at the World Bank, like onsite daycare, an exceptional cafeteria, and somehow, a post office. Things like this probably don’t feel...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I'm Lena Athena, a career and leadership coach. This is a great episode both for people interested in becoming coaches themselves, but also people curious about what a coach could help them with! This career path could work well for people that are looking to make an immediate impact in the lives of their clients, are devoted to personal improvement, and are seeking, over the long term, high degrees of freedom and flexibility (although that...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life I’m talking with Shannon, an Immunologist, who has worked academia and now works at a biotech start up. If you have considered a PhD in the hard sciences or are interested in biotech or academia, this would be a great episode for you. We cover so much about this career path, from debate around the ethics of the post-doc process, to the need for a technical track for PhDs that are gifted scientists but not necessarily strong managers and mentors,...

On this episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Michelle Steiner, a para educator, disability writer and advocate. Michelle has a degree, but you don’t always need one to work as a paraeducator, so it can be a great opportunity to make an impact right away without a degree and with many of the benefits that come from working in a school system.  As you’ll hear from Michelle, people with learning disabilities can face many challenges on the path to find employment. It’s important to...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Carley, a hair stylist and owner of Revive Salon and Spa, located in Falmouth, Maine. Building a career as a stylist can be great for someone that is creative, entrepreneurial, and enjoys building strong relationships with clients and fellow stylists. Much like building any small business, there are plenty of upsides, like the ability to create a positive and supportive working environment for yourself and your employees, some...

On this episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Tony Mantor. Tony has been working in the music industry in Nashville for more than 30 years, and is an established singer-songwriter, pianist, podcast host and record-charting music producer. We cover a lot of different components of working in the music industry, like how streaming has changed the industry for musicians and songwriters, the decision to focus on production and management rather than continuing to focus solely on his...

On this episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Kiara Laetitia, a rock singer, manager and coach, currently based in Italy. If you’re passionate about music and ever wondered what it would be like to pursue it for a full time career, this will be a great episode for you. For the right person, a career in music offers flexibility, possibility, travel, and the chance to spend your working hours doing something you truly love. It also comes with a lot challenges, for some people, could...

A few weeks ago, I interviewed my Dad, a boat captain, and today, I am so pleased to share another very special guest, my Mom, Trish, an active-retired Judge on this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life. We talk a lot about what it’s like to be a judge, but we also cover the different roles she’s had within the legal profession, so if you’re considering law, this will be a great episode for you. My mom graduated law school in 1979, when about 8% of lawyers were women, today that number is...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Darryl Haberman, a Digital Media and Operations Consultant, primarily in the Sports Industry. If you’re passionate about sports and interested in how you could turn that into a career, this will be a great episode for you. We talk a lot about how to break into the industry, and lessons learned along the way. We also get into detail about the transition from working in the corporate world to striking out on your own as a...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Dawn Friedman, a Therapist in private practice. Dawn is an LPCC, which stands for licensed professional clinical counselor. One of the many things we talk about is the pros and cons of the various ways of becoming a mental healthcare provider, so if that path interests you, she raises a lot of important considerations. Being a therapist can be a great role for someone that is curious about people, resilient, empathetic, but...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I have a very special guest! I’m talking with my Dad, John, an active-retired boat captain. If you’ve listened since the beginning, this podcast started out as an idea for my own kids, to find a way for them to hear about the realities of work from people in many different careers. So it’s such a special moment for me to talk to one of the coolest people I know about their career, and share it with you all today. As you’ll hear, my Dad has had a...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Alex, an illustrator and author of children’s book. Working full time in a creative field is a dream for many, pairing your personal passions with a career can give you a truly fulfilling life long career, giving you tons of freedom and agency in the direction of your life. That said, there is so much more to creative work than the art itself, from contract negotiations, to social media, to balancing an irregular income. If this...

On this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Renee. Renee works in Corporate Learning and Development, currently working as the Director of Training at a start up. This type of work can be great for people that love learning new things, are creative and collaborative, and often, for teachers looking to use their skills in a different line of work.  Depending on the industry you’re working in, there are also often great benefits, compensation, work life balance and...