In this episode, Spencer speaks with Mary Kimball (she/her) about the critical shortage of farmers in this country, the ways that people get pushed away from agriculture-related careers, and the growing collaboration between the farming community and the sustainability community. Mary is the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Land-Based Learning, whose mission is to cultivate the next generation of farmers, agricultural leaders, and natural resource stewards. She was raised on a small far...
Mar 18, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode, structural engineer Jared Ellis (he/him) explains why having good grades isn’t all that matters to get your start in the world of engineering. He also shares his experiences navigating advancement in his career, and how his marriage taught him the interpersonal skills to succeed at work. Jared received his B.S. and M.S. in Structural Engineering from University of California, San Diego, and has been designing buildings for 15 years. He has lived in California his entire life. Ou...
Mar 11, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Spencer speaks with Timothy Kirk (he/him) about the winding path he has followed throughout his career. He shares his reflections on how the Army prepared him to work in the Ivy League and why emotional intelligence matters in his work. Tim currently serves as a Senior Learning Experience Facilitator at Indeed, where the mission is, simply, “We help people get jobs.” As a part of the Human Resources team, Tim provides internal training and facilitation for his fellow Indeedians on interpersonal ...
Mar 04, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Spencer speaks with immigration lawyer Tami Goodlette (she/her) about her surprising path to becoming an attorney, and about leaving her lucrative private practice to move across the country and serve asylum seekers detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. Tami is the Director of Litigation at the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) in San Antonio, Texas. Prior to joining RAICES, Tami served as the Deputy Director of the Dilley Pro Bono Project representing immigran...
Feb 25, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this episode, Spencer talks with high school history teacher Billy Lieberknecht (he/him) about why he initially resisted becoming a teacher, how he brings self-awareness of his identity into his teaching practice, and why COVID-19 disproportionately impacts students like his. Billy has been working in Bay Area public schools since 2008. He began his teaching career in Oakland Unified School District as a Resource Specialist, as part of the Teach For America program. He then went on to earn hi...
Feb 18, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode, Jane Lose (she/her) talks about the role models that led her to nursing and midwifery, about the importance of seeing yourself represented in your health care providers, and about the not-so-linear path she took to build her career. Jane is a Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife with 18 years of experience. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University in 1995, and in 2002, a Master of Science in Nursing from Yale University. Jane has spent mo...
Feb 11, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Spencer speaks with Jason Lew (he/him) about his experience dropping out of college to go into business for himself, his journey of reflection on what matters in work and life, and his mission to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs. Jason is an entrepreneur, business coach, and keynote speaker. His focus is to teach entrepreneurs how to lean into their expertise and build businesses around what they were meant to do. Before going out on his own, Jason spent 19 years in health and wellness ...
Feb 04, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Spencer speaks with Ephraim Freed (he/him) about his unlikely path from volunteer to administrative assistant to intranet manager, a path that eventually led him to become a thought leader and expert in the field of internal communications. Ephraim's mission in work is to help large companies default to employee-centric, customer-centric, and humanistic thinking. During his career, Ephraim has built a new social intranet at a global nonprofit, developed a global town-hall program at a video game...
Jan 28, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode, Dr. Mallika Nocco (she/her) talks about her work at the intersection of academia and agriculture. She shares her journey into scientific research, the life decisions that shaped her early career, and the importance of mentorship. Mallika is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in soil-plant-water relations, director of the Conservation Irrigation Lab (irrigationlab.com) at the University of California-Davis, host of the Water Talk Podcast (watertalkpodcast.com), and co-founder of ...
Jan 22, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In today's episode, Kyle Thompson (he/him) describes the startup mindset that helped his brewery stay nimble through uncertainty. He talks with Spencer about confronting risk, being an autodidact, and wondering whether or not "follow your passion" actually is good advice. Kyle is an entrepreneur who served as the co-founder and former CFO of Topa Topa Brewing Co. in Ventura, CA. During Kyle’s tenure with Topa Topa, the company grew from zero to $5M annual revenue. A serial problem solver, Kyle i...
Jan 22, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Payton Richardson (he/him) talks about charting a path from pre-med to educational research, about connecting his skills to his passions, and about learning to ask for help. Payton is an educational policy and data professional with expertise in analyzing K-12 data, Federal and State accountability structures, and performance frameworks. He uses the lenses of equity, racial and educational justice to provide qualitative data and lived experiences that contextualize quantitative outcomes data. Pa...
Jan 22, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this episode, communications professional Lindsay Wright (she/her) shares about the college internship that led to her first job, how she decided to take the plunge into freelancing, what's great (and what's hard) about working for a mission-based organization, and why it's important to develop your network. Lindsay is the associate director of communications at the Oakland Museum of California where she oversees external communications for the East Bay museum. She's a graduate of California ...
Jan 07, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Satisfy your curiosity about careers. Each episode, career coach Spencer Atkinson (he/him) interviews working professionals from various careers. Season one includes conversations with some incredible people — including nurse practitioners, engineers, communications and PR professionals, civil rights attorneys, public school teachers, and entrepreneurs. These talented professionals share some hard-earned lessons about what it’s like to work in their field, where their career path has taken them,...
Jan 02, 2021•40 sec
