In this episode of Pivoting Out of EDU , Jaimie sits down with Dr. Sylvester Gaskin to unpack a powerful and deeply honest career pivot story, one shaped not just by ambition, but by burnout, trauma, and the urgent need to choose health over title. Sylvester shares his unconventional path from engineering to student affairs, his rise into senior leadership as an Associate Dean, and the invisible toll that crisis response, COVID leadership, and ever-expanding responsibilities took on his physical...
Jan 22, 2026•34 min•Season 5Ep. 69
In this episode, Jaimie welcomes Maria Crockett as she shares the story of her inspiring "second act"—transitioning from over two decades in higher education to becoming the US Intern Program Manager at SAS. Maria reflects on her roots in academic support for student athletes, the thoughtful and strategic process behind her career pivot, and the lessons learned along the way. She offers advice on identifying transferable skills, building authentic networks, and finding meaning and flexibility in...
Dec 04, 2025•38 min•Season 5Ep. 68
In this episode, Ben Erwin shares his journey from journalism to academia to corporate instructional design and training. He breaks down the skills, mindset shifts, and upskilling that helped him leave higher ed, the realities of pivot timelines, and why networking—and understanding job requirements—matters more than firing off applications. Ben also talks about his popular LinkedIn job-sharing content and how he supports educators exploring EdTech and L&D careers. Connect with Ben Erwin on ...
Nov 22, 2025•52 min•Season 5Ep. 67
Our host kicks off Season 5 of Pivoting Out of EDU with a look back at how far we've come—and a glimpse at what's next. In this episode, we revisit the themes, guests, and stories that have shaped the journey of educators transitioning into new careers, while setting the stage for the conversations to come this season. From career pivots to personal growth, this short intro reminds us why we started and what's still ahead as we continue to explore life beyond the classroom. Helpful Links Website...
Nov 09, 2025•9 min•Season 5Ep. 66
We end our fourth season with almost 40k downloads and with this interesting pivot featuring Jon Broska . Both Tom and Jaimie were quite surprised to find that Jon's story is one of our favorites of the season. Jon pivoted from campus recreation to being a financial advisor and we never would have thought that there were so many similarities to student affairs work. We highly encourage you to listen to this episode! And... get ready for season five because we're switching it up and we think you'...
Dec 22, 2022•24 min•Season 4Ep. 65
Beth Tousant shares how she took her 12 years of experience from career services to implementation at EAB. Listen to how she leveraged her transferrable skills to support universities across the nation.
Dec 13, 2022•22 min•Season 4Ep. 64
Wondering if the great resignation is impacting academics beyond the US? Hear Luna Muñoz 's perspective as someone who has left academia and is helping others in the UK think through pivoting.
Dec 02, 2022•21 min•Season 4Ep. 63
This week we talk to Germyce Williams , a joyful and brilliant woman who talks about her experience working in recruitment and admissions in on campus positions and in ed tech.
Dec 02, 2022•24 min•Season 4Ep. 62
Join us as we discover Samantha Goldstein's career journey. She started in higher education and was able to weave in and out eventually landing in a role with LinkedIn where she conducts onboarding. Her story is fascinating and gives hope to folx looking to be able to try new things.
Nov 22, 2022•27 min•Season 4Ep. 61
Join us as we learn about Liz Collver's journey through new student programs, philanthropy, and student life to her current role at Versiti Blood Center. Everyone's pivot can look different. Be open to opportunities!
Oct 26, 2022•18 min
Join us for our second "strategy short" of this season, a short (10-15 min) episode in which Jaimie and Tom share strategies to help bolster your pivot. In this short, we share general advice and information about interviewing outside education.
Oct 24, 2022•6 min
Dan Wehr's story will resonate with many of our listeners because worked in housing, student activities, AND orientation! Now he is working in learning and development at Deloitte. Check out his story!
Oct 14, 2022•20 min•Season 4Ep. 58
Calling all classroom teachers! Tune in this week to listen to Harold Hall's story about shifting from being a math teacher to a sales development representative. Such a cool guy! You'll love his story.
Oct 04, 2022•21 min•Season 4Ep. 57
Tom and Jaimie loved chatting with Cindy Tse about her pivot to real estate. It was so interesting hearing how she sees parallels in her work now to her work in campus recreation. Also, many of you can get started working on a real estate license even before you pivot. Enjoy!
Sep 29, 2022•24 min
Trying something a little new this season with "strategy shorts" which are essentially short (10-15 min) episodes in which Jaimie and Tom share strategies to help bolster your pivot. In this short, we share the decision pyramid which contains variables to consider when deciding the direction of your future career path.
Sep 26, 2022•10 min•Season 4Ep. 55
Join us as we learn about Patrick Dostal's pivots from student engagement to customer success to product management. His story is a great example of how your first pivot out of higher ed does not have to be your last and you can grow within your company.
Sep 20, 2022•34 min
Chelsee Bente Russell's story will resonate with our listeners who want to stay working in a values-aligned space. She is passionate about ensuring folx have their basic needs met and has moved into a position with her local county where she focuses on housing for citizens. Another great example of how you can work to affect change outside of higher education!
Sep 08, 2022•34 min•Season 53Ep. 4
This week we talk with Darrel Ray about his journey from various student affairs roles, including VPSA, into a position as a Chief Equity Strategist. Darrel's story is great motivation for seasoned leaders to think about what is next.
Sep 05, 2022•25 min•Season 4Ep. 52
We love this pivoter's unique story in this episode! Heather Hamilton decided she wanted to learn about SEO and marketing so while working in campus recreation in higher education, she took courses and learned. She's a go-getter and her story is one that will likely give you ideas for your own pivot!
Aug 23, 2022•23 min•Season 4Ep. 51
Our first guest of Season Four is an amazing one AND this happens to be EPISODE FIFTY! Join us as we talk to Dr. Sarah Toutant who speaks bravely and proudly about the pivot she took out of education when she finished her Ph.D. program.
Aug 16, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 50
Ya'll we're kicking off Season 4 and we're so excited to share that we have reached over 30,000 downloads! We said we would keep doing this as long as you keep listening... so here we are! Looking forward to sharing another season with you full of amazing pivoter's and sprinkled in some short episodes jam packed with our advice. Listen in as we share what's coming this season and Jaimie's most recent pivot news!
Aug 09, 2022•17 min•Season 4Ep. 1
She's baaacccckk! We are excited to share this season 3 bonus episode focused on the unique challenges Black professionals experience when pivoting out of campus-based positions. Our guest host, Dr. Alexandria White , shares what she's experienced and learned from helping others. Join us as we dig into this very important topic.
Jul 23, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Learn from Nori Barajas-Murphy how she pivoted through different contexts (e.g. K-12, higher education, and educational technology) while staying digitally focused. Nori's story is fascinating as grant writing also helped her to pivot... plus she's always fun to chat with!
May 23, 2022•27 min
Boolean searches, digital strategy, CRM, demand generation, oh my! Listen to Loren Branch's journey from campus-based communications position to demand generation at Campus Sonar.
May 03, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Many of our listeners who have a housing background wonder what they can do outside of campus-based positions. We've showcased a variety of pathways and we think the one featured this week will resonate with many of you. Leah Schueler went from housing to Habitat for Humanity.
Apr 26, 2022•30 min
This week we talk to Dan Bursch and learn about his fascinating journey back and forth between campus-based roles and adjacent roles. He is a passionate and impressive leader and we're sure you'll enjoy hearing what he has to share.
Apr 20, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Bradley Kuo's path is a fascinating one! He moved from being a resident director to nursing and now running his own online tele mental health clinic/company. Check it out!
Apr 05, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 43
Join us as we talk "sales" with Erin Stine who pivoted from a campus-based position in admissions to Ed Tech. We are certain Erin will help you think differently about sales and it just may become a pathway you will consider!
Mar 30, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Meet Jonathon Johnson and learn about his journey from doing DEI work on college campuses to corporate; Jonathon is the VP for DEI at Planned Parenthood of Texas. Learn and listen to this amazing human!
Mar 14, 2022•24 min
Lots of folx who pivot out of campus-based positions think about recruitment as a next step in their journey. Join us as we talk with Albert Perera, a Recruitment Coordinator at Slack. Of course, we also geek out about our love for Slack. :)
Mar 08, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 40
