Thanksgiving Message
A brief message for you, recorded on Thanksgiving Day 2018. Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe
Nov 22, 2018•2 min
Second Breaks
Coffee chats with people I want to learn from — about life, work, becoming, and figuring things out (often in midlife, but not always). Hosted by Lou Blaser.
About The Host: Lou Blaser is a corporate escapee turned writer, podcast host, and resident philosopher-next-door. She writes We’re All Getting Older — a newsletter about joy, purpose, and figuring out what matters now. She’s also the author of Break Free: The Courage to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career.
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Episodes
[72] Strategies for Rejoining the Workforce | Beth Yarzab
Beth Yarzab, career and fitness coach and creator of Career Fit Mom, shares insights and tips for women who are looking to return to work after extended maternity leave. Highlights of Episode 72 The most important (professional) concern for moms returning to work Three things to do and consider as you re-enter the workforce Networking tips while away on maternity leave Accommodating professional development, retaining or acquiring new skills while on leave How to address the “gap” in your resumé...
Nov 15, 2018•48 min
[71] Evaluating Your Career Choice
Is there a way to know for sure that your decision to pursue a new career path is the right thing for you to do? We explore what’s really behind this question and discuss 3 things you can do to get comfortable with your decision. Topics Discussed in Episode 71 In the intro: How to plan for your career move and an invitation to join the Plan Your Pivot in 5 Days challenge The underlying beliefs and thoughts that drive our desire to get assurance about our career decision or choice The best way to...
Nov 08, 2018•18 min
[70] Starting a New Career as an SEO Consultant | Meg Casebolt
Highlights of Episode 70: How Meg Casebolt expanded her role and skillset by identifying new opportunities within the organization and raising her hand Starting a new career by leveraging her existing strengths in graphics design and understanding of the non-profit world Finding initial clients through her network and word-of-mouth The simplest way to understand SEO and why it’s so important in today’s world What’s exciting and unique opportunities in a digitally-connected world Get full access ...
Nov 01, 2018•32 min
[69] Three Things You Absolutely Need to Move Forward With Your Career Plans
Highlights of Episode 69 In the intro, I discuss why work is one of the most important parts of life I also talk about one movie that’s made such a big impact on me 🤓 and how it relates to my attitude toward work Why many of us, despite how much we want to make a career move or a career change, are unable to do so Stephen Covey’s second habit (Begin with the end in mind) and what this means for your career plans How to effectively plan for your career move and what to focus on The three kinds o...
Oct 25, 2018•24 min
[68] Working Parents: Maximizing Time With Your New Baby | Ayelet Marinovich
Ayelet Marinovich is a pediatric speech-language pathologist who works with families with infants and toddlers. She is the founder of Strength-in-Words, a podcast and an educational resource providing access to high-quality, evidence-based resources and connections to other parents and professionals so they can have peace of mind they are supporting their children to the best of their ability. Highlights of Episode 68 How Strength-in-Words got started Common misconceptions new parents have about...
Oct 18, 2018•37 min
[67] Using Play for Problem-Solving and Strategic Planning | Melissa Dinwiddie
Melissa is Chief Instigator and lead facilitator of Creative Sandbox Solutions™ , a creative consultancy that helps organizations future-proof their people and their plans through the strategic use of play. Highlights of Episode 67 How “playing” with Lego blocks can help with problem-solving and strategic planning Avoiding perfectionist tendencies Addressing the fear of the “blank page” Being open to exploring options (instead of shutting down everything right away) Proceeding with your idea whe...
Oct 11, 2018•30 min
[66] Dealing with Depression While Growing my Career
In honor of the upcoming World Mental Health Day, I wanted to share my experience with depression while working and growing a career. My goals for sharing my experience in this episode are: 1) To remove the stigma and shame associated with having mental health challenges or asking for professional help. There’s nothing wrong with seeking professional help. You’re just taking care of yourself. And there are so many people who have the same issue. You are not alone. 2) To share my personal self-ca...
Oct 04, 2018•20 min
[65] How to Recover From a Career Setback
Highlights of Episode 65 What is a career setback? Examples and impact of career setbacks Two things to keep in mind when planning for your next steps How to start from a place of strength when your confidence level is low Approaching the setback from a place of curiosity Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Sep 27, 2018•16 min
[64] Designing a Career Around Parenting Priorities | Janice Plado Dalager
Highlights of Episode 64 Setting intentions (and boundaries) around your desired career Finding and being open to new opportunities Testing and tweaking to align opportunities with your career objectives Technology requirements for being a VA How you could explore and where you can start if you want to become a VA Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Sep 20, 2018•32 min
[63] The Joys and Challenges of Working in the Digital World | Amy Walsh
Highlights of Episode 63 Amy’s take on what it’s like to work online 100% of the time and what she misses from her previous ‘in-person/in-office’ work. The role of social media in her work and business; how she uses social media to reach her audience Amy’s career as an artist and teacher; what it’s like to pursue a career based on her passion and interest Why she had to make a career pivot How she incorporated her true passions into her business and created a career path that is uniquely hers Ge...
Sep 13, 2018•44 min
[62] Avoid Starting Your Career Move on the Wrong Foot
Highlights of Episode 62 The role of your Big Picture in your career move Why you’d want to start your career move by understanding your long-term vision or Big Picture What happens when you don’t have a clearly defined Big Picture Why it’s difficult to find the words to describe your vision What to do if defining a Big Picture is a challenge for you Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Sep 06, 2018•25 min
[61] Empowering Choices for Your Career | Mia Scharphie
Highlights of Episode 61 Creating your unique path, especially if you have multiple interests Prioritization and making the time to do the things you want to do Mia’s season of pitching and experimentation phase Her process of paring things down, building pause points, and finding her through lines Learning to say “yes” to the right things and “no” to the wrong things Catching yourself Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Aug 30, 2018•45 min
[60] Why Retirement Shouldn't be the Goal | Damion Lupo
Damion outrightly rejects regret and speaks to it as the ultimate life failure. In this episode, we talk about his approach to living a full-filled life. He shares why he hates the word retirement and the problem with having it as a target goal. Highlights of Episode 60 The problem with retirement The idea of ‘booking it’ and how not to postpone everything until ‘someday’ What wealth is and isn’t How to view competition in the workplace Breaking the ‘golden shackles’ problem Damion’s process cha...
Aug 23, 2018•36 min
[59] How to Avoid Stalling on Your Career (and Life) Plans
Highlights of Episode 59: Four good practices that can turn into bad ones that will stall your progress Why pointing to fear as the main culprit isn’t a good idea The right and the wrong way to share your plans with others What’s the minimum to-do, especially if you hate planning Planning landmines The deal with comfort zones Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Aug 16, 2018•27 min
[58] Leaving a Corporate Career to Join the Start-Up World | Kat Lu
Highlights of Episode 58 What it means to bootstrap a venture The challenges of bootstrapping The factors that Kat considered when deciding to leave her consulting career to join her husband full-time in their startup venture What helped Kat the most during her transition Factors to consider if you’re thinking of developing an app or an automated tool Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Aug 09, 2018•38 min
[57] Creating and Managing a Portfolio Career with Kristen Runvik
Highlights of Episode 57 The parts pieces of Kristen Runvik’s portfolio career Why this work arrangement suited her career goals Kristen’s favorite (and effective) way of finding job opportunities How Kristen determines if a side project fits within her bigger picture Why Kristen’s business doesn’t feel like overwhelming work The importance of time management to prevent burnout when you have a portfolio career Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Aug 02, 2018•44 min
[56] Establish Authority by Teaching Your Expertise | Gregg Eiler
Instructional Designer Gregg Eiler joined me in this episode to talk about how we can use our hard-earned expertise to establish our authority in our field and create a new career path or new revenue source by turning that knowledge into a course or a program. Highlights of Episode 56 The benefits you gain by teaching your expertise Topics that make for good course subject matters How to compete with all the information that’s already out and available in the internet Where to start if you’re th...
Jul 12, 2018•42 min
[55] Taming Your Inner Critic | Nancy Jane Smith
In this episode, I’m joined by professional counselor, Nancy Jane Smith, who wrote the book The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals . Nancy and I talk about the happier approach, a simple way to quiet our Mongers, be kinder to ourselves, while also achieving our goals and intentions. We also talk about the mistake we make when we attempt self-compassion, and the more productive approach we can take instead. Highlights of Episode 55 The 3 voices (Mo...
Jun 21, 2018•27 min
[54] Redefining Work and Success | Yana Banzen
In 2015, Yana Banzen, then a practicing litigation lawyer, decided to pack her things into a storage locker and moved to Thailand. It was an open-ended plan that led to eye and heart-opening discoveries and eventually, a new career direction for her. In this episode, we talk about why and how all these changes came about, what she’s learned in the process, and how she has transformed her life and career since then. Highlights of Episode 54 In the Intro: I talked about a recent “sign-of-the-times...
Jun 14, 2018•38 min
[53] What I Learned From a Year of Podcasting
In this episode, I share 5 things I’ve learned from one year of podcasting, some behind-the-scenes that contributed to this podcast, and my thoughts on the future of this podcast. Thank you for being here. I so appreciate that you’ve made the Second Breaks Podcast part of your week. I don’t take that for granted. I know how busy you are and to be able to reach you like this is such an honor. 5 Takeaways from a Year of Podcasting We can move forward even if we’re scared sh*t. We can start small a...
Jun 07, 2018•28 min
[52] A Career Change in Flight | Dave Pidgeon
"I live in beautiful chaos. To me, I feel like the step that I took back in May, the verdict on that is still out. We don’t know if this has been the best right decision just yet. A lot of that is up to me and what I do. We’re still in the middle of it." —Dave Pidgeon Highlights of Episode 52: Why Dave Pidgeon left a “family legacy” career How a hobby turned into a new professional and career opportunity Bringing previous experiences and skills into new roles and jobs The best way to network in ...
May 31, 2018•38 min
[51] The Role of Stories and Storytelling in a Career Pivot | Kay Fabella
I’m joined this week by brand storyteller and communications strategist, Kay Fabella . Kay helps businesses around the world bring their brands to life, so they can meaningfully connect with their clients and meet their business goals. Highlights of Episode 51 Why we need to pay attention to the stories we tell ourselves Common fears that people face when thinking about making a pivot The truth about how and what others “hear” when we talk about our career transitions How storytelling can help o...
May 24, 2018•25 min
[50] Key Mindset Shifts to Navigate the Changing Work Landscape
Topics Covered in Episode 50 Why we need to approach our careers differently What it takes to successfully navigate the changing work landscape The key change that happens when you adopt a career owner’s mindset Why continuous learning is even more important now The difference between a career path and a career horizon How to remain relevant and always marketable Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
May 17, 2018•20 min
[49] Why Join an Accountability Group | Allison Lockett
"Whether it’s coaching or getting an accountability partner, you still have to go back and do the work. The work is yours to do." —Allison Lockett Highlights of Episode 49 What is an accountability group and what it’s not What makes for a good accountability partner How to structure accountability meetings Frequency, timing, and length How to ask someone to be your accountability partner Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
May 10, 2018•35 min
[48] Why Understanding Your MBTI Helps Your Career with Alethea Fitzpatrick
Highlights of Episode 48 What MBTI is and what it’s not What natural preference means Why it’s not bad to act out of our natural preferences How understanding the team’s MBTI type can help improve team dynamics Why we may test differently at different times of our lives Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
May 03, 2018•35 min
[47] From an IT Career to Teaching and Creating Art with Paivi Eerola
Paivi Eerola had spent her entire life studying and working in IT. With a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering, she spent her first professional years teaching other IT professionals. After a while, she moved to programming and later, to project management of large-scale IT integrations, and then to selling enterprise-level IT solutions. And as if all that wasn’t enough, she also went back to school to acquire a second degree in Industrial Design. But Paivi’s first love was art. Growing up in...
Apr 19, 2018•37 min
[46] Why We Need a New Career Strategy
Topics Covered in Episode 46 The four main reasons driving the change in the workplace The challenge AND the opportunity behind each of these change drivers How to spot these factors ahead of time so you don’t get caught off guard Why we need to be paying attention now more than ever What your new career strategy should include Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Apr 12, 2018•20 min
[45] Tools Every Working-From-Home Person Needs
The number of people working from home, either full-time or part-time, has been on the rise and this trend is only expected to continue. For telecommuters — or really any time we work outside the office — we need to pay attention to the kinds of tools we use, the ease of setting up, and how we access them wherever we are. If you’re thinking about working from home, doing some kind of freelance project on the side (i.e., without the support of an IT department!), or just want to be more organized...
Apr 05, 2018•16 min
[44] Using Your Unique Strengths to Create a New Career | Karyn Kelbaugh
Key Takeaways from Episode 44: Take the time to discover your strengths and skills Pay attention to everyday clues that point to your key differentiator Identify the role or career path that can best leverage those skills and make you shine Look for external models to help you design your path, but don’t be pressured to fit the mold Get full access to We're All Getting Older at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe...
Mar 29, 2018•27 min
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