For the 8th season of "On The Job," host Avery Thompson shares stories of folks making pivots in their professional - and personal - lives. Whether it's a successful athlete transitioning into a new career off the field, a fly fishing tour guide trying to introduce a new segment of folks to the joys of the outdoors, or a stadium beer and hot dog hawker who doubles as the CEO of a red-hot start-up, we'll find out what drives them, how they've managed their pivots and what lies ahead. Strap in for eight more entertaining and heartfelt stories of people finding their life's work.
"On The Job" is brought to you by Express Employment Professions.
Author Adam Markel has learned the transformational power of making a professional pivot firsthand, and he shares his tips and tricks with us. https://adammarkel.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Former offensive lineman - for a bunch of NFL teams - Pete McMahon applies gridiron grit to his Ames, IA Express franchise. https://www.expresspros.com/amesia/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For seasoned beer and hot-dog hawker Jonah Fialkow, perfecting his game-day salesmanship has helped pave the way to launching a rapidly growing reality TV-centric start-up. https://bracketology.tv/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Navy vet John Bethell starts over in a small town, yet finds himself in a familiar, and gratifying, role. https://piedmontprintandframe.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Fly-fishing guide Erica Nelson is welcoming a whole new segment of folks into her outdoorsy paradise. https://www.awkwardangler.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Brian Murphy Is a fifth generation funeral director. Will there be a sixth? https://www.williammurphyfuneralhomeinc.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Vanessa Vaught finds serenity, and a brand new livelihood, on a Texas dance floor. https://www.doubleornothingtwostep.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark Erlich, a former carpenter who is now a Fellow at Harvard, gives us a look at the jobs market, and the ascendance of the “toolbelt generation.” https://clje.law.harvard.edu/team/mark-erlich/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Brandon Dunn was born into rodeo royalty. And for twenty years he fulfilled his destiny -- until a tragic car accident ended his career. Or nearly ended it. Brandon tells his story of loss and rehabilitation, and welcomes us into the fascinating world of rodeo clowning. To see Brandon in action, check-out his page here . (http://www.roblittle.com/) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Demeny Pollitt is an automotive technician and the founder of Girlington Garage, a female-run auto garage in South Burlington, Vermont. In operation since 2009, Pollitt’s business has not only survived, but thrived. Ms. Pollitt talks about taking the leap to entrepreneurship, entering a male dominated industry, and the joys/challenges of business ownership. Find out more about her business here ( https://girlingtongarage.com/ ). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Finding work in this economy doesn't have to be arduous. Tune in to hear from Olivia, an Express Employment Professionals Employment Specialist-turned-Operations Manager and one of her Associates, Leon, who she's helped place, to find out how the process has impacted both of their lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rob Little has a very enviable work calendar. As a cruise ship comedian with over 200 outings to his credit, Rob has seen places and ports most of us only dream of. But life aboard the ship isn't all laughter and sunshine. You can find out more about his comedy stylings here (http://www.roblittle.com/). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jake Wright is a self-described food carnie; a rambling pizza rover. After a failed attempt at a career in music production, Jake decided to combine the two things in life that most excite him: pizza and welding. Now, he tows his mobile pizza oven around Texas, making pizzas at music festivals, rodeos, and even his own wedding. To get your own mobile pie, check out his website ( https://www.ohmypizzapie.com/ ). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Meet Terri Weldon, who has been working for Express Employment Professionals for over 40 years. She shares her secrets to long term professional happiness - ones that can apply to any workplace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As a thrill seeker and born caretaker, Aysia Bly found her dream job as a pediatric flight nurse--where she performs her duties while soaring above Philly in a helicopter. But the job is inherently dangerous, and as a mom to a young son, Aysia must contend with that risk everyday. You can learn more about her at her Website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Economist, author and baseball fan Michael Walden gives us a macro look at an economy that has bounced back surprisingly well post-covid, and offers a generally favorable outlook about what is coming down the pike. You can purchase his 'economic thrillers' at this Amazon Author Page. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jessica Rowland started her own painting business without really knowing it. A champion of the gig economy, her new venture has thrived during the pandemic and shows no signs of stopping. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In March of 2021, the shipping freighter Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days and captivated the world. In this episode, we dive into what the event says about our economy, and what it says about us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Spencer Lanning lost his job during COVID, and is one of many people who were forced to face their demons in the isolation of the pandemic. Coming out the other side, he now protects Vermonters from hackers in his job as a cyber security analyst. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Marcellie Bellinger cleaned up the streets of Yonkers, NY – literally. He takes his job as a Ranger seriously, and brings his infectiously optimistic work ethic everywhere he goes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Educator and software engineer Thierry Mugabo Uwilingiyamana knows what the stakes are when education isn't allowed to flourish – so he's dedicated his life to spreading knowledge and giving kids the tools they need to love learning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Scott Carey leaves his stable, decade-long career in marketing to make a risky move doing something he loves – being a butcher. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
General store manager Karen Banks perseveres through the turbulence of losing her employees, and the huge influx of customers coming into her small Vermont town. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Brown University economist Mark Blyth sets the stage for Season 6 of "On The Job" by telling the story of how we got where we are today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the season five finale of "On The Job," we meet Leonette. Her path to her career - she's a Law Clerk at the US Department of Education - had more than a few twists and turns. In fact, she started law school in her 30s, after realizing that she could help to address the yawning gap in African-American and female representation in the legal field. Now, she's using her degree to advocate for others who lack a voice: victims of predatory for-profit colleges. She's part of the DOE's Borrower Defen...
Afua Bruce's career in data science and technology is dotted with a bunch of impressive acronyms: IBM, the FBI (!), even working for the POTUS (Obama) as Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council. Now, she's taken on a new challenge as Chief Program Officer for Datakind, a global non-profit that harnesses the power of data science and AI in the service of humanity. Heck, she even has her own statue as part of the #IfThenSheCan women in STEM initiative (https://ifthensheca...
Like so many food industry workers, Meg lost her job during the pandemic. And instead of going back on the job hunt in this historically challenging environment, she decided to gamble on herself. She launched Das Butterhaus (https://dasbutterhaus.com), named for her love of German pastries - and now she's baking in a local kitchen and selling her delicious concoctions for pickup and delivery. Learning how to be an entrepreneur - bookkeeping, marketing, etc. - at the same time she's standing up h...
If Kitty Hailey didn't exist, some enterprising author would have conjured her up. A well put-together woman of a certain age, she resembles a hip kindergarten teacher - a fact which has served her well in her actual occupation; she's a private investigator. Using the skills she's honed over decades of investigative work, Kitty has risen to a position of prominence in her field, evolving from the typical "cheating spouse" assignments to doing trial work that has had positive, life-changing impac...
During the height of the pandemic, unemployment peaked at around 15%. And many of the jobs lost, especially in industries that were already seeing disruption through automation and outsourcing, may never come back. Enter Benny Boas and the Burlington Code Academy. He and his co-founder Alex Horner have created a 'boot camp' to teach people new skills, primarily in software coding and interface design. BCA is a lifeline for folks trying to attain new, work-from-home friendly skills - especially s...
Jaye Gardiner is about as perfect an example of a modern-day renaissance person as you can get. A first-generation American of Belizean descent, a scientist and cancer researcher, she spends what little free time she has creating and publishing aspirational comics to increase students' STEM literacy. She's a born teacher, capable of reducing complex science into simple and easy to grasp metaphors. You can check out her company, JKX comics, here (https://www.jkxcomics.com/). Learn more about your...
