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As we leave 2020 behind, we ask: can grief influence career choices?

Meet New York Times best-selling author Hope Edelman. Through a series of books starting with Motherless Daughters, Hope helps people turn grief into a healing and meaningful experience.

Now, her latest book, The AfterGrief, gets grieving people to a place a positivity and purpose:

“There really are only two stages of grief that people care about: there’s the stage where you feel really bad and then there’s the stage where you feel better … [That’s what] the aftergrief is.”

In a wide ranging podcast episode, Hope:

• Describes being a 17-year-old who lost her mom to cancer and the grief journey that led her to write Motherless Daughters. Starts at 2:23
• Defines The AfterGrief. Starts at 7:09
• Explains how the Covid pandemic changed bereavement. Starts at 14:32
• Takes us through the “gendered” way we discuss grief at work. Starts at 20:08
• Provides insight on how grief can influence career choices that lead to meaningful work. Starts at 27:41

On the recognition of grief at work, Hope says:

“It’s really important for hiring managers to be grief-literate, to know what to expect and to support their employees who are going through a period of grief.”

Above all else, grieving is tough. But it can influence career choices that lead people to meaningful work opportunities.

About our guest:

Hope Edelman is the world renowned thought-leader on grief and bereavement: the author of several books; a noted speaker, and; a certified life coach. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a Masters of Arts in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa. Hope lives and works in Southern California.

EPISODE DATE: February 12, 2021

Social media:

– Facebook

– Instagram

– Twitter

– HopeEdeman.com Website

– Motherless Daughters

– The AfterGrief

– Coaching

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:57 — 35.7MB)

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Designing work from home space is mission critical in the age of the pandemic and the future or work.

Leah Margolis Nathan is responding to her clients’ needs for intentional space to work and conduct Zoom meetings.

Based in Saratoga, New York, Leah helps her clients to brilliantly reimagine their square footage to live and work. What is more, she carves out beautiful and functional areas for kids in the household to participate in virtual classroom instruction.

In this wide ranging episode, Leah digs into designing work from home space. She:

• Introduces Leah Margolis Design and the range of services that it provides clients. Starts at 2:18
• Discusses the challenges of creating space for both living and working. Starts at 3:00
• Relates the concerns of her clients who use Zoom to conduct meetings from home. Starts at 10:04
• Describes decór and other parameters for staging a Zoom backdrop. Starts at 11:36
• Considers how work from home will influence new residential design. Starts at 13:44
• Provides guidance on color choices. Starts at 18:04
• Ponders the future of traditional home spaces like dining rooms. Starts at 22:02

Leah describes how her clients first responded in early 2020 to Covid stay at home orders:

“People [at home] were going to grab folding tables to create their own desk or office arrangement.”

We believe that millions of workforce professionals who’ve pivoted to work from anywhere will be designing work from home space.

About our guest:

Leah Margolis Nathan received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Skidmore College. In 2009, after working with several leading design firms, Leah founded Leah Margolis Design LLC. She lives and works in Saratoga, New York.

EPISODE DATE: February 5, 2021

Social media:

– Facebook

– Instagram

– LinkedIn

– Website

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:16 — 41.6MB)

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In 2021, the rise of independent work will benefit people who compete for business with large firms and agencies.

Laura Marella co-founded Overflow to help solo-entrepreneur marketing and strategy professionals succeed.

As a business accelerator and professional community, Overflow provides independent professionals with specialized tools and resources that they need to compete effectively with big enterprises. What is more, Overflow connects “indies” to a large and growing ecosystem of likeminded people.

Truly, Overflow is ready to empower this growing part of the American workforce to succeed in a future of work doing meaningful work.

“Instead of being a marketplace of consultants, [we wanted] to create a marketplace for consultants.”

In this episode, Laura:

• Introduces Overflow. Starts at 2:25
• Explains how Overflow members may overcome their skill gaps or cavities. Starts at 11:48
• Describes how a growing sector of independent workers will benefit from the Gig Economy. Starts at 14:21
• Supports her belief in Stakeholder Capitalism. Starts at 18:43
• Recalls how experience as a “corporate escapee” informs her current work as an independent strategist. Starts at 23:25

Laura also explains the reason why Overflow founded as a public benefit corporation:

“[We formed] Overflow as a public benefit corporation [b corp]. We joined a growing global network of companies that places social and environmental issues at the core of what we do. What’s more, we adhere to very strict standards of accountability and transparency as we do that.”

About our guest:

Laura Marella received a Bachelor of Science in Communications Management from Ithaca College’s Park School of Communications. During her years in the agency space, Laura gained a national reputation for excellence in multi-cultural marketing. She lives and works in Southern California.

EPISODE DATE: January 29, 2021

Social media:

– Overflow Website

– LinkedIn Page

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:10 — 31.9MB)

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Volunteer programs benefit careers and extend corporate social responsibility.

As the CEO of Realized Worth, Angela Parker leads an organization that inspires professionals at AT&T, Deloitte, Microsoft, Walmart and other companies with meaningful volunteer program engagements.

“Volunteering can be a safe and non-threatening space where we encounter our own humanity.”

Nearly one year separated from workplace colleagues, people who work are seeking involvement in meaningful leadership opportunities. Oftentimes, volunteerism gets them there.

In this episode, Angela describes:

• Realized Worth’s unique value proposition and mission. Starts at 2:22
• How the pandemic changed volunteerism. Starts at 4:14
• The role of skill in driving volunteer programs. Starts at 7:14
• Ways that volunteerism helps to retain workforce members. Starts at 11:03
• Stakeholder value and how it drives corporate social responsibility. Starts at 17:07

When envisioned and executed well, volunteer programs benefit careers and make work and lives meaningful.

“We have to do volunteering better. We have to assume that companies that have corporate volunteering programs [must be] driving social movements with these programs. Anything less is not good enough.”

About our guest:

Angela Parker is a nationally recognized thought-leader in corporate volunteerism. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies from Taylor University and an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies from IE University. Angela lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.

EPISODE DATE: January 22, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– Facebook

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:09 — 57.9MB)

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Following a year of workforce disruption, career coaching empowers professionals to succeed in life and work.

Rich Gee is arguably one of the-most successful career coaches in the United States.

As principal the of Rich Gee High Performance Coaching, he empowers professionals to improve their on-the-job results and career outcomes.

Incidentally, when he encounters clients for the first time, Rich asks a bold question:

“[There are] people who make things happen. And there are people who watch things happen. And there are people who wonder what happened. Who are you going to be in 2021?”

In this episode, Rich:

• Tees up his company and the value provided to clients. Starts at 2:18
• Describes the high-performers he coaches. Starts at 3:47
• Speaks to the mental and emotional constrains of the pandemic on people who work. Starts at 8:31
• Discusses the pivot to remote or hybrid workplaces and how he gets “old school” hiring managers to support them. Starts at 14:24
• Embraces the four-day work week. Starts at 23:22
• Touts the benefits of gig work and sole-proprietorship. Starts at 28:56

Why does career coaching empower workforce professionals? According to Rich, it is because “they are one bad decision away from losing [their] job.”

Emerging from the pandemic, people who work need sound strategy to succeed. In 2021, more of them will recognize that career coaching empowers professionals.

About our guest:

Rich Gee was a successful executive in the market research space before finding his bliss as a nationally recognized career coach and principal of Rich Gee High Performance Coaching. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Ripon College and certification from Coach University. Rich lives and works in Stamford, Connecticut.

EPISODE DATE: January 15, 2021

Social media:

– Website

– LinkedIn

– Twitter

– Rich Gee Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:19 — 51.3MB)

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Darren Murph works to unleash the remote workforce.

As GitLab’s Director of Remote Work, Darren is “the voice in the room” that evangelizes the trailblazing company’s remote work operating model.

What is more, he authored The GitLab Remote Work Playbook, which over 80,000 people around the globe have downloaded.

As 2021 unfolds, positive forces of change will unleash the remote workforce.

Those forces will enable millions of people to live and work wherever they please. And in doing so, they will support happier professionals who enjoy doing work that is part of the day and not the day.

To unleash the remote workforce is central to GitLab’s mission.

In this episode, Darren describes:

• GitLab and his role as Director of Remote Work. Starts at 2:26
• Why GitLab is a 100 percent distributed (remote) workforce. Starts at 4:27
• How he and the company found each other and his role materialized. Starts at 6:07
• Opportunities and challenges inherent in framing a remote work value proposition for recruited talent. Starts at 7:28
• The revolutionary aspects of living and working anywhere. Starts at 14:02
• Reengineering relocation to places where people want to live and work. Starts at 26:44
• The localistic benefits of livable communities unleashed when remote work is encouraged. Starts at 30:34

Amazing outcomes happen when you unleash the remote workforce. Darren says:

“For hundreds of years, we have fit life around the rigid confines of work. But, when you achieve remote work at scale, you can live your life and then fit work into it.”

About our guest:

Quite possibly, Darren Murph is the world’s first Director of Remote Work. He received a Bachelor of Science in Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management from NC State and an MBA from Campbell University. He lives and works remotely in North Carolina.

EPISODE DATE: January 8, 2021

Social media:

– Darren Murph on LinkedIn

– Darren Murph on Twitter

– Living the Remote Dream (Amazon.com book page)

– GitLab Website

– The GitLab Remote Playbook

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:10 — 5.8MB)

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The new year and the pandemic inform how we use space to live and work.

It turns out that one good thing happened in 2020. Because we sheltered in place for weeks and months, we discovered that we could work successfully from home or in a hybrid combination of traditional and untraditional work spaces.

In 2021, how we use space to live and work will be entirely up to us.

During the early pandemic months, millions of people left big cities for anywhere else. They bought homes in suburbs, exurbs, and rural communities. What is more, they are reimagining their new places as professionally designed TV studios for Zoom sessions.

By living and working remotely, people slashed their monthly out-of-pocket commuting costs. The hours of time recovered by not commuting provided people opportunities to engage with family members, rest, or increase their productivity.

Yes, in 2020, people became more productive on the job.

In the past 12 months, animal shelters emptied as people adopted dogs and cats. Surely, the happiest heartbeats in the home belong to our new furry family members.

Surely, we are in, or are about to enter, the worst part of the Covid pandemic. During the next weeks and months, we will lose more people, everyday, than died on 9/11. And Covid will, for the foreseeable future, be our leading cause of death.

But when we get through Covid, we will be a stronger, more agile, and happier workforce. And that is because we will have more say in the work that we do and our space to live and work.

EPISODE DATE: January 1, 2021

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:48 — 40.9MB)

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Comedy empowers veterans careers: see how ASAP’s novel stand-up comedy training program helps the people who served enjoy meaningful lives and work.

The Armed Services Arts Partnership or ASAP is a nonprofit organization that uses stand-up comedy training to empower people to connect with beautiful dreams and meaningful work.

ASAP cultivates community and growth among veterans, service members, military families, and caregivers through the arts. But their real impact is in liberating people from fear, pain, and loss, to get them to a place of joy and empowerment. People who have benefitted from ASAP training and programming use their newfound creativity to confidently express themselves and their purpose, and find greater success and happiness in life and work. ASAP programming is available in the Washington DC metropolitan area as well as in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

To understand how comedy empowers veterans’ careers, we met with ASAP’s executive director Brian Jenkins. We also sat down with Monica Daly who performed her five-minute stand-up comedy set before a live audience at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia.

During this episode, recorded in the Fall of 2019, you will discover:

• What the Armed Services Arts Partnership is about. Starts at 2:28
• Comedian Monica Daly’s take on ASAP and the benefits that it provides her. Starts at 7:07
• A sampling of Monica’s stand-up set. Starts at 13:54
• What participants may expect during their stand-up comedy training program. Starts at 15:02

As comedy empowers veterans careers, we hope it can extend to the millions of front-line workers who are fighting the Coronavirus pandemic.

About our guests:

Brian Jenkins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. His life path, which aligned with community building and social responsibility, prepared him well to be the Executive Director of the Armed Services Arts Partnership. Brian lives in Northern Virginia.

Monica Daly grew up in the Washington, DC suburbs of Northern Virginia and is a US Army veteran. A member of the federal government workforce, she is settling into a new assignment based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Before agreeing to relocate to Indianapolis, Monica made sure that there were plenty of comedy clubs for her to play.

EPISODE DATE: December 25, 2020

Social media:

ASAP website

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:26 — )

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In the Spring of 2017, we interviewed noted labor historian and academic David Jacobs, and we asked him: what does it mean to work?

Nearly four years have passed since we interviewed Professor Jacobs, and yet very little in the workforce has changed.

People who work still have to place their financial concerns above all other considerations. And yet, in this interview, Professor Jacobs describes the ways that our work can become meaningful and fulfilling.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What does it mean to work? Starts at 3:18
• The concept of “labor capitalism.” Starts at 5:12
• The current lack of a social safety net for workers. Starts at 10:31
• Where he believes that the workforce is headed. Starts at 27:37
• The emergence of the worker-activist. Starts at 28:44

What was true in 2017 remains true entering 2021: finding and doing meaningful work may not happen with employment in one job. Many of us are doing gigs and side-hustles to make ends meet, but also do work with greater purpose. Nearly four years later, we are still asking: what does it mean to work?

About our guest:

David Jacobs is an Associate Professor of Labor and Sustainability at the Graves School of Business at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. What is more, he is the author of The Disunited States of America: Employment Relations Systems in Conflict. Professor Jacobs lives in Montgomery County, Maryland.

EPISODE DATE: December 18, 2020

Social media:

– Amazon.com book page

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:38 — 54.5MB)

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When you discover your personality type, you can benefit in the future of work doing meaningful work.

Globally recognized Myers-Briggs expert Edythe Richards returns to podcast. By administering Myers-Briggs assessments, she helps people enjoy better life and work experiences.

In this episode, Edythe takes us through the utility and benefits of a Myers-Briggs assessment by reviewing Dan Smolen’s personality type results. To that end, knowing your Myers-Briggs type can help you engage better with others, and, find and do meaningful work.

In key interview segments, Edythe:

• Summarizes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and its components.  Starts at 4:27
• Reviews in detail the results of Dan’s Myers-Briggs assessment. Starts at 5:21
• Differentiates between Extroverted and Introverted personality types. Starts at 8:51
• Contrasts Sensing and Intuitive personality types. Starts at 10:59
• Compares Thinking and Feeling personality types. Starts at 14:56
• Describes Judging and Perceiving personality types. Starts at 17:09

Clearly, when you discover your personality type success often follows.

“[Myers-Briggs] helps us feel more empowered to make better decisions for our lives and careers.”

About our guest:

Edythe Richards received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware and a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling from Seton Hall University. Edythe is a globally recognized expert on Myers-Briggs and Emotional Intelligence. Her career counseling consultancy called A Top Career is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

EPISODE DATE: December 11, 2020

Social media:

– Website

– Myers Briggs Question Corner Podcast

– LinkedIn Page