Life Through Transitions | Helping you navigate life's biggest changes

David Emerald is the author of The Power of Ted* (*The Empowerment Dynamic) and the co-founder of the Bainbridge Leadership Center. David is the creator of The Power of Ted* frameworks that are used around the world to facilitate teamwork and productivity. David works in close collaboration with his wife and business partner, Donna Zajonc, MCC and together they have developed the 3 Vital Questions™ frameworks and eLearning Course: 3 Vital Questions: Applying The Power of TED* to Life and Work. He is passionate about helping teams learn to shift out of drama and focus on outcomes they are excited about. David uplifts, enlightens and inspires individuals and groups to reach new levels of collaboration through empowering relationships.  In this episode we will explore the ideas of moving from the role of Victim to Creator.

Peggy Farah, LMHC is a Licensed Psychotherapist, Mindfulness Instructor and Workshop facilitator, and The Founder of The Deeper Cravings Path™ (food and body recovery curriculum) and Release™ (women’s art and meditation retreats). Peggy has a Masters in Psychotherapy and Spirituality and has worked in the field of mental health and emotional health for over 20 years. In the early part of her career she supported children and youth through critical illness, grief and loss, then went on to work in various senior management roles in nonprofit organizations and has now been in private practice for the past 6 years providing psychotherapy to individuals and couples. Peggy is passionate about helping others awaken to their lives through mindfulness and nourishing what they are truly hungry for

Michael O’Brien is a sales and marketing executive business coach who helps leaders understand their internal feelings of worry and doubt so they can achieve success for themselves and their teams. Before starting his executive coaching firm, Peloton Coaching and Consulting, Michael spent over two decades in the pharmaceutical and bio industry in roles that ranged from sales to marketing to executive leadership.   Before launching into his coaching career, Michael experienced a life-altering event that ruptured his worldview. On July 11th, 2001, he was struck head-on by a speeding SUV while out on a training bike ride. Now, Michael considers shares his journey from being a human doer to a human being in his bestselling memoir, Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows.  All the proceeds from the book go to the World Bicycle Relief

It all started for Jenny when her husband said one evening that he’d been feeling a bit dizzy. No big deal, right? Call the doctor, get to the bottom of it…boom…fixed!? Not quite. A simple trip to internal medicine and an MRI turned into brain surgery two days later, followed by a diagnosis of brain cancer (glioblastoma … same type as John McCain, Beau Biden, Teddy Kennedy).  And then 8 months of cancer & caregiving, and then he was gone. She set out to write the book that she wanted so desperately to find when she first became a widowed parent at the age of 43.  She wanted to know what to expect. Kind of like that book “What To Expect When You’re Expecting.” But more like “what to expect when the other parent dies.” She had been kicking  the idea of a podcast around for over two years, trying to figure out what approach would make sense.-because she’s not a therapist or a grief counselor. Jenny Lisk is the host of a podcast called The Widowed Parent.  Her shows offers advice and her story as a fellow widowed parent on a mission … a mission to help her kids to somehow thrive in spite of their terrible loss.

Brian Jaeger’s mission is supporting the dignity of good work. He brings a legacy of entrepreneurialism, career development, and transformation-centered work to his company, InsideWorks. His career highlights include business partnerships, I.T. leadership training, teaching, championing business incubators and influencing over 500 startup businesses.  Launched in 2012, InsideWorks was awarded the 2016 Washington State Small Firm of the Year award for achievement championing people living with a disability to become self-employed. Since 2016 he has been researching and scratching out content for a book with a working title: What’s Your Retirementality? A Guide for Individuals and Companies. He supports individuals by helping them thrive in the next chapter of their life, and works with companies who do not want to lose their brain trust when employees break away. Brian is fanatical about motivating individuals to thrive through work that matters. During this week’s episode, Brian talks about the importance of finding your origin story as as you approach retirement.

Curtis Romjue serves as President of First Aid Arts. He was raised in the Hawaiian islands and the Pacific Northwest. In 2003, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Seattle Pacific University where he studied Latin American Studies and Philosophy. He traveled extensively during college and learned about modern slavery. He developed the philosophy "Do what you love to fight what you hate" and formed JUBILEE in 2004 as the first 501(c)(3) nonprofit rock band in the United States using music to combat human trafficking. Curtis has worked closely with International Justice Mission since 2003 and developed First Aid Arts in response to the needs of IJM social workers serving survivors of sex trafficking and slave labor. In this episode, Curtis shares about his calling in the world and how he pieced together the clues to find it.

Corey Blake began his storytelling career as an actor, starring in one of the 50 greatest Superbowl commercials of all time (Mountain Dew, Bohemian Rhapsody) and in campaigns for American Express, Miller Beer, Mitsubishi, Wrigley's Gum, Hasbro, and other name brands. Today, Corey is the founder and CEO of Round Table Companies (RTC), the publisher of Conscious Capitalism Press, and a speaker, artist, and storyteller. He has been featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal and his work in storytelling has been quoted/featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and Inc., Forbes, and Wired Magazines. Corey pioneered the business comic book, packaging and publishing dozens of titles—including best sellers by Tony Hsieh, Marshall Goldsmith, and Robert Cialdini, and has spent over a decade guiding CEOs, founders, and thought leaders to set up a storytelling ecosystem around their brand, including writing the book they were born to write. His work has yielded 15 Independent Publisher Awards, a Belding, a Bronze Lion, and a London International Advertising Award. His articles have been published in Writer Magazine, and on FastCompany, Forbes.com and The Huffington Post. He is also the creator of the Vulnerability Wall—whose clients include Microsoft, ADP, Marketo, and Workday—and the Vulnerability is SexyTM card game. His documentary of the same name won 2017 ADDY and HERMES awards for branded content. Corey travels around the country delivering keynotes and facilitating storytelling workshops for organizations of all sizes.  In this episode, Corey shares from two early career transitions that helped him reframe some personal beliefs and eventually helped him go from victim to creative agent.

Heather Abbott is a speaker, therapist, storyteller, gardener, beloved wife, and mother of three busy daughters.  In the fall of 2017 she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and spent the next 9 months in full time treatment.  She is now cancer-free and spending her time with her kids, writing her books, and speaking about the power of hope in dark places. Join us this week as Heather takes us on her journey of finding out she had cancer, being a mother and being a cancer survivor.

Jessie is an adventurous, spirited, silly person whose path was traumatically interrupted in 2012 when a tree fell on her family car while on a family vacation. As a result, she lost both of her parents and became a quadriplegic at the C-3, C-4 level. After the accident, Jessie began the long journey to figure out how to do life and where she fit in again. For the first two years she focused solely on her body and regaining as much function as she could. But Jessie wanted more than simply being alive; she wanted to be more than just a broken vessel in constant need of maintenance.  She wanted a life, and set out to create one.

Haifa Fakih Alhussieni was born in Beirut, Lebanon on November 21, 1967, the fourth of eight children. Haifa started her career as an interior designer after graduating from Lebanese American University in 1992. Then, she opened a recruiting agency with her brother in 1996. In 1997, she met her Husband, Nabil Alhussieni, and moved to Livonia, Michigan where she had her first child, and then her second after moving to California. After staying home with her two children for four years, Haifa and her husband decided to open a Tax business, Liberty Tax Service, where she gained an in-depth understanding of taxes. Four years later they moved to Washington and started a new venture, Café Louvre. In this episode, Haifa walks us through her journey of starting her latest business, and how it has morphed into more than just a coffee shop.

Anne Sugar is an executive coach and speaker who has advised top leaders at companies including TripAdvisor, Sanofi Genzyme, and Havas. Anne serves as an executive coach for Harvard Business School Executive Education and has guest lectured at MIT. She is also a contributor to Harvard Business Review and Inc. She managed media planning for Fortune 500 clients including General Motors, Federal Express, and Delta. She draws on her extensive management experience, as well as her in-depth training in coaching methodology to advise senior executives and high performers transitioning into leadership roles. Throughout this episode Anne walks us through her experience of finding out she had breast cancer after a routine mammogram, and how she navigated through that

In her 20 years as a career and executive coach, facilitator and speaker, Tammy Gooler Loeb has inspired people to love their work. She deeply believes that people owe it to themselves to be happy at work and that everyone can be a leader regardless of their role within an organization.  Her practice focuses on career and executive coaching, workplace communication, leadership, and team development in a wide range of sectors and industries. Her podcast, Work From The Inside Out, showcases the stories and practical lessons from people who have found satisfying and meaningful work. Tammy walks us through an early career transition while in her 20s and how she persisted patiently in pursuit of work she loved

Susan is a writer for Harvard Business Review and has published in Fast Company and Thrive Global. Her articles and workshops cover managing yourself in the workplace and career development and have included topics such as overcoming the fear of failure, managing career-envy, taking control of your onboarding and conquering self-doubt.  Susan is certified as an executive coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and as a positive psychology coach by Positive Acorn and the Whole Being Institute. Susan is the author of Ditch Your Inner Critic at Work: Evidenced-Based Strategies to thrive in Your Career.  In it she makes a compelling case that career satisfaction―and the full engagement that comes with it―is more important than ever in today’s workplace. Her book is a step-by-step guide to help you develop the tools and resources you need to bring more happiness and satisfaction to your work; in your current job or a new one.  In this episode, Susan shares from one of her more significant career transitions, and how she moved through it with courage and vulnerability.

Laurie Proctor and Jean Musukevich are co-founders of SOWthat Inc., a transformational and integrative coaching organization that focuses on conscious living and the connection between mind, body and spirit in our personal and professional lives. Before launching SOWthat, Laurie spent more than 25 years in progressive roles within the technology sector in the areas of business development, marketing, management and human talent and acquisition. Before SOWthat, Jean spent over 20 years as a special education teacher, Christ-centered yoga instructor and trauma guide for adults and children affected by cancer.  This week’s episode helps our listeners prepare for the Enneagram workshop happening on March 16th at The Pier Learning Center.

Jon and Sharon have been happily married for 42 1/2 years, raised five children in Michigan, have 14 grandchildren, and currently live in Braselton, Georgia.  Jon serves as Director of Education at Eagle Ranch in Flowery Branch, Georgia, a therapeutic/counseling residential treatment center for at-risk youth and their families.  Sharon serves part-time as Patient Service Manager at Choices Pregnancy Care Center in Gainesville, Georgia, a non-profit ministry helping provide health services and resources to men and women. Jon and Sharon provide a beautiful story of a season of profound loss (loved one and employment) and an opportunity to take a huge leap of faith.

Jon DeWaal serves as the Executive Director and life transition guide at Liminal Space. Throughout his personal life and professional career, Jon has discovered that handling transition well will allow for a deeper and more fulfilling life. Hillary Augustine is a financial alchemist and energetic force for transformation, especially for those navigating change and transition. Hillary brings fresh air and life to all that she encounters. She has blended together a Masters in Accounting from the University of South Florida, a Masters in Counseling from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and a Mixology Certificate from ABC Bartending School. She consults and teaches on a wide range of areas – including: money, values, organizational strategy, and expanded thought. Her brilliance infuses everything around her as she ignites and transmutes fresh understanding into everyday realities. Jon and Hillary will be facilitating a workshop called Navigate Transitions: Learn to guide your life with the Currency Paradigm on March 2nd.  In today’s episode, Hillary and Jon will be discussing the transformative power of all life transitions, if we learn to wait and listen to how they are forming us.

Jason Pamer is the producer and writer of the theatrically-released film,  "The Heart of Man" -- which can now be viewed on Netflix and all other transactional platforms. He also produced and wrote the critically acclaimed documentary, Rape for Profit which was Executive Produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and can now be viewed on iTunes. He’s the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of www.northwood.io, a media company that connects and contextualizes peer reviewed research in academia into industry. Jason also serves as executive producer and co-founder of www.heartofmanjourney.com, which helps people go back into their stories and listen to their moments of pain and abuse in order to understand their current plight. He currently has a number of shows and films in development. He lives in Seattle, WA with his Greek wife and two kids. Throughout this week’s episode, Jason walks us through his continuous transitional journey in both life and the film industry and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

Shira Miller is passionate about helping people claim the life they deserve. As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), writer and speaker, Shira helps people get unstuck, activate their potential, and “unleash their inner rock star.” By day, she is the Chief Communications Officer of a $2 billion corporation. After hours, Shira is currently writing a book called Claim It: How to get unstuck, achieve your amazing potential and unleash your inner rock star that provides a roadmap for getting unstuck. Shira is a regular contributor to Thrive Global, Arianna Huffington’s online community that focuses on ending the stress epidemic and promoting wellness. Her story and opinions have been recognized in Shape, Health, First for Women, Quick & Simple, the Atlanta Journal – Constitution, Emory Magazine, bestselling business book The Power of Nice, and Trust Your Gut: How the Power of Intuition Can Grow Your Business.10 years ago as the economic recession hit, Shira’s successful business began to struggle significantly. In the years that followed Shira made a difficult decision to let go of a dream and begin searching for a sustainable next.

Decades ago, Karen helped create the (then) fastest growing company in American history: Compaq Computer. After working at Compaq for fourteen years, she left to begin Oneteam. She now serves as an executive advisor and consultant to CEOs and senior organization leaders to grow their companies — with outcomes including IPOs, acquisitions, market share increases, and dramatic leadership development. Karen’s work has enabled sustained growth in a multitude of companies, from startups to Fortune 500 firms, including Aetna and BMC Software. Karen rose quickly in her leadership at Compaq.  After 14 years, she decided to pause from the intense pace of her life and career. It was during this time that she asked some key questions tied to her identity, purpose and joy.

As an author and speaker Wayne Jacobsen travels the world helping people find freedom from performance-based religion and to embrace a relationship with God more deeply rooted in his affection for them.  His most popular titles include He Loves Me:  Learning to Live in the Father's Affection,  So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore, Finding Church, In Season, and A Man Like No Other. Wayne was also a co-writer and publisher of The Shack, which sold over twenty million copies worldwide.  Two of his books are now being adapted into movies for theatrical release.  A former pastor, Wayne now hosts Lifestream.org, which provides resources for spiritual growth and a podcast at TheGodJourney.com to encourage people thinking outside the box of organized religion, both have inspired countless people to a more vibrant faith. He has been married to Sara for 43 years and lives in Southern California where they enjoy their adult children and grandchildren.  Early in his career, Wayne experienced a profound betrayal from a close friend that resulted in him losing his job. It brought about a two year season of uncertainty, hurt, loss and a whole lot of healing, learning and discovery. Join us this week as Wayne takes us on his journey through betrayal, and finding his way into a more vibrant career and faith journey.

Money influences most major life stages and seasons of transition.  This was true for Andrea Ide and her growing family. In January 2010, Andrea and her husband, Andy, found themselves at the end of their ropes when it came to personal finances. They were $56,000 in debt with no idea how to get out from under it short of winning the lottery. They desperately wanted to buy a house, but didn’t qualify for a loan because their debt to income ratio was too high. They are smart people (much of their debt was from the grad degrees that they each have), but didn’t know what to do when it came to money. After 30 months of scraping and intentional spending, Andrea and Andy were able to pay off their debt as well as save enough money for a down payment for their first home.

Al Erisman is a writer, speaker, and board member for multiple organizations.  He is also the executive editor of Ethix magazine (www.ethix.org). In 2017, he completed 17 years as Executive in Residence in the School of Business, Government, and Economics at Seattle Pacific University, where he taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in business, ethics, and technology.  He remains on emeritus status at SPU. From 1969-2001 Al was at The Boeing Company, beginning as an applied mathematics researcher. During his last 11 years at Boeing he was the director of R&D for technology and mathematics, managing a staff of 250 computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. During this episode, Al takes us on his journey through various career and life transitions. Join us as we discuss:

Ruth Seidel is a pastor at Bethany Community Church North in Shoreline, WA. She is fiercely kindhearted and offers a deep well of wisdom to those she walks through life with.  One of her passions is serving others through Al-Anon,an organization that comes alongside individuals living with the disruption caused by a loved one who is struggling with alcoholism and addiction.  During this episode, Ruth walks us through her own story as a wife and mother and living with an alcoholic husband. Her transition is about the journey from being the victim to becoming the hero of her story.  Join us as we discuss:

Linda Wagner has a heart for learning and for the creative arts.  She completed a PhD in education with a focus on complex learning, “later in life”.  She’s worked in higher education, most recently as the Director of the Center for Learning at Seattle Pacific University, and since leaving that position continues to work with student learning on a consulting basis.  Linda has also been involved in the arts community, primarily supporting writers. Among other things, she was the co-director of the Christian Writers Conference at Seattle Pacific University and has worked as an author's agent, a freelance content development editor, and as a partner in a small publishing firm. As Linda and her husband were entered the retirement years and all they had dreamed it to be, Larry, unexpectedly died shortly after moving from Seattle to Portland. As you can imagine, this was an unimaginable loss for Linda.  Join us in this episode as Linda walks us through the painful experience of losing her husband, and the slow journey to rebuild a life and a sense of home.

Gary has been studying and speaking on the subject of calling for 25 years. He is the author of the book, “It’s Your Call”. Founder of The Noble Heart ministry, Gary’s mission is to help people discover the life they were designed to live that brings life to others.  He is also adjunct faculty at Colorado Christian University. Before starting The Noble Heart ministry, Gary was on the leadership team and a speaker with Ransomed Heart ministries for seven years. In this episode, Gary offers thoughts about the lessons he is learning about his calling during the second half of life.

Jeff Andrechyn is a Captain for American Airlines.  His motto: Travel lightly, but with great purpose. He has a passion to inspire through storytelling and listening to the hearts of others wherever he finds himself - the cockpit, conferences, retreats and especially around the dinner table.   When Jeff was 46 years old, he was working as a captain for US Airways.  He had two great kids and a wife he loved. Life was good. One day, Jeff was unable to see out of one eye.  The doctors would diagnosis him with Ocular Migraines, which resulted in him losing his job. He would spend the next 8 years grounded, unsure of what to do next or where to turn.  Join us this week as Jeff takes us on his journey of losing his job, and finding his “truth north” as a student, teacher, and father

After changing roles in the organization, Amy quickly realized her full potential was not being explored. She was bored and felt stuck in a dead end role, and she had no clue where to begin to change that.  In this episode, Amy shares her journey through a career transition and the work she did to discover a calling and a clear purpose for her life. Amy holds a bachelors of business administration and american ethics.  She has nearly completed a Masters in Psychology, and also enrolled in the school of psychology PhD program at the University of Washington. As she is navigating her new future Amy hopes to journey alongside children as they figure out who they are and who they wish to become.

The death of a loved one forces us to count what really matters to us. It also invites us to become who we were meant to be. In this episode, Dan Allender shares about engaging boldly with his father months before his death opening the door to the desires of his own heart as a son. Dan serves as the founding President and Professor of Counseling at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychologyin Seattle, Washington. Dan is also a founding member of The Allender Center, a place that specializes in training pastors, therapists, group leaders, lay counselors, and community and business leaders to understand their own stories in order to more deeply enter the lives of those they are called to love and serve. Dan travels and speaks extensively to present his unique perspective on sexual abuse recovery, love and forgiveness, leadership, Sabbath, and other related topics.

What am I doing here? Where did I mess up? Is God disappointed with me? Am I really supposed to be working as a pastor? How do I make ends meet? Where’s my niche? Why was I fired? Am I sure this is my calling? Why do I keep getting “no” after “no”? Brad Thayer would be asking all of these questions and many more as he navigated many job changes, career stumbles, 37 job interviews, and great loss spread out over seven years. In this episode, Brad describes his long and painful journey toward finding work that matches his calling and purpose in life. Brad is the lead pastor at the Ballard campus of Bethany Community Church.

Join us this week as Liminal Space executive Jon DeWaal discusses the life changing fall that threw not only himself, but his wife and two young children into a world of transition.

As Shonnie Scott’s role as a pastor came to a finishing point, she found herself taking a leap of faith towards new and courageous opportunities. In this episode, Shonnie shares her experience with this career transition, and how much it formed her faith and calling.  Shonnie’s life-vocation is all about empowering others to flourish in their callings, which she has fulfilled through multiple “God-assignments” over the last three decades. She has served the local church professionally since 1986, most recently spending six and half years as a solo lead pastor, launching the first satellite campus of Bethany Community Church in West Seattle. Out of that experience, she continues to empower women by serving as a pastor, mentor, speaker, and spiritual director to women leaders, pastors and church planters. Because gender justice and racial justice are inseparable, she also serves as a leader of Racial Reconciliation and Justice ministry at Bethany Community Church.

Being fired from the job you love is devastating.  It is one of the most challenging career transitions a person will go through.  And it’s what happened to our guest, Hien DeYoung. Hien’s passion is developing, empowering and inspiring people so they can fulfill their business mission. This is expressed in her work as head of HR, executive coach, and researcher of executive women’s leadership journeys. Her most often used tools are empathy, educated insight, and deep curiosity. Hien is a SHRM credentialed HR executive, and certified executive coach from the Hudson Institute of Coaching. For 20 years she had the privilege of working with CEOs and Founders in head of HR roles building startup and early stage companies that were able to raise $300m in venture funding including an IPO. Her executive and corporate officer experience enables relevant context and insights for her work with CEOs and Executives.

Ron is co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations, leaders, and industries. He has a thirty year track record helping executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization and leadership. He is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, where Navalent’s work on leadership was named one of 2016’s management ideas that mattered most. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes, and a two-time TEDx speaker. His work’s been featured in Fortune, CEO Magazine, Inc., Business Insider, MSNBC, Business Week, Smart Business, and thought leaders. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Liminal Space, the organization responsible for this podcast.  In this episode, Ron discusses the need to intentionally guide a career transition and the importance of stewarding a body of work from your life.

Jay Stringer has spent the last decade working on the frontlines of the demand for pornography and sexual exploitation. Jay's first book, Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing will be released in September. His book includes research on over 3,800 men and women struggling with unwanted sexual behavior, be that the use of pornography, an affair, or buying sex. Jay holds an MDiv and Master in Counseling Psychology from the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology.   In this episode, Jay shares from his research an important connection between an individual stuck in unwanted sexual behavior and having a clear lack of purpose in their life.  

Daniella Young is a motivational speaker, writer, combat veteran, Army wife, Mom, and the founder and CEO of Task Force Art, an intentional team building and purposeful leadership consulting firm. Her “Bullet-Proofed” seminar inspires leaders to proactively engage in building high-passion/high performance teams, strong organizational culture, and a place where diversity and personal strengths are actively cultivated. Daniella’s wisdom on navigating major life transitions comes from her own experience of several challenging transitions including escaping from a cult, leaving the military, and becoming a parent.

Cory is a Virginia native and attended Virginia Commonwealth where he received his undergraduate degree in biology and his Masters in Teaching. During his time at VCU, Cory played on the soccer team and was a full-time volunteer for Young Life. After finishing college, Cory entered the Young Life intern program for two years and continued on staff for two additional years in Virginia.  Cory and his wife Christine were married in 2001 and have lived in Colorado since 2002. They have two children : a beautiful children, daughter daughter, Sage and, born in 2009 and a son, Cedar., who was born 2013. Christine and Cory love being parents and will soon be celebrating 15 years of marriage. Cory enjoys fly fishing, wearing flip flops and shorts, and hanging with friends in his garage.   Cory is one of the founding directors of Training Ground, an organization that provides evaluated real life experiences, mentoring, and intentional Biblical teaching in the context of work, wilderness, and worship.   In part one The Path of a calling is not a straight line Cory shares about how a challenging 2-year season of remodeling a barn with a friend led to discovering a calling and career.  In this episode, part two, Cory talks about the unique challenges of transitioning into adulthood, and how risk, failure and community are essential elements to the transition.  Join us as we discuss: Founding and Design of Training Ground Refining Energy within Perspective Spaces The Value of Conflict and Tension The Permission to Fail and Experiment Who is Training Ground Fifty Bucks and a Phone Number Risk is Necessary to Shape a Life Worth Living Death Bringing Life The Different Challenges Through Different Generations Navigating the Transition To Adulthood The lesson of “Do What’s in Front of You” What Doesn’t Look Safe May Be Safe The Paradox of the Gospel in Finding Your Calling

Cory is a Virginia native and attended Virginia Commonwealth where he received his undergraduate degree in biology and his Masters in Teaching. During his time at VCU, Cory played on the soccer team and was a full-time volunteer for Young Life. After finishing college, Cory entered the Young Life intern program for two years and continued on staff for two additional years in Virginia.  Cory and his wife Christine were married in 2001 and have lived in Colorado since 2002. They have two beautiful children, daughter Sage and son, Cedar. Cory is one of the founding directors of Training Ground, an organization that provides evaluated real life experiences, mentoring, and intentional Biblical teaching in the context of work, wilderness, and worship. In this episode, Cory shares about his early career moves and how a challenging 2-year season of remodeling a barn with a friend led to discovering a calling and career. 

Craig Detweiler’s background is in filmmaking and screenwriting, and he was recently hired on as the president of a seminary called The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. He and his family uprooted to the Seattle area from Los Angeles, taking on a new challenge both in career and life. Craig works with graduate students who are looking to deepen and broaden their calling and leadership skills, all while trying to transition himself into a new place.  He is the author of several books including, Selfies: Searching for the Image of God in a Digital Age and iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives. In this episode, Craig shares his experiences of transition that from a young age helped shape his desire to push boundaries.

Cher Anderton works as an elementary school counselor in Shoreline, WA, as well as licensed therapist. In her private practice, Cher works with women adolescent age and older, and primarily focuses on trauma and parent coaching. Cher is a certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator. Her biggest passion and calling is helping parents and individuals move through life in healthier, more connected ways. Cher has four kids of her own, ages 11-17. As a parent, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the the transition to another school year.  In this episode, Cher shares what she’s learned from her own parenting journey along with some helpful thoughts to prepare parents for the Fall transition.

Cher Anderton was an east coast girl that has become a PNW convert! Cher works as an elementary school counselor in the Shoreline, WA, as well as licensed therapist in her private practice. She works with women adolescent age and older, and primarily focuses on trauma and parent coaching. Cher is a certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator. Her biggest passion and calling is helping parents and individuals move through life in healthier, more connected ways. Cher has four kids, ages 11-17, including a son she and her husband adopted from foster care when he was almost 8. In this episode, Cher shares about her son’s adoption and how the discomforts of a parenting and faith transition led to discovering a calling.

In 2013, Emily Ann Peterson was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological hand tremor, which forever altered her two-decade livelihood as a cellist/cello teacher.  In the weeks and months that followed, she was troubled by two big question, “Who am I if not a cellist?” and “How do I make a living!?” Refusing to lose her life's love of expression, she knew she’d have to be brave.  She set out to research and learn from others on what it means to be brave. This would eventually lead her to write a book called Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous.  The book seeks to help people from all walks of life understand what bravery really is - allowing them to step into it by creatively using vulnerability, imagination and improvisation.  Her goal with her writing, podcast (it’s called Bare Naked Bravery) and School of Bravery is to inspire a global resonance and magnanimous community through the marriage of art and whole-person development.

Rachel Vander Pol is not only an award-winning resume writer but also a recovering world wanderer. Rachel lives in San Diego, CA where she runs her own company called RVP Career Services. She helps job seekers around the world craft interview-winning career documents, from resumes to cover letters to LinkedIn profiles. She loves to collaborate with clients to dig deep into their past experiences to help them step into their future careers.   Finding her dream job wasn’t easy. There were a lot of “shoulds” - the expectations and obligations set by others - making that difficult. Several years back, Rachel was stuck in a career cul-de-sac of listless job wandering. Through a lot of deep personal discovery and some critical heart shifts, she would leave the comforts of what was safe and known to follow a dream of living and working in Ireland. Eventually, this pursuit of desire led her to start a business that helps others land their dream job.

Aaron McHugh is a writer, podcaster, adventurer, and author of the best-selling book, Fire Your Boss: A Manifesto to Rethink How You Think About Work. He is mastering the art of living a sustainable work-life balance that constantly interweaves rhythms of play and adventure. That includes road trips in their 1974 VW Bus, aka The Joy Bus, catapulting them into many father-daughter adventures together.Aaron works as an Affiliate Advisor for Aberkyn, a division of McKinsey & Co as a facilitator of transformation. He also works with Moving Performance, facilitating leadership change through the power of music.He and his wife Leith live in Colorado Springs, CO. They are celebrating twenty-five years of marriage in December. Their marriage has survived the death of their twelve-year-old daughter Hadley in 2011. Their twenty-two-year-old son Holden lives in Costa Mesa and is thriving in recovery three years clean and sober. Their youngest daughter lives at home still.In 2015 they rebooted their lives, sold their house and all of their belongings to reboot their life and start their life over again. It hasn’t been easy, but they would do it again. They love traveling, drinking box wine and spending time with their creative, hilarious and courageous kids.

Jenn Swanson's motto is to engage, encourage and empower others to step into their success. Through her podcast, facilitation and speaking, online courses and an Amazon-best-selling book, Jenn endeavors to inspire people to be able to get the job they want, love the work that they do, and to advance their careers. Jenn has a background in healthcare (working and teaching at the college level), a Master's Degree in Public and Pastoral Leadership, is a certified conflict coach and Master NLP Practitioner, is an ordained clergy member in the United Church of Canada, and serves as the minister of a small yet vibrant congregation in a half-time capacity when not podcasting or helping people in career transition. When not working, Jenn and her husband (sometimes in the company of their 4 kids) love to cook and garden and enjoy a good glass of red wine!  In this episode, Jenn joins me to explore a significant career transition she made a number of years back when she left a toxic work environment to create something more life-giving.

Diane Summers, RDN, CEDRD-S, CD is a nationally registered and state certified dietitian with extensive experience treating eating disorders at all levels of care.  Diane has been involved in the awareness, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders since 2004, and has treated nearly 1,000 children, teens, and adults across the full spectrum of eating disorders and concerns. She is recognized as a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian and Supervisor (CEDRD-S) through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (www.iaedp.com) for her expertise in treating eating disorders and training other professionals in the treatment of eating disorders. She is also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor (www.intuitiveeating.org).  Diane has a passion for educating the lay population and professionals on the awareness, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders.

Paul Gebben spends his days helping people navigate change, learn new ways of doing things, recover from past hurts, and create new opportunities for life.  Paul has a masters degree in counseling psychology from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and does work is as a licensed pyschotherapist in his own practice called Gebben Counseling.  But that wasn’t always the story.  Prior to his current work as a therapist, Paul served for almost a decade as the Chief Operations Officer for MarketLab, Inc. a company that sells medical and laboratory supplies.  In this episode, Paul joins me to explore the tumult of this mid-career transition and the incredible transformation he experienced as a result.

Bryan Falchuk is a best-selling author, speaker and life coach. He has faced major adversities and learned how to overcome and achieve. From obesity to running marathons, from career struggles to success as a C-level executive, from watching illness threaten his family to finding lasting health, he has been through many lessons he used to develop his unique approach to inspiring others to find lasting change. Bryan's work has been featured in several top publications like Inc. Magazine, The LA Times, Chicago Tribune and more. He has spoken at multiple TEDx events, and has been a featured guest on over 100 podcasts and radio shows.

Hillary Augustine is a financial alchemist and energetic force for transformation, especially for those navigating change and transition.  Hillary brings fresh air and life to all that she encounters. She has blended together a Masters in Accounting from the University of South Florida, a Masters in Counseling from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and a Mixology Certificate from ABC Bartending School.  She consults and teaches on a wide range of areas - including: money, values, organizational strategy, and expanded thought. Her brilliance infuses everything around her as she ignites and transmutes fresh understanding into everyday realities.

Nancy Jensen is CEO and co-founder of The Swing Shift, an organization that works to advance and enhance women’s roles in the modern workplace.  Nancy started her career at International Data Corporation, where she opened businesses on both coasts. At Microsoft, she helped launch products at Microsoft, including SharePoint. She worked as an instructor at UW's PCEO Software Product Management program. She serves as an account director with Sterling Communications, where she works on market introduction strategies for technology companies.  Several years ago, Nancy chose to “swing” out of her career for 5 years to care for her small children and aging parents. As a result of her transition and the lessons learned, she believing that women shouldn’t be penalized for taking care of their families and is now committed to getting the 43% of women who take career breaks back into the workforce on their own terms. The Swing Shift seeks to empower women with the essential skills, strategies and mindset for today’s workplace.

In this inaugural episode, Jon introduces you to the intent of this podcast, Life Through Transitions.  He discusses how major changes in life disrupt our stories by introducing difficult emotions, challenging questions and difficult choices to make.  He explores how the “tool” of transition helps people get through major life change. Transition is a discipline that can be learned to help us become more wholehearted people, no matter what circumstance we face.