The Dream Job Podcast

If you're reading this, it means you have somehow decided to stay subscribed to The Dream Job Podcast feed despite receiving exactly zero minutes of new content in the past three months. And if you're that dedicated to the work we're doing here, it's likely you were also listening in May when we had Dave McCloskey on the podcast. And if you were, you likely recall the solemn vow we made to our dear listeners that we would have Dave back on for a second episode to see how life was going after his first novel was released. This is that episode.  When we last chatted with Dave, he was a former CIA analyst, a former McKinsey consultant, and an aspiring bestselling novelist, with the "aspiring" tag being passive-aggressively applied by us due to the fact that Dave's debut novel had yet to be released.  Well, we can now drop the "aspiring" tag and give Dave the credit that is his due as an actual novelist. Damascus Station, Dave's debut novel came out in early October and has since gone on to sell several (at least seven) thousand copies, receive more than two hundred five star reviews on Amazon, and be named to a number of fall reading lists by the likes of Amazon, The Washington Post, Apple Books, and others. By nearly any measure, Damascus Station is an amazing success for a first-time author with zero reality TV credits or TikTok followers. BUT...does that mean the path has been laid for Dave's career as a full-time novelist? Does it mean book #2 is destined for the same result? Does it mean he's living his dream??  Those are questions that need answers. And if we have to stage an impromptu, unplanned, mid-Winter podcast episode to get those answers...well, that's what we're going to do. So here it is. Hope you enjoy it! Dave's WebsiteDave on InstagramDamascus Station on Amazon

It's our last episode of the summer! Whether that makes this our Season Finale or our Series Finale remains to be seen. But at the very least, it's the last episode we're releasing for a little while. We didn't want to float off into the audio ether without first (1) thanking everyone who has given us the gift of even five minutes of your time, and (2) attempting to put something resembling a finishing touch on our 2-year adventure in podcasting. In this episode, Onnie re-joins the podcast to engage in some meandering banter with Kent about what we've learned from the 50+ Dream Jobbers we've had on the pod – with a specific emphasis on the things we've learned but still refuse to apply. Kent and Onnie share updates on where they are in their own career journeys, describe what it feels like to be in the top 1% of all podcasts ever recorded, and discuss why it's so important to let your friends know when they're on speaker phone with children present. From the very beginning The Dream Job has been a labor of love. And while there have been times when it felt more like labor than love, it has also been a welcome diversion and the source of much enjoyment in a season when both of those things were desperately needed. So thanks for journeying with us! We hope you've enjoyed the conversations as much as we have. And if in the process you've come away with a deeper appreciation of yourself, your work, and what you want to be when you grow up, then that alone will have made it all worthwhile. Take it easy out there. Be good to one another. And get #BackToWork.

Finishing an amazing book is kind of like going on the Keto Diet: if you don't tell everyone in your life about it, you're probably not doing it right. But that's honestly one of the coolest things about books. They have a way of turning readers into evangelists. It's also one of the coolest things about our guest this week's job: she gets to recommend great reads to literally millions of people each month. And she gets paid for it! Sarah Gelman is the Editorial Director of Amazon's Books division. (That's right, selling books on the internet: back where it all began for Amazon.) In that role, Sarah leads the team of writers, readers, and content creators who serve as the "human" element of Amazon's recommendation engine. As great as the "frequently bought together" and "you might also like" tools are, we can't leave your next book solely in the hands of the robots. Which is where Sarah and her team come in, writing reviews and making recommendations on hundreds of titles every year. Think of them like your best friend with impeccable taste. Just, you know...on the most popular website on the internet. Sarah stops by The Dream Job this week to talk about her earliest literary memories, what it was like interviewing Chelsea Clinton, and how she manages to read nearly 100 books a year. And, of course, since she's in the "recommendation business," we make sure to get her recommendations for the books you MUST be reading with what's left of your summer. (Links below.) Sarah is a living example of the magic that can happen when a passion (books), a profession (Amazon), and a mission (celebrating great authors and great literature) all converge into one. Give it a listen! And then instead of getting back to work...get back to reading! Sarah on InstagramAmazon's Book Review SiteBooks Recommended On The EpisodeEverything I Never Told You, Celeste NgLittle Fires Everywhere, Celeste NgThe Husbands, Chandler BakerWinter Garden, Kristin HannahThe Great Alone, Kristin HannahCount The Ways, Joyce MaynardPunch Me Up To The Gods,  Brian Broome

"Wunderkind" is a fun German word for "a person who achieves great success when relatively young." I can't think of a better word to describe our guest today. Barely into his 30s, Matt Tresidder, is already at the helm of his second fast-growing tech startup. At the age of 26, with zero executive leadership experience, Matt was tapped to be the VP of Sales at Pushpay, a tech company providing donor management software to thousands of churches and nonprofits. He promptly led his team of 100+ sales reps and account managers through four straight quarters of record breaking and unprecedented growth. After taking a six month break to detox from quotas and end-of-quarter scrambles, he jumped right back into the startup vortex as Co-founder and (as of four months ago) CEO of Leadr, a people development platform that has just received $10 million in Series A funding. Matt steps back from the hustle this week to share how he's planning to spend that $10 million and to reflect on the half-decade he's spent in high pressure, high growth leadership roles. We talk about wins, regrets, culture drift, imposter syndrome, the endless hamster wheel that is sales, and I get him to share his philosophy on working with friends: "don't suck at your job and we'll get along fine." :) It's a great conversation with a guy who has taken the concept of "learning on the job" to new heights, and who has all the scars, perspective, and leadership chops to show for it. Give it a listen! And then get #backtowork. Matt on LinkedInLeadr on the webLeadr on Instagram

It's our 50th EPISODE!! And for the first time in over 18 months (and 47 episodes), we recorded this one in person with our guest. Was it worth the wait? Time will tell.  In this episode, Kent swings by Orland Park Church in Orland Park, IL on an oppressively hot July day to chat with his good friend, Derek Buikema, about Derek's job as Lead Pastor of Orland Park Church.After Derek attempts to derail the conversation by bringing up the story of Kent's disastrous audition for the Wheaton College Improv Team, Kent gets things back on track by shifting the focus back to Derek with some hard hitting questions about Derek's short-comings as a minister.Just kidding. But they DO go deep on what life as the leader of a congregation of 1,000+ is really like. In a tight 30 minutes they touch on everything from the time Derek did four funerals in a single week to how he deals with congregational criticism to the most extreme responses he's ever gotten when he tells people "I'm a pastor." Being a pastor is one of the oldest, most intense, and most public professions around. Join us this week as we go behind the pulpit and into the life of Pastor Derek Buikema. And then get #BackToWork Orland Park Church on the webOrland Park Sermons and Services on YouTube

When it come to amateur participation in endurance sports, most of us cannot imagine anything more ambitious or arduous than the 26.2 miles of a marathon. (And truthfully, most of us can't even imagine that.) But if you're our guest this week, you see the finish line of a marathon approaching and think, "halfway there." Literally.Jacob Puzey is an ultramarathoner, performance coach, race director, and business owner.  In 2016, he set a world record by running 50 miles in 4:57:45 on a treadmill, beating the previous record by nearly an hour. He is a six-time national champion in cross-country, road and ultra championships, and has three national trail 50K championships to his credit. In 2017 he finished 37th overall at the Boston Marathon (out of a mere 30,000 runners) with a time of 2:26.52.He hangs up the running shoes long enough this week to sit down with The Dream Job, and share how his childhood spent playing with pickaxes and rocks prepared him for the work he does today. We also talk about how he got the courage to walk away from two masters degrees and half of a PhD to go "all in" as a running coach, and about the inspiration he draws from his 70 year-old father's approach to his career. It's a wide-ranging and downright inspiring conversation that will make perfect background listening while you're wheezing through one of Jacob's warmup runs (aka: anything less than a half marathon). Peak Run PerformanceJacob on InstagramJacob on Twitter

James Carbary didn't invent podcasting, but he's been hosting and producing them since the dark days when the only people with podcasts were Bill Simmons, Marc Maron, Ira Glass, and a bunch of Breaking Bad fans. (FYI: in podcaster parlance this era is generally known as B.S. - Before Serial) Since then, James has founded a B2B (business-to-business) marketing company, executive produced 100s of podcasts that have been downloaded millions of times, written two books (one for grownups, one for kids), gotten married, and has somehow found time to continue recording 100s of hours of podcast content each year. He's also accomplished a neat trick that so many entrepreneurs miss: he's turned something he loves (podcasting) into a business and has managed to not start hating it in the process. We talk this week about how he's managed to pull that off. And also about how he connects his personal values to his professional life, the importance of "the Goober Ratio" at any networking event, and how he keeps his dream job from taking over the rest of his life. It's a podcast, with another podcaster, about his company that makes podcasts. Doesn't get much more meta than that. Give it a listen! And then get #backtowork.James on LinkedInjames@sweetfishmedia.comEntrepreneurial Operating SystemSweetfish MediaContent Based Networking (James's book)

Ironman Triathlons are widely regarded as the most challenging single-day athletic competitions in the world. (Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is a close second.) On their own, each of the three events would represent a significant athletic achievement for anyone who accomplished them: swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles. Doing them all in a row in a single day is a Herculean achievement almost beyond comprehension. But for professional triathlete, Pedro Gomes, it's all in a day's work. Literally.Pedro has been competing professionally on the Ironman Circuit since 2010. During that time, he has notched an impressive 25 Top 10 finishes in Ironman Length Races, including a third place finish last month in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho which qualified him for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI next month. Pedro takes a break from his insane training schedule this week to chat with us about how he turned his passion into his profession.  We talk about some of the "high highs" and "low lows" that come with life as an endurance athlete. Pedro shares how it feels to be nearing the end of his professional career. And we get hyped for Pedro's quest for the ever-elusive sub 8-hour Ironman. Let's face it, none of us are ever going to actually do an Ironman. So we might as well listen to someone talk about doing them. #BackToWork Pedro's WebsitePedro on IG (@PedroGomesTri)Pedro on YouTube

Of all the job-related superlatives that can precede one's name, “New York Times Bestselling Author” has to be right up there with the best of them. (Maybe right behind “United States Ambassador to Fiji” and “TGI Fridays Employee of the Month”.) And it's one our guest this week, J Ryan Stradal, has been hearing ever since his debut novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest hit the NY Times bestseller list in 2015. That was soon followed by the national bestseller The Lager Queen of Minnesota in 2019, and we catch him just as he has put the finishing touches on the manuscript for his third novel. We chat with J Ryan about his process as a writer, the numerous driver's tests he failed as a teenager, and what a “good day” looks like for someone who's done nothing but write fiction for 12 hours. We also talk a bit about some of the financial realities of being a writer and he delivers one of the best lines anyone has ever said on the podcast: “Trust me, there is nothing the world needs less than your novel.” It's a warm and wide-ranging conversation with the writer of warm and whimsical books. Give it a listen! And then of course…get #BackToWork. J Ryan's WebsiteJ Ryan on TwitterKitchens of the Great MidwestThe Lager Queen of MinnesotaJ Ryan's Recommended Summer Reading: Shoulder Season (by Christian Clancy)Four Dead Horses (by KT Sparks) The Music of Bees (by Eileen Garvin) 

There was a time when nothing in the world sounded better than the thought of being a stay at home dad. (Mostly right after college when the crushing reality of a 40 hour work week was proving a difficult to stomach.) But then I had kids. And now there are few things that sound worse. But for Michael Voth, certified stay-at-home dad and our guest on the podcast this week, it's the most purposeful and life-giving job he's ever had. In fact, it was that stark contrast between the joy he felt raising his three boys and the drudgery he felt at his various jobs, that led him to ditch his 9-to-5 a few years back and dive headlong into fulltime fatherhood. And he hasn't looked back since. For this special, Father's Day Edition of the podcast (aka: the Dad Pod), we chat with Michael about the good, the bad, and the exhausting of his life as a stay at home dad. We talk about how he and his wife navigated that transition, any "dad hacks" he's picked up along the way, and how he stays sane while spending 90% of his waking hours with three people under the age of 8. Give it a listen! And then tell your favorite Dad how happy you are that they didn't throw you out of the cave when you were a kid. Because lord knows we all deserved it. 

On a bad day at work, who among us hasn't nurtured a self-indulgent notion that goes something like: “I can't believe they let these idiots run this place. Give me ONE DAY in charge, and I'd have this place clicking on all cylinders by lunchtime.” No? Just me? Well, whether she would frame it in those terms or not (hint: she definitely would not), our guest this week is getting the chance to experience that particular workplace fantasy firsthand. In 2016, Molly Matthews was hired as a Team Lead at Pushpay, a software company whose digital giving tools are used by nearly 11,000 churches and nonprofits around the world to process more than $5 billion dollars in charitable giving every year. Five years and five promotions later, and Molly was introduced (in March of 2021) as Pushpay's CEO, sitting at the helm of a company with a $2 billion market cap and 400+ employees in offices across two continents.Molly shares some of her early career goals (and how different they are from where she's ended up), and talks about the importance of bringing our full, authentic selves to our jobs. It's a wide-ranging conversation that touches on everything from imposter syndrome to work/life balance to the challenges of our new all-remote-all-the-time existence, and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed talking to Molly. #BackToWorkPushpay on the webPushpay on InstagramMolly on LinkedIn

Waking up at 4:30am to spend 10 – 12 hours performing manual labor 7 days a week, 365 days a year sounds more like a prison sentence than a job to most people. But for our guest this week, it's how he's spent nearly every day for the past 40 years. And he wouldn't have it any other way. Larry Stap is the owner/operator of Twin Brook Creamery, a dairy farm in Lynden, WA. With help from his wife, Debbie, his daughter, Michelle, his son-in-law, Mark, a growing crew of grandkids, and 250 cows, Larry produces, bottles, and distributes more than 500,000 gallons of milk each year. As a fourth generation dairyman, Larry is carrying on a legacy of farming that dates back to 1910 and it is clear that nothing gives him more joy than passing his love for farming down to his kids and grandkids. During our conversation, Larry shares many of the critical lessons he's learned over his long career, makes a strong case for doing business with family, and tells a pretty crazy story about what happened last spring when COVID hit and Twin Brook had to switch their entire bottling plant from glass to plastic in less than 48 hours. It's about as far from Kent and Onnie's careers as a job can get, but it's another great example that dream jobs can come in all shapes and sizes. (And that you can learn some amazing things when you talk to someone over the age of 40.)Give it a listen! And then get #BackToWork. Twin Brook on the WebTwin Brook Creamery on Instagram (meet the cows!) 

It's easy to get the impression that tech founders are like Olympians. They work insane hours, they consume biologically impossible amounts of supplements, and if you haven't made it by the time you're 25, it's probably not going to happen for you. If you've ever had that thought. Or if you've ever thought that the “big change” you wanted to make in your life needed to happen before you had kids, a mortgage, or a Netflix account…then this week's episode is for you! We're joined on the podcast this week by Gabe Cooper, CEO and Founder of Virtuous, a social-good software company committed to using technology to help charities accomplish incredible things. Gabe founded Virtuous in 2014, when he was well into his mid-thirties with five kids and a successful software consulting practice. Not exactly the life stage or the “risk profile” you envision for a typical startup founder. Gabe shares how he was able to de-risk the early stages of Virtuous and ease his way into his new life as a tech founder. He talks about how his role has changed as Virtuous has grown from five employees to fifty and we contemplate whether or not tech founders are sociopaths. Gabe and Virtuous are on a mission to do big things, and – whether there's a startup inside you dying to get out or just a new passion waiting to be pursued – this week's conversation is a great reminder that it's never too late. Give it a listen. And then get #BackToWork! Gabe on LinkedInVirtuous on the web

Today, Kent and Onnie welcome their college roommate, David McCloskey, onto the podcast. Now, reading that you may be thinking “geez louise. These guys are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for guests these days, aren't they?” And while you'd be right, we actually have more to talk about with Dave than freshman dorm antics and Will Ferrell quotes from 2005. Specifically, we want to talk about his recent decision to walk away from his high paying corporate job to try his hand at being a novelist. With his debut book coming out this October (available for pre-order now), and with him being two months removed from the corporate grind, we're catching Dave at a unique stage in his journey toward his “dream job.” And since he's a good friend, is (technically) unemployed, and is an easy guest to book, we thought we'd follow along with Dave as he opens this new chapter of his career. (A miserable pun, but it had to be said.)In this first conversation – part 1 of 2 – we talk to Dave about the five years he spent working at the CIA, his transition into the private sector, when he knew it was time to leave, and how it feels to have “gotten out.” We also talk about the uncertainty of the road ahead and contemplate the possibility that his book might be an abysmal failure. Give it a listen, and then stay tuned for Part 2 in November when we'll check back in with Dave to see how things are going. Did anyone buy the book? Have they sold the film rights? Is Collin Ferrell attached? Does he still like writing? Has he gained 30 pounds and a drinking problem? These are questions that need answers, and we'll get all of them at the end of Season 2. Pre-Order Dave's Book on Amazon! (out October 5th)

When she started the @kids.eat.in.color Instagram account, Jennifer Anderson wasn't trying to become a social media influencer. In fact, she'd never even used Instagram prior to that. What she had done is witness the undeniable link between poverty and nutrition. She'd also experienced firsthand the frustration and exhaustion that can come from parenting a picky eater. So she started posting pictures of the creative food hacks she used to get her own picky kids to eat veggies. Her posts struck a chord with defeated parents everywhere and her follower count began to rise. Her blog quickly became a business, and Kids Eat In Color - now more than 1 million followers strong - became a community. Jennifer stops by The Dream Job this week to talk about her early interest in nutrition, the importance of pairing best practices with real life experiences, and why kids are so opposed to eating anything that might actually keep them alive. We also deconstruct the very idea of an influencer and talk about what it feels like to have achieved modern America's ultimate “merit badge” - 1 million Instagram followers.If you've ever thought your life would be materially better if you had 1,000 more social media followers, this episode is for you. If you've ever told a child, “two more bites of broccoli...fine one more bite...fine just give ME the broccoli,” this episode is for you. If you've ever doubted whether having a mission-first, message-first, people-first approach is truly the best way to succeed in life, then this episode is definitely for you. Check it out! And then get #backtowork. InstagramFacebookWebsite

Crazy how a four week break for Christmas can quickly turn into a six month break for "doing other things instead of podcasting." But all of that is behind us now. Kent and Onnie are back for Season 2 of The Dream Job and it promises to be 30% dreamier and 50% jobsier than ever before. Onnie say's that's some solid YoY growth and he's a consultant, so he knows what he's talking about. On this week's episode, the guys share what they've been up to for the past few months that was SO important they couldn't even spare the time to produce a weekly podcast. They talk about why the world still needs this podcast. (Apparently a 12 month reprieve from commutes, pants, and mandatory "team building" activities wasn't enough to fix work.) And they give a preview of what's in store for Season 2. It's been a long, bleak winter in more ways than anyone cares to count. But all of that is behind us now. The blessed spring of new podcast content has arrived. The future is bright. 2020 is over. And nothing bad will happen to anyone ever again. The Dream Job Podcast goes back to the office today! (In a socially distant, CDC-approved way, of course.) We hope to see you there! (Wearing masks and maintaining 6 feet between us at all times, of course.) 

Our guest this week - Nicole Serena Silver - is now 13 years into her career exploring purposeful, passion-filled work. She's written a book (@vekitapd), started a nonprofit (@grow_myfuture), led workshops for Fortune 100 companies, and founded a company all focused on equipping people to ask hard questions about who they are and what they want out of their life. She was kind enough to join us on the #podcast this week to share some of what she's learned over the years. This  our 36th and final episode of 2020. We will be taking a quick break to enjoy the holidays! See you in 2021. Vekita PDNicole on LinkedInHer guidebookHer nonprofit

What do you do when you're 21 years-old, on a break from school, and desperate to prove to yourself (and everyone else) what you're made of? Easy. You forge a press pass, borrow a friend's camera, catch a flight to Budapest, and beg/plead/lie your way onto a UN flight to Sarajevo during the height of the Bosnian War. At least that's what you do if you're Thomas Hurst, this week's guest on the Dream Job. When it comes to meaningful work, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more noble (or naively ambitious) purpose than ending all armed conflict around the world. But that's what 21 year-old Thomas Hurst committed himself to after witnessing the atrocities of war first-hand in Bosnia in 1992. His weapon of choice? A used Nikon camera. He thought if he could show people the horror and savagery that he was witnessing firsthand, that humanity would lose their appetite for war. He worked twenty years in pursuit of that mission, and - while he didn't quite achieve that end - he did skillfully capture the brutality and humanity of places most of us only know from the news: Kosovo, Haiti, Rwanda, Afghanistan, and more. Join us as we talk about Thomas's non-traditional path into photojournalism, what it's like to be looking at his dream job from the "other side," and that time he almost died in the Rwandan jungle. Thomas's WebsiteBosnian Wars (wikipedia)Rwandan Genocide (wikipedia)

The data shows that you, dear listener, want to hear more from Kent and Onnie! So this week, the pod takes a detour from our typical interview and goes deep on the topic of Balance and Burnout. Join us as we walk through what our days/weeks actually look like, our perspectives on the topic of balance and burnout, and how we try to avoid it (only sometimes successfully)!Relevant articles on Balance/BurnoutHow Millennials became the Burnout GenerationWorkismWork as identity, burnout as lifestyle (Ezra Klein podcast)

What happens when, after a range of careers (incl. smokejumper, documentary filmmaker, and activist in Central America!) you find out your calling is using improv to teach others how to be more authentic communicators? Yeah…we didn't know either until we met this week's guest: Cort Worthington, a Distinguished Teaching Fellow at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. He teaches one of the legendary courses at Berkeley called Leadership Communications, which focuses on soft-skill leadership trait development with an emphasis on improvisation. You might call it public speaking, but it's much more than that - it's really about finding your authentic leadership style, and honing your communications skills to live it out.Cort bent his path from what he calls ‘itinerant' to a deliberate path to train business leaders to play more, practice improv, and find their ‘true voice.'In this week's episode, Kent and Jon speak with their first non-Millennial (turns out there's a lot to learn!) -  we hear about Cort's path, from what he labeled 'itinerant' to a deliberate mission to train business leaders to play more, practice improv, and find their 'authentic voice.' We also cover his view on what it means to be ‘authentic', how you can listen to and act on a calling, and how you can always be learning, even from humbling failures.Join us.Cort's faculty pageImprov Wisdom (killer book on how to incorporate improv into your life!)

In episode 32, we're joined by Peter Bond, the head men's basketball coach at Azusa Pacific University. In his first season, he led the team to a 25-4 record and a #6 ranking nationally only to find out on the eve of the NCAA Tournament that the postseason was cancelled due to #COVID19. On this week's episode, we talk with Peter about the highs and lows of his first year, how he got into coaching, and the biggest disciplinary mistake he made in Year 1. Join us! And Go Cougars.Prior to the interview, hear about Kent sneaking into the Amazon offices and whether the new work-from-home normal will actually make work perks feel like perks again (vs. a consolation for spending your whole day in the office).Follow Peter on Twitter: @coachpeterbondFollow the APU cougers: @apucougars and @apubasketballSee an epic shot of Coach Bond in action: https://athletics.apu.edu/staff-directory/peter-bond/9

"Have surfboard, will travel." That basically sums up what our guest this week has been up to for the past decade. Ben Weiland joins us -- a filmmaker and illustrator who has traveled the world in the name of cold water surf exploration. Does your Dream Job include obscure travel to some of the coldest and most unforgiving places on earth...to film surfing? Then Ben's your guy.The results of his work have been breathtaking. Films such as Arc of Aleutia, UNNUR, and Under an Arctic Sky -- which have been featured in top film festivals.   Hear more of his story on the pod this week. And then head over to his Instagram @benweiland for links to some of his recent work.We hear Ben's story this week. Join usFind Ben Weiland on InstagramUNNUR on YouTubeArc of Aleutia TrailerUnder An Arctic Sky websiteChris Burkard on Instagram

“How can we make it more fun, cool and profitable to solve problems?”That's the guiding question that spans multiple #dreamjobs -- at Uber, Lyft, and now Homie -- for this week's guest: Kris Cuaresma-Primm.This episode covers it all - from Kris growing up in a hippie commune in Hawaii, to becoming student body president at UC Berkeley, to relentlessly pursuing individuals (making them binders, writing them letters) he admired and wanted to work for (including Leigh Steinberg, the inspiration for Jerry McGuire!), to tackling major social topics through tech in Las Vegas. Kris drips with conviction and mission - we dare you to listen to the conversation and NOT leave motivated to run through walls to make your job more fun and mission-driven.#bestoneyet #missiondriven #communeliving #homie #lasvegas #socialimpact #career #onpurpose #bindersfullofdreamjobs #dreamjobpodcast

What do you do when your decade-long dream of winning the Tour de France comes to a premature end in your early 20s? You turn around and co-found one of the most successful companies in the history of the New Zealand tech sector. (400+ employees, $130 million in annual revenue, and - as of this recording - a market cap of over $2 billion.)Or at least that's what you do if you're Eliot Crowther, our guest on the podcast this week, and the co-founder of Pushpay. Eliot is one of those guys who oozes passion and purpose in everything he does, and that comes through loud and clear (and Kiwi-accented) in everything he shares during our conversation. We talk about...The challenges of starting and then running a transoceanic organization. (Pushpay has offices in Seattle, Colorado Springs, and Auckland, NZ.) The "tension" between living your values and doing what's required for your business. How he knew when it was time to step away from the company he started.The difference between happiness and joy (#MoreMoneyMoreProblems)And a lot more! Give it a listen and let us know what you think! And then get #BackToWork. Pushpay's website

“I did my first birth and it was like the light coming on, or the match striking, and I knew this was the path I needed to go on..”Not all of us experience moments of clarity that lay your dream work before you - but learning from those who do is what this podcast is all about. Our guest this week is Vanessa Garey, midwife nurse practitioner, certified doula, and podcaster extraordinaire. We learn all about her path to finding birth as a calling, and take genuine inspiration from her ability to succeed in 3 dream jobs with a family of 4 kids!We reflect on people who just have the ‘motor' to drive multiple jobs at once, how even professed dream jobs aren't a panacea and present real tradeoffs, and a bit on our own experiences with life's most sacred moment! This is also week 2 of the @atyourcervixofficial podcast takeover of The Dream Job. When this podcast started, the over/under on Kent & Onnie even mentioning the word cervix was 1.5. Let's hope you had the over.Subscribe today on any podcast listening app and leave a rating and review.Vanessa on InstagramAt Your Cervix on Apple PodcastsAt Your Cervix on Instagram

"Software engineers are going to rule the world one day, and if you're not going to be one of them, you need to be friends with them."Sage advice from our guest this week, Denae Bauer, who - as the Global Training Program Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS) - will surely be identified as "one of the good ones" when the software engineers do finally rise up and assume their rightful role as rulers of the free world. While being a global training manager at a gigantic tech company may not sound like the most purpose-driven of jobs, Denae does a great job of pulling out the specific things within her job that connect directly with her passions: building community, helping people develop new skills, and traveling. We talk a lot on the podcast about how "dream jobs" have as much do with what you bring to them as they do with what the jobs actually entail and Denae clearly brings a TON of passion and enthusiasm to her role at Amazon. We also talk to Denae about her experience co-hosting the At Your Cervix Podcast, which she describes as an ongoing conversation between her and her friend Vanessa (our guest next week!) about all things all things women's, mental, and sexual health.From a discussion of "nightmare jobs" to recommendations about how often it's okay to cry under your desk at work to a conversation about the things that happen when toddlers start talking about "their parts"...we pack a lot into the episode this week. Give it a listen! And then get #backtoworkDenae on LinkedInDenae on InstagramAt Your Cervix on Apple PodcastsAt Your Cervix on Instagram

What happens when you leave the cushy path of business school and consulting to launch an experiment in human connection and vulnerability?We had no idea (and we admit the idea made our pits sweat a little) until interviewing Romi Elan, founder of Soulplay Festivals – a community that invites you to experience a new way of being through heart-opening connection, personal expansion, blissful dance, and deep reflection. Soulplay brings people together to connect, explore new things, and grow.A recurring theme on the pod is that Dream Jobs aren't a panacea – in fact, the path to work that's meaningful and satisfying may be more difficult than the status quo. In this episode, we touch on: the challenges of choosing meaning over material, the power of expectations (societal, familial, cultural) in shaping our choices, and the trade-offs so many of us experience in corporate life, namely the challenge of succeeding AND being vulnerable.Join us as we take off the masks this week and get vulnerable!#backtowork

Here's how most of us approach the tragedy of human trafficking: we watch "Taken" twice, share a Facebook post about how some kid definitely ALMOST got trafficked from an IKEA parking lot, and then vow to home school our kids until they're 25. Here's how Emily Kennedy approaches the tragedy of human trafficking: she founded an artificial intelligence company that uses facial recognition to help law enforcement agencies reduce investigative timelines and successfully catch and prosecute traffickers. (Resulting in the successful identification of 3,800 trafficking victims in 2019 alone.) She gives keynotes across the country and around the world (and before Congress!) on the realities of human trafficking and the role each of us can play. She gets recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, one of Entrepreneur's Most Powerful Women, and a Toyota "Mother of Invention." And oh yeah...she does all of this before the age of 30.Emily joins The Dream Job this week to talk about her first encounter with trafficking at the age of 16 and how that grew into a passion that has guided her career ever since. She talks about finding her voice and leading with confidence as a female founder in industries (tech and law enforcement) that are typically dominated by men. And she saves time at the end to debunk the Wayfair trafficking conspiracy and offer practical ways for anyone to join the fight to end trafficking. It's a powerful and important conversation. Give it a listen! And then get #backtowork. LINKS:Marinus Analytics WebsiteEmily's personal websiteThe Empower Podcast with Emily KennedyPolaris ProjectNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Ever considered leaving the corporate life behind for a life of freelance? Us neither...That is, until our conversation this week! It turns out freelance can be *much more* than the, transactional life of upwork, fiverr, guru, taskrabbit, hourly nerd, mechanical turk, or any other of the multitudes of ‘marketplaces' for labor out there. Who knew?Rachel Cross is who. Rachel worked for 12 years in corporate marketing jobs before stepping out into solopreneurship. She gave herself 6 months of runway to launch a firm and land her first client. The Rachel K Group, has thrived since – with Rachel at the helm as the ‘Chief Business Sherpa' (we think that means CEO), specializing in launching brands, developing world-class marketing communications, and helping creative professionals start the solopreneur business they've always dreamed of.Join us as Kent and Onnie talk through the challenge of small talk during COVID, propose a ‘corporate America Bingo' card, and then get flat-out inspired by their conversation with Rachel.  #backtowork LINKS:Rachel on InstagramRachel on LinkedInRachel's Company's websiteRachel's websiteQuitter by Jon Acuff (book referenced)Start With Why by Simon Sinek (book referenced)

Whether or not you're a fan of craft beer (and if you weren't a fan before 2020, honestly...what else will it take?), we can all acknowledge that the growth of the craft beer industry was unquestionably one of the defining food and beverage trends of the 2010s. The number of craft breweries in the US skyrocketed from around 1,500 to north of 8,000, and - in the process - Americans learned that beers could come in different colors beside "dehydrated urine yellow." We learned that bars could be built around things besides sports games and local cover bands. We learned not only how to pronounce gose, but also what they taste like. (Editor's Note: they're disgusting.) Our guest on the podcast this week was there for all of it. After starting as the weekend bartender in Half Acre Beer Company's taproom, Lee McComb did just about every job in the brewery before eventually becoming the Specialty Beer Manager overseeing Half Acre's program of award winning small batch and limited release beers. (They have nearly 250 different rated beers on Beer Advocate!)  From a simple hobby to a decade-long career, Lee has been able to translate his interest in home-brewing into not only a profession but a true craft. Lee shares a few of the things that make Half Acre so special as a brewery, the impact #COVID has had on their business, and how he balances good beer vs. good business. Give it a listen while #daydrinking at your desk this week. And then go out and buy a six-pack from your favorite local brewery! Let's all get through this mess together. Lee on InstagramHalf Acre on InstagramHalf Acre on the web

This week we talk to one of our dreamiest dream jobbers yet! It only took us 20ish episodes, but we're finally talking to a real, live #googler.Not just any Googler - not the designer of the famous nap pods (yes, those are a thing); nor is it the lead chef designing Google's Michelin-worthy cuisine (yes, three meals a day on campus were a thing, pre-COVID); nor are we even talking with the gal or guy who brought you Google Plus (remember when ‘Circles' were a thing? Neither do we). We've got you one better - today we're elevating the conversation with Nick Cain, a leader in Google.org, Google's philanthropy arm aiming to ‘bring the best of Google to help solve some of humanity's biggest challenges — combining funding, innovation, and technical expertise to support underserved communities and provide opportunity for everyone.” They work with nonprofits, social entrepeneurs, and civic organizations across topics ranging from economic empowerment to equitable access to learning.Our conversation touches on what a career in philanthropy looks like day-to-day, and how that's different and special in the Google context. We discuss Nick's path to Google.org, including stints with multiple cause-driven organizations. And we discuss some of the benefits and tradeoffs of philanthropy under the umbrella of a large tech company. That's right, we said the dreamiest of dream jobs :-) we weren't lying...Google.org Philanthropy.com podcast on Google.org

It's our 20th episode! According to something we may have read once, 95% of podcasts don't make it past 7 episodes. And according to a recent listener poll, 95% of Dream Job listeners think 7 of  our 20 episodes have actually been pretty decent. But either way, we're using this nice, round number to look back, to look in, and to look ahead to all the things we've learned (and the things we've willfully ignored) about dream jobs through this little podcast of ours. We share four of our favorite takeaways from the dream jobbers we've talked with so far. We entertain the possibility that your dream job may have more to do with YOU than it does with the job. And Onnie tries his best (and mostly fails) to help Kent be less of a cynical bastard.If you like having "lessons learned" meetings, postmortems, and debriefs dropped onto your work calendar without your permission then you're going to LOVE this episode. Join us! #backtowork

FREE CHICK-FIL-A FOR EVERYONE!!!Not really. But now that we have your attention, checkout our conversation this week with Julian Hollar, Owner/Operator of the Chick-Fil-A at I-405 and Jefferson in Los Angeles, CA. From having direct, unmediated access to his customers to working alongside coworkers who are (mostly) too young to remember 9/11, there's a lot that sets Julian's job apart from many of the previous guests on the #DreamJob. But from finding meaning through serving others to connecting his 9-5 with a personally meaningful impact on the world, there is much that he shares in common with #dreamjobbers everywhere. Join us as Julian talks about the challenges of launching one of the 5 busiest locations in the entire franchise and stick around long enough to hear Kent's story about the most awkward interaction he had during his stink Assistant Managing a Target store. #BackToWork #ItsOurPleasureJulian on LinkedInChick-Fil-A at 405 and Jefferson on FacebookMore info on Chick-Fil-A franchise opportunities

The last few months have you itching for some hasty and politicized scientific claims? Spoiler alert: you won't be happy with this pod, as we interview David Howell, a PhD researcher on concussions in sports. Prior to the interview, we check in on our working definitions of dream jobs -- 18 episodes in -- and how we'd self-grade ourselves. Then join us as we go deeper than Will Smith in ‘Concussion' to learn about the state of concussion research (hint: we're decades out from firm conclusions), just what it means to be a professor and clinical researcher, and the details for how David went from the sideline and lab at the University of Oregon to one of the top researchers in his field. Throughout, we touch on topics like the importance of credibility/expertise in finding your dream job, being attuned to when you're ‘resonating' in a role/job and how that can be a hint toward your dream job journey, and some of the challenges/frictions you'll face, even in a dream job (grant proposal rejections!). If you enjoy the episode, follow-us, share us, and write a review. And if you want updates on the state of concussion research, follow David: @howellDR on TwitterDave's faculty pageConcussionOregon losing the 2011 National Championship (sorry Dave)

Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Pastor, Executive, and Social Influencer. That could easily be a complete list of someone's Top 6 dream jobs. But it's also the list of the six jobs that Nona Jones is working currently. So if you happen to be working less than six jobs right now. For real...#backtowork.As the Global Head of Faith-Based Partnerships at Facebook, Nona works closely with some of the largest ministries in the world to help them level up their use of technology and re-imagine their use of social media as a strategic tool for ministry. She's also the author of five books, a sought after speaker and pastor, the mother to two kids, and a veteran of 13 half-marathons. Nona joins us on the pod this week to talk about risk taking, finding her voice, rising above the difficulties of her childhood, and what it feels like to be an outspoken Christian in Silicon Valley. It's a fascinating conversation. Check it out! And then check Nona out at any of the links below. Nona on FacebookNona on InstagramNona's WebsiteSuccess From The Inside Out (her book)From Social Media to Social Ministry (her newest book)Open Door Ministries (her church)

What if your job culminated in euphoria for thousands of screaming fans? Or even if, at a minimum, what you loved doing most with your time was how you made a living? While our podcast hasn't reached these milestones (yet!), join us as we take inspiration from professional musician Robert DeLong, and learn more about his creative process, his  journey from teaching drum lessons and playing in 6-8 bands at a time to a headlining professional musician, and what it's like to play 5 shows in 3 days across North America. We also touch on the impact of notoriety/celebrity, which parts of a career in music aren't so dreamy, the emergence of the 'musician middle class', and Robbie's advice for those trying to make it in music: "work hard, be nice to people, and have a good attitude." :-) We hope you'll check it out! #backtowork #dreamjobpodcast #robertdelong

What if the only "To Do" on your list for today was to write a blog post titled "6 Household Items Dad Is Currently Feuding With." Or what if your boss sent you a calendar invite for a whiteboarding session for an interactive piece of content titled "You're a Single-Celled Organism. Can You Evolve Into A Duck?" Well...then you might be a staff writer at Clickhole.com. And the aforementioned boss might be our guest on the podcast this week, Steve Etheridge, Editor-In-Chief at Clickhole.While Steve and his crew technically do write jokes for a living, producing daily comedy for the internet-consuming mob is no laughing matter. We talk to Steve about his creative process, how the site has changed in recent years, and how he keeps the internet from destroying his soul. We even learn more about ClickHole's recent acquisition by Cards Against Humanity. (Yes, really. That's a thing that happened.) It's a great conversation. We hope you'll check it out. #BackToWorkClickHoleSteve on InstagramSteve on TwitterThe OnionCards Against Humanity

Three months in, with Kent and Onnie's #impostersyndrome at an all-time high, they decided it was time to call in a true professional on meaning and #dreamjobs, interviewing Matt Rusten (Executive Director, Made to Flourish, a non-profit dedicated to integrating faith, work, and economic wisdom).After a brief detours on the classic 'Zoom screen tilt' to hide your home clothes, whether Father's Day should actually be a holiday, and the overall 'muted' nature of work in the Covid context, they chat with Matt on Made to Flourish and its mission. The interview discusses how to think about meaning at work, and more. Matt started his career at Microsoft, then served in pastoral roles at two churches. He has a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.#backtoworkMade to FlourishFather's Day

If a Crossfitter (Crossfit-ist?) does a burpie but doesn't post it on Instagram, can they still get their gym's logo tattoo'd on their bicep? That answer and other dispatches from the front lines of your cubicle-mates favorite fitness cult when Reid Worthington (Founder, Owner, and Head Coach of Crossfit Lumberyard in Anaheim, CA) joins the podcast this week. After returning from a year of playing football overseas with no clear career direction except that he loved coaching and he didn't want to work in an office, Reid founded Crossfit Lumberyard in 2014. With no facility, clients, or business background, and with barely enough money for a set of dumbbells, Reid faced long odds (and even longer hours) in the early years but has since built Lumberyard into one of the premier gyms in Orange County with 200+ members and a sterling reputation. Come along as we talk about Lumberyard's early days, the importance of mentorship, and how Reid responds when he hears the "C-word." (aka: cult) #BackToWorkCrossfit Lumberyard on the webCrossfit Lumberyard on InstagramReid on Instagram

Sometimes it takes a step back to take two steps forward, and that couldn't be more true than in today's conversation with Brandon Doll, an executive with the Las Vegas Raiders. Brandon was an officer in the Navy - leading 'men and material' - before joining the Raiders as an intern; the beginning of his 6-year meteoric rise to Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy.Join us as Kent and Onnie explore the yawning chasm between their at-work and at-home effectiveness, before diving deep with Brandon on his work with the Raiders (including the time he got chewed out by John Madden on his birthday!), details on his leadership helping to monetize the Raiders new $2B stadium in Vegas, how he practically prioritizes his time, and how he followed in his grandfather's footsteps to work in the NFL (Don Doll was a stud cornerback). Caveat: like other episodes before this one, the interview was recorded prior to the COVID outbreak, and the more recent protests following the killing of George Floyd. While it may feel slightly 'out of touch,' think of it as a 'time capsule' of sorts, back when there were actually sports! Hope you enjoy.Las Vegas RaidersSeven Habits of Highly Effective PeopleAllegiant Stadium Live Cam!

When you record an entire season of a podcast 4 months before you release it, there are bound to be some changes in the world. Maybe a hockey team in Missouri wins the Stanley Cup. Or the Super Bowl. Maybe Justin Bieber releases a new album or Julia Roberts gets divorced. We were prepared for all of this. What we weren't prepared for was 2020. COVID slowed things down but we pressed on anyway. But the death of George Floyd and the subsequent outpouring of grief, anger, frustration, and pain has felt different. Like it's not something we should just "get through" so we can "get on with it." Like maybe we should actually sit in this moment for a bit longer. And take a step back from the other conversations we've been having - important though they may be - to actually learn from and listen to the people for whom race and discrimination aren't just political talking points that they can engage with or ignore as fits their mood. America is having a painful, uncomfortable, and long-overdue conversation right now about who we are as a country and about the work that remains to be done to create a future that includes all Americans. And now doesn't feel like the right time to change the subject and get #BackToWork.So we're taking a break this week. We love talking to people who have their dream jobs and we're excited to host more of those conversation in the weeks ahead. But for this week, we want to spend more time listening, learning, participating, and processing. We hope you're well. And we hope you're doing the same. Back next week.Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is….A Lot16 Tips For White People

It's June, and schools across the country have dismissed kids from their Zoom-fueled trances for a summer of bothering parents trying to work from home. Given the prominent (and unexpected) role tech played in school this year for millions of kids, what better time for The Dream Job Podcast to focus on education, and the promises (and perils) of EdTech?After tackling how tech failed Kent and Onnie's youth, Kent's rough-and-tumble education in Oklahoma, and whether Oregon Trail was actually a good game (or just better than the other available activities at school), Kent and Onnie are joined by the one-and-only Tom Pryor, Head of Product at Class Dojo, an EdTech startup that connects teachers with students and parents to build amazing classroom communities. This conversation was recorded prior to COVID, before companies like Tom's grew 100s of percent to help schools adapt to a new normal of remote learning. Join us as we talk about Tom's affinity for clever Halloween costumes, his role as Head of Product and what that actually means, how to think about balancing impact and scale, how to maintain optimism even in challenging sectors like education, and the importance of balancing community, especially when you have your dream job. #backtoworkLinks:Tom's InstagramClass DojoMavis BeaconKhan AcademyHarvard's Grant StudyMillennials are lonelyPlay Oregon Trail

It's a special Memorial Day edition of the Dream Job Podcast! “Special” because it's being released on Memorial Day. And for literally no other reason.After a meandering conversation about Amazon (all hail), Chuck E Cheese, the NSA watch list, and TikTok, Kent and Onnie are joined by Pete Loizzo, Area Scout for the Cleveland Indians. This conversation was recorded back when baseball was still a thing and back when Pete was still traveling 200+ days a year to scout high school and college players throughout the mid-Atlantic states. (And single-handedly keeping Holiday Inn Express in business.) We talk about the highs and lows of life as a scout, the importance of working for an organization you trust, and the conflicted experience of watching Game 7 of the 2016 World Series as an Indians employee who's rooted for the Cubs his entire life. It's a fascinating look behind the scenes at the “business of baseball.” And it may be just the dose of sports you need to get you through another week where Survivor is the most compelling competition on TV. #BackToWorkPete on TwitterTrouble With The Curve (Wikipedia)Cleveland Indians

Things we never thought we'd talk about on a podcast about dream jobs: transgenderism in the military, foreign money in American elections, and the mass deportation of Liberian immigrants. We hit all three (and learn about the creepy nightclub where Onnie met his wife!) on this week's episode. And we still have time for a deep dive into the ins and outs of political fundraising and petty bickering about who the "real" host of this podcast is. All in a day's work. Our guest this week is Tyler Deaton, a political lobbyist and fundraiser who focuses primarily on causes related to human rights and free markets. We try really hard to "talk politics" without getting anyone dis-invited from Thanksgiving dinner. We're aided in that effort by the fact that we recorded this conversation pre-COVID, back when we thought people would actually care about the 2020 presidential election. At this point, any conversation about politics that doesn't immediately devolve into shouted accusations of who's trying to bankrupt who's family business and who's trying to murder who's grandma feels charmingly quaint. So come for the reasonable, non-pandemic politics, stay for the #ProTips on bribing Capital Hill guards. #BackToWorkTyler's companyTyler's InstagramTyler's Twitter

If posted as a job description on your company's careers page, the life of a Mom would attract fewer applicants than that entry level sales role that's been unfilled since the beginning of time. In fact, it would probably be flagged by OSHA as an unsafe and abusive work environment. The work is exhausting, unsanitary, and (often) embarrassing. There's no pay, no opportunity for promotion, and no objective definition of success. Job training? None. Work hours? All of them. Unreasonable coworkers prone to frequent emotional meltdowns and verbal abuse? You betcha. Thankfully, despite all of this, millions of brave women still sign up for the job every year. The future of the human race (very literally) depends on them. And thankfully for us, one of those women agreed to talk with us last week about her life as a mom. Amy Evon, full-time mom and full-time sister-in-law to Kent, joins us for a special Mother's Day edition of the podcast to share about the highs, lows, and hilarity of her life as the mom of Susie (9), Emma (7), and Quinn (4). If you've ever wondered how you would handle a child pooping and puking at the same time, this episode is for you. And, if you forgot to say something nice to your Mom yesterday, consider yourself reminded. #backtowork

For this week's episode, we decided to social distance from our guests and talk to some numbers instead. As much as we've loved talking to real people working jobs they really love, and as excited as we are about having even more of those conversations, we wanted to take a step back to frame the "thesis" for this podcast in light of the available data. This podcast started with a simple idea: meaningful work is a necessary component of a meaningful life. But is that really true? Is it just something Millennials say to justify their pathological inability to stay in a job for longer than 24 months? Are there other macro trends at play that make it challenging (but no less essential) to structure our work in a way that provides purpose beyond a paycheck? This episode attempts to answer those questions while also unpacking the uniquely-Millennial hangups and neuroses that make meaningful work especially challenging in 2020. Like most of these early episodes, this conversation was recorded months ago and, therefore, has no knowledge of the impending COVID calamity. (Ah, December...such a simpler time.) But it doesn't make the data any less relevant or any less true. Give it a listen! And let us know what you think. Articles and data points referenced in the episode: Workism is Making Americans Miserable (The Atlantic)How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation (Buzzfeed)Life purpose is significantly correlated with all-cause mortalityEmbracing community leads to longer, happier lives (HBR)Millennials value paychecks over purpose (Gallup)The Enormous Cost of Unhappy Employees (Inc.)Millennials and loneliness (Vox)Millennials are poorer than previous generations (Financial Times)95% of teens say having a job they love is extremely or very important to them (Pew)Why are young people pretending to love work? (NY Times)

There's nothing business leaders love more than a good mountain metaphor. They'll tell you that the life of any company involves “peaks and valleys.” They'll tell you the rest of the year is going to be a real “uphill climb.” They'll find a way to work “summit” into the name of their annual conference. But today, rather than hearing some stuffy exec tell us about the “mountaintop experience” he had at a Tony Robbins seminar last fall, we thought we'd talk to someone who actually climbs mountains for a living. Jess Matthews, Lead Guide for RMI Expeditions and the veteran of 100s of summits in Washington, Alaska, and around the world, joins The Dream Job to talk about how she's 10x more badass than you in every possible way. Our words, not hers. (But if you're really being honest with herself...probably your words too.) She talks about working up the courage to leave her “old life” and pursue a crazy career in climbing. She talks about the centrality of things like sacrifice and service in her work. And she shares tips on what to do when you find yourself on a mountain with microwave-sized chunks of ice flying down the hill in your direction. Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!Jess on InstagramRMI Expeditions

What do DJ Khaled, Manny Pacquiao, and Carmelo Anthony have in common? More money than you? Yes, that's correct. But not what we had in mind. What we had in mind was: they all have custom suits designed by Mr. Ton Chookhare. He's a recovering management consultant, a business school buddy of Onnie's, and - contrary to all evidence or reason - a  lifelong New York Knicks fan. More relevant to our purposes today, Ton is also the founder and CEO of Chookhare & Sons, a custom menswear company with showrooms across the country. It's a safe bet he'd rather burn our combined wardrobes than be caught wearing any of it in public, but that didn't stop him from sitting down with us to talk about starting his business, finding his passion, and fulfilling his grandfather's legacy. He also doles out some solid advice on what to do if/when you find yourself backstage with DJ Khaled and he starts asking you about your startup. Enjoy!Chookhare & Sons on the web | on Instagram | on FacebookTon on Instagram | on LinkedIn

When you have the gall to launch a podcast about “meaningful work” in the middle of a global catastrophe that will radically alter our lives for years to come (if not irrevocably), well...it feels like you should at least take a minute to acknowledge that, yes, you've seen the news. So that's what we're doing today.We started working on this podcast in November 2019. In the months since then, we recorded interviews with more than a dozen people. All of this happened BEFORE the world stopped turning and we all got sent home with a doctor's note. When we started talking to folks about their jobs and their dreams, the unemployment rate was at an all time low (around 3%). It is now at an all time high with +20 MILLION people filing for unemployment in the last month alone. When we started this podcast, we were riding the longest and most lucrative bull economy the nation had ever seen. We now appear to be headed toward one of the deepest recessions we've ever imagined. These realities have forced us to ask ourselves some questions. Namely: is this podcast even relevant anymore? Isn't any job better than “no job?” And - if so - what does this podcast have to say to the millions upon millions of Americans who have lost their livelihoods (not to mention dozens of thousands who have lost their lives) in the past six weeks? Is now even the right time to be having this conversation? Not sure we arrive at clear answers to all of those questions. But we try our best. Back next week with our next interview. But for now… #BackToWork

Have you ever had an entire room full of successful, upwardly mobile peers eating out of the palm of your hand as you described the blow-by-blow details of one of your recent job-related phone calls? Probably not. But our guest today has.For our first ever interview, we sit down with Collin Roberts, an NFL Agent at REP 1 Sports to talk about his journey from lawyer to professional sports agent. We talk about his 40 yard dash time. We talk about what he'd be doing if he hadn't landed his dream job (hint: it has something to do with cults), and we finally work up the nerve to ask the one question we've always wanted to ask him: can he get Jon Gruden to be a guest on our podcast? It's a beautiful moment. We really enjoyed recording this one and we hope you enjoy it as well. Be sure to stick around till the end to hear the unplanned (and unwelcome) cameo from Onnie's 4 year-old. Collin on TwitterCollin on InstagramREP1 Management

In this, our second episode ever, we drop the generalities and get personal. There'll be plenty of time in future episodes for handwringing and hysterics around generational shortcomings, the dark side of LinkedIn, and whether or not robots are coming for your job. So definitely stay tuned for all of that. But in this episode, we take a step back to talk about our own "dream jobs" - both as they exist today, and how we imagined they would look when we were younger. Which is to say: we mourn the death of our dreams of athletic superstardom and describe the decades-long pursuit of a replacement dream that we've been on ever since. Or something like that.Join us for this last "preview episode" before we take off the training wheels and start inviting real guests into our sad little studio. #TheDreamJob