Bucket List Careers

Michelle Schafer spent her career at big organizations, first TD Bank and then the Canadian Cancer Society. She never pictured herself self-employed. Then she was restructured, not once but twice. The second time, she remembered something a friend had told her years earlier: "I never understood why you never got into coaching." At 46, Michelle took that as her sign. She started with zero clients a...

Melina Maresca built her career in corporate law and divorce litigation, then stepped away to raise her three kids. When she came back to full-time work, she came back differently: founding Maresca Mediation around work that fits her values and her life. Christa Lauri talks with Melina about trading adversarial litigation for solutions that work for families: why mediation can be a better option t...

What if exhaustion, brain fog, and persistent health symptoms were a reason to pause and listen—not just push through? This conversation follows national board-certified health and wellness coach Jen Dorf’s "pivot path" from a high-pressure career and entrepreneurship to coaching, sparked by her own health struggles. Christa and Jen also unpack how limiting beliefs, self-talk, and old patterns can...

Before Nancy Leighton became a career counselor, she spent six years in retail — including a stint as the hat, glove, and muffler buyer at Brooks Brothers. One class, audited on a whim at the Teachers College of Columbia University, changed everything. Nancy shares what it took to walk away from something stable (against her family's wishes), finish a two-year master's over four years while workin...

What do you do when the career you love is suddenly taken from you? For Adriana Brangi, the answer was: you find a new way to swim. In 2020, Adriana was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis — a diagnosis that ended her career as a preschool teacher and forced her to completely rethink what her life and work would look like going forward. Rather than letting MS dictate her limits,...

What if the path you thought you were supposed to take was only the beginning? Stephanie Clapp shares how she went from a 20-year career in education to embracing her intuitive gifts as a psychic medium and mentor, and how that leap helped her—and the women she works with—trust themselves more deeply. This episode explores spiritual awakening, career reinvention, and the power of messy action, wit...

Cleaning houses. Overnight hospital shifts. After cosmetology school, a salon owner. And at 36 years old, a leap into pastry school that changed everything. Vera Gjelaj’s path to owning Arome Caffè & Patisserie in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY wasn’t a straight line — it was a series of reinventions, each one built on the one before it. In this episode of Bucket List Careers, Vera shares how she went fro...

Discover how Dane Johnson transitioned from a Hollywood actor to a leading health coach specializing in autoimmune disease reversal. His story exemplifies resilience, purpose, and innovative health solutions. In this episode: Dane shares his unexpected career pivot after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis The emotional and physical toll of nearly dying from Crohn's disease and how it became a...

Lexi Brine didn’t follow a straight line to where she is now — and that’s the point. After five years in luxury cosmetics marketing at Estée Lauder, she found herself drawn elsewhere, eventually landing at NYU Law after a stint volunteering on a 2008 presidential campaign. From there: litigation at a corporate law firm, a hard exit after becoming a mother, a wandering search through legal recruiti...

Dr. Trish believes life unfolds in seven-year chapters — and hers has been no exception. Her path to becoming a globally recognized cognitive neuroscientist wasn’t linear: she started as a preschool teacher, became a speech-language pathologist, worked in schools, and eventually went back to school herself to teach at the college level. A lifelong curiosity about brain performance and the human co...

Angelique Morelli’s career has been anything but a straight line. With over 15 years of experience—ranging from nonprofit fundraising to serving as the Communications Manager at Montefiore Nyack Hospital—she has mastered the art of the pivot. But her most significant transformation wasn’t a job title; it was finding the courage to step into her own light as a children's book author! In this episod...

Can a devastating injury actually be a gateway to a new life? Cheri Carandanis' life story reads like two different books. For 25 years,  Cheri lived in the high-stakes world of nursing, including a tour as a US Air Force critical care flight nurse during the height of the Iraq War. She was a self-proclaimed "Type A" professional who lived for the adrenaline of saving lives at 30,000 fee...

You don't always need a perfect plan to start over career-wise—you just need the courage to ask, 'Why not try?' In this episode, we’re joined by Amy Pepe , the creative force behind Five Love , a unique gift boutique in Larchmont that prioritizes experience and connection. Amy shares her inspiring transition from marketing and graphic design to full-time stay-at-home mom, and the pivotal moment wh...

After 23 years as an architectural and landscape designer, Sarah Weihman didn't expect a pair of underwear to change her life. But when her go-to activewear brand sacrificed quality for cost, the former D1 athlete realized a glaring gap in the market: most women’s performance underwear is designed by men with little regard for fit or durability. In this episode, Sarah shares how she pivoted from r...

The idea behind Rowan was born when Louisa Serene Schneider took her teenage nieces to get their ears pierced at the mall and found the experience lacking in both safety and celebration . Determined to fix a broken industry, she created a nationwide brand where ear piercing is treated as a safe medical procedure and a joyful life milestone—performed exclusively by licensed nursing professionals. R...

In this episode, Margaret Egiziaco talks leadership, legacy, and the art of the pivot! Before disrupting the fitness industry, Margaret navigated high-stakes government recovery. As Director of the Small Business Recovery Program following Superstorm Sandy, she spearheaded the distribution of  $55M in federal HUD-DR funding to New York’s small businesses—proving that impact requires both strategic...

Meet  Rebecca Kushner , a  CPA and Fractional CFO who took the leap from a traditional corporate accounting and finance career to build a business on her own terms. Driven by a desire to marry her financial expertise with her personal values, Rebecca now helps holistic health practitioners and service providers navigate the "scary" side of their business with heart and humanity. Whether...

Searching for career clarity in 2026? Career coach  Dara Astmann returns to the podcast to discuss navigating career transitions for moms . Drawing from 20 years of experience in media and sales, Dara offers actionable advice on defining your "second act" and building a supportive professional community. Listen in for new year reflections and a first look at her latest coaching programs...

What does it take to turn a lifelong love of wine into an actual winemaking career when you don’t know the first thing about making it? Christy Counts, Founder and Owner of Neverstill Wines in Hudson, NY, did exactly that — trading a career in business management and animal welfare advocacy for the uncertain world of winemaking. In this episode, Christy shares the reality of her pivot: the steep l...

In this special throwback, Christa highlights one of her all-time favorite guests from the episode that started it all: DJ April Larken. April spent years in the New York City fashion scene before taking a career break to raise her children. After beating cancer, she made a bold pivot in her 40s, enrolling in Scratch Academy to pursue her passion for DJing. Drawing on her background in fashion des...

Katherine Gold left teaching to turn her passion for beautiful, functional spaces into a thriving business in New York—without formal training or a clear roadmap. In this episode, we hear how she built Katherine Gold Design from the ground up, leaning on her instincts, people skills, and a natural eye for design, to prove that it’s never too late to create the life you want. As a mom of three, Kat...

Meet Annie Berger, a former Division I dual-sport athlete who pivoted from a successful career in legal marketing to become a Mental Performance Coach and founder of Match Mindset. After pausing her career to care for family and rediscovering her competitive drive through tennis, Annie experienced firsthand the power of mental skills in transforming performance and perspective. Now she helps athle...

In this episode, we share the inspiring story of Andrea Della Mura, who began her battle with breast cancer at just 24 years old. Decades later, Andrea is not only a two-time cancer survivor but also a passionate wellness entrepreneur. Teaming up with her son, who faces his own autoimmune challenges, Andrea launched The DRIPBaR in Rye, New York—a wellness business dedicated to IV vitamin therapy....

With over two decades of experience at renowned companies like Disney and Weight Watchers, Aransas Savas discusses how her passion for meaningful motivation evolved, leading her to pivot her career to coaching after a layoff that became the best thing that could have happened to her. In this episode, she shares insights on behavior change, the importance of deep listening, and how she built a port...

After spending 15 years in the fast-paced world of corporate media and advertising in NYC, Sasha Cohen found herself yearning for something more meaningful. The shift to the suburbs opened her eyes to the struggles of local businesses, many of which lacked the marketing resources they needed to thrive. Motivated by a desire to make a difference and after a life-changing health scare, she founded S...