On The Job

In March of 2021, the shipping freighter Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days and captivated the world. In this episode, we dive into what the event says about our economy, and what it says about us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spencer Lanning lost his job during COVID, and is one of many people who were forced to face their demons in the isolation of the pandemic. Coming out the other side, he now protects Vermonters from hackers in his job as a cyber security analyst.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcellie Bellinger cleaned up the streets of Yonkers, NY – literally. He takes his job as a Ranger seriously, and brings his infectiously optimistic work ethic everywhere he goes.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Educator and software engineer Thierry Mugabo Uwilingiyamana knows what the stakes are when education isn't allowed to flourish – so he's dedicated his life to spreading knowledge and giving kids the tools they need to love learning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Carey leaves his stable, decade-long career in marketing to make a risky move doing something he loves – being a butcher.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

General store manager Karen Banks perseveres through the turbulence of losing her employees, and the huge influx of customers coming into her small Vermont town. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brown University economist Mark Blyth sets the stage for Season 6 of "On The Job" by telling the story of how we got where we are today.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the season five finale of "On The Job," we meet Leonette. Her path to her career - she's a Law Clerk at the US Department of Education - had more than a few twists and turns. In fact, she started law school in her 30s, after realizing that she could help to address the yawning gap in African-American and female representation in the legal field. Now, she's using her degree to advocate for other...

Afua Bruce's career in data science and technology is dotted with a bunch of impressive acronyms: IBM, the FBI (!), even working for the POTUS (Obama) as Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council. Now, she's taken on a new challenge as Chief Program Officer for Datakind, a global non-profit that harnesses the power of data science and AI in the service of humanity. Heck, sh...

Like so many food industry workers, Meg lost her job during the pandemic. And instead of going back on the job hunt in this historically challenging environment, she decided to gamble on herself. She launched Das Butterhaus (https://dasbutterhaus.com), named for her love of German pastries - and now she's baking in a local kitchen and selling her delicious concoctions for pickup and delivery. Lear...

If Kitty Hailey didn't exist, some enterprising author would have conjured her up. A well put-together woman of a certain age, she resembles a hip kindergarten teacher - a fact which has served her well in her actual occupation; she's a private investigator. Using the skills she's honed over decades of investigative work, Kitty has risen to a position of prominence in her field, evolving from the...

During the height of the pandemic, unemployment peaked at around 15%. And many of the jobs lost, especially in industries that were already seeing disruption through automation and outsourcing, may never come back. Enter Benny Boas and the Burlington Code Academy. He and his co-founder Alex Horner have created a 'boot camp' to teach people new skills, primarily in software coding and interface des...

Jaye Gardiner is about as perfect an example of a modern-day renaissance person as you can get. A first-generation American of Belizean descent, a scientist and cancer researcher, she spends what little free time she has creating and publishing aspirational comics to increase students' STEM literacy. She's a born teacher, capable of reducing complex science into simple and easy to grasp metaphors....

For the Calabrese family, based in Utica, New York, serving their community is a family tradition. In 2013, John Calabrese Sr. and his wife Lori embarked on a new career by opening up their own Express Employment Professionals franchise. Intrigued by the business, their son, John Jr., joined the cause and began doing the important work of matching candidates with companies and vice versa. Along th...

How do you tap into your inner salesperson? For Chris Lundy, a late-bloomer and raconteur who takes pleasure in knowing that the medication he sells can change lives, it's all a matter of attitude. And after a stint in the PR department for the Philadelphia Eagles, his segue into pharma sales has provided him with plenty of championship moments. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

For those of us fortunate enough to be able to work from home during the pandemic, our new normal finds us juggling the pressures of work, family and health in ways we hadn't previously experienced. Imagine being responsible for 45 elderly folks spread across three bucolic residential homes during all of this? And not just accounting for them, but catering to their every need, honoring their extre...

Catering - and food service in general - is a challenging work in the best of times. And now, with public-facing events still mostly shut down, Heather Bublick and her business partner/chef/husband D'Andre Carter have found new ways to bring their gourmet comfort food to the masses via "Soul & Smoke." They're serving their delicious fare to school kids in need, unemployed hospital workers, nur...

Just about 200,000 of the estimated 3.5 million truckers on the road today are women - and that number represents a 65% increase over the last decade. Today we catch up with one of them, Ingrid Brown, a 5'2" 50-something grandma who's been driving a rig for over four decades. Calling from the cab of her truck, Ingrid, whose role has been deemed "essential" throughout the Covid-19 crisis, gives us...

For Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), the coronavirus is only the latest chapter in a vocation that requires constant vigilance. Meet Kyle Robillard, an EMT/Fireman/Sports Doctor, who tells us how multi-tasking tends to be a way of life for emergency responders, even as the stakes become more personal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/...

Wind turbines have changed the way our country operates and are only becoming more popular – creating highly skilled jobs along the way. In this episode, we talk to skilled technician Jim Slicer as he maintains turbines in Vermont. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teachers and school administrators have been navigating the new normal and attempting to continue doing what they've always done: enrich the knowledge and lives of students everywhere. In this episode, elementary school teacher Gail Campopiano shares the ways in which her approach to her role has changed, and the deeper connections that make teaching such a rewarding, if at times difficult, profes...

How can you do your job better, advance in your career and unlock your potential? Listen along as Dr. Julie Gurner, Executive Performance Coach, shares how to identify and understand behaviors that allow people to level up in their careers and everyday lives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Tom Harrison, a former park ranger turned cartographer, as he patiently navigates the world around him and turns his adventures into high-quality maps. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can a job become more than a job? Sometimes a job becomes an identity and a legacy through all the people your job touches. How you live on through the people you know and had an effect on. This is the story of an elephant trainer and activist, Jim Laurita, who died a few years ago. Jim was adored by the community and started an organization called “Hope for Elephants” to help rehab hurt eleph...

Can a job lead to a life-changing relationship? In this episode, listen to several short stories of couples falling in love - on the job. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.