Bucket List Careers

"When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” That is Heidi Zimmer's mantra and a piece of wisdom that gives us insight into how Heidi built Wild Rice Retreat in Bayfield, WI, during the pandemic.  Heidi is a real estate development professional and creative entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience in affordable housing, community and economic development as well as urban and rural planning. B...

It can be a powerful marketing tool, but authentic content creation on social media can also be daunting, especially in the beginning stages. Christa speaks from personal experience in this episode about how she tackled her own fears in this space. Even after an audience-facing career as a news anchor and years spent on stage as a vocalist, it felt unnatural and intimidating to be in front of the...

Marc Ronick is the producer of Bucket List Careers, a consultant, host and entrepreneur w ith a career spanning 17+ years in podcasting. Just l ike Christa, he pivoted from TV News during the pandemic. Marc then successfully launched a full-service podcast agency and has since become a symbol of innovation and empowerment in content creation. As the founder of iRonick Media, he provides comprehens...

Jordan Elizabeth Gelber is an accomplished actor, CEO, entrepreneur, founder of the OTT platform Aperteur and marketing agency STARBABY. She has been in digital marketing for over 10 years working with feature films, Fortune 500 companies, and more. In this episode Jordan tells us all about a career journey that involves difficult bosses, tears, struggles with ADHD and battling sexism in the workp...

Some experts define procrastination as not just any delay but an irrational one – that is, when we voluntarily put off tasks despite believing that we will be worse off for doing so. But today's guest — life and career change coach Christine Meyer has a different take that she shares with us in this episode, one that flies in the face of traditional theories and anti-procrastination strategies. Li...

Jeremy Bollington spent more than 25 years in the finance world, working in London, New York, Hong Kong and back to NY. Mostly with HSBC (with a focus on Asia and other emerging markets), he ran relationships with Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, Nike and P&G. Headhunted in 2011 by Standard Chartered (another British bank with businesses in Asia/Africa), Jeremy ran their Americas business,...

Ronit Weinberg is the Co-Founder of Timo & Violet, providing eco-conscious and heirloom-quality baby and bath linens. We're bringing you a part 2 episode after last week's conversation with partner Erin Jensen - two visionaries who've accomplished so much before their brave joint professional leaps.  Ronit is a seasoned lifestyle brand executive with a broad range of experience in all facets o...

Erin Jensen devoted her career to large tech and media companies such as Google and YouTube as well as fashion houses and well known consumer brands including Theory, LVMH and Calera Wine Company, before making her big pivot and crafting her own dream gig. The Harvard Business School grad is now co-founder of Timo & Violet, a sustainable, organic, and heirloom-quality line of children's goods. Tim...

You think you've already learned everything you need to know. You don't know how to work new technology. You're too far along to change your career path now. Do any of these sound familiar? These are limiting beliefs and if statements like these strike a chord, this episode is for you. Join Christa for a deep dive into identifying and challenging limiting beliefs, how to practice positive self-tal...

Danielle Becker has a degree in graphic design and had a successful career in the fashion district of New York City, designing for brands like Hanes and Aeropostale and then as an Art Director at Macy's and Bloomingdales. But in 2017 Danielle left to pursue her own dream gig. Her business, Lefty’s Right Mind, was initially graphic design focused and then the “Aha!” moment came when a friend asked...

Patricia Gallardo started her professional journey working for Revlon in product development before becoming a financial journalist at CNBC.  She had a successful career as a segment producer and booker before taking a career pause for motherhood, but the idea for a unique beauty brand had been lingering in the back of her mind for nearly two decades. When Patricia saw her 50th birthday on the hor...

Timothy Gordon has a unique dream gig as an internationally recognized appraisal authority. He has been evaluating works of fine art, valuables and collections for over 25 years, having personally appraised millions of items of celebrities, high-profile collections, notable museums, and national parks. He has been a featured appraiser on the PBS production of Antiques Roadshow in Collectibles, Dec...

Brian Fryer, aka “Coach Fryer”, played baseball professionally for the San Diego Padres for 8 years before he experienced chronic injuries and decided to make his big career pivot to network marketing. However, he did not find immediate success. In fact, in his first four years of network marketing Brian didn’t earn a single dollar in profit! He sought business mentorship, took courses, and eventu...

Graze NY Founder Shari Ivler always had a creative eye. She went to art school at Syracuse University and worked in NY fashion for many years at Anthropologie, Hugo Boss, Juicy Couture and Bloomingdales doing styling and merchandising.  But despite her success, Shari developed an aching feeling she was destined for something else. A mother of 2, Shari decided to transfer her skills from fashion to...

Co-Founder of Vengo Labs, Brian Shimmerlik had an entrepreneurial spirit from the start of his career that took him through several successful professional transitions. He started out in in finance in New York City at JP Morgan, but after 6 years ventured out to craft his own dream gig. Unsatisfied in banking, Shimmerlik enrolled in business school at NYU.  With no time to get to a store one night...

What does it mean to hit 100 episodes of Bucket List Careers? Since its launch in January 2021, this podcast has featured a variety of insightful interviews unpacking each guests' path to professional purpose, with a focus on highlighting steps to achieving your coveted dream gig.  In this special episode, Christa talks frankly about what she's learned so far on her podcasting journey and handpick...

Life and career coach Dara Astmann has found her Bucket List Career by helping fellow moms discover what is on their own Bucket Lists. As a part-time Ad Sales Executive at Paramount, Dara spent her non-working days as a mother to her two young children. Once they entered full-time school, Dara knew that she wanted to use her newfound free time to follow her other passion. This involved empowering...

The Little Blazer Company came to life after Ria Morgan left her fast-paced career to become a mom and raise two beautiful daughters, Mila & Sofia. Ria  always loved fashion that blends old with new and her staple go-to look was always the classic tweed blazer with jeans. After searching everywhere for her daughters to have a similar option in their wardrobe, she was uninspired by the choices avai...

Elyce Jacobson is a vegan chef that has had many passion-fueled career pivots over the years. In her mid-twenties she had an insatiable desire to leave the corporate world and become a chef and entrepreneur. She worked her 9-5 while attending culinary school at night. That was the beginning of a successful and intriguing trajectory that included several food businesses over the years from catering...

After rising in the ranks of banking management in New Jersey for over 20 years, Leila Karlsen made her career pivot to become an independent gourmet coffee shop owner.  The idea germinated while taking afternoon breaks from the bank at a local establishment.  Leila loved the atmosphere, community, and of course - the coffee.  She was chatting with the owners one day and that very conversation cha...

A former elementary school teacher and mother of 4, Liz Woods created Ryemarkable Moms (a play on words involving her hometown of Rye, New York) to remind us that we are surrounded by real, authentic moms who are doing everything they can to make the world a better place. Ryemarkable Moms documents positive, inspirational stories of Rye Moms on social media. She also leads an educational online me...

It's never easy to pull off a mid-career pivot to start a new business of your own, but Chris Gargano knew his years in the world of professional sports combined with experience as a sports journalist had primed him for a meaningful second act as Founder of The Gargano Leadership Group. He was a reporter, anchor, producer and executive producer at various broadcast affiliates around the country be...

Lauren Porat is the owner and founder of YogaSpark, a hot power yoga studio with locations in New York City and Westchester County, NY, however she started her career on Wall Street in investment banking and investor relations. A major pivot! Unlike many Bucket List Careers guests, Lauren never found any of her career choices to be unfulfilling. She loved working in finance and loved working on he...

A champion bodybuilder, personal trainer and comedian for the past 20 years, Andrew Ginsburg has trained clients privately in the morning, and performed stand-up comedy at night.   The New York City-born author of “Pumping Irony: How to Build Muscle, Lose Weight, and Have the Last Laugh” laughs throughout this episode and says he’s “just another Jewish comedian” but his unique career experience in...

What are you refusing to settle for in 2023? By setting intentions instead of New Year's resolutions, we can create positive change in our lives that is more progressive, achievable and sustainable. We can also adjust our tasks and goals as needed throughout the year if something isn't working. Being flexible will help ensure that you never fail and “jump ship”, you just “adjust your sail” and kee...