Chart Your Career

Heidi and Ellen talk about Ellen's trip to New York and Heidi's upcoming trip to Memphis. Summer at its best! They take questions from Hayley and Jessica.  Hayley relocated to New Orleans in 2019 and loves her life there. She is at a career crossroads and is trying to find a new path that gives her greater peace and a sense of purpose (5:38).  Jessica recently separated from her husband and six mo...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Denise and Marion. For the past 8 years  Denise has worked on private gardens as well as at a public nature center. She wants to start a home plant nursery and grow and sell herbs, but she does not have access to land. She feels at a crossroads. (5:36) Marion loves her work in environmental conservation ,  but she is more and more feeling the need to move and pe...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Ana and Ava.  Ana  is in the luxury beauty industry, which she loves. Most of her roles are very data driven, number and incredibly dry. She yearns to do creative execution where she can speak to editors and celebrities and tell their stories. She wonders if she can make this happen.  Ava works at a nonprofit as a teacher and staff trainer for young adults with...

Ellen and Heidi welcome the sign of Leo, a time of celebration and self-expression. This month, we shine forth and find new ways to offer ourselves to the world. Pleasure and play are paramount. We fill our cups and ready ourselves for the work that lies ahead. There are some beautiful and creative openings throughout the month, and of course, time to enjoy this last month of summer. Heidi and Ell...

Heidi is still out of the country on a wonderful family vacation. Ellen re-introduces today's episode- the 2021 interview with writing teacher Laurie Wagner. Laurie is a Bay Area writer and writing teacher whose focus for the last 20 years has been Wild Writing , a super creative, loose writing practice that helps people get out of their heads and into the more intuitive, instinctual sound of thei...

Heidi is out of town and Ellen introduces today's episode with the movie suggestions  Past Lives ;   Are You There God, It's Me Margaret;  and  The Bear . This week we revisit our wonderful interview with Alexandra Franzen. Alex is a best-selling author, award-winning editor, and entrepreneur based in Hawaii. She has written six books including two novels, has written articles in numerous magazine...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Patrice and Emily.  Patrice  was on one of our first podcasts during which Heidi told her that the Spring of 2023 was going to hold great changes for her. Much has happened in the past few years, so she was checking back in.  Emily  recently had a baby and is ready for her second act, but does not know where to start or what to do. She is feeling entrepreneurial...

Heidi and Ellen welcome the sign on Cancer during which time we spend time nourishing ourselves and one another and building strong foundations. We focus on family and home (and vacations!!).  It's time for reflection, replenishment and renewal. Cancer asks us to parent ourselves well and to dare to care more. They talk about two beautiful Cancerians, Pablo Neruda and Cat Stevens. Heidi reads the...

Heidi and Ellen are thrilled to be in conversation with Ann Randolph, the award-winning playwright, performer, and pioneer in interactive theater. What makes Ann's work so special is that it touches upon the dark, messy, uncomfortable aspects of what it means to be human. Audiences leave Ann's shows feeling cracked open and cathartically transformed, like it's finally OK to share feelings they nev...

This week we revisit our interview with Shannon Watts, the founder and a full-time volunteer with the nation's largest grassroots group fighting against gun violence, Moms Demand Action.  We looked at the major career events in Shannon's life, starting from the fateful day, December 14th, 2012 when the heartbreaking and tragic school shooting took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Shannon was...

This week we revisit our interview with actor, comedian, improvisor, and director Lennon Parham, on the heels of her recent amazing directorial work with Somebody, Somewhere on HBO (the last two episodes dropped on Sunday).   Lennon created and starred in Best Friends Forever and Playing House (with Jessica St. Clair) and has had recurring roles in Veep, Bless this Mess, Minx, and the animated ser...

Heidi and Ellen welcome the beautiful sign of Gemini. It is the season of connection, curiosity and intelligence. With the Sun in Gemini, we connect to share information, delight or 10,000 questions. We are here, there and everywhere. Who are you and what do you have to say? Write it. Speak it. Preach it. Converse about it. Let's grow our wisdom through loving relationship. Heidi and Ellen look at...

Heidi and Ellen were thrilled to talk to Abdi Nazemian, tracing the astrological arc of his bountiful career.  Abdi is an author, screenwriter, and film and television producer. He has written four published novels, with a fifth, ONLY THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT, just released on May 9th, 2023. His first novel, THE WALK-IN CLOSET, was awarded a Lambda Literary Award for Best Debut. His novel LIKE A LOVE...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Jessica and Aurora.  Jessica has been a social worker for about 15 years, primarily working with asylum-seeking immigrants and unaccompanied minors. This last year she unexpectedly was faced with intense burnout and health issues and left her job. She feels overwhelmed by exhaustion, and can't find her way to her next chapter (9:22).  Aurora  is a working mom th...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Samantha and Gretchen. Both women used the downtime during the pandemic to write books. Samantha lost her job in museum education, and devoted her time to research and planning a book Last fall she released the first four (!!) novels. In February, she published the first in a spin-off series. She really wants to financially support her writing and also inspire o...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Rikki and Jacqueline.  Rikki has been an educator for over a decade. This year, she plans to finally make a big and long-awaited move with her family to Washington State. She is conflicted about continuing her teaching career or taking a chance at something new She wonders if this is the right time for so many changes (5:15).  Jacqueline has been in career reinv...

After a full, feisty, fiery Aries season, Heidi and Ellen welcome the quieter, lush, fertile energies of Taurus. Venus, as the ruler of Taurus, enters the room and magnetizes the beautiful. It's a time to spread out our metaphorical picnic blanket beneath a sturdy tree, read good books, and rest in a splash of sun.  They look at the birthday of King Charles lll, a Scorpio with a Taurus moon whose...

Sara Alvarado is a writer, speaker, and fierce advocate for racial equity in real estate. Sara built her real estate business into a successful brokerage with her husband, Carlos. Working in real estate and for racial equity led her to co-creating  OWN IT: Building Black Wealth , a groundbreaking initiative working toward eliminating substantial barriers to wealth and homeownership for Black and b...

Heidi and Ellen, freshly back from the Radiant Life Retreat, talk about the wonderful week they just shared. The time was filled with astrological embodiments, song, poetry, and dance.  It was a feast for the senses! They take questions from Annie and Ellen. Annie  is an avid reader and is thinking about writing a fiction book. She wonders: 'Should I/ Shouldn't I'?  (Spoiler alert- we say YES! ) (...

Happy Astrological New Year! Heidi and Ellen welcome the fiery sign of Aries. Under this sign, we reset, start afresh, plant seeds, and launch ourselves into a whole new astrological cycle. Aries offers us fire, passion, vitality, and boldness. Aries takes action and gives us the chance to begin again. They do a deep dive into the astrological chart of the passionate journalist and social activist...

Heidi and Ellen begin by talking about the Academy Awards and their favorite moments of the show. They then take questions from Siobhan and Jen.  Siobhan  has been working in the property sector since 2008. She no longer finds it motivating and in spite of a relatively recent job change, the spark is gone. She is looking for a change of direction and is considering nutritional therapy.  Jen  has b...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Roshni and Rachel.  Roshni is feeling confused about the next steps in her career.  She is a nurse, but after caring for her mom and the stress of the pandemic, that career has lost its spark.  She has lots of ideas but can't seem to weave them together into a business. She is feeling stuck (10:37).  Rachel is an art teacher, but since having a baby over a year...

Heidi and Ellen take questions from Em and Theda.  Em  lives an idyllic life but feels more and more it is not one that is meant for her.  She and her husband have the opportunity to move to a community near family 2000 miles away, but she fears her job might be jeopardized (5:28).  Theda has written a book that is close to her heart. She has tried to get it published but so far has met with no su...

Heidi and Ellen were thrilled to talk to  Zibby Owens  about her path to becoming one of the most powerful and respected voices in the book publishing world. Zibby is an author, award-winning podcaster, entrepreneur, and CEO. She founded  Zibby Media , a privately-held media company, in 2018, with her award-winning podcast  Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books . The company has since grown to includ...

Heidi and Ellen welcome Pisces, the season of poetry, music, charitable acts, and compassionate action. We dream. We float. We ramble. Our imagination takes a front seat all month long. Pisces marks the end of the astrological year. What is culminating? What is synthesizing? Typical sun in Pisces traits includes being compassionate, romantic, artistic, intensely empathic, and sensitive. Pisces ind...