Clocking Out with Raymond Lee

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Carla Stickler, a former Broadway actor who once brought Elphaba to life in Wicked and now writes code as a web engineer at Spotify. After landing her first big tour right out of college, Carla returned to New York expecting stardom. Only to find herself waiting tables, battling rejection, and facing the hard truth that talent alone doesn’t guarantee succes...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Dakota Barker, a former medical professional who once believed her future was in hospitals and healing. For years, she poured her heart into caring for pediatric cancer patients, driven by a deep passion for helping others. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the cracks in the healthcare system widened, and the emotional toll became impossible to ignore. Bu...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Rachel Humphrey — a former trial attorney who once believed she'd spend her entire life arguing cases in court. But after two decades in law and a major cross-country move, Rachel found herself at a crossroads: unfulfilled and reevaluating her life’s direction. When her longtime nanny unexpectedly resigned, Rachel made a bold decision — she quit her job wit...

In this episode of Clocking Out , we meet Haley Pollack — a former academic and educator whose life took a dramatic turn when she was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer at age 37. A mother of two, including a six-month-old at the time, Haley found herself navigating not only a devastating diagnosis but also the emotional complexity of parenting through it. Haley’s career began in academia, with...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Lynne Thompson — a former lawyer who spent over 20 years in the legal world before answering a call that had echoed since childhood: poetry. Lynne pivoted from litigation to literature, ultimately becoming Los Angeles’ 4th Poet Laureate, a nationally recognized advocate for the power of poetry, and the author of four acclaimed collections, including Blue on...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Simon Rinne,  a former government worker who spent years navigating traditional career paths before realizing his deeper purpose was to support others in their healing. Now a mental health social worker and founder of Mindful Men, Simon helps men break the silence around mental illness, drawing from his own lived experience with undiagnosed OCD, depression,...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Sarah Dale — a woman who spent years excelling in the world of media and advertising, helping brands like The Wall Street Journal and Fortune grow and thrive. Raised in a driven, adventurous family in New Jersey, Sarah learned early on that anything was possible — a mindset that carried her through multiple career pivots. After building early career success...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we sit down with Jeremy Schifeling, founder of The Job Insiders and author of the Amazon best-seller LinkedIn and ChatGPT for Job-Seeking.  Growing up in the working-class city of Buffalo and dreaming of playing for the Chicago Cubs, Jeremy learned early on how to hustle, adapt, and punch above his weight. Jeremy shares how his early days substitute teaching in Bro...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Christopher Chin, a former data scientist turned communication coach who’s helping people transform information into impact. Chris grew up in Queens, New York, in a household led by immigrant parents—both doctors—who encouraged him and his brother to follow traditional paths. But Chris had other ideas. His first bold pivot came in college, when he left pre-...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we dive into the inspiring journey of Amber Williams, a Brooklyn native with deep Caribbean roots. Growing up in a vibrant immigrant community, education and ambition were ingrained in her from a young age. Though she initially aspired to be a lawyer, a pivotal summer program introduced her to the world of television, setting her on a path toward media and storytel...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we explore the incredible career journey of Ronald H. Braver, a financial crime investigator who transitioned from government service to private sector success. Ron grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and was fascinated by James Bond and dreamed of pursuing a career in investigative work. He followed that passion, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and later a...

In this episode of Clocking Out, we sit down with Casey Brown, a bold entrepreneur and founder of Boost Pricing, who walked away from the corporate world to help businesses sell at higher prices—and to give sales teams the confidence they need to succeed. Growing up in a hardworking blue-collar town in Ohio, Casey was shaped by the values of persistence and education, instilled by her parents. Wit...

In this episode of Clocking Out, Raymond welcomes Ginny Palmieri, a powerhouse leader who has mastered the intersection of HR, business strategy, and entrepreneurship. With a distinguished career spanning executive roles at Independence Blue Cross, Commerce Bancorp, and Bank of America, Ginny has built a reputation for driving transformation and inspiring growth. Now, as the CEO and Co-Founder of...

In this episode of Clocking Out, Raymond is joined by Dr. Fiona Jamison, a seasoned leader in people analytics and organizational research. Fiona’s remarkable career spans over 25 years and includes exiting and selling her company Spring International. Fiona was born in the UK and moved to the US after college. With a Ph. D. in Human Resource Management from the University of Bristol, she’s a true...

In this episode of Clocking Out, Raymond is joined by Aurelie Foucart, the founder of Affirmed Leadership, a company dedicated to executive coaching and leadership training. Born and raised in Paris, France, Aurelie's early life was filled with a love for writing and playing the piano, but she ultimately followed her mother’s advice to pursue a more traditional path and earned a law degree.  Aurel...

In this episode of Clocking Out, Alice Rush, a certified Master Career Counselor, shares her inspiring journey from starting her career as a sales leader to becoming a leading expert in career coaching and counseling. Born in Palo Alto, CA, her father spent 30 years at IBM as an engineer and her mother was a concert pianist and entrepreneur. Alice learned early on the importance of both stability...

In this inspiring episode of Clocking Out, Kate Lingoni, shares her amazing story of being a researcher, entrepreneur, actor, mom, and business owner whose career journey has been anything but conventional. Born in Metairie, Louisiana, Kate went to Archbishop Chapelle High School and later graduated from Louisiana State University. Kate’s early aspirations were rooted in a desire to serve others,...

In Episode 29 of the Clocking Out podcast, we hear the inspiring journey of Wes Ehnert Carfi, a former sales leader who made a bold leap from a successful career in advertising sales to embracing his true passions for coaching, music, and comedy. Born and raised in New Jersey to a large Italian family with over 40 cousins, Wes was an entertainer at heart from an early age—whether it was through mu...

In Episode 28 of Clocking Out, Raymond sits down with Sairan Aqrawi, who shares her inspiring journey of transformation and self-discovery. Born in Iraq, Sairan left her home country in 1997 to pursue the American Dream. Influenced by her father, she chose a career in Civil Engineering, dedicating herself to the field and excelling in systems integration and project delivery. But despite her succe...

In Episode 27 of Clocking Out, Raymond Lee sits down with Kayla McDaniel, a tech leader whose career journey has taken unexpected—and ultimately rewarding—turns. Originally set on becoming a nurse, Kayla pivoted to pursue degrees in computer science and international business. Her path wasn’t without challenges; a trio of layoffs pushed her to reconsider her career trajectory, eventually leading h...

In this episode of Clocking Out, host Raymond Lee sits down with Tammi Marks, a seasoned healthcare professional who recently took a bold step toward fulfilling her lifelong passion. After a 30-year career spanning clinical roles and healthcare IT, Tammi found herself at a crossroads when she was unexpectedly laid off from her position at Common Spirits. Rather than letting this setback define her...

Ila Edgar is a firm believer that trust is the foundation of all relationships, including the one we have with ourselves. Her extensive experience in progressive leadership roles across diverse industries led her to establish Big Change Inc., a consultancy dedicated to partnering with leaders and teams to identify and overcome relational obstacles that impede their success.  Through her expert gui...

Bianca Sibiya is a passionate, value-driven digital marketer, speaker, and culture leader with over 20 years of experience in Tech, Fintech, Broadcast, Fashion, and Film across Sub-Saharan Africa. She develops future-state B2B and B2C strategies for brands and agencies, helping them better leverage social platforms, build community content ecosystems through shared interests, scale social selling,...

Danielle Smeltzer is an advocate for trauma-informed leadership and progressive workplace well-being. As the founder of Awarely Embodied Leadership, she's on a mission to help leaders reclaim their well-being as they rise while challenging organizations to consider more sustainable paths to growth. By drawing on her 16+ years of leadership expertise and over 500 hours of training in trauma-informe...

Please welcome Vanessa Karel to the Clocking Out podcast.  Vanessa Karel, is a second-time Founder, Serial Entrepreneur, Storyteller, and Creative Producer. She was named as one of the 100 rising Latinx Startup founders to watch by Inicio Ventures and a Latinx to watch by Hispanic Executive through her work founding Greether; a travel startup that helps women travel safer. Most recently she was th...