Second Breaks

Highlights of Episode 28: How Alison Taylor transitioned from employed to self-employed How she created a name for herself in her new field through word of mouth The earlier “mistakes” she’s made that taught her how to market herself differently How cultivating this one relationship opened an industry opportunity for her and where she now has developed deep specialization The two things that helpe...

A former lawyer overcomes burnout and stress by focusing on sustainable and healthy routines and increasing mental energy. Highlights of Episode 27 Nik’s experience in Amsterdam that changed his perspective on life and work What leads to burnout and stress Why watching TV isn’t really relaxing for our brains How you can achieve “balance” in your “hustle” Why we cannot rely on willpower or self-dis...

Highlights of Episode 26 A quick summary of my career story The inciting incident for my career pivot Why we never start a Level 0, even if we’re starting over Why asking for help is about choosing yourself Why I’m grateful for an extremely difficult and painful experience Why I strongly believe that we live in a special time Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 25 Sarah’s career story from teacher to Corporate HR to Business Coach How her willingness to try things out helped her transition from employee to freelancer to business owner The importance of creating new relationships in your chosen field/area of work What you should do first if you’re thinking of leveraging your skills and start a freelance side business What you should...

Highlights of Episode 24 How Amy Scott began her freelance editor career The (surprising) main challenge she faced when she was first starting out What location-independent work is really about How her location-independent career helped her accommodate various life situations and phases Key considerations, if a location-independent career sounds interesting to you Factors to consider when deciding...

Highlights of Episode 23 Lisa Wood’s evolution from freelance web developer to owner of a web design/development agency and business coach; What helps her navigate through the business changes she continues to make; How the small business world has changed from when she initially made the jump, what makes it easier to make the leap into entrepreneurship, what makes it harder; Networking and buildi...

Highlights of Episode 22 The mindset shift that occurred for Gregg which allowed him to see opportunities beyond his corporate career; How he evaluated his career path options and chose the consulting business path; Habits he’s adopted to manage his time effectively so he could build his consulting business with a full-time job; Gregg’s advice to anyone looking to leverage their skill set to start...

Highlights of Episode 21 What holds us back from stepping into our leadership role The things that trip us up when we think of ourselves as leaders Why we are all (already) leaders, whether we recognize it or not What vulnerability has to do with leadership What to do when we think we’re not ready to take on our next step Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 20: What triggered Lisa Akers' interest in chronic and auto-immune diseases and in herbal remedies Why she decided to build a second career instead of a career change The changes she’s made to her work-habits and mindset to accommodate a second career Recognizing boundaries and honoring those boundaries at work When is what you’re feeling beyond a simple need for a break or v...

Jacquette Timmons, CEO of Sterling Investment Management, discusses the art of talking about money. We cover why money conversations are awkward, common mistakes to avoid, and how to get support from family and loved ones on your career move that may have financial implications.  Highlights of Episode 19 Why it is hard and awkward to talk about money Common mistakes we make when talking about fina...

Highlights of Episode 18 Recap of Root Causes 1, 2, and 3 Symptoms and how to recognize root cause #4: Unclear Targets What to watch out for when articulating your new goals How to address unclear targets What to focus on when making long-term goals, even if you don’t know what you want to do *(yet) Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 17 How Vanessa Soto’s side passion project made her appreciate her 9-to-5 job again Why a side passion project may be a more realistic and fulfilling option How to manage the time to fit a side project into a full-time life Importance of obtaining support from people around you about your time commitment Why you’d want to build a community around your project/interest area Ho...

Highlights of Episode 16: What Absent Support is all about Why being around supportive people is important for getting unstuck The underlying message around many of the common advice we hear What kind of messages to stay away from What kind of support you’d want to have when thinking of making a career move Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 15: What is the Know-How Gap Why this is a common problem Why detecting this issue is tricky Questions to ask yourself to determine if the Know-How Gap may be an issue How to address the Know-How Gap The benefit of planning even when you’re not sure what to do   Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 14: What the miniseries “How to Get Unstuck” is about How this series came about The first root cause: Lack of Doable Options How to recognize this issue; how to detect that this is what’s happening What causes this problem; why we might believe there are not enough options for us How to address the lack of options problem   Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substa...

We often hear the advice “follow your heart” especially when we’re faced with a decision that we’re not sure about. I’ve been noticing it come up more and more, in various forms, within the context of a career change. Highlights of Episode 13: Common misconceptions about the advice “follow your heart” Difference between “listen to your heart” and “follow your passion” How to listen to your heart T...

Highlights of Episode 12: What health & lifestyle coaching is and what you want to look for in a health & lifestyle coach How Lara Dalch got started on this career path The challenges she faced transitioning from a corporate career into a freelance type of work and starting a new business How finding new communities helped her during the early stages The importance of continuous learning w...

Tim DeBellis traces his philosophy around maximizing life experiences to his immigrant grandfather, who took on so many different roles in his lifetime. Highlights of Episode 11: How Tim identified his passion Coming up with an “exit strategy,a long-term vision, and a 5-year plan The willingness to go back when things don’t work out the way you imagined Honoring commitments while taking risks Appl...

Highlights of Episode 10: Alethea’s career journey from architect to photographer to business owner How becoming a parent created a strong incentive for her to consider new career possibilities How her vision of the kind-of-mother-she-wants-to-be factors into her business and career considerations How being a parent can create constraints that encourage you to be more productive and creative in yo...

How do we avoid analysis paralysis and getting stuck while on the road to our career change? Knowing the stages of any career move, and the key action and decision points in each stage will help you avoid getting stuck with analysis paralysis. For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Is writing and publishing a book a dream of yours? How the state of today’s publishing industry opens opportunities to aspiring writers and common misconceptions by new writers about the writing process. For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever wondered how a portfolio career works? Adrianne Machina shares how she manages time, finances, and prioritization to make it all work. For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Creativity Coach Melissa Dinwiddie discusses how we can tap back into our natural creativity and how to incorporate creative expression in our work-life. For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Former NYC Police Officer Shane Moran shares his decision-making process for taking on early retirement so he can work full-time on his growing business, Goji Fitness. For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Deanna Carlisle works with young kids—and their parents—to help them identify those nuggets and use the insight to guide their decisions about college and, eventually, their career direction.  She guides college students and new graduates through a process that allows them to better understand their own strengths, interests, and personality.   Highlights of Episode 04: The importance of “testing t...