Second Breaks

Everyone agrees that it’s not going to be business as usual when this current crisis is all over, hence the phrase ‘new normal’ that we keep hearing nowadays. I find it helpful to read about or listen to stories of people who overcame seemingly impossible situations, people who figured out a way not just to adapt to a new normal but to thrive even as a result of it. My guest today, Kristen Girard...

What’s Stoicism? How can its teachings help us during hard times? Brendan Hufford joins Lou Blaser to talk about Amor Fati, and Memento Mori, and Amelia Earhart, and Thomas Edison and the big fire. We also talk about this terrible diagnosis that Brendan and his wife learned about their son when he was just 2 years old, which made Brendan really embrace the idea of Amor Fati. For the show notes, hi...

As much as the world seems intent on disrupting everything these days, there are a few things we count on to help us stay grounded. Two of those things are our personal values and our natural preferences — basically what makes us who we are. In this episode: how being self-aware and understanding our natural preferences can help us manage our anxiety level. How leaning on our personal values can h...

Learning about what our mentors or people we admire are doing – how they are processing this moment, and how they’re going about things during these uncertain times – is instructive and motivating. Business owner, employer, and community leader, Tara McMullin discusses how she approaches planning when things are uncertain, and what leading and showing up looks like for her these days. For the show...

The world of work is intense and filled with uncertainty at the moment. What should we be doing? Are there steps we can take to position us in the best way possible? And what if you’ve already been affected by the lay-offs and furloughs? What to do then? Dr. Nayla Bahri discusses resilient habits to practice during uncertain times, leveraging her research of the 2008 recession. For the show notes,...

A brief episode where I talk about what you can expect for the next season of the podcast, which starts on Thursday, March 26th, 2020. Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

The key to launching a post-retirement career with minimal stress is to start considering and exploring opportunities before you pack up your office. This is one to listen to if you’re nearing retirement or beginning to consider possibilities beyond your current career. Mary Beth Simon retired from her long corporate career in December 2018. As planned, she started her project management consultin...

It’s a common story to have a day job that pays the bills (and even one that you find is meaningful work) while wishing you could be doing something else instead. KC Karr shares how she balances practicalities with her creative pursuits and how creating space in her life for her side projects keep her close to her true passion. For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks....

FreshBooks’ Matt Baker shares results of the 2019 Self-Employment Annual Survey. We talk about steps to minimize the risks of transitioning from a traditional 9-5 to a freelance career or self-employment. Plus, how to price your services with a win-win mindset, and how to address the obstacles that new freelancers and first-time business owners face. Highlights of Episode 120 The results of FreshB...

Zoha Abbas was let go during a recent round of layoffs at the advertising agency where she worked as a senior copywriter. Good thing that she had already been working on a side gig for three years. Though it was a bit earlier than her original plans, she took the opportunity to go all-in and turn her side project into her full-time gig. Zoha and I talked about how she found clarity around the kind...

You’re working hard to make your side hustle or freelancing career a success. So you’ll want to make sure you protect yourself, your investment, and your side project legally. Autumn Witt Boyd, Host of The Legal Roadmap podcast, joins Lou Blaser to cover the most pressing basic questions for someone starting out. Grab a notepad as you’ll want to take notes. Or head on over to the website for the s...

Leadership and career development coach Dr. Nayla Bahri researched disruption and career resilience by studying professionals who lost their jobs during the 2008 Recession. She discovered behaviors and habits that differentiated those who remained stuck versus those who were able to move forward and thrived. The best thing is that there’s nothing special about these behaviors. In this episode, we...

There hasn’t been a new episode since mid-October. Did I fall off the face of the earth? Did I cancel the podcast? Here’s the real deal. Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Starting a side hustle is exciting. But it can also be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if you’ve never done anything like it before. Wouldn’t it be great if you could start your project with a colleague? As they say, two heads are better than one, and you can push each other to take action on your plans. Karena Skibinski shares how she and her co-worker started a side-hustle and became business p...

A side hustle leveraging your core strength is a huge advantage because the learning curve for starting a business is going to take up your time and energy. Dr. Michelle Mazur began with a side project that allowed her to “play” in her favorite sandbox and which turned into a side consulting business in no time. Highlights of Episode 114 The side-project that started Michelle Mazur’s side hustle S...

Highlights of Episode 113: Key actions that Kim and her husband took to achieve financial independence How they were able to pay their 15-year mortgage in 3 years Why insurance coverage holds people back from self-employment and how Kim and her husband manage their family’s insurance How Kim took advantage of inexpensive and free resources to help build her freelance career How Kim mitigated the r...

Highlights of Episode 112: How a side-hustle got started by raising her hand when someone asked for help on Facebook How this seemingly insignificant work grew into something bigger and became the basis of her new career Justine’s approach to channeling the skills she mastered in one field of work into another The idea that we can be headstrong about our goals but flexible about the way we will ac...

In this episode: How John started his side hustle and his initial foray into Clickbank The difference between network marketing, multi-level marketing, affiliate marketing, and online marketing The major change Google implemented that closed his account and shut down his revenue source How John recovered from Google’s changes and how he manages the risk of similar occurrences in the future Why aff...

Melissa Emler works in the education industry in both her regular job and her side hustle. She is the Director of Innovation at a regional service agency for educators. For her side gig, she co-owns a business called Modern Learners , where they serve educators around the globe to put the focus back on learning. But to call one a regular job and the other a side hustle misses the point somewhat. F...

Highlights of Episode 109: Althea’s practical approach to following her passion How she arranged her schedule with her then-manager to allow her time to build her floral business What steps she took to build her client-base from the ground up while she still had her full-time job How Althea prepared for the day when she would go ‘all in’ on her business It’s not all arranging flowers! What it real...

Highlights of Episode 108 The main difference Susan experienced starting an online consulting business versus their previous brick-and-mortar businesses What she focused on when she initially got going with Scale Spark Susan’s methods for maintaining the balancing act between her day job and her side consulting business The role of their side businesses versus the role of their day jobs on their l...

For the full transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 106 The challenge that goes with transitioning from employee to owning your own business Letting go of the old identity and embracing the new one as you make a career change The 3 Ms (Mindset, Meaning, and Mindfulness), what each one means, and how they show up and influence our careers and personal lives Separating the ‘work’ from the desired results Aligning career choices...

We have a complicated relationship with our technology, which we both love and love to hate! On the one hand, technology makes our lives easier. But it also creates complexity and stress. In other words: technology both helps and hurts work-life balance. In this final episode of our series on work-life balance, I explore why and when it’s helpful and why/when it’s not. I also share my thoughts on...

Highlights of Episode 104 Why maximizing the use of time with your young kids starts with reframing expectations What play looks like for an infant or a toddler The impossible parenting standards that social media create Does ‘screen-babysitting’ work? Finding the tiny moments to support your baby in the most valuable way For the full transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast Ge...