Second Breaks

Highlights of Episode 78: Why Martha Keith decided to change careers The challenges she struggled with as she made the intentional decision to change course What it means to veer away from one professional identity and build a new one The different reactions and responses to her career change; what matters and what doesn’t The most important thing she learned about herself through the transformati...

  Highlights of Episode 77: Why making a career pivot is simple “in theory” and what “really” makes it challenging What getting brave enough is and is NOT The three things you can do to help you get brave enough The four kinds of support that you’ll need when making a career move Why having a big picture career vision is important For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbrea...

On this first episode for the year, I’m taking a moment to reflect on the three things that I’m most proud of in 2018 and the three things that I plan to focus on in 2019. Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 75 Why writing a book is still a worthwhile goal even with today’s shortened attention span Your first steps after coming up with your initial book idea The different kinds of editors to help with your book What a book proposal is and why it’s super important to do one, even if you’re going the self-publishing route The strategic elements of the book writing process Get full...

Highlights of Episode 74 What it’s like to leave a successful corporate career in Hospitality and Entertainment and pursue a career as a DJ Amani’s main concerns and fears when he left the corporate world and how he addressed those. How a career transition can surprise you and teach you things about yourself you never knew How Amani addressed skeptics How to remain creative even when working a ‘no...

A brief message for you, recorded on Thanksgiving Day 2018. Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Beth Yarzab, career and fitness coach and creator of Career Fit Mom, shares insights and tips for women who are looking to return to work after extended maternity leave.   Highlights of Episode 72 The most important (professional) concern for moms returning to work Three things to do and consider as you re-enter the workforce Networking tips while away on maternity leave Accommodating professional...

Is there a way to know for sure that your decision to pursue a new career path is the right thing for you to do? We explore what’s really behind this question and discuss 3 things you can do to get comfortable with your decision. Topics Discussed in Episode 71 In the intro: How to plan for your career move and an invitation to join the Plan Your Pivot in 5 Days challenge The underlying beliefs and...

 Highlights of Episode 70: How Meg Casebolt expanded her role and skillset by identifying new opportunities within the organization and raising her hand Starting a new career by leveraging her existing strengths in graphics design and understanding of the non-profit world Finding initial clients through her network and word-of-mouth The simplest way to understand SEO and why it’s so important in t...

Highlights of Episode 69 In the intro, I discuss why work is one of the most important parts of life I also talk about one movie that’s made such a big impact on me 🤓 and how it relates to my attitude toward work Why many of us, despite how much we want to make a career move or a career change, are unable to do so Stephen Covey’s second habit (Begin with the end in mind) and what this means for y...

Ayelet Marinovich is a pediatric speech-language pathologist who works with families with infants and toddlers. She is the founder of Strength-in-Words, a podcast and an educational resource providing access to high-quality, evidence-based resources and connections to other parents and professionals so they can have peace of mind they are supporting their children to the best of their ability. Hig...

Melissa is Chief Instigator and lead facilitator of Creative Sandbox Solutions™ , a creative consultancy that helps organizations future-proof their people and their plans through the strategic use of play.   Highlights of Episode 67 How “playing” with Lego blocks can help with problem-solving and strategic planning Avoiding perfectionist tendencies Addressing the fear of the “blank page” Being op...

In honor of the upcoming World Mental Health Day, I wanted to share my experience with depression while working and growing a career.  My goals for sharing my experience in this episode are:  1) To remove the stigma and shame associated with having mental health challenges or asking for professional help. There’s nothing wrong with seeking professional help. You’re just taking care of yourself. An...

Highlights of Episode 65 What is a career setback? Examples and impact of career setbacks Two things to keep in mind when planning for your next steps How to start from a place of strength when your confidence level is low Approaching the setback from a place of curiosity Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 64 Setting intentions (and boundaries) around your desired career Finding and being open to new opportunities Testing and tweaking to align opportunities with your career objectives Technology requirements for being a VA How you could explore and where you can start if you want to become a VA Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 63 Amy’s take on what it’s like to work online 100% of the time and what she misses from her previous ‘in-person/in-office’ work. The role of social media in her work and business; how she uses social media to reach her audience Amy’s career as an artist and teacher; what it’s like to pursue a career based on her passion and interest Why she had to make a career pivot How she...

Highlights of Episode 62 The role of your Big Picture in your career move Why you’d want to start your career move by understanding your long-term vision or Big Picture What happens when you don’t have a clearly defined Big Picture Why it’s difficult to find the words to describe your vision What to do if defining a Big Picture is a challenge for you Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.su...

Highlights of Episode 61 Creating your unique path, especially if you have multiple interests Prioritization and making the time to do the things you want to do Mia’s season of pitching and experimentation phase Her process of paring things down, building pause points, and finding her through lines Learning to say “yes” to the right things and “no” to the wrong things Catching yourself Get full ac...

Damion outrightly rejects regret and speaks to it as the ultimate life failure. In this episode, we talk about his approach to living a full-filled life. He shares why he hates the word retirement and the problem with having it as a target goal. Highlights of Episode 60 The problem with retirement The idea of ‘booking it’ and how not to postpone everything until ‘someday’ What wealth is and isn’t...

Highlights of Episode 59: Four good practices that can turn into bad ones that will stall your progress Why pointing to fear as the main culprit isn’t a good idea The right and the wrong way to share your plans with others What’s the minimum to-do, especially if you hate planning Planning landmines The deal with comfort zones Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Highlights of Episode 58 What it means to bootstrap a venture The challenges of bootstrapping The factors that Kat considered when deciding to leave her consulting career to join her husband full-time in their startup venture What helped Kat the most during her transition Factors to consider if you’re thinking of developing an app or an automated tool Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.s...

Highlights of Episode 57 The parts pieces of Kristen Runvik’s portfolio career Why this work arrangement suited her career goals Kristen’s favorite (and effective) way of finding job opportunities How Kristen determines if a side project fits within her bigger picture Why Kristen’s business doesn’t feel like overwhelming work The importance of time management to prevent burnout when you have a por...

Instructional Designer Gregg Eiler joined me in this episode to talk about how we can use our hard-earned expertise to establish our authority in our field and create a new career path or new revenue source by turning that knowledge into a course or a program. Highlights of Episode 56 The benefits you gain by teaching your expertise Topics that make for good course subject matters How to compete w...

In this episode, I’m joined by professional counselor, Nancy Jane Smith, who wrote the book  The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals . Nancy and I talk about the happier approach, a simple way to quiet our Mongers, be kinder to ourselves, while also achieving our goals and intentions. We also talk about the mistake we make when we attempt self-compas...

In 2015, Yana Banzen, then a practicing litigation lawyer, decided to pack her things into a storage locker and moved to Thailand. It was an open-ended plan that led to eye and heart-opening discoveries and eventually, a new career direction for her. In this episode, we talk about why and how all these changes came about, what she’s learned in the process, and how she has transformed her life and...