The Curious Middle

Danielle Gletow was destined to grant wishes.  After fostering and then adopting a newborn, Danielle found her life calling. A 2013 CNN Hero , Danielle has devoted herself to finding ways to help more than 400,000 children in foster care. Danielle founded One Simple Wish in 2008 with the goal of granting wishes to children in foster care across the country and those who've aged out of foster care....

Heidi Kühn, CEO and founder of Roots of Peace , was raised with a pioneer spirit, love for the earth and humanity. Heidi's commitment to peace was further strengthened during her time attending University of California Berkeley in the 1970's. After a cancer diagnosis, Heidi made a promise to God to help others. Inspired by Princess Diana's commitment to the removal of landmines, Heidi recovered, a...

As President George W. Bush's White House Press Secretary,   Dana   Perino has mastered the art of handling stress. And, if this were a game of superlatives, you could also say she's most likely to be the most prepared person in any room. She also broke a glass ceiling during her time working in the White House, as during her tenure as White House Press Secretary, she was the first female to serve...

There is something you can do one day a week that has the potential to change your life, and it I s a practice thousands of years old with proven wisdom from the beginning of civilization. In this conversation, Tiffany Shlain shares how starting a Technology Shabbat has transformed and enriched her life. Tiffany's new book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, explores how unplugging for...

Lynn Perkins was in a situation parents everywhere face. She was in need of a baby-sitter. It dawned on her that she could leverage her social network to find a sitter for her twin boys. It was during this moment that she realized the opportunity to leverage one's social networks for finding short- and long-term childcare. A natural matchmaker, Lynn recruited three co-founders to join her in this...

We hope you and your family are safe. And for those of you struggling right now, or for those of you who are scared, we hope you are finding the support you need. With the events all around us right now you may be wondering, "Will I still have my job a week from now?" Or, maybe with this extra time to reflect you've been thinking your current role no longer fills your heart. If a career switch is...

Bethany Hamilton is unstoppable. Since losing her left arm at the age of 13 to a tiger shark, nothing has stopped her from living her life to the fullest. When Bethany returned to surfing just one month after losing her arm -- and two years later won a national surf title -- she became an inspiration for millions. The move Soul Surfer  released in 2011, starring AnnaSophia Robb, shares that story....

Robyn Fisher really loves ice cream. As a kid, she and her family would have ice cream for those special moments in life – to bond, recover and really savor life. Fast forward to college. Robyn was in the middle of her studies and couldn't find a decent ice cream in NYC. She recalled the fresh gelato she experienced in Italy and realized that while gourmet coffee was taking off, there was a gap in...

Need some inspiration about getting involved with an issue you're passionate about? You'll find plenty in today's interview with Shannon Watts. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Shannon was devastated. Like many of us, she assumed the horrific tragedy would provoke outrage and change. When legislative and social change didn't appear, and the status quo remained solidly in place, Sha...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a career switch? Or, have you wondered what to do to make that career switch successful – and not a complete disaster? We sat down with a woman who wrote the book on the art of a career transition – literally. Dr. Dawn Graham is author of   S witchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers and Seize Success.  She's also a coach for the Wharton School's...

Lydia Fenet undoubtedly has a dream job. In her role as managing director and global director of strategic partnerships at the famed auction house Christie's. Lydia's role combines travel, strategy, art and social impact. In addition to living a life full of art and adventure, Lydia has raised more than half a billion dollars for over 400 non-profits worldwide as the leading benefit auctioneer in...

We've all been through heartache and heartbreak, but today's guest on I Want Her Job: The Podcast has made a career of it.   Amy Chan is the Founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp , a retreat that takes a scientific and spiritual approach to healing the heart. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of JustMyType.ca an online magazine that focuses on the psychology behind love, lust and desire. In our conversa...

Imagine that you are in a room in Silicon Valley. You think of your electrical engineering degree from Stanford, but you also think of the time you immigrated to the United States with only $43 to your name. Everywhere you look there's men, but you're a woman. And although setbacks are the norm for females in your industry, you're proving yourself to be a force in venture capital. After all,  you'...

Esther Wojcicki is asked about parenting advice – sometimes over 10 times a day! In How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results, Esther shares the guiding principles she has used to raise her wildly successful daughters, as well as in her teaching of journalism to students at Palo Alto High School who affectionately call her Woj. Her parenting philosophy can be distilled int...

When Casey Clark's national tour of Les Misérables ended after nearly two years, and it was time to find a new job, Casey realized she tired of living the ups and downs that come with professional acting. As she shares in today's show, professional actors often face long stretches of unemployment – filling in gaps with survival jobs and temping in various roles to pay the bills, sometimes for mont...

Fran Hauser's career history makes one thing very clear: She's a powerhouse. Having served as president of digital for the Style and Entertainment Group at Time Inc., Fran oversaw digital business for PEOPLE, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly and others. She also served in other senior roles at Time Inc., including as general manager of Time Inc. Interactive. And before that worked at AOL as vice pres...

Sharon Coleman is on a mission to bring comfort to those going through cancer treatment. The inspiration for her business came through her own struggle with cancer. She endured extensive treatments when she was diagnosed, and two years later had undergone surgery, radiation and many, many hours of chemotherapy treatments.  The experience inspired her to create a curated care package gift box busin...

Advance warning, Lori Gottlieb's new book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, is very likely to send you to therapy to deal with issues that may be holding you back. The book combines Lori's own relationship crisis – a surprise break up, which sends her to a therapist– along with the lives of four of her clients who are also dealing with a range of personal issues. And while each person in her book...

As the founder of LinkedIn Reboot and Reboot for Business , Katie Fogarty's work has helped people transform their LinkedIn profiles, personal brands and career opportunities. And with a background writing for morning TV news, working for a global PR firm and even for a U.S. Senator, Katie's experience in public relations and journalism has given her a perfect combination of skills to help others...

Christina Ramirez was on an assignment at UC Santa Barbara 13 years ago when she came up with the idea for eco-conscious toothbrushes. Today her Plus Ultra Bamboo Toothbrushes are sold in more than 320 retail stores in 22 states, including Whole Foods and Amazon. She also has her sights set on expanding into other eco-conscious products. In our conversation Christina shares how wise advice from he...

When it comes to leadership, Debbie Madden has the experience. Currently the fearless co-founder and CEO of Stride Consulting , an agile software development consultancy for companies and startups, Stride is her fifth company and the role marks her third time as CEO. The organization's clients include The Daily Beast, casper and Equinox, and has been named to the 2018 Inc. 500 list, as well as des...

  Jessica Honegger is the founder of Noonday Collection, a soaring business that designs and sells fair trade jewelry and accessories made by artisans around the world. She's also the author of Imperfect Courage. In the book, released in August, Jessica she shares her story about how she launched Noonday Collection as an inspired side hustle and provides guidance on soul searching, collaborating a...

How often have you wondered: Why am I doing this? Why do I want this? Why am I experiencing this? What if you had the chance to discover your "why" during a yearlong opportunity — before you kicked off your career? That's exactly what Abby Falik has created for individuals during a gap year between high school graduation and college entrance with Global Citizen Year . She is the founder of the org...

In our latest episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast , I Want Her Job Founder Brianne Perleberg, and I Want Her Job The Podcast Co-founder Polina Selyutin turn the mics on each other. Listen in as they describe how the podcast came to life, how it was launched, the steps they took to create it and how they bring in the amazing guests you hear each week. Additionally, Brianne and Polina talk about t...

Beth Comstock is the former vice chair of GE and a corporate director of Nike. Her accomplishments include building GE's Business Innovations and GE Ventures, as well as overseeing the reinvention of GE Lighting. Prior to her role as vice chair she served as chief marketing officer of the company. And before that she had another dream job as the president of integrated media at NBC Universal, over...