The Dream Vocation Podcast with Tony Bellagamba

In this episode we speak with Andy Field, a Voice Actor or what you might refer to as a Voiceover Artist. Yes, Andy is that guy! The guy you hear in commercials, e-learning courses, documentaries, telephone systems, TV promos, radio ads, and more. His voice is everywhere and you’ve likely heard him before, as he’s worked for such companies as Nike, Toyota, Walmart, The History Channel, Mercedez-Be...

In this episode we speak with Nathan Klassen, a former rodeo bull rider and full metal jouster and current horseshoer or what is known as a farrier. That’s a hell of a career! Where do we begin? When Nathan was a kid, he dreamed of being a football player or a bull rider. So, in his young teenage years he did both! But as he grew older and saw his potential in football, he put away his spurs for a...

Don't call it a comeback! As you may have noticed, I have not posted an episode in a while. That's because I've been working on three big projects: A website: www.thedreamvocation.com An online course to help you identify and achieve the career of your dreams: https://thedreamvocation.com/online-course/ A YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thedreamvocation Check out this epis...

In this episode we speak with Jim Negrych, former professional baseball player and current professional baseball scout for the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  I grew up playing baseball with Jimmy and it was clear from an early age that he was levels above the rest of us. But he didn’t rest on that talent alone. Jimmy worked his tail off as a youth player in the Buffalo, NY area to the point th...

In this episode we speak with Tarkan and Kayhan Peksen, known as Captain T and Captain Kay. Captain T and Captain Kay are two young entrepreneurs who own a tour boat company named Paradise Cycle Boat Cruises down in Marco Island, Florida. I met Captain T and Captain Kay when my wife and I booked a sunset cruise during a recent weekend getaway. After chatting with them and hearing a bit about their...

In this episode we speak with Mitchell Wolfe, a video game designer out of San Diego, California. While I was growing up playing video games, and even now watching my kids play them, I always wondered, “Who are the people that have the cool job of actually creating these games?”  Well, Mitchell is one of those cool people! He is a video game designer, specifically an encounter designer which means...

In this episode we speak with Howard White, Inventor and Entrepreneur. Howard is the founder of Constant Mountain, an outdoor jacket company centered around the infinity pocket, which Howard invented and patented.  Howard’s story shows us that everyday problems can be turned into career opportunities and that it’s never too late to pursue your passions.  About 7 years ago, Howard was enjoying his...

In this episode we speak with Josh Elliot and Aaron White, founders of Climate Karen, a climate tech brand committed to making the planet less hot in an innovative way that allows the everyday person to get involved.  Josh and Aaron are two badasses who have had experiences and careers that took them all over the world. From drilling water wells in the Amazon to living in African villages where li...

In this episode we speak with Tom Vrem, a music producer, guitar player, and cook book author out of Nashville, Tennessee. Tom is a renaissance man to say the least, and may I say across a variety of avenues that are all pretty awesome. Anyone that can produce a killer album, rip a guitar riff and cook up a gourmet breakfast is a cool person to hang out with in my book.  I’m a huge music fan so th...

In this episode we speak with Rachel Kroll, a fashion designer out of New York City. This episode is special to me because one of my daughters loves fashion and says she wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. So, what better gift could I give her than to interview someone living the Dream Vocation she aspires to? Plus, I’m sure there are a lot of other people out there interested in hea...

In this episode we speak with Joe Shannon, a lawyer and entrepreneur. Joe is a Personal Injury attorney who runs his own practice in the Chicago area.  Truthfully, I always wondered if there were lawyers who loved their careers because outside of television courtroom scenes, it always appeared mundane to me. But, as Joe tells us, while the work does have a tedious side to it, it can be an incredib...

In this episode we speak with Matt Parsons, founder and Managing Partner of an investment firm named Camp Lake Capital, which invests in businesses that have between $2 and $5 million of EBITDA, which is a fancy word for cashflow. I’ve known Matt for almost 20 years, as he and I started out as young Investment Bankers together in the early 2000’s, sitting next to each other for 90 hours a week in...

In this episode we speak with Yvette Saba, President of Edward Hospital in Naperville.  Yvette’s career story is one of pursuing what interests you and advocating for yourself. Her story shows that if you follow what interests you, what you have a passion for, you’ll be invested enough to put the time in to become great at it, and if you become great at it, things like promotions and money will be...

In this episode we speak with Jenna Carosio, ultramarathon and triathlon coach. I met Jenna when I was entering the ultramarathon world a few months back and looking for a coach. She did an awesome job and guided me through my first 50 mile race. But much more interesting than anything I did, was the fact that Jenna was in the middle of taking the leap from the world of construction management to...

In this episode we speak with Ryan Gareis, professional women’s soccer player with the Houston Dash. This was an exciting episode for me because 3 of my 4 kids play soccer, so this was like interviewing one of their heroes! Ryan’s path from club soccer to college and eventually to the pros shows what hard work can lead to. While she was blessed with natural athleticism, Ryan discovered at a young...

In this episode we speak with Chris Cousins, Founder and CEO of Sports Recruiting USA, a soccer recruitment business with over 90 staff members helping future college players with their college and pro careers.  Chris is the perfect example of turning one’s passion into their career.  Originally from the UK, Chris came to the U.S. in the early 2000’s to play soccer at an American University in Cha...

In this episode we speak with Andrew Evanisko, a chef in Vail Colorado. Ever since watching the movie Chef with John Favreau I’ve been fascinated by the culinary life. Since watching that movie I’ve devoured any type of entertainment that has to do with cooking, including the movie Burnt with Bradley Cooper, the show The Bear, and of course the late Anthony Bourdain’s television shows and books. S...

In this episode we speak with Andrew Gombas, an actor based on the east coast.  Andrew’s story is one of following your calling in life, following what it is that stirs you inside.  In the interview you’ll hear Andrew talk about the challenges of being a working actor and how it’s not all the glitz and glamour we see in the tabloids. There’s a lot of hard work, networking, hustling for next jobs,...

In this episode we speak with Derek Lenard, a guitar builder, or luthier as it’s known within the music industry.  Firs of all, guitar builder. I mean, is there a cooler sounding career than that? Imagine being at a party and someone in the group asks what everyone does for a living. Someone says Accountant, someone says sales, and someone says guitar builder. I’m hanging out with the guitar guy....

In this episode we speak with Jeff Rogers, Corporate Emcee, Bestselling Author, and Keynote Speaker. Jeff’s background and path to his Dream Career is incredibly fascinating.  His original path was in the field of entertainment, where he worked as an actor at the world-famous Second City theater and planned to use that platform to go to Saturday Night Live and then leapfrog into TV and films like...

In this episode we speak with Dr. Karisa Tang. Dr. Karisa oversees the veterinary medical program at the world famous Shedd Aquarium in Chicago! I have to say this was one of my favorite interviews of all time. Throughout my life, whenever I’ve visited a zoo or aquarium, I always wondered who had the awesome job of taking care of such a wide variety of animals. Well, Dr. Karisa is that person! Fro...

In this episode we speak with Dr. Sam Heads, a paleontologist and the founding Director and Curator-in-Charge at the Center for Paleontology at the University of Illinois. As Sam himself says, he’s the kid that never grew up. At age 5 he was walking on a beach collecting seashells and pebbles in northern England with his father when he saw something interesting in one of the seashells. He asked hi...

In this episode we speak with Luxury Repair Technician and Shop Owner OJ Lopez. I’ve known OJ for a few years and while we didn’t see eye-to-eye when we first met, today I am proud to call him a friend as well as an inspiration.  This might be the coolest podcast episode I’ve done yet because not only was it my fist in-person interview, but we recorded the episode in OJ’s shop surrounded by high p...

In this episode we speak with Sarah Potter, documentary filmmaker and storyteller. I love films, so this interview was incredibly interesting to me, as I always wondered what the process of making a documentary actually looks like. Sarah does an amazing job telling us how documentary films are made, with storytelling at the heart of her filmmaking. She tells us how they center the story around int...

In this episode we speak with Donna Jacobsen, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine who works primarily with dogs, cats, and other small animals. I was excited for this episode because when whenever you ask kids what they want to be when they grow up, many will say that they want to be a Veterinarian. Donna became the profession that all of those little kids dream of becoming! However, Donna herself did n...