The challenge of totally changing your career path after dedicating years to one industry is immense in and of itself. But to do it due to the emotional toll the first one took on you is at another level. Cheryl Wischhover started off her career as a pediatric oncology nurse for 15 years - seeing just how brutal the impact of cancer can be on a daily basis. Today, she is the Senior Beauty Reporter for the fashion and beauty online publication Racked. Cheryl always wanted to be a writer of some sort, but her family’s path turned her towards nursing. When she moved from Chicago to New York in the early 2000’s, she fell in love with fashion, blogging, and the rise of social media which quickly led her to a change that would reroute her entire life and finally let her live out her passions.   What You’ll Learn: What is Racked and why is it different from writing for publications such as Glamour, Teen Vogue, and Elle (4:50) The science behind writing about beauty and why Cheryl’s medical background has been a huge help to her (9:45) How to be strong and follow your head and heart on what you really want to do in life (19:45) Everything that prompted Cheryl to change her career and how she did it (31:00)

“Politics” should be John Knefel’s middle name. Growing up in a Iowa, a swing state, he understood the political world at a very young age, an that has stuck with him to today. At age 35, he has used his passion for politics as a throughline through the different careers he’s already had. Starting his career with stand-up comedy in New York right after college in the midwest, he parlayed that into his own podcast, Radio Dispatch, which lead him into the world of journalism,  freelancing for top publications like Rolling Stone and The Nation. With his newest venture, writing for Comedy Central's The President Show, he's finally been able to combine his two core passions: comedy and politics.   What You’ll Learn: When writing for a political comedy show, how can you stick to satire rather than sticking to the daily news cycle (10:08) Where is the line drawn for taking political comedy too far (17:25) How to bring the trend of storytelling into comedy (47:00) Why are people driven by their political beliefs (59:17) How to make money as a freelance journalist in our day and age (1:13:48)

Tennis has always been a passion for Caitlin Thompson, and now she is able to hone in on that passion with her own magazine, Racquet. From a young age, she knew being on the tennis court and telling stories were two things that just came natural to her. She continued those two natural feelings by playing tennis for the University of Missouri, which also happens to be one of the best journalism schools in the country. She went on to lead a very fulfilling life in journalism, writing for newspapers and magazines all over the world, and even though our world is shifting more to digital, nothing compares to the excitement and dedication to her own print magazine, and how she feels destiny has brought her two favorite worlds together into one.   What You’ll Learn: Why Racquet is is so important for such a small community (5:10) How money is valuable and media should not be free (28:54) Why tennis has always been written on a spectrum of utility instead of about the people (30:37) How Racquet is putting tennis players back into the cultural conversation (39:06)

Growing up in the Albanian community of New York, Ilir Sela was poised to continue the age-old tradition of owning and operating a local pizza shop. But simply following suit was not enough, and, as he grew and advanced in his technical skills, Ilir became the go-to in the community for all things IT related, starting with websites and online ordering, but later realizing the shifting needs of the industry, not only in New York, but nationally. It was this unique circumstance that equipped him to create a major platform to bring about the evolution needed to keep these local businesses connected with the communities they fed. As the founder of Slice, a digital ordering platform, he is constantly finding new ways to do this and to continue to ensure that this community staple finds it’s place in the future. What You’ll Learn: - Creative ways to garner interest in tech in an industry that has existed without it - Why the local pizza shop industry deserves a different solution than big ordering platforms

It goes without saying that the more connected we’ve become - the world, and the events reported around it, have changed; with information traveling the fastest it ever has, the role of storytellers has evolved and there’s nothing that stands in the way of telling the goings on from every which end. And still, while the world continues to get "smaller," it’s becoming continually challenging to know the happenings taking place in your own neighborhood. Kate Gardiner has spent her many years in and around the journalism world being a voice from an often unheard vantage point - whether it’s reporting in the isolated community of Molokaʻi or growing a network of professional women via theLi.st - and even in her work today as founder of audience engagement firm, DSTL. Kate’s goal is simple: to build bigger and better communities and to connect them with the information they need to continue to grow. What You'll Learn: - The importance of getting the right story to the right audience - How lack of innovation in local news has failed local audiences - A tale of evolving entrepreneurship, beginning with exotic fish sales

It's safe to say that while the entertainment industry is so ingrained in our daily lives, it's inner workings and the lives of those in it are elusive to most. Over drinks at Fool’s Gold, Michael Cerveris gave us a glimpse behind the scenes including all of the exciting, high parts of his career: headlining a banner Broadway show, winning Tonys, making breakthroughs in television. However he also shared how in acting, much like other industries, even when you achieve a certain level of success, imposter syndrome is nearly impossible to avoid, and why he approaches each new project as way to start over again. And Again. And again. What You'll Learn: - How to maintain enthusiasm for a job even if it seems like you're doing the same thing over and over every day. - Why "losing" can ultimately be better for your career. - How imposter syndrome affects other industries.

Jennifer Wright began her career - with a passion and innate skill for writing - and during a time when content on the web was hitting critical mass, allowing personality and perspective to shine through unlike any time before. She boasts experience with publishing powerhouses like the New York Post, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour - as well as authored her own acclaimed books. We caught up with Jennifer at Fool’s Gold in New York City and over Snake Bite Violette’s she talks about how she got to where she is, what has inspired her writing thus far, and how the shift in our political atmosphere has ignited in her a new approach to her writing that she never expected. What You’ll Learn: - How to pursue a passion in writing without being defined by your “beat.” - The new responsibility all journalists and content creators have in producing content and the necessity to consider global context

Ben Hill was a student not unlike many others; getting into school and choosing a path that seemed to make sense and not questioning why. It’d only make sense that when he graduated from Pitt with a degree in Communications he was left wondering what to do next. Over Teeling whisky at Fool’s Gold, Ben talks about the roundabout path he took to get to where he is today - the voice of an important aspect of Americana writing about Minor League Baseball - and the impetus for his blog “Ben’s Biz,” 12 years ago. What You’ll Learn: - How Minor League Baseball impacts American culture beyond the sport. - What it’s like to create a new niche in journalism.

When Kristen Hawley set out to create her newsletter, Chefs + Tech, she had years of publishing and tech experience under her belt (spending time at Hearst, Pop Sugar, and Twitter in her early days). As such, as a founder, she always dreamt C+T would be part of a bigger editorial platform and, as of a year ago, that dream was becoming a reality. Joining us for the second time in the Charming Robot offices over Pinot Noirs, she fills us in on the last year of Chefs + Tech: being acquired by Skift and the challenges of a founder (and new mother!) in this position, how C+T has grown since joining the Skift ecosystem, and finally, to share the news of its latest iteration: Skift Table, which is officially launched at the Skift Forum in New York City last week. What You’ll Learn: How to start and evolve a product that you have large aspirations for. The questions you should ask (and answer) as a founder with the prospect of being acquired. How becoming a parent influences all of the above - and then some.

Anthony Batt, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President of VR company Wevr, obviously spends much of his time thinking about future innovations. However, it’s this curiosity that has been a driving force through much of his life and career - leading to the creation of products like Craigslist, Buzznet, and Thrash Lab, amongst others. Over La Croix Pure in his amazing office - former home to Dennis Hopper in Venice, CA - he explains his challenge of always thinking many steps ahead while waiting for technology to catch up and how this is especially true now in the lifecycle of VR. What You’ll Learn: - Why sometimes being first in the world of tech does not always guarantee your success. - How solving a problem can lead to creating a product, even when you don’t mean to. - The challenge of creating content and products that you know are too early for adoption - and the key decisions to make in this circumstance.