Real Work, Real Life

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Ethan, a theatrical lighting designer, primarily for local theaters. This role is a really interesting combination of creative expression and technological skill. This could be a great job for someone that lives and breathes theater, but doesn’t necessarily want to be on the stage. It could also be a great path for someone that wants to live a bit of a nomadic lifestyle traveling as needed to support different productions. Ethan and I talk a bit about pay, but I did some research on my own, and the national average salary is about $40-$60K a year. Some people who work in this field are unionized, which can certainly have its challenges and limitations, but also provides workers support and protections, and can secure access to benefits, which you’re unlikely to find outside of a union. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised to learn this but I was: working on lights high off the ground is a prerequisite for the job, so if you’re truly afraid of heights, this one isn’t for you. You can find more about Ethan here:https://www.ethanentermedia.com/https://www.instagram.com/ethanentermedia/If you liked this episode, you might like these too:1. Music Industry, Producer, Manager and Singer-Songwriter: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-industry-producer-manager-and-singer-songwriter/id1673653251?i=10006231578112. Music Industry, Singer, Manager, and Coach: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-industry-singer-manager-and-coach/id1673653251?i=1000622386657If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Samantha, a board certified music therapist. Music therapy is not as common as many other therapies you might be familiar with, there are only a few thousand certified therapists in the US. If you’re not familiar with it, I found more information on the American Music Therapy website: Music Therapy is the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship, it can help clients do things like manage stress and pain, express feelings, improve communication. So if something in the therapy field interests you, and you also love music, this could be a path to consider. That said, there are some challenges in the field. Despite plenty of demand for this service, pay can be relatively low for the level of education and certification required, and like many other therapy fields, an unpaid internship is required. Services can be reimbursed through Medicaid but not typically private insurance, so the people who have access to this care is impacted by that.We also talk a lot about the highs and lows of owning your own business, as well as Samantha’s side projects that are related to this work. That in itself is something to think about in your career choices. Many people want or need variety in their working hours or multiple streams of income. So when you think about a specific career path, you don’t necessarily have to be bound by the hours and pay of that one role full time, so many people find themselves kind of piecing together lots of things to create the life they really want. It’s certainly not for everyone, but it might be for you. The more people I speak with the more I find that the absolute key to finding work that fits into a joyful life is truly knowing yourself, what brings you joy, what causes misery, outside of the social expectations of what you *should* like and dislike, and finding the work that fits into that vision as well as your individual circumstances allow. The sooner you are able to know yourself like that, the happier you’ll be. So let’s get into it!More about Music Therapy: https://www.musictherapy.org/Links to learn more about Samantha's work:www.boisemusictherapycompany.comwww.instagram.com/boisemusictherapywww.instagram.com/everybrainisdifferentTwo other episodes to check out if you liked this one:Child Psychologist: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/child-psychologist/id1673653251?i=1000612471128Therapist in Private Practice: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapist-private-practice/id1673653251?i=1000619359028If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realwork

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Paige. All of my previous episodes have focused on the guest’s work, and we do talk quite a bit about Paige’s work as Head of Operations at an eCommerce Aggregator. So if you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to work in start up leadership, there’s a lot of great information for you here.But we also talk alot about another topic: the realities of life as a working parent. Paige’s popular social media account She is a Paige Turner covers so many topics that will be relatable to working parents, from the cost of childcare and the challenges of finding it, to the imbalance in who shoulders the mental load in a family, even when both parents work full time outside the home, to how challenging it can be to raise children without the village that we hear so much about. Something like 80% of people will have a child at some point in their lives, so chances are good that you will have to balance your work with parenthood of some kind. And if you don’t, it’s almost guaranteed that your coworkers, your leaders, or your employees will. You can find Paige on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @sheisapaigeturner. Two other episodes to check out if you liked this one:Nanny and Family Assistant: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nanny-family-assistant/id1673653251?i=1000629368573Childcare Owner and Operator: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/early-childhood-educator-childcare-owner-and-operator/id1673653251?i=1000627718631Tech Startup CEO and Cofounder: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tech-start-up-ceo-and-cofounder/id1673653251?i=1000614287303If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I'm talking with Rachel, a Creative Director working in User Experience. People working in UX focus on making products or services usable, accessible, and enjoyable. Most of the time, we’re talking about the design of websites or apps.  If you’re creative and collaborative, this field has so much to offer. You can work across many different industries, as a freelancer, an employee of a company, or an employee of a consultancy. There are many remote options, many roles come with exceptional benefits, and the compensation can be excellent.We cover so many topics in this episode, from the impact of AI on the field, to how tiring it can be to have to say "no" professionally, to how different our youthful expectations of work turned are from our adult realities. Don't miss this conversation!If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Sarah, a nanny family assistant. You might also know Sarah as the Modern Nanny, her popular social media account that provides community for people in this typically coworker-less industry in information for employers and parents. If you’re interested in the caregiving field, working as a Nanny if you find the right employers offers a ton of benefits. Many different schedule options, more freedom, often better pay, and the ability to focus on fewer children often for longer periods of time, which can create a deeper bond.Of course, as we talk about in the episode, there are many challenges with any kind of domestic work. The roots of this issue run deep: from the Domestic Workers Alliance website:  "During the 1930s, landmark New Deal legislation introduced basic workplace rights in the U.S., but domestic and farm workers were excluded due to a compromise with Southern legislators. The exclusion of domestic workers from workplace laws passed in subsequent years became the norm, and these racist and sexist exclusions continue to exist in local, state and federal laws in the U.S."This has led to domestic workers being among the most vulnerable and exploited workers in the labor force. They often face long work hours, low pay, sudden job loss, sexual harassment, and physical or verbal abuse.Despite being one of the fastest growing workforces in the nation, nannies, housecleaners and home care workers work in isolation, face challenges in negotiating for better working conditions, and have little to no recourse or ability to enforce the basic rights they have when violated.” As you’ll see if you follow Sarah, she’s one of many working to improve these issues, you can even find her twice a year census of her followers to improve pay transparency in this field. I interviewed the owner and operator of an in-home, licensed, accredited childcare two weeks ago, so if you didn’t listen to that episode, it would be a great pairing if you’re considering this general field.This is also a great example of how so many people’s career’s progress in ways you might not expect. You start off in one field, in Sarah’s case as a Behavioral Therapist, see how a different role might actually suit your needs better and then move there, and with even more experience, identify a need in your industry that you can fill, even if it takes you into a pretty different job function. If you’re interested in following Sarah, you can find her on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @the.modern.nannyIf you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Morgan, a social media manager through her business Casco Collaborative. If you’re curious about social media management or what it’s like making the leap from a corporate role to entrepreneurship, this is a great episode for you. Most of Morgan’s clients are in beauty and wellness, an industry that she is personally passionate about too. I think this is also a great episode about the power of knowing yourself. Morgan built a company doing something she personally really enjoys, creating content for social media, supporting an industry that she loves, full of people she enjoys spending time with, and she’s thriving. Truly knowing yourself, and understanding what brings you joy and what makes you miserable, may sound simple, but it’s fundamental to finding fulfillment in your working life, and by extension, your entire life. Most importantly, what that looks like will be different for everyone, and I think it’s rarely *just* about your job function. That’s certainly a piece of it, but it’s just one component of whether you will enjoy the time you spend working, or dread it, it’s all the things that people share here each week that make up a full experience at work.If you’re interested in working with Morgan or learning more about what she offers, you can find her on Instagram @cascocollaborative.If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I'm talking with Stacie, an owner and operator of an accredited, licensed family childcare out of her home. You know this if you’re a working parent of small children, but childcare workers are in incredible demand right now, so if it’s a field that you’re passionate about, you will likely have your pick of jobs and options, and access to low cost or free education in the field. It’s also an opportunity to have a meaningful, impactful role in a child’s life, and as we talk about in the episode, for their whole family.Part of why it’s so in demand are the many challenges in the field. Relatively low pay, often no benefits, and a high degree of burnout, especially after the pandemic that put so many childcare workers in impossible situations daily. We get into this a bit in the episode, but childcare is at a breaking point in the US right now. Slightly more than half the country lives in a “child-care desert,” which a report from the Century Foundation Think Tank defines as “an area where there are more than three children under age 5 for each licensed child-care slot.” Quoted from an article in the Atlantic this summer by Elliot Haspell “At its core is a financial paradox. Child-care providers have very high fixed costs due to the need for low child-to-adult ratios, so they can’t pay their staff well without significantly increasing parent fees (many child-care workers make less than parking attendants). In other words, child care simultaneously is too expensive for parents and brings in too little revenue for programs to operate sustainably. In fact, the industry is still down more than 50,000 employees from pre-pandemic levels. Centers have shut down for want of staff, long waitlists have stretched to the point of absurdity, and the rising cost of care continues to exceed inflation.”Those depressing statistics aside, Stacie’s thoughtful approach to childcare is beautiful hear, and while I think this episode would be great for anyone interested in working in this field, I think working parents everywhere will come away with a new appreciation for the value people like Stacie bring to our families. So let’s get into it!Sources: “A Tragically American Approach to the Child-Care Crisis” by Elliot Haspell in the Atlantic Magazine,found here: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2023/06/child-care-united-states-employer-based/674269/Century Foundation Report, “Child Care Cliff: 3.2 Million Children Likely to Lose Spots with End of Federal Funds”: https://tcf.org/content/report/child-care-cliff/ If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Maria, an economist at the World Bank. This can be an amazing career path for someone that wants to explore the far reaches of the world professionally, make a meaningful impact through their work, and work in an incredibly diverse environment. We also cover some of the unexpected perks of working at the World Bank, like onsite daycare, an exceptional cafeteria, and somehow, a post office. Things like this probably don’t feel like a big deal when you’re thinking about a career, and they certainly aren’t a good reason, alone, to dedicate your life to a particular path, but it’s amazing how small conveniences can improve your life, particularly in stages of your life where your external responsibilities are many. We also cover some of the challenges, like drawbacks of international field assignments, particularly if you have a partner with a career that isn’t as flexible. I really enjoyed this discussion and I hope you will too.If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life, I'm Lena Athena, a career and leadership coach.This is a great episode both for people interested in becoming coaches themselves, but also people curious about what a coach could help them with! This career path could work well for people that are looking to make an immediate impact in the lives of their clients, are devoted to personal improvement, and are seeking, over the long term, high degrees of freedom and flexibility (although that piece might not come until your business is well established). It’s not yet well regulated, which means you can get into it fairly easily, but that also can mean plenty of competition and challenges establishing your value when there isn’t a widely accepted license or certification. We talk about the challenges of working alone, especially if you’re someone that has previously thrived leading or as part of a team and also managing every aspect of your own small business. If you’re interested in finding out more about Lena’s work, you can find here at the links below:Website: https://lenaathena.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenasathena/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenaathena/If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com

Send us a textOn this week's episode of Real Work, Real Life I’m talking with Shannon, an Immunologist, who has worked academia and now works at a biotech start up. If you have considered a PhD in the hard sciences or are interested in biotech or academia, this would be a great episode for you. We cover so much about this career path, from debate around the ethics of the post-doc process, to the need for a technical track for PhDs that are gifted scientists but not necessarily strong managers and mentors, the fact that kids who are curious and independent thinkers but don’t necessary thrive in traditional school often make the best scientists, and at the end, a discussion around giving yourself time between high school and college to explore fields that interest you before making the increasingly expensive investment of college in something you may end up hating. This was such a thought provoking discussion and I’m excited to share it with you. If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at realworkreallife@gmail.com.iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com