Career Sessions, Career Lessons
JR Lowry, PathWise.io
Each of us has a unique career story to tell. For the lucky few, their career trajectories are like rockets heading for the stars, with no turning back. More typically, our career paths are more like a game of Chutes and Ladders, with advances and setbacks along the way. On this podcast, guests from a range of industries and backgrounds share their career journeys and the lessons they've learned. Hear from C-level executives, leading academics, entrepreneurs, mid-level leaders, ex-military members, leadership coaches and other career experts, non-profit workers, and gig economy participants. Each guest shares their unique story and career insights to inform and inspire your own path. Career Sessions is part of PathWise.io. Whether you’re just a few years out of school or well into your professional life, PathWise helps you live the career you deserve. PathWise provides comprehensive career and professional development coaching, content, courses, and community, backed by a group of leading coaches and career management experts. Career Sessions’ host, James (J.R.) Lowry, has had multiple careers of his own and learned countless lessons along the way. A Duke engineer by background, he spent the early part of his career as an officer in the US Air Force . From there, J.R. earned an MBA from Harvard Business School to accelerate his transition into the private sector. Following grad school, he spent over a decade with the consulting firm, McKinsey and Company, working with clients across a range of industries and business situations. He then made a second career shift into financial services, spending time at Fidelity Investments and State Street Bank. Most recently, he joined Janus Henderson Investments as their Chief Operating Officer. Multiple leadership development programs honed his skills, advanced his career, and fueled his desire to help others with their professions. He hosts this podcast in a personal capacity, and any views expressed are his own and not those of his current or any former employer.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 17, 2022 • 43min
Jim McCarthy, Co-Founder And CEO Of Stellar.Live
The pandemic put the entire live entertainment industry at a full halt. Audiences cannot attend concerts, public gatherings, and speaking events in person. This global crisis directly impacted Jim McCarthy's discount ticket site Goldstar, but he chose to be versatile than lay down in defeat. He joins J.R. Lowry to share how pandemic restrictions inspired him to start Stellar.Live, leveraging the power of the virtual world to hold online events. He explains the best live streaming strategies, the importance of audience interaction, and the current trends in pulling off such productions. Jim also shares entrepreneurship lessons from his time being mentored by Noah Alper and getting through a failed start-up experience.
Oct 10, 2022 • 39min
Dan Petrozzo - Entrepreneur, Author, Investor, Advisor, Board Member
Veering away from formal education to pursue a particular career direction is a pretty risky move. But with the right motivation and a clear purpose, you can ultimately achieve your own idea of success. Dan Petrozzo postponed going to college to work at Bell Labs and write a book when he was 20 years old, and these decisions set the course for his many achievements along the way. Sitting down with J.R. Lowry, he looks back on his long journey of working in financial services, starting a staffing agency, selling a cloud computing company, all the way to becoming a partner with Oak HC/FT. Dan shares valuable insights about the pitfalls of running a huge-scale program, the strengths and weaknesses of being an entrepreneur, and the technologies that excite him the most.
Oct 3, 2022 • 45min
Martin Hunt - Venture Investor and CEO
What does it take to become a successful CEO? Martin Hunt is a venture and private equity investor, published author, and is currently the CEO of Swanlaab USA Ventures. In this episode, he shares his journey and ascent into entrepreneurship. Martin has had a rich and colorful career in tech and business with some valuable lessons from his experiences which he shares in his chat with host J.R. Lowry. He tells all about his upbringing, getting into Harvard Business School, his different career paths, and the steps he took to get to where he is today. There’s much to learn from Martin’s journey about being a leader, carving your career path, and managing a business. Tune in to gain wisdom you can use and apply in your career growth journey
Sep 19, 2022 • 57min
Wade Myers - Ex-Airborne Ranger, Now A Serial Entrepreneur, Investor, Advisor, Author, And Speaker
Most serial entrepreneurs have interesting back stories, but few can match that of Wade Myers. There was no single point in Wade’s life since he was 6 years old that he was ever held down to only one job. His entrepreneurial bent allowed him to weave his way out of childhood poverty in the Badlands to joining the Army, holding several key sales positions at Mobil, being sent to the Gulf, going to Harvard Business School, and being a serial entrepreneur during the early days of the internet. Wade probably held no less than 30 titles in his professional career, and that’s barely scratching the surface. One hour is barely enough to get a sense of just how incredible Wade’s journey has been, but he attempts to give us the shortest version possible. We learn here that the key to Wade’s success is his willingness to take risks, seize opportunities, and break a few rules along the way. Join in and revel in Wade’s exploits in rural South Dakota, in the Army, in the volatile tech industry of the early 2000s, and in today’s business environment.
Sep 12, 2022 • 48min
Michelle Perchuk - Career / Leadership / Business Coach, Author, and Speaker
It doesn't matter what level or role an individual has in their professional life. We all need the same kind of handholding and career coaching to get ahead successfully. You don't have to take the hard route. Here to share how she found her purpose in career coaching and helping others succeed is Michelle Perchuk. She is an ICF-certified leadership, career, and business coach and is the owner of MTV Coaching. She is also a speaker and the author of Swimming in the Talent Pool: The Evolution of Recruiting. Join her in this episode with host J.R. Lowry as she narrates her career journey. Michelle also discusses the different strategies she teaches to help others achieve their vision covering topics such as job interviews, resume writing, networking, and, of course, coaching. Stay tuned!
Sep 6, 2022 • 45min
Beth Hillman, Incoming President And Chief Executive Of The National 9/11 Memorial And Museum
Serving in the military and teaching history leads to a truly fulfilling and highly patriotic career. These are the pillars of Beth Hillman's journey, a woman who started as a US Air Force officer and is now appointed as President and Chief Executive of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York. She joins J.R. Lowry to talk about the different roles she handled between these two positions. Beth imparts meaningful leadership insights as a military history teacher, law professor, provost, academic dean, and author. She also discusses her work as an active advocate of civil rights, social action, and anti-sexual harassment in the military.
Aug 28, 2022 • 45min
Stacy Belf - Former Federal Prosecutor Turned Corporate Executive
From working in telecom to firefighting to being a lawyer to being a corporate executive, Stacy Belf always put service to others above anything else. She didn’t necessarily even have to have the experience for some of those jobs, but she put in the effort. She did her research well before the interview and talked to people in the business. Her passion for helping people is what drove her to accomplish all these great things. Join J.R. Lowry as he talks to Stacy about the many different career paths she took in her life. Right now, Stacy is the Head of Consultant Relations for State Street. But before that, she worked in telecom and as a firefighter. Then while being a firefighter, she went into law school to become a federal prosecutor. Discover how she used all the skills that she learned to further excel in her job. Start mastering all your skills today!
Aug 23, 2022 • 50min
Anna Auerbach - Co-Lead, Product Officers Practice At Search Firm Egon Zehnder
Talent search and the hiring process have evolved through the years where sometimes, you don't even have to go out looking for the perfect job because the job now has a way of finding you. It's only a matter of building up your credentials and creating a good precedent for your reputation. And to set you up better for success, Anna Auerbach, Consultant and Co-Lead Product Officers Practice for Egon Zehnder, shares insights into their talent search process. She gives tips on what to do when you get that call from a search firm or an executive finder, along with what to expect and prepare for to get an edge. If you are looking to advance your career, don't miss out on this episode!
Aug 15, 2022 • 42min
Clare Flynn Levy - CEO Of Essentia Analytics
If your job is to make investment decisions that involve billions of dollars, then you need the power of data to help you. Just like in Moneyball, you need to do more of what you're good at and less of what you're not good at. Identify the behaviors that are adding or destroying your value. Essentia Analytics can help you with that with a little bit of technology and machine learning. Join J.R. Lowry as she talks to the Founder and CEO of Essentia Analytics, Clare Flynn Levy, about how fund managers can improve their investment performance. Essentia Analytics uses technology to help investment professionals identify their decision-making biases to adapt accordingly. Learn more about behavioral analytics and how it affects decisions. Discover Clare's Moneyball techniques so that you can find the best decisions every time. Start changing with the world today!
Aug 8, 2022 • 49min
Charley Cooper, Chief Communications Officer For Block Chain Firm R3
You should know how to manage opportunities when they are presented to you if you aim for continuous improvement. Listen to your host J.R. Lowry as he talks with Charley Cooper about taking these opportunities, recognizing passion, and focusing on what matters. Charley shares his incredible journey covered with obstacles and wins. He discusses how he didn’t have to give up law school to be a speechwriter and how he also used that skill in law school. You don’t have to sacrifice what you’re passionate about to excel professionally. In this episode, he shares the concept of soft and hard skills and how you can seize things that are meant for you. He also shares fresh insights on cryptocurrency, politics, government service and banking. Tune in!
