Here's What I Know MindPulse Communications

For most of us, work is work and play is play. Then there's Tim Van Ness, our guest on this episode of Here's What I Know, who based his career on turning work into play and play into value. He's also turned his passion for theater and music into a job that pays through a unique consulting methodology based on Playback Theater. From family businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, Tim's work has allowed employees and managers alike to learn and grow as they laugh and play. Click here to listen to Tim's story or choose your story with Van Ness & Company.

Sometimes no matter how much you plan and pilot your career, it just winds up taking you where you're meant to go. That's pretty much the case with Anne Tillery. With a degree in English and International Studies, she had dreamt of working for a publishing house doing literary criticism -- that is, until she discovered she needed either a trust fund or the tolerance to live in a Manhattan five-story walk-up. Since she had neither, she wound up working on political campaigns and writing for non-profit organizations. It was really a chance encounter at a fund-raising breakfast that led her to a job she's passionate about and allowed her to build a business that truly makes a difference in the world. Relax and listen as Anne shares what it's like to work in the fast-paced world of "giving voice to good causes."

"Hey, let's put on a show." "How about if we invent a water-run engine?" "No, I have it. Let's open a winery." Imagine starting an entirely new career based on a whim. Well that's what Susan Sokol Blosser and her ex-husband Bill Blosser did, over thirty harvests ago. Not only did they launch their own winery and vineyard, they also helped build the very successful Oregon wine industry. Armed with a good education, strong commitment and a vivid idea of what grapes they wanted to grow, they created success. And now Susan is in the process of passing along what she's learned along the way to her children. And to us in the latest episode of "Here's What I Know" -- listen now. For more information about the organic wines of Sokol Blosser Winery, see sokolblosser.com. If after listening to the podcast you want to hear more about Susan's life story, she's written a book, "At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, a Vineyard and a Life."

Quick, think of the difference between a business and a philanthropy. Now that you’ve got your paradigm set, let Chris Van Dyke smash it. He runs an innovative clothing company called Nau. The organization seeks to make a profit, yet gives a large amount of each sale to philanthropies and much of its intellectual capital is open source. To learn more about it, visit nau.com. To learn more about Chris and his career lessons, click here to listen.Photo: Keven Focht, 2007

Vaughan Woods, currently CEO of Maverick Asia, talked to us about his maverick approach to leadership, selling and problem-solving from his office in Singapore. Learn more about his boutique consultancy. Listen to our second exciting episode of Here's What I Know.

We discovered this 25-year-old maverick on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and we just had to interview him. TerraCycle is not the first competitor to be sued by Scotts Miracle-Gro, but it is the first to fight back against the billion-dollar fertilizer company. Learn more about Tom's company at TerraCycle.net or read more about the lawsuit at suedbyscotts.com Listen to the Tom Szaky episode of Here's What I Know.