Life After News

Jason Ball
  • 4.6 (16)
  • CAREERS

What happens when the newsroom lights go out—and life begins again? Life After News explores the raw, funny, and deeply human stories of journalists who’ve walked away from the adrenaline of breaking news to reinvent themselves in surprising ways. Hosted by former TV news director Jason Ball, the podcast goes behind the headlines to talk with anchors, reporters, producers, and executives about identity, resilience, and what it takes to start over. From career pivots to personal awakenings, these conversations reveal how the skills learned under deadline pressure translate into entirely new chapters of life. It’s not just about leaving the news—it’s about discovering what comes after. Whether you’re in media, on the edge of a career change, or just fascinated by reinvention, Life After News is your invitation to listen in, learn, and maybe imagine your own next chapter.

  1. 6D AGO

    🎙️ 58 Years in the News: Hal Eisner on Accidents, Survival, and Letting Go

    Send us a text Hal Eisner spent 58 years in TV and radio news, then retired (without going cold turkey) and did what a lot of us talk about doing… he wrote the book. 📚 In this episode, Hal shares the incredible, often wild, sometimes heartbreaking moments that shaped his career and his Life After News including the day he went from covering the story to being the story. ✨ What you’ll hear in this episode 🚗 The Hollywood DUI crash that seriously injured Hal and his cameraman—and why the public response helped carry him through recovery 📺 How Hal ended his LA TV career and why he recommends weaning off the job instead of quitting cold 📬 The literal postcard that launched it all: a Dallas radio contest that turned a marching band kid into a reporter 🎧 Why radio was his first love (and how writing for radio vs. TV changes everything) 🌎 The stories that defined an era: Northridge, O.J., Rodney King, Michael Jackson, Columbine, Las Vegas, and more 🤝 “Schmooze-ability,” trust, and the responsibility of telling people’s stories on what may be the worst day of their lives 🛡️ The “guard-all shield” mindset reporters develop—and why the job still takes a real toll 🏛️ Union leadership, newsroom politics, and how Hal navigated regime changes over decades 🏕️ Camp News: the hands-on training program Hal created to open doors for the next generation of journalists (in English and Spanish) 🔥 A jaw-dropping Woolsey Fire moment: finding Martin Sheen at Zuma Beach and helping him reassure his family on camera 📘 Featured: Hal’s book “An Accidental Career” — Hal Eisner Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble 🛒 (And yes, the cover art is hand-painted. 🎨) 🔥 Quick takeaway Hal makes the case that careers aren’t always built by a grand plan. Sometimes they’re built by accidents, instincts, and saying yes at the right moment. And after a lifetime of telling other people’s stories, he decided it was time to tell his own. 💡 🏕️ Learn more about Camp News 📲 Follow: @CampNewsTV (most platforms) ✅ If you enjoyed this episode… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rate the show 📝 Review it (it helps more than you think) 🔔 Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next And share this one with the newsroom friend who still can’t imagine what Monday looks like after the job. 😉 #LifeAfterNews #HalEisner #BroadcastJournalism #LocalNews #TVNews #RadioNews #Journalism #NewsroomLife #Media #CampNews #SAGAFTRA #Retirement #AuthorInterview #Podcast #PodcastShowNotes #JournalismEducation #Storytelling Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    37 min

  2. JAN 27

    🎙️ From Global Newsrooms to Local Impact with Julie Makinen

    Send us a text Guest: Julie Makinen (journalist, editor, newsroom leader, and local news advocate) Julie Makinen has done the rare thing in journalism: she’s worked at the highest levels of national and international newsrooms and chosen to bring that experience home to local journalism in the Coachella Valley. In this episode, Julie walks through her unexpected path from Stanford human biology major (med school was the plan… until it wasn’t) to a career that took her from the Washington Post to the LA Times, the New York Times ecosystem, and reporting/editing roles across Hong Kong and Beijing before leading The Desert Sun newsroom in Palm Springs. Jason and Julie also dig into the big question: how local journalism survives now and what philanthropy, community support, and organizations like the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation can realistically do to keep reporting alive. CVJF’s mission includes celebrating journalists, funding more reporting, and connecting the public to the work.  In this episode How a Stanford biology major became a lifelong journalistThe internship moment that changed everything (Washington Post “big league” initiation)Why foreign correspondence is exhilarating and clarifyingWhat it’s like running a newsroom covering a massive desert region with limited staffThe uncomfortable truth about philanthropy supporting for-profit newsroomsWhy “going nonprofit” isn’t a magic fixThe business mistake that trained audiences to expect “free” newsWhy great journalism takes teams (not just solo newsletters and podcasts)The mission and future of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation Mentioned in the conversation Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation (CVJF) CVJF’s mission: promote and support sustainable community journalism in the Coachella Valley. CVJF’s Hall of Fame honors media professionals and supports the future of local reporting. Hall of Fame keynote: Tonya Mosley Tonya Mosley co-hosts Fresh Air alongside Terry Gross.  Call to action If you care about local reporting—city halls, schools, public safety, water, development, the stories that shape daily life—support the people doing the work. Learn more, donate, and get on the CVJF mailing list: https://cvjf.org/Check the Hall of Fame page for the latest event details and tickets https://cvjf.org/cvjf-hall-of-fame/And wherever you live: find a local journalism support org, subscribe to a local outlet you trust, and show up. Local news doesn’t survive on applause.     Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    37 min

  3. JAN 20

    🎙️ Life After News (Special Episode): Midlife Awakening with Marianne Williamson 🌅✨

    Send us a text This week’s episode is a little different. Instead of a traditional “journalism pivot” story, Dorothy Lucey and I sit down with Marianne Williamson, presidential candidate, author, spiritual teacher, and longtime activist, to talk about what happens after the title, the role, and the identity fall away. Her newest book, Midlife Awakening, reframes what we’ve long called a “midlife crisis” as something else entirely: not a breakdown… but an invitation. not an ending… but a shift from me to we. 🤝 We talk candidly about:  🔥 Why midlife can be a beginning, not a collapse 💡 Letting go of fear-based and survival-driven identities 🧠 How to interrupt the treadmill of anxiety with purpose and service ❤️ Why “love is active” and showing up matters now more than ever 🕊️ Forgiveness—especially after political disappointment and betrayal ⏳ That moment when you realize: “We were out… and now we’re in.” One of the most powerful moments comes when Marianne opens up about the aftermath of her presidential campaign—the resentment, grief, and anger she carried, and the deliberate work it took to forgive. Not to excuse what happened. Not to forget it. But to refuse becoming “a bitter, angry old woman” trapped by grievance. It’s an honest, unsparing conversation about choosing inner freedom over righteous fury—and why that choice is essential if we’re going to stay engaged, awake, and useful in this moment. If you’ve ever walked away from a career, questioned who you are without the role, or felt the pull to become something deeper—this episode will land. 🎧🌵 👉 WATCH the full interview playlist on YouTube (Life After News) 👉 LISTEN wherever you get your podcasts ✅ SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss what’s next 📲 SHARE with someone navigating their own “what now?” #LifeAfterNews #MarianneWilliamson #MidlifeAwakening #DorothyLucey #ChasingFaith #Forgiveness #SecondAct #Reinvention #Purpose #FaithInAction #Identity #MidlifeShift #Activism #Podcast #YouTubePodcast #WatchListenSubscribe Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    25 min

  4. JAN 6

    🎙️ The Makeup Room Advice That Changed Everything: Lisa Breckenridge’s Life After News

    Send us a text Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of the year. Jason Ball sits down with longtime TV journalist and beloved morning-show personality Lisa Breckenridge to talk about what happens when the newsroom chapter ends, but the storyteller isn’t finished. Lisa opens up about her unexpected exit from Fox, the identity shift that comes with leaving television, and the advice Maria Shriver gave her in a makeup room that helped change everything. Lisa shares how the very thing many journalists once resented—social media—became her new platform, her new community, and a real business. From cold-DM’ing brands like she used to mail out tapes, to building a content mix rooted in her personal “pillars” (inform, educate, entertain, inspire), Lisa breaks down how she turned Instagram and TikTok into a money-making career with more freedom and a better quality of life. Along the way: a viral on-set scooter crash that landed on TMZ, a candid conversation about reinvention at midlife, and why she created “Happily Lisa” after years of covering difficult, sometimes haunting stories in news. In This Episode The shock of being “restructured” after 18 years at Fox and what it does to your sense of selfThe Maria Shriver advice that reframed social media as something you own, not the stationHow Lisa learned to monetize: media kits, engagement, and outreach (and why brands now come to her)What “Happily Lisa” is really about: choosing joy after seeing the darkest parts of humanityBuilding a sustainable creator business: long-term partnerships, UGC, and doing the work yourselfThe unglamorous side of entrepreneurship: invoices, tracking deliverables, and learning the business muscleThe Good Day LA era and why that time in television felt like “lightning in a bottle”The infamous live-TV scooter crash (and what happened after)What’s next: long-form writing, newsletters/Substack, and getting paid to travel (Africa + dream-train goals)Memorable Moments “This is your platform. It’s something that’s yours.” — the Maria Shriver turning pointLisa’s honest laugh about midlife, reinvention, and building a career on her own termsThe scooter crash story: live TV chaos, concussion, and an accidental viral momentThe shift from hard news to “sharing the happy” and why that choice matteredConnect with Lisa Instagram / TikTok: “Happily Lisa” (search @HappilyLisa)More from Jason / Life After News Follow the show for new episodes and behind-the-scenes updatesJason’s newsletter (Beehiiv) + Palm Springs-focused writingClosing Notes Jason closes the episode with an open invitation: Maria Shriver, if you’re listening, come on the show. And next week, Jason’s taking a short break to visit family in Arkansas—expect “greatest hits” from the last year of Life After News while he’s away. Subscribe / Review / Share If you enjoyed this episode, follow Life After News, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s navigating a career pivot of their own.   Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    36 min

  5. 12/30/2025

    🎙️ Every Election Year That Changed My Life

    Send us a text In the final episode of the year, Jason Ball takes a moment to look back not just at 2025, but at a life shaped by big transitions, many of them coinciding with presidential election years. From high school to his first job in television to becoming a news director, to finally stepping away and building something new, this episode is about evolution, reinvention, and what comes after the headlines. Jason reflects on launching Life After News and Desert Dispatch, joining the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation, becoming managing editor of Oasis magazine, and what it’s like to build momentum in a second (or third) act. He also shares updates on several past guests and their own Life After News journeys from creative breakthroughs to retirement, travel, new babies, and new chapters. Then, Jason is joined by friend and former TV journalist Dorothy Lucey to talk about their newest project, Chasing Faith with Dorothy Lucey, a podcast born out of conversations about faith, purpose, community, and doing good over chasing ratings. Together, they discuss what faith means now, the guests who’ve inspired them most, and why making change where you are matters. This episode is a year-end check-in, a celebration of growth, and an honest look at what it takes to keep going even when reinvention is uncomfortable. In This Episode: How major life changes have aligned with election yearsLaunching Life After News and Desert DispatchStaying connected to journalism after leaving the newsroomWhy most podcasts don’t last and how to fight “pod fade”Updates on past guests and their Life After News chaptersThe origin and mission of Chasing Faith with Dorothy LuceyFaith, purpose, and choosing impact over metricsWhat might be coming nextLinks & Mentions: Subscribe to Desert Dispatch: https://desertdispatch.beehiiv.com/Follow Desert Dispatch: @DesertDispatchPSFollow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBallFollow the podcast: @LifeAfterNewsPodListener Note Jason wants to hear from you. What’s working? What isn’t? Who should be on the show next? The best way to reach him is via Instagram DMs. Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    16 min

  6. 12/23/2025

    🎙️ Lora McLaughlin Peterson returns with LORIFIED: The Cookbook…and other updates

    Send us a text Life After News has some big updates, and this episode is a perfect example of why. You never really know where this road leads until you look up and realize someone took a local TV segment, turned it into a digital brand, and then turned that into a full-blown cookbook. Lora McLaughlin Peterson is back, and she’s pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to get a cookbook from idea to your kitchen counter. Spoiler: it’s not “throw some recipes together and send it to a printer.” It’s a year-and-a-half grind, recipe testing, precision measurements, outside editors, photo shoots that feel like movie production, and a full marketing rollout leading to publication. Plus: another former Life After News guest makes a major announcement. Byron Lane is launching a new project inspired by Carrie Fisher’s iconic advice: take your broken heart and make art. In this episode 🍳 Lora McLaughlin Peterson: LORIFIED: The Cookbook Lora shares the wild behind-the-scenes reality of cookbook publishing, including: How the book deal came together through a network of supportive women in publishingWhy she had to develop a 100-recipe proposal before anyone could even bidThe slow, meticulous pace of publishing compared to the newsroom “right now” mindsetWhat it’s like having an outside tester recreate your recipes (and ask, “Wait… what is orange fluff supposed to be?”)Why “measure with your heart” does not fly in a cookbookThe full-on production process: food stylist, set stylist, photographer, studio days, and shooting at her houseHer approach: approachable meals, recognizable ingredients, minimal fuss, and giving people time back📸 A cookbook where every recipe has a photo Lora insists on zero guesswork. Every recipe gets a picture, so you know exactly what you’re aiming for. 🎁 Holiday sanity tips from Lora For anyone spiraling two days before Christmas: Use gift bags. Stop trying to make wrapping your personality.Don’t cook everything from scratch.Make the one or two things your family truly cares about and outsource the rest (Costco/Sam’s/deli trays are not cheating).🎄 Lora’s traditions Red velvet pancakes on Christmas morningPrime rib (smoked on the Weber) as a once-a-year holiday flexOne gift on Christmas EveA full house, chaotic energy, and leaning into the “realness” of itMajor Life After News update: Byron’s announcement Byron shares a new creative pivot rooted in something Carrie Fisher told him—and everyone—over and over:  “Take your broken heart and go make art.” He’s launching a project called Byrontology, designed for people who are creative (or existentially exhausted) and want to turn rejection, despair, and career heartbreak into meaning and momentum—with some humor along the way. Links & where to follow Pre-order LORIFIED: The Cookbook Go to lorafied.com and hit the pre-order buttonAvailable through major retailers (Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and more)Follow Lora Instagram + TikTok: @lorafiedWatch for recipe rollouts starting in the months leading up to the book launchByron / Byrontology Find Byrontology via Byron’s link in profile (as mentioned in the episode)If you liked this episode Rate + review the showSubscribe so you d Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    42 min

  7. 12/16/2025

    🎙️ Strip Clubs, Sedated Puppies & Hidden Cameras: Inside David Goldstein’s Wildest Investigations

    Send us a text If David Goldstein showed up at your door, you were having a bad day. For decades, the longtime Los Angeles investigative reporter exposed corruption, waste, and abuse from LA city workers drinking and hitting strip clubs on the clock, to pet stores sedating puppies to make them easier to sell, to delivery drivers snacking on your food before it got to your door. Now two years into retirement from KCBS/KCAL, David joins Jason to talk about the real work behind those headline-making investigations: the stakeouts that lasted weeks, the legal tightrope of hidden cameras and two-party consent, the adrenaline of on-camera confrontations, and the toll the job takes on your brain and your life. They also get into what happens when the story is your own house, after the Palisades fire, and why the future of investigative journalism may depend on nonprofit newsrooms stepping in where TV budgets are stepping back. About David Goldstein David Goldstein is a longtime investigative reporter who spent decades at KCBS and KCAL in Los Angeles. His reporting exposed corruption, taxpayer waste, and consumer abuses across Southern California — leading to firings, early retirements, new policies, and even changes in state law. Known for his hidden-camera work and on-the-street confrontations, David built a career on stories that didn’t just make noise — they made change. Stay Connected If you’re listening along with Life After News as we close out the year, Jason wants to hear from you: What do you think of the show so far?Who would you like to hear as a guest?Is there a direction you’d like the show to explore in 2025?Send your feedback, guest ideas, or big swings you want us to take and if you’re enjoying these conversations, please follow, rate, and review the podcast so more people can find Life After News. Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    36 min

  8. 12/09/2025

    🎙️ When to Chase the Dream and When to Walk Away: Liberté Chan’s Life After News

    Send us a text Meteorologist Liberté Chan joins Jason for a raw, vulnerable, and very real conversation about knowing when to chase the dream and when to walk away from it. From her early days as an intern at KTLA to anchoring in Palm Springs, to “manifesting” her way back on-air in Los Angeles, Liberté shares how sheer persistence (and a few strategically timed visits to the news director’s office) helped her land her dream job as a meteorologist on the KTLA Weekend Morning News. She opens up about the work behind the “weather girl” stereotype earning a meteorology degree while working full time, using education as a way to build confidence, and what it really takes to reinvent yourself on and off camera. Liberté also talks candidly about the devastating loss of her friend and co-anchor Chris Burrous, the cascade of grief that followed in her personal life, and how unprocessed grief finally forced her to stop, feel, and re-evaluate everything including her career in news. Today, she’s a new mom, a functional medicine health coach, a devoted yogi, and a creator in the “new media” world, blending wellness, motherhood, and honest storytelling while still keeping one toe in the news business as an occasional KTLA fill-in. This is a conversation about ambition, heartbreak, reinvention, and the courage to choose yourself. In this episode, we talk about: 🎯 Manifesting the dream job🎓 Education as confidence📺 The magic of the KTLA weekend morning show💔 Grief, loss, and what news people don’t process🧭 Knowing when to walk away from news🧘‍♀️ Wellness, functional medicine, and new media👶 Motherhood, travel, and raising a healthy child💪 Movement as practice, not perfection🌱 What’s next for LibertéNEXT WEEK ON LIFE AFTER NEWS Veteran KCBS/KCAL investigative reporter David Goldstein returns—two years into retirement—to talk about what he’s doing now and why Harvey Levin says Los Angeles is less safe without him. We dig into: how investigative journalism actually changes the world,the grind behind the glamour,why the job is harder than people think, andhow he got his unlikely start in the poultry capital of the world.Don’t miss it. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend. And if you’re enjoying the show, please rate and review—it truly helps more people find these conversations. Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.

    35 min
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4.6
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

What happens when the newsroom lights go out—and life begins again? Life After News explores the raw, funny, and deeply human stories of journalists who’ve walked away from the adrenaline of breaking news to reinvent themselves in surprising ways. Hosted by former TV news director Jason Ball, the podcast goes behind the headlines to talk with anchors, reporters, producers, and executives about identity, resilience, and what it takes to start over. From career pivots to personal awakenings, these conversations reveal how the skills learned under deadline pressure translate into entirely new chapters of life. It’s not just about leaving the news—it’s about discovering what comes after. Whether you’re in media, on the edge of a career change, or just fascinated by reinvention, Life After News is your invitation to listen in, learn, and maybe imagine your own next chapter.

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Ball
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Life After News
  • Show Website
    Life After News

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