Connecting The Dots with The Renaissance People

Sara Kobilka
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Biweekly

This is a podcast for and by Renaissance People (and people who want to cultivate a Renaissance mindset). Renaissance People are complex people with interests and expertise in a wide variety of realms. Referred to with many terms (including multi-passionate, generalists, multi-hyphenates, Jack/Jill-of-all-trades, versatilists, and boundary spanners), we reject the singular niche and embrace a bramble of knowledge, both deep and wide. We have an insatiable love of learning for the sake of learning. We deeply believe that serendipitous opportunities to apply or share that knowledge will arise. We plant seeds of concepts and cross-pollinate ideas everywhere we go because we never know where an idea might blossom or inspire someone else. We connect the dots and see commonality in unique ways others cannot because of our diverse experiences. In collaboration with invited guests, host Sara Kobilka (Renaissance Woman) will explore: - What it means to be a Renaissance Person in the modern world - How and where we can thrive - What inspires us We'll also flex our creative minds with fun challenges. Think of it as part captivating interview, part game show and part improv performance. This podcast is part of Sara's effort to build a Renaissance People Community which she invites listeners to join at renwomanconsulting.com/renaissance-people-community

  1. 6d ago

    Cultivate Passions & Address Burnout

    It all started with a simple question. How do you maintain your passion, especially when passion can drive burnout? And when you're a Renaissance Person with multiple passions, is the challenge even greater?? In this solo episode, I dig into some research on passion and burnout from Harvard Business School professors Jon Jachimowicz and Ryan Buell and reframe them for Renaissance People. I look at the three facets of burnout and how they can be addressed. I also share four strategies I use to feed my passions and that I support my coaching clients to do: find boundary-spanning projects, keeping a “sparkly” side interest, sharing resources reciprocally, and finding community. If you're looking for a community of multi-passionate Renaissance People, I'm bringing us together virtually once a month in "Fertile Grounds" where we can support one another, share ideas and resources, and collaborate. Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.Get updates on Fertile Grounds, a monthly virtual gathering of multi-passionate Renaissance People, kicking off Tuesday, August 18, 2026&!Work with me to Find Your Golden Thread or for Career CoachingJoin the Renaissance People group on FacebookThe Anxious Achiever PodcastCan Passion for Your Work Drive Burnout? with Jon Jachimowicz (Anxious Achiever podcast episode)Dr. Jon Jachimowicz’s websiteDr. Ryan Buell and operational transparencyFour things I do to help feed my passionsThe Growth of Growing playlist on YouTube (clips also available on my Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts).AllSpice CulinariumMeryl Evans on LinkedInMore about artistic swimming Follow Sara Kobilka on Social Media: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | BlueSky A few themes I discussed: 1:06 Research on passion 4:08 The 3 facets of burnout when it comes to passion 5:12 How reducing demands helped me keep this podcast going 13:52 The 4 ways I feed my passions 20:47 Expansion, contraction and a definition of progress 23:20 How I’m building a web of support with Fertile Grounds If you’re extra curious, check out Renaissance Woman Consulting to learn more about some of the many types of work I do. And should you care to support the production of this podcast, I’d love it if you’d buy me an oat milk cappuccino, my caffeinated beverage of choice. This podcast is hosted and edited by Sara Kobilka. Theme music is by Brian Skellenger Podcast distribution support provided by K.O. Myers of Particulate Media

    Cultivate Passions & Address Burnout

  2. Jul 27

    Learning from Everything with Maggie Blackburn, Jill-of-All Trades

    It was a single phrase that immediately made me want to have Maggie Blackburn on my podcast. We were part of the same career coaching group (with past guest, Jenni Gritters) and Maggie described herself as having a “portfolio career” and supporting women who wanted the same thing. This idea seemed beautifully aligned with the career path I have followed and what some— but not all—Renaissance People follow. Maggie has a wonderful variety of work she does and shares my passion for bringing people together to build community as well as my love of volleyball among other things. Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.What’s this Renaissance Mindset I keep talking about? This “quasi-manifesto” episode seeks to explain itWork with me to Find Your Golden Thread Join Fertile Grounds, the monthly gathering of the Renaissance People CommunityCheck out my video shorts series, “The Growth of Growing” (here’s the first video on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram)My newsletter for job seekers is “Take it With You”, where I talk about the role of translation in the job search particularly if you’re changing from one industry or discipline to anotherEp. 9: A Mind for Memory with Brian Skellenger, Survivalist (my brain refused to remember the UW-Madison volleyball player he referenced, Dana Rettke. She was interview in this YouTube video about her mindset that led to her success in dance and volleyball).My reference about most athletes not being like Tiger Woods came from Range: Why Generalists Thrive in a Specialized World by David EpsteinEp. 10: The Forever Revolution with Jenni Gritters, Multi-PassionateJana Carlson’s The Co-Promotion Club (Co-Pro Club for short)Maggie’s LinkedIn post and Instagram video about completing a 40-day Instagram challenge and what she learnedMaggie’s website and newsletter, “Feeling Free” Follow Maggie on Social Media: LinkedIn | Instagram A few things Maggie and I discuss: 8:04 Why the “Jill-of-All-Trades” term’s actionable nature is a draw for Maggie 9:04 Sara’s expanding definition of “Renaissance Person” 10:59 The definition of a portfolio career and why it is particularly valuable today 14:56 Comparing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic vs AI on people 19:57 Maggie’s experience with dot connecting as a product marketer 21:24 Boundary spanners serving as translators 25:18 Maggie’s evolution from information systems and database designing to marketing at Slack 29:41 The drive of first-born daughters to be challenged 32:58 Don’t tell us “we’ve always done it this way” 35:20 Why short athletes inspire us (the U. of Minnesota player I was referencing was Shannon Schonrock) 36:20 Answering the dreaded question, “What do you do?” by thinking about the other person first. 41:43 Improv Game 44:47 Rapidish Fire Questions 45: 12What taking a job in college mainly for the money taught us 49:40 Metaphor options for a portfolio career Quotes from the episode: (Sara) I know that it's really important for us to gather live, to bounce ideas off each other, to share resources, to just get inspired by other people, because when you listen to a creative Renaissance Person talking and sharing what they're doing, it just gets you revved up and excited to do something yourself. (Maggie) I right now am building a portfolio career. So the way that I describe it, is a career of multiple interests and income streams. And it sort of changes over time, which is nice because it relieves the pressure of having to think about what is the one thing that I'm gonna do next. And instead it can be, what am I gonna do in the next few months? And then maybe that changes or it builds out and becomes more stable. (Sara) I'd argue in today's world, it's almost more reliable to have more of that portfolio style or idea to your work because we can't trust one company to protect us and be the “company man”, and you get a watch when you've been there for 25 years, and your name on the door. Like, that's not the dream that I think a lot of people of our generation and younger generations even have, because it doesn't really seem feasible in a lot of spaces. (Maggie) I think again with the market changes and the shift, I feel like it does make you question how you fit into the world and how you want to show up next. I think similarly with the AI movement and people again not knowing exactly what's going to happen. It's sort of a moment to pause and be like, "OK, how is this gonna work? Where do I have control?" I think when there's no control, people try to latch onto what they have control onto. (Sara) The worst positions I've been in are the ones where somebody higher up than me or someone with more power than me says, "We're doing it this way because this is how we've always done it." I hate that phrase! (Maggie) It's the worst! (Sara) I've taken pay cuts other times in my career just because, again, it's that values that we talked about way at the beginning, is you realize what your values are when you do something that isn't values-aligned. And that doing the non-values aligned thing isn't necessarily a bad thing if you learn from it and complete whatever you promised you were gonna complete, and you're responsible and that sort of thing, 'cause we're also the oldest daughters, so we learned responsibility very early. But you complete what you're supposed to do, and then you say, "And moving on. Next thing." (Maggie) Totally! You learn from everything (Maggie) I was technically a janitor in college for the gym, but it was called something like “facilities” something? Like, something a little bit better, made it sound nicer. (Sara) And you're like, "I was a janitor. Let's admit it." (Maggie) I cleaned the bathroom. (Sara) Ooh, that's fun. Follow me, Renaissance Woman Sara Kobilka, on LinkedIn, where I put most of my social media energy, and Facebook. If you’re extra curious, check out Renaissance Woman Consulting to learn more about some of the many types of work I do. And should you care to support the production of this podcast, I’d love it if you’d buy me an oat milk cappuccino, my caffeinated beverage of choice. This podcast is hosted and edited by Sara Kobilka. Theme music is by Brian Skellenger Podcast distribution support provided by K.O. Myers of Particulate Media

    Learning from Everything with Maggie Blackburn, Jill-of-All Trades

  3. Jul 8

    Betting on Myself with Kasey Brown, Multi-Passionate

    From the beef industry to podcasting, this week's guest Kasey Brown has taken quite a journey on her path to finally betting on herself with her company, Teal Hat Communications. Kasey shares her experiences and how she brings them all together, including a love of music, ag journalism training and endless curiosity in her work with creative small business owners. If this episode had been released when it was originally planned, it would have been part of the official launch of Kasey’s new podcast, Kindly Confident Marketing, where she’ll be sharing great tips and tricks for folks like her clients who want to use a podcast-centric approach to marketing their small business (cough cough, your host raises her hand). Technology and a busy schedule delayed the release, so there are now multiple episodes available (a trailer and 2 episodes to be exact at this moment)! Bonus: See if you can find the piece of advice from the episode that I put into play right away. Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.Work with me to Find Your Golden Thread Join Fertile Grounds, the monthly gathering of the Renaissance People CommunityEp. 10: The Forever Revolution with Jenni Gritters, Multi-PassionateEp. 9: A Mind for Memory with Brian Skellenger, Survivalist (Sara’s brother)RFD-TVLinkedIn post of Sara during her TV meteorology days with a bonus rant on the term "weather girl"Ep. 8: Bringing Worlds Together Full Circle with Jess Rowell, Renaissance WomanEp. 14: Capture the Flow with Alycia Buenger, Multi-PassionateKasey’s podcast Kindly Confident MarketingKasey’s business Teal Hat Communications Follow Kasey on Social Media: LinkedIn | Instagram A few things Kasey and I discuss: 8:31 Kasey’s journey from the beef industry to podcasting and marketing 13:00 Taking the scary leap into entrepreneurship 16:43 Who her ideal client is (and hint, it’s found in the mirror) 17:02 How podcasting aligns with being a lifelong learner 21:50 Using podcasting as a source of connection (circle of trust) 22:15 Kasey’s ag journalism experience and the impact of role models 30:18 Language in agricultural realms and how it is (and isn’t) changing 42:06 Improv game 44:36 Rapidish Fire Questions (and what strategic confetti is) 45:50 Kasey drops a bombshell Quotes from the episode: (Kasey) “Even since elementary school, like I would get really interested in something and then like go in a huge deep dive. So like when I got interested in reading The Wizard of Oz, like I read all 14 of the books, and then I got really into the musical and the movie and all of the things. And like same thing with Titanic, and like you just go through these giant deep dives, and yeah, I'm OK with that because it's super interesting and fascinating, and it's way more fun to follow those instead of worrying about whether it's acceptable. (Kasey) I started quietly building a website, and I started working on my branding. And then they made that decision for me because I was part of a giant layoff, which honestly was a blessing in disguise, Yeah. I was prepping to leave. (Sara) Yeah. You just got kicked out of the nest by mama bird. She's like, "You can fly. Go ahead...” (Kasey) Exactly! It was the kick I needed because I probably would've stayed far too long had I not gotten the kick because I would've been like, "Oh, I'll feel safe enough if I have one more client or maybe one more client past that." And I just, I needed to bet on myself, and that's what I've done, and it's been really, really wonderful. (Kasey) I know I have a terrible habit, or I did, I've worked on it quite a bit, of interrupting people because I get so excited, and I wanna be like, " Oh, yeah, I know that too!" Or like I'm trying to interact with them. I also realized later of like that seems really rude, and I'm not trying to be. (Sara)Yes! (Kasey) I've honed that in a little bit. But because you hear the excitement in their voice, that's another thing I love about podcasting, is that get to feel the excitement along with them. And I think because their excitement is so contagious because they are interested in so many things, that just levels up everything else. (Sara) And I just realized that I think another bonus of that is that the person who has been the listener gets to connect with you and feel like they already know you. Which means that you as the podcast host get to focus your energy just on getting to know them. And how great does it feel when somebody is not trying to tell you all about themselves, but instead is just curious about you and wants to learn about you? (Kasey) Ooo yeah! (Sara) So kind of like, bypasses the need to be like, "Hi, I'm Sara Kobilka, Renaissance Woman. Now I'm gonna talk for 45 minutes about who I am and what I do. Oh, sorry, did you walk away? Never mind. Have a good day." And instead, it's, "You know what? There's a number of different episodes you can listen to to learn all about me, and now that we're together, tell me about you. Because obviously if you thought I was interesting, you must be really interesting too! So let's learn about you." (Sara) I used to have people who thought they were funny be like, "Oh, you're the weather girl." And I was like, "Do you call them weather boys?" And they'd be like, "Uh, no." And I'm like, "Well, maybe don't use that term." And some would be like, "Well, what do I call you?" And I'm like, "Well, there's a thing called a meteorologist. You could, you know, take that term if you wanted to, but, uh, whatever. You can also call me a weather goddess and I'll take that." (Kasey) So usually my elevator pitch now is I help creative small business owners streamline their marketing efforts, streamline their marketing efforts and trust their voice through a podcast-centered approach…. I help people with that. And by doing that, we learn to trust our voice, and then we use our voice to earn trust, and that is through podcasting. So again, like we mentioned, like creating that one-way connection, so when someone really does resonate with you, then you get to create that connection the other way because... (Sara) Full circle! (Kasey) Exactly! So lot of circle, lot of starting to build a community around that. Follow me, Renaissance Woman Sara Kobilka, on LinkedIn, where I put most of my social media energy, and Facebook. If you’re extra curious, check out Renaissance Woman Consulting to learn more about some of the many types of work I do. And should you care to support the production of this podcast, I’d love it if you’d buy me an oat milk cappuccino, my caffeinated beverage of choice. This podcast is hosted and edited by Sara Kobilka. Theme music is by Brian Skellenger Podcast distribution support provided by K.O. Myers of Particulate Media

    Betting on Myself with Kasey Brown, Multi-Passionate

  4. Jun 10

    The Renaissance Mindset: A Manifesto of Sorts

    Get ready, folks, this one’s a doozie! This solo episode became a “manifesto of sorts” as I shared my current definition of the “Renaissance Mindset”. This mindset is a philosophy that helps explain the complicated, sometimes seemingly contradictory actions of Renaissance People that set us apart. I look at survey data from past guests to explore what it means to be “multi-passionate”, and I dive headfirst into research around being a “lifelong learner”. I once again share neuroscientist Paula Croxson’s elegant explanation of the “left brain vs right brain” myth. I discuss patterns in how Renaissance People think and act, where we shine, the critical role we can play in today’s world and so much more. If this conversation sparks ideas for you (even if it’s a challenge to something I’ve said), reach out and let’s connect! You belong in the Renaissance People Community! Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.Work with me to Find Your Golden Thread Join the Renaissance People group on FacebookSign up to learn more about Fertile Grounds, a monthly virtual gathering of multi-passionate Renaissance People tentatively schedule to launch in late summer 2026Lifelong Learning in the Educational Setting: A Systematic Literature Review by Win Phyu Thwe and Anikó KálmánProfiles of epistemological beliefs, knowledge about explanation norms, and explanation skills: changes after an intervention by Eric Klopp, Theresa Krause-Wichmann and Robin StarkLifelong learning tendency scale: the study of validity and reliability by Yelkin Diker Coúkuna and Melek DemirelPatrick Meaney’s LinkedIn post about shaping your career like a brambleSara’s LinkedIn post with her Left Brain, Right Brain artificial choice rantA Brief History of the Resting State: the Washington University Perspective by Abraham Z Snyder and Marcus E RaichleReview of the split brain work that Brenda Milner was part of (credit also to Mike Gazzaniga for this research)Range: Why Generalists Thrive in a Specialized World by David EpsteinHabits of a Renaissance Man: Learning how to learn from Leonardo da Vinci (curriculum PBS Learning Media) This episode includes clips from all of my guest episodes so far! Here are the links: Ep. 2: Operating at the Intersection of STEM, Creativity and Fun with Nancy Scales Coddington, Multi-PassionateEp. 3: Embracing an Outside-the-box Mind with Melissa Vining, Boundary SpannerEp. 6: The Secret Lives of Multi-Passionates with Marika Luneau, Multi-PassionateEp. 7: Pitching Your Own (Ph)uture with Stephanie Castillo, Jill-of-all-tradesEp. 8: Bringing Worlds Together Full Circle with Jess Rowell, Renaissance WomanEp. 9: A Mind for Memory with Brian Skellenger, SurvivalistEp. 10: The Forever Revolution with Jenni Gritters, Multi-PassionateEp. 11: Side Quest Unlocked with Elin Filbey, Multi-PassionateEp. 12: A Different Kind of Wonderful with Paula Croxson, Renaissance WomanEp. 13: It’s All or Nothing with Morgan Anderson, Multi-PassionateEp. 14: Capture the Flow with Alycia Buenger, Multi-Passionate Follow Sara Kobilka on Social Media: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky A few themes I discussed: 00:59 My podcast categories choices 01:56 Survey says…we’re passionate! 04:45 Lifelong learner rabbit hole 10:38 Going wide AND deep 12:34 Live hard, play hard 14:04 Paula Croxson explains the myth of “left brain” vs “right brain” 17:28 Expansion and boundary spanning 19:49 Our intensity 20:51 Learning and sharing 22:04 Systems thinking 23:25 Comfort with nuance 24:01 Defining Renaissance Person 27:11 Why not “generalist”? 30:25 Your Fertile Grounds invitation If you’re extra curious, check out Renaissance Woman Consulting to learn more about some of the many types of work I do. And should you care to support the production of this podcast, I’d love it if you’d buy me an oat milk cappuccino, my caffeinated beverage of choice. This podcast is hosted and edited by Sara Kobilka. Theme music is by Brian Skellenger Podcast distribution support provided by K.O. Myers of Particulate Media

    The Renaissance Mindset: A Manifesto of Sorts

  5. May 27

    Capture the Flow with Alycia Buenger, Multi-Passionate

    It took three tries to schedule the recording of today’s episode of “Connecting the Dots with The Renaissance People” with multi-passionate Alycia Buenger. We are both moms of young children, educators and entrepreneurs. So, between childcare challenges and work commitments, we repeatedly had to push back our recording date. But we made it happen (otherwise you wouldn’t be seeing this). And giving ourselves the permission slip to reschedule the interview was one of our answers to the question Alycia regularly grapples with in her research and writing, How can we live, work, and be well in modern times (for ourselves and each other)? In this episode we talked about this required flexibility of caregiving and business ownership among MANY other topics listed below (in classic Renaissance People fashion). Take a listen and be sure to sign up for my newsletter for updates on upcoming podcast episodes and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community. Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for newsletter for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.Work with me to Find Your Golden Thread and confidently tell your multi-passionate story.Ep. 12: A Different Kind of Wonderful with Paula Croxson, Renaissance WomanFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihály CsíkszentmihályiSarah Shotts (they/them) is an artist-mother based in ArkansasThe Neuro Nest (previously called Kindle Curiosity) is Sarah's podcast about neurodivergence, motherhood, chronic illness, and creative workA conversation with Sarah Shotts about creative capacity and inconsistent practiceRange: Why Generalists Thrive in a Specialized World by David EpsteinEp. 9: A Mind for Memory with Brian Skellenger, SurvivalistMagnet Theater in Manhattan, NYC. Performance schedule for Brian’s musical theater improv team, Lil’ Spoon.Unravel Your Journey Podcast: Alycia's year-long project with Kati Overmier to "unravel" big ideas within day-to-day lifeEp. 1: Hello! I’m Sara Kobilka, Renaissance WomanA Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek, Episode 68: Embracing the Fall with Carla Hall, Apple Podcast | SpotifyThe Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan HaidtThe Tin Can phoneThe Creatrix Spiral (as Alycia describes it) is renewable, expandable, and open to individual and collective interpretation of experience. It’s based upon varied spiritual teachings, including the Chakra System. The Creatrix Spiral is the foundation of her online studio and mentorship offerings.There are so many resources to explain and consider the chakra system; Alycia's favorite from yoga teacher training is Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea JudithEp. 10: The Forever Revolution with Jenni Gritters, Multi-PassionateYouTube video on how to create an electromagnetic nailArticle on why not to use the term “Middle East”Radiolab (not Invisibilia as said in the episode) podcast episode on the “discovery” of interstitiumBuy Me a Coffee (actually an oat milk cappuccino that I will purchase at a locally-owned coffee shop while working)Alycia’s website and Substack Follow Alycia on Social Media: LinkedIn | Instagram A few things Alycia and I discuss: 3:30 Alycia’s winding path 4:51 The interconnection between physical movement and creativity 5:51 Flow in creative people 8:13 Flexibility requirement of caregiving 9:59 Creating structures for flow 11:07 Inconvenient inspiration 16:58 Improv as flow state 21:34 Being a natural rebel 23:20 Inspiration in waves 25:59 Answer the dreaded question by providing of roadmap and starting point 30:13 Not taking advice in business 32:55 Building trust in your gut and handling failure 48:31 The Creatrix Spiral and the seven chakra system 53:59 “Western medicine” vs “Eastern medicine” 56:32 Fairtrade coffee and ecotourism Quotes from the episode: (Sara) Flow can be hard, especially when you are a parent of young children and you don't feel like you've got a lot of capacity just because you're being pulled in a thousand directions and you're just trying to keep these kids alive and fed and everything else that you're dealing with. But that ability to float along the river and let the kind of the, the path of the stream take you where you're gonna go. If you fight it, you're not gonna win. It's like a rip current. If you fight the rip current and try to swim back to shore, that's how people drown. It's when you swim parallel to the shore and get out of that like force that you can finally make your way back. (Alycia) I don't think we can always force flow. I think it's kind of relatively spontaneous, but we can kind of create structures around our work or our daily lives that would encourage flow and the flow state to kind of show up. And allow us to kind of capture it when it's there. (Alycia) I would ask questions. You know, like, where, when does inspiration strike? What are you doing in that period of time? What are you thinking about when that's happening? What are you doing before and after? And how does it feel to like not capture that idea? Does it come back to you? I have a lot of questions. And if we can answer some of those questions, I think you can kind of find your own path there, if that makes sense. (Sara) Yeah, it seems like kind of almost pattern recognition. When is this happening? What's the cadence of it? (Alycia) So I think part of the challenge that I have is that I'm like a natural rebel. So anytime I like see rules or I find rules, or I find that pattern and put it in place, I'm like, okay, now I'm gonna go do something else. 'Cause like I just naturally have to push back against even my own rules. It's a deeply annoying part of who I am. But I will say that as someone who has to do these things in order to make an income, I have...

    Capture the Flow with Alycia Buenger, Multi-Passionate

  6. May 13

    It's All or Nothing with Morgan Anderson, Multi-Passionate

    It’s time for another blast from my past! In the very first episode of Connecting the Dots with The Renaissance People, I talked about a pivotal program from my childhood called Youth in Government (YIG). This episode’s guest was one of my best friends from that program. Morgan Anderson’s career has taken him across the country and through multiple industries (which I will NOT list ahead of time because I feel there is such great joy in being surprised and peeling back the layers of a story.) In this episode we talked about YIG and why it was so impactful for us, the Renaissance “All or Nothing” mentality and how Morgan has employed it repeatedly in his multifaceted career, and the unifying feature of caring about people and supporting them that Renaissance People share. We also discussed selling confidence (compared to the many other things Morgan has sold). I will share one little tidbit that I couldn't include in the show because we discussed it after I stopped recording. I’m a huge fan of the reality TV show competition Top Chef and Morgan was once in the running to be on the show. Shows like that have archetypical characters they cast for (sorry to ruin it if you thought everything was completely real). When it comes to the season where Morgan was in the running to appear, they had already filled the role of “prodigal chef/kitchen villain” for that season so the opportunity passed by. By the next time he could have been cast, he’d already moved on from cooking. Intrigued yet? Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.Work with me to Find Your Golden Thread Episode 1: Hello! I’m Sara Kobilka, Renaissance WomanMorgan and I were involved with the Minnesota Youth in Government (YIG) program in high school but the YMCA of the USA has Youth and Government programs across the United States.Where are they now article about me on the Alumni and Friends page for the Center for Youth Voice (the current home of Youth in Government within the Minnesota YMCA programs)Alton Brown’s video of burping sock puppets Good Eats – Dr. Strangeloaf YeastsObituary for UW-Madison Plants and Man professor Tim Allen (yes, I'm recommending you read an obituary) and another article about himAuthor Mary Roach’s websiteBook Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human CadaversIowa’s RAGBRAI bike ride Follow Morgan on Social Media: LinkedIn | YouTube (aka the Critter Gitter) A few things Morgan and I discuss: 3:11 Why Youth in Government was so impactful in our lives 12:37 The Renaissance “All or Nothing” mentality 15:26 The first of many zigzags for Morgan 16:54 Morgan’s early success 17:19 Alton Brown love fest 22:19 How Morgan lost his passion 24:5 Morgan’s travels around the country 33:13 Turns out you really can go home…at least in Morgan’s case 34:45 Science’s allure draws Morgan in 39:41 Selling confidence 48:06 Improv Game 53:54 Find Your Golden Thread 57:03 Rapidish Fire Questions Quotes from the episode: (Morgan) Have fun, get things done. Man! I haven't said that in about 30 years! (Sara) It's that live hard, play hard mentality. I think a lot of Renaissance People and multi-passionate are good at that. They are both good at having fun and playing and being curious and creative. But then when there's stuff that needs to get done, they're also really good at like putting their heads down and getting things done. (Morgan) Oh, that describes me to a T. You nailed me there. Because if I get into something, it's all or nothing. (Morgan) I tell everyone this. I had my passion for food beat out of me and it was my own fault. (Sara) Do you think it could come back ever? Or is it, do you think it's gone? (Morgan) It has. Not so much like it used to be there. But I have an absolutely amazing time cooking and teaching my wife how to cook. (Morgan) That’s where the Renaissance Person in me was first realized. Because you'd be working on a project for weeks and on a Monday morning, the CEO looks at me and says, "Oh, we're not doing that anymore, and you have to do a 180 and start over." And it's just like, oh my gosh! You know? So I went from leading a very structured, professional life in culinary and in management, and all of a sudden I'm in this nebulous area where you've gotta orchestrate amongst chaos. (Morgan) You get really good at selling something when you're selling something people don't need like ice cream. (Sara) I think these are the case studies of confidence as a Renaissance Person. And it sounds like for you, it took a long time to really say, “Hey, this multifaceted, well-rounded kid from high school who's traveled around the country and had all these careers and done all this stuff, there's value in me for that diversity of things that I know. Not just because I taught this one class, or I got this one degree, or I worked in this one position.” It's the multitudes that makes you magical. (Morgan) My brother-in-law said something this last summer. There's people that are smart and there's people that have experience. And wisdom is the combination. Mm. You do not have to be smart to be wise, but you do have to have the experiences. And I think in confidence in what we were talking about, where my confidence comes from is the knowledge is the background. (Morgan) I don't half ass anything. If I'm gonna be training my dog, it is intense! Books will show up from Amazon. And treats will be researched. And I will morph my own training program from, you know, reading 36 different books. (Sara) That's like the antithesis of what I think is one of the superpowers of Renaissance People is, we can be creative. We have all these experiences like you're talking about, that we can draw from. And so we're the ones who can come up with those outside-the-box ideas and we can implement them and be like, let's get this shit done. (Morgan) Humans are horrible multitaskers, and I am primed to prove that wrong. Cause there's always multiple things. Follow me, Renaissance Woman Sara Kobilka, on LinkedIn, where I put most of my social media energy, and Facebook. If you’re extra curious, check out Renaissance Woman Consulting to learn more about some of the many types of work I do. And should you care to support the production of this podcast, I’d love it if you’d buy me an oat milk cappuccino, my caffeinated beverage of choice. This podcast is hosted and edited by Sara Kobilka. Theme music is by Brian Skellenger Podcast distribution support provided by K.O. Myers of Particulate Media

    It's All or Nothing with Morgan Anderson, Multi-Passionate

  7. Apr 29

    A Different Kind of Wonderful with Paula Croxson, Renaissance Woman

    In this episode, I am joined by a fellow Renaissance Woman who has joined me in embracing that identity (you’ll learn why near the start of the show). The title of the episode is, “A Different Kind of Wonderful with Paula Croxson” but my alternative was “How Paula Came to Love Swimming in Chop”. That too will make sense later in the show. Paula has been near the top of my “dream guests” since I came up with this podcast idea so to say I’m excited is a bit of an understatement. She’s a science communicator, neuroscientist, musician and athlete among other things. The conversation was free flowing, filled with science, storytelling and metaphors galore! Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.Work with me to Find Your Golden Thread Jethro Tull (jazz flutist) YouTube video of performance from 1976My LinkedIn Left Brain, Right Brain artificial choice rantArticle from Business Insider where Michelle Obama explains why she too is disgusted by the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver SacksOliver Sacks biographical informationOliver Sacks’ TEDTalk, What Hallucinations Reveal about Our MindsNeuWriteA Brief History of the Resting State: the Washington University Perspective by Abraham Z Snyder and Marcus E RaichleReview of the split brain work that Brenda Milner was part of (credit also to Mike Gazzaniga for this research)Story ColliderPaula’s 2013 Story Collider talk: When Your Grandmother Forgets Who You AreEp. 9 A Mind for Memory with Brian Skellenger, SurvivalistIf you want to become a better storyteller, I highly recommend the podcast The Story Letter with Micaela Blei.Stellate CommunicationsEp. 8 Bringing Worlds Together Full Circle with Jess Rowell, Renaissance Woman discusses “find your audience’s why” to help answer “what do you do?”Sign up for Brain Dump on May 1, 2026 (or if you missed it, sign up for my Renaissance People newsletter to find future opportunities)Paula’s greatest accomplishment post Instagram | FacebookCholla walking inspiration LinkedIn postStellate Communications Follow Paula on Social Media: Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | Bluesky A few things Paula and I discuss: Survey says…she’s a Renaissance WomanThe science vs musician choiceThe history and misconceptions of “left brain vs right brain”Renaissance Man, neuroscientists, and inspirational figure, Oliver SacksThe athletic mindset + Renaissance People = Flow StateResearch on the flow state (it’s not all woo woo)What MRIs tell us (and don’t tell us)Why the science is in the nuance and complicating the narrativePaula’s major career pivotExplaining yourself using communications 101, Know thy AudienceValues as a golden threadHow Paula stopped fighting the waves and began enjoying themImprov GameRapidish Fire QuestionsLife as an omnivertTraining our pets to do unusual things Quotes from the episode: (Paula) I think of boundary spanner maybe as a really useful professional term. But I feel like a Renaissance Person all the time, regardless of whether I'm behaving like a professional or not. (Paula) I feel like science and music was one of those choices that I had to make pretty early on, that I've spoken to so many people who ended up in science or as musicians who felt like they had to make that choice early on in order to define themself, to carve out what they were doing. When I say had to, I don't think anyone made me. I had a lot of really supportive people around me when I was figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up. But I felt like it only made sense to be one or the other. And I actually stopped playing music for a really long time, while I was in graduate school. And so I sometimes forget that I'm a musician because I spent so much time creating this version of myself that was the scientist. (Sara) People sometimes have a job where they'll be a reporter and they'll be a meteorologist. So I decided, I'm gonna bring math and science back into my life. And quite a few people in the journalism program looked at me like I was absolutely nuts because I took chemistry. I took physics. I was taking calculus. And they're all like, "Why? What are you? What's wrong with you? What are you doing?" And I was like, no! I need this! This is part of me too. I can't lose that. I need to use my full brain and not "half of my brain" as the people like to talk about it. (Paula) That's how the left brain got a reputation for being the "logical", I'm using air quotes here, the "logical side of the brain". Because it rationalized. Because it got in there and it was chatty and explained away the movements of the right hemisphere, having no idea that the whole reason was because the right hemisphere of the brain had just seen a spoon and was responding to the question. So that's how that whole myth arose is because the left hemisphere of the brain talks a lot. However, that doesn't really make it more logical. (Paula) I had already been interested in the brain and how it worked. But that was one of the things that really drew me in, was reading that book. Little did I know at the time that Oliver Sacks was, himself, a real Renaissance Person! (Sara) Yeah! (Paula) He entered that part of his career, the medical part of his career, late in life and the writing and storytelling part even later in life. He was also a bodybuilder. He also swam in the open water. He had all of these facets to himself that were not just what he did for a living. I think I probably was drawn to that as much as the stories and the fascination of the brain, even though I wasn't really aware of it at the time. (Paula) I started off by joining a group called NeuWrite that was a science writing group that brought together scientists, writers, people in theater, meet people from the media, you know, to collaborate. My goal was just to write better science papers so that I could get published in my, like, niche journals, but like fancier niche journals that would get me, like tenure and promotion and funding. But I was around these people and I liked these people and I was drawn to them. And I found myself learning a lot from them in a way that I didn't learn from my colleagues who were in the same niches as me...

    A Different Kind of Wonderful with Paula Croxson, Renaissance Woman

  8. Apr 15

    Side Quest Unlocked with Elin Filbey, Multi-Passionate

    Once again, I’ve got a podcast guest whose Venn diagram of interests looks strikingly similar to my own. Multi-passionate Elin Filbey and I not only share a work history (museums, higher education and career coaching) but other factors as well, including being moms of small children, coming from the upper Midwest, teaching fitness classes, and our love of performing. In the wide-ranging conversation this podcast is known for, we cover this and so much more. Elin’s experience is proof that taking side quests makes a Renaissance Person’s life more fulfilling! Promised Show Notes Materials (take a drink): Sign up for updates on my podcast and what’s happening in the Renaissance People Community.Sign up to work with me and Find Your Golden Thread Patrick Meaney’s LinkedIn post about shaping your career like a brambleSara’s career coaching newsletter, Take it With You, focused on Packing Your Skillset SuitcaseSara’s newsletter with the word cloud of skills needed for remote jobs Appreciating Your ValueSara’s newsletter about translating your skills to potential employers Time to TranslateQueued for Thought episode introducing Conversations on Loneliness, Healing and ConnectingSocial Contract Theory was the idea I was referencing, but looking at it, I wasn’t quite remembering the full definition. Oh well!Ep. 8 Bringing Worlds Together Full Circle with Jess Rowell, Renaissance WomanTamara Poles’s guest episode where she discusses side quests on podcast Research AdjacentWhen NASA Gave Spiders Drugs to See how it Affected their Webs, 1995Ep. 10 The Forever Revolution with Jenni Gritters, Multi-PassionateMy preferred metaphor: Reimagining STEM Workforce Development as a Braided RiverA beautiful rant about “soft skills”: Stop Calling Them Soft: Why Today’s Essential Skills Are Anything ButEp. 9 A Mind for Memory with Brian Skellenger, SurvivalistUnited KaraokeElin’s podcast Curate Your Career Podcast, co-hosted with Alli Schell, Spotify | Apple Podcast | YouTube | InstagramElin’s Facebook Group Deaccessioned: A Network for Former and Aspiring Ex-Museum ProsElin’s website Deaccessioned Career Coaching Follow Elin on Social Media: LinkedIn | Instagram | A few things Elin and I discuss: Museums as a stimulating place for multi-passionatesDrawbacks of museum lifeElin’s path to career coachingHow to explain your career jumpsToxic relationship industries (i.e. museums, journalism, education, non-profits, pretty much my entire career…)Translating your skills or job titleFinding a career that fits your current valuesBeing a helper and a villagerKeys to answering, “what do you do?”How we live for the applause (and give Lind Belcher from Bob’s Burgers vibes) Quotes from the episode: (Elin) And I used to think that it was a defect or a, a liability because I was so interested in so many things. But now as I'm getting older and I'm learning more about myself, I see it as an asset, right? Because I am able to pull from all these different places and all these different ideas to inform the core of my work and what I do. (Elin) I found out later that I got placed with the finance and real estate students who were notoriously difficult because my former director told the person hiring me at the business school that I was a “velvet steam roller”. I was really good at gently pushing back on people, and working with difficult people in a way that still got things done but wasn't super inflammatory, which was a skill I learned through my career. Because when I started, I was like, burn it down! (Elin) It's an industry (museum work) that takes and takes and takes and takes and doesn't always give a lot back. I often describe it as a toxic relationship (Sara) Oh, yes! (Elin) Where it's bad and bad and bad and bad, and then you get to hold a manuscript from the 1500s and you're like, this is the best thing ever! And then you're like, rebounded and you're in love again. And then you just get shit on somewhere else. (Sara) I like sharing resources. As a Renaissance Person, are you one of those people where, you know, you join a Zoom meeting and you're adding links to things in the chat, emailing people afterwards? (Elin) It's my love language. (Elin) I heard something the other day that was, you know, everybody wants a village, but not everybody's willing to be a villager. (Sara) I love that! (Elin) Right? And I was like, oh! I caught myself too because I was like, where's my village? And then I needed to reflect, to be like, well, where am I being a villager? And I can't expect that to come back around to me if I haven't given it out. (Elin) Love a good side quest. It really just brings a lot of joy to my life. And it's also probably part of my neuro spiciness of like, I was born to dilly dally. (Elin) And a lot of times when people are wanting to leave the field or they're wanting to change, they just start running really, really fast in a direction. And sometimes you're on a treadmill and you're not going anywhere. But you feel like you're, you're really working hard. And you're running, running, running, but you're not getting anywhere. (Elin) I'm like Tinkerbell, I need applause to live. So I love just being on stage and getting up in front of people. Follow me, Renaissance Woman Sara Kobilka, on LinkedIn, where I put most of my social media energy, and Facebook. If you’re extra curious, check out Renaissance Woman Consulting to learn more about some of the many types of work I do. And should you care to support the production of this podcast, I’d love it if you’d buy me an oat milk cappuccino, my caffeinated beverage of choice. This podcast is hosted and edited by Sara Kobilka. Theme music is by Brian Skellenger Podcast distribution support provided by K.O. Myers of Particulate Media

    Side Quest Unlocked with Elin Filbey, Multi-Passionate
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This is a podcast for and by Renaissance People (and people who want to cultivate a Renaissance mindset). Renaissance People are complex people with interests and expertise in a wide variety of realms. Referred to with many terms (including multi-passionate, generalists, multi-hyphenates, Jack/Jill-of-all-trades, versatilists, and boundary spanners), we reject the singular niche and embrace a bramble of knowledge, both deep and wide. We have an insatiable love of learning for the sake of learning. We deeply believe that serendipitous opportunities to apply or share that knowledge will arise. We plant seeds of concepts and cross-pollinate ideas everywhere we go because we never know where an idea might blossom or inspire someone else. We connect the dots and see commonality in unique ways others cannot because of our diverse experiences. In collaboration with invited guests, host Sara Kobilka (Renaissance Woman) will explore: - What it means to be a Renaissance Person in the modern world - How and where we can thrive - What inspires us We'll also flex our creative minds with fun challenges. Think of it as part captivating interview, part game show and part improv performance. This podcast is part of Sara's effort to build a Renaissance People Community which she invites listeners to join at renwomanconsulting.com/renaissance-people-community

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