A Life Worth Working – Finding Purpose & Overcoming Setbacks

Dr. Michelle Weise & Rev. Dana Allen Walsh - Personal Development & Resilience Specialists
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A Life Worth Working — Finding Purpose & Overcoming Setbacks is a podcast hosted by Dr. Michelle Weise and the Rev. Dana Allen Walsh, personal development & resilience specialists. Our guests illuminate the scraps, screw-ups, and detours of our work lives as living proof that nothing is ever wasted in these spaghetti pathways of our careers. The hardest moments we endure, from epic failures to employment gaps and crushing disappointments, all become fertile ground for new growth and endless possibilities. As we navigate the winding, messy pathways of life, perhaps the truest calling is simply this: to stay open to wonder, courageous in release, faithful in response—and to trust that, step by step, we are shaping a life worth working. michelleweise.substack.com

  1. He Lost the Future He Imagined—What Came Next Changed Everything

    4D AGO

    He Lost the Future He Imagined—What Came Next Changed Everything

    Some losses don’t just break your heart; they break the future you thought you were building. In this Sh*t Pile episode of A Life Worth Working, philosopher and writer Matthew Clemente shares the most devastating season of his life: the loss of two children, the unraveling of long-held certainties, and the haunting question of whether joy would ever return. What follows is a raw and deeply human reflection on grief, resilience, post-traumatic growth, and the courage to live through suffering Matthew describes how profound loss reshaped his marriage, his faith, his understanding of hope—and his relationship to work and purpose. Instead of hardening into cynicism, he discovered that suffering can become sacred ground: a place where meaning, connection, and unexpected joy can still take root. This episode explores: * The role of community, love, and meaning-making after devastating loss * What post-traumatic growth looks like in real life, not theory If you’re navigating loss, burnout, or a season where life feels unbearably heavy, this conversation offers a rare kind of comfort—not easy answers—but honest companionship through the darkness. 🎧 Listen to this extra Sh*t Pile episode from A Life Worth Working and discover why even the most painful moments can become compost for a new beginning. Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    20 min

  2. FEB 3

    Matthew Clemente on Meaningful Work, Suffering, and Purpose

    What happens when grief interrupts your career trajectory? In this episode of A Life Worth Working, Dana Allen Walsh and I speak with Matthew Clemente, philosopher, writer, prison educator, and Director of Research & Curriculum at Boston College’s Center for Psychological Humanities & Ethics. Matthew’s life journey has been reshaped by loss, suffering, and ongoing vocational discernment . After sitting at his aunt’s bedside as she died, Matthew experienced a deep existential reckoning that led to a nonlinear path marked by career shifts, doubt, and the question many of us quietly avoid: Am I living a meaningful life? In this episode of A Life Worth Working, Matthew reflects on * Why proximity to death can clarify how we spend our days * How suffering, rather than something to escape, can be a teacher for personal growth * What prison education has taught him about joy, humor, and human dignity * The paradox of fulfillment: how self-emptying, service, and responsibility can deepen creativity and career fulfillment * Why meaningful work often emerges through burnout, moral clarity, and the courage to release from rigid career roadmaps 🎧 Listen to this episode of A Life Worth Working to explore how suffering, service, and discernment can reshape your career—and your life. Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min
  3. The Hidden Cost of Chasing Your Dream

    JAN 27

    The Hidden Cost of Chasing Your Dream

    The Hard Truth about Following Your Passion, according to Usman Riaz Work isn’t defined by shiny milestones or Instagram-worthy success. More often, real career growth begins in the mess—through failure, uncertainty, burnout, and the quiet work of overcoming setbacks. On A Life Worth Working, our Sh*t Pile episodes explore the hardest moments in a life journey that ultimately shape personal development, resilience, and meaningful work. In this episode, filmmaker and TED Fellow Usman Riaz reflects on the decade-long career challenges he faced while building Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animation studio—and how prolonged stress, suffering, and self-doubt forced a profound career and mindset shift. Usman shares how learning to release control transformed his relationship to work, creativity, and purpose, turning struggle into compost for deeper growth. If you’re navigating career burnout, questioning your work life, or sitting in the middle of a difficult professional season, this episode offers a powerful reminder: sometimes the most meaningful breakthroughs are born from the messiest moments. 🎧 Subscribe to A Life Worth Working wherever you listen to podcasts and discover how resilience, reflection, and release can transform the soul of work. Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min

  4. JAN 20

    Usman Riaz Didn’t Just Make a Movie

    In the latest episode of A Life Worth Working, Dana Allen Walsh and I sit down with TED Fellow Usman Riaz, an artist, composer, and filmmaker whose remarkable life journey is a masterclass in resilience, personal development, and career growth. Against long odds, Usman built Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animation studio and spent over a decade bringing his acclaimed film The Glassworker to life—an achievement many told him was impossible. Usman’s story begins in Karachi, where a deep love of drawing, music, and storytelling sparked a creative calling that would shape his entire work life. What followed was not a linear success story, but a demanding career path marked by uncertainty, intense career challenges, and years of persistence. Through countless setbacks, Usman learned what it truly means to commit to a craft—and to keep going when progress feels painfully slow. In this episode, Usman reflects on: * How overcoming setbacks and learning to release stress reshaped his understanding of meaningful work * The role of family support and creative mentorship in sustaining long-term career development * Why true purpose often emerges not from external outcomes, but from the daily act of making and creating. This conversation is a powerful reflection on career shifts, long-term ambition, and the patience required to build something worthwhile. If you’re navigating a difficult season in your career, questioning your direction, or wondering whether your dreams are “too unrealistic,” Usman’s story offers both perspective and hope. 🎧 Listen to this episode of A Life Worth Working to explore what resilience, creativity, and purpose really look like over the course of a life. Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    23 min
  5. Overcoming Career Challenges with Paul Rucker

    12/16/2025

    Overcoming Career Challenges with Paul Rucker

    Artist, musician, and archivist Paul Rucker shares one of the messiest moments that shaped his life and work. Paul opens up about the first time he experienced explicit racism as a young classical musician—an experience that derailed an audition and revealed the deep inequities embedded in the systems he aspired to join. From everyday microaggressions to structural exclusion in classical music auditions, Paul explains how these injuries became fuel for his life’s mission: to uncover what has been erased from our collective memory and to help us see our histories—and one another—more clearly. His work urges us to confront the sanitized stories we’ve inherited and to embrace historical truth, no matter how uncomfortable, as a pathway to empathy, accountability, and better decisions for the future. Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    7 min
  6. Self-taught Cellist Paul Rucker on Navigating Career Challenges through Art and Storytelling

    12/09/2025

    Self-taught Cellist Paul Rucker on Navigating Career Challenges through Art and Storytelling

    A self-taught cellist turned visual artist and archivist, Paul Rucker thrives by moving beyond the limitations of expectations. In this episode of A Life Worth Working, you’ll learn how Paul has woven storytelling, music, and history into a career defined by curiosity and creative defiance.  Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    21 min
  7. Reinvention and Career Growth with Vriti Saraf

    12/02/2025

    Reinvention and Career Growth with Vriti Saraf

    In this episode, Vriti Saraf shares how tough feedback from a VC and repeated rejection led to the creation of a new nonprofit helping educators navigate emerging tech. Make sure you listen to this powerful story about reinvention. Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min
  8. Off-Ramps and Ultimatums: Vriti's Secret to Success

    11/18/2025

    Off-Ramps and Ultimatums: Vriti's Secret to Success

    In this episode of A Life Worth Working, hosts Michelle Weise and Dana Allen Walsh talk with Vriti Saraf, founder of a nonprofit upskilling educators for the age of AI. Vriti shares how she went from a discouraged learner to a bold innovator leading the world’s first avatar-based virtual conference for teachers. She explains why AI won’t just replace jobs—it will raise expectations—and how we can use it to think more critically, not less. A conversation about courage, curiosity, and crafting your own path in an AI-powered world. Get full access to Skilling Me Softly | A Life Worth Working at michelleweise.substack.com/subscribe

    25 min
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About

A Life Worth Working — Finding Purpose & Overcoming Setbacks is a podcast hosted by Dr. Michelle Weise and the Rev. Dana Allen Walsh, personal development & resilience specialists. Our guests illuminate the scraps, screw-ups, and detours of our work lives as living proof that nothing is ever wasted in these spaghetti pathways of our careers. The hardest moments we endure, from epic failures to employment gaps and crushing disappointments, all become fertile ground for new growth and endless possibilities. As we navigate the winding, messy pathways of life, perhaps the truest calling is simply this: to stay open to wonder, courageous in release, faithful in response—and to trust that, step by step, we are shaping a life worth working. michelleweise.substack.com

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