Career Contrast

Michael Lane Smith
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Careers
  • Updated Semiweekly

Career-focused informational interviews, brought to you by Michael Lane Smith, and Dr. Kendall Yamamoto.

Episodes

  1. 03/28/2025

    Nani Vishwanath - Sr. Strategist, Inclusive Design

    Send us Fan Mail Joining me today is Nani Vishwanath, Senior Strategist of Inclusive Design at REI Co-op, illuminating how inclusive design principles create better products and experiences for everyone. Nani is also a  Consultant with Courage Collective, a workplace culture consultancy.  In this episode, we discuss Nani's career trajectory from college studying to be an orthodontist, to working in higher education, and ultimately her work in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion space. We discuss how DEI came to be, it's business function and what jobs exist, and how it ultimately drives more productive business.  Learn more about Courage Collective at https://thecouragecollective.co/ Mentioned in the Episode:  USA Today article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/03/04/trump-dei-backlash-explained/81170427007/ REI Cooperative Action Fund: https://www.reifund.org/PBS NewsHour: The History of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqWIjZd5k2k Visit CareerContrastPod.com for more information. Want to tell your story? Contact us at Careercontrast@gmail.com.

  2. 02/21/2025

    Josh Chinn - Procurement Manager

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Michael talks with Joshua Lee Chinn, Procurement Manager at Spotify, about the arc of his career, and the journey from education to the corporate world. We discuss his early career out of business school in consulting, and his eventual landing in procurement.  You can learn more about Josh at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshlchinn/ or https://www.joshlchinn.com/ Visit CareerContrastPod.com for more information. Want to tell your story? Contact us at Careercontrast@gmail.com.

  3. 02/08/2025

    Sara Diaz - Sr. Manager, InfoSec and IT

    Send us Fan Mail Listen to Sarah Diaz's journey from her cognitive neuroscience undergraduate studies to now a Sr. Manager in Cybersecurity at Glossier. From zero trust principles to multi-factor authentication, we delve into the essential concepts defining today's cybersecurity landscape. Sarah reflects on her role at Glossier, where enterprise security policies are crucial in defending company assets, and emphasizes the diverse fields within cybersecurity, such as application, network, and identity management. You can learn more about Sara at https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradiaz42/  Visit CareerContrastPod.com for more information. Want to tell your story? Contact us at Careercontrast@gmail.com.

  4. 02/02/2025

    Conner House - Global Health Sr. Project Manager

    Send us Fan Mail This interview is with Conner House, Sr. Project Manager at PATH, a global health and technology non-profit. We discuss how he got his first job at Path, the career path of a Project Manager, what exactly a Project Manager does, as well as the impact of recent news in Global Health.  Learn more about PATH at PATH.org.  Visit CareerContrastPod.com for more information. Want to tell your story? Contact us at Careercontrast@gmail.com.

  5. 01/29/2025

    Ethan Ludlam - Space Services Software Engineer

    Send us Fan Mail This interview is with Ethan Ludlam, a Space Services Software Engineer. We discuss Ethan's educational background, the skills you need to work in this space, and some of the complexities of working with satellites spinning around the earth.  You can find Ethan's LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanludlam/ and learn more about Spire at Spire.com EDIT: There were some sound issues with the original recording that have since been fixed. Thank you for you support!  Visit CareerContrastPod.com for more information. Want to tell your story? Contact us at Careercontrast@gmail.com.

  6. 01/17/2025

    Sam Najmolhoda - Sr. Environmental Consultant

    Send us Fan Mail This interview is with Sam Najmolhoda, a Sr. Environmental Consultant at Trinity Consultants. We discuss Sam's educational background, how he landed his job, and what life is like in the shoes of a career Environmental Consultant. You can view Sam's LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-najmolhoda/ If this episode was interesting to you, we're just getting started! Stay tuned for new interviews weekly.  Industry Data sourced from:  https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/06/2992881/28124/en/Environmental-Consulting-Service-Market-Forecast-Trend-and-Growth-Opportunity-Analysis-Report-2024.htmlVisit CareerContrastPod.com for more information. Want to tell your story? Contact us at Careercontrast@gmail.com.

  7. 01/17/2025

    About Career Contrast

    Send us Fan Mail The mission of the Career Contrast Pod is to educate listeners on the experience of different jobs and careers. From government to private sector, and from corporate to trade jobs, there’s many different paths to making a living. In each episode, we’ll explore questions that provide insight into the problems people solve in their jobs every day, and ultimately capture the experience of an informational interview from the perspective of a talent expert.  Visit CareerContrastPod.com for more information. Want to tell your story? Contact us at Careercontrast@gmail.com.

  • 7 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Career-focused informational interviews, brought to you by Michael Lane Smith, and Dr. Kendall Yamamoto.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Lane Smith
  • Years Active
    2025
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Career Contrast
  • Show Website
    Career Contrast