Youth Career Readiness: The One Question Podcast

Michael B. Horn & Jean Eddy

Twice per month, this podcast features one-question interviews with celebrities from various sectors, including arts and entertainment, sports, journalism, and more, on their career advice and insights for youth. Hosts and authors Michael B. Horn and ASA's Jean Eddy will speak with guests about how they navigated a path to career success, things they wish they had known, and advice they would offer to middle and high schoolers about careers. This is for all caring adults interested in learning how they can help the kids and teens in their lives learn about careers and prepare for their futures. michaelbhorn.substack.com

  1. John Cusack: Why Succeeding in the Arts is Different

    4d ago

    John Cusack: Why Succeeding in the Arts is Different

    Actor John Cusack joined us to discuss what it takes to succeed in artistic fields. John argued that individuals pursuing these pathways must have an irresistible passion to create and advised students to only pursue the arts if they feel absolutely compelled. If that’s you, only then do the normal rules of what it takes to succeed in any career endeavor apply. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Paying subscribers get unlimited access to My Delphi. Julie Lammers Today we’re excited to welcome actor, writer and producer John Cusack. John has built a decades long career in film, starring in iconic movies like Say Anything, High Fidelity and Being John Malkovich. And he’s also written and produced projects that reflect a strong point of view and a willingness to take creative risks. We’re excited to have him on our podcast today to share his point of view with us. Micheal Horn Indeed. Indeed. And, John, a lot of middle and high school students, they love music, they love theater, film, writing, art. But they often hear that pursuing the arts, it’s risky or maybe unrealistic. So I’d love to hear based on your own journey, when should students consider a career in the arts? And what do you think they need to understand before deciding to go down that path? John Cusack I don’t know if the arts are the same as succeeding in any other field, because if you’re going to be in the arts, the only reason to do it is because you don’t have any other choice. Like, you have to express yourself. If you don’t, it’s very difficult to if you don’t feel that. If you’re not really compelled to do it, I wouldn’t suggest getting into it. Unless you want to just make it something that you think is fun and you don’t care about the results, then just do it, you know, as much as you can and don’t worry about it. But if it’s something where you try to earn your living or build a career, it is very competitive, and there’s a lot of failure and there’s a lot of rejection. So I guess the only things you could compare it to would be if it isn’t sort of your dream job, or if it isn’t something that you love or feel compelled to do, then the normal rules kind of apply, which is work as hard, harder than the next guy. Do extra. Take initiative. You know, I always say it’s always better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. So, take your own initiative. Do more. You know, be honest. Be a good teammate, right. Because you have to work with other people. And, and if you have the vibe that all boats rise, that helps a lot. But that’s a little different than the arts. You know, if somebody has to sing, they gotta sing, and they’re gonna sing whether they’re out on a street corner or whether they’re in Carnegie Hall. So same thing with performance. So the arts are a little bit different, I think. You should only do them if you’re convinced that’s your sort of reason for being here, like, you must do it. But if you want to take any other competitive corporate job or anything like that, then the normal rules apply for excellence. You know, treat everyone well. Be excellent to everyone around you. Be the, you know, be the solution, not the problem. Take initiative and work your ass off and do it happily. That’s how you separate yourself from people who don’t want to be there. All right. I hope that helped. Bye. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    4 min
  2. Yahlin Chang: Be persistent and do your research

    May 12

    Yahlin Chang: Be persistent and do your research

    Acclaimed television writer and producer Yahlin Chang, known for her work on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Shades of Blue,” and “Supergirl,” joined us on the One Question Podcast. Yahlin shared her personal journey of pivoting from journalism to television writing and highlighted the importance of persistence, doing the research and breaking down the steps so you understand what it’ll take to do what you love, and being ready to take advantage of a lucky break in building a meaningful career. Michael Horn Today, we’re excited to welcome television writer and producer Yahlin Chang. Yahlin has written and produced film for acclaimed shows, most notably the Handmaid’s Tale, Shades of Blue, and Supergirl. Before working in television, she also built a career as a journalist, and we’re thrilled to have her on the podcast today. Julie Lammers Yahlin, as Michael mentioned, your career path shows how someone can successfully pivot from one field to another, moving from journalism into television writing and production. Some middle and high school students might worry that choosing one path might limit their future options. What lessons from your career change could help young people understand how to successfully shift directions while still building a meaningful career? Yahlin Chang What the keys were to making that change successfully, I can really only answer it by telling you specifically my specific story, which is very different. Everyone who works in TV writing has a different story about how they got in. The general thing was just dogged persistence and doing a ton of research, talking to everyone I knew about how to become a TV writer. When I was in college, I took a book out of the library that said How to Become a TV Writer. It was written by someone who had done like a single freelance episode for Dukes of Hazzard way back when. This is in 1992. And, you know, I read a book about it. But for me, I just always wanted to write for television. I didn’t really know how, but I loved that form of art. I used to watch Dallas and Dynasty and Falcon Crest with my family every Friday and Saturday night. And we’d sit there together and learn what America is by watching these crazy shows. And then as I got older, I watched better shows like LA Law and China Beach and ThirtySomething. And I just loved that specific form. So I knew that I wanted to be involved in some way. And then when I learned about the writers room, which is how episodic TV gets written, you’re working with a group of writers, you’re breaking stories together. I loved the collaborative nature of that. I was a nerd. So I loved classes, and I loved the idea that it was like a class. Now I’ve learned it’s nothing like a class at all. And if you treat it like a college seminar, you’re probably not doing the right thing, that’s a subject for something else, you have to pitch actual ideas. You can’t just sort of have fuzzy, abstract thoughts. But I was working as a journalist at Newsweek. I worked Tuesday through Saturday, so I had Mondays off. So I spent my Mondays writing spec scripts and then sending my resume and scripts out to every agency I could find. And I finally found an agent who agreed to represent me. And so I broke in in 2000. You know, many other people wanted to make the change from journalism to TV writing because journalism was dying. When I did it journalism wasn’t dying. It was the late 90s, journalism was still pretty lush. But I would say that the key is to decide what you love the most, what your passion is, and then you break down the steps. For me, it was writing spec scripts and then finding someone to read the scripts and then getting representation. Now, a lot of people break in by becoming an assistant. That’s one path. I bought scripts, I studied them, I studied the form. And ultimately also you really need to understand the role of luck, especially in Hollywood. You know, you have to be ready when the door opens. A lot of very talented people don’t ever have that door open. But I was lucky, and I did, you know, entertainment is incredibly subjective. Successful writing is specific and it’s very personal. So the other thing is, don’t count the role of luck. And because of that, don’t take anything too personally. Just know that, you know, someone might not like what you’re selling. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad writer. A thousand people might not like it. And it doesn’t mean that you’re bad. You just need to find the thousand and first person to say yes. And thousands of people can be wrong. When it comes to writing. It’s good if it’s specific. If you’re honest and truthful, it’s from your heart, then someone will probably connect to it. So good luck, everybody. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min
  3. David Ortiz: Do the Work to Be Ready

    Apr 28

    David Ortiz: Do the Work to Be Ready

    Baseball legend David Ortiz—Big Papi!—joined us on the One Question Podcast to discuss how students can thrive in high-pressure environments. Ortiz emphasized the importance of discipline, strong work ethic, and preparation, as well as listening to advice from trusted mentors like parents. Big Papi was known as a clutch performer—so we wanted to know his advice for students to perform at their best in whichever field they ultimately pursue. Julie Lammers Today, we’re excited to welcome David Ortiz. David is a three-time World Series champion and one of the most iconic players in baseball history. Known for delivering big hits in the biggest moments over his career with the Boston Red Sox, he earned a reputation as one of the most clutch performers the game has ever seen. And we are thrilled to have him on our podcast today. Michael Horn Yes, indeed. Excited to have Big Papi join us. David, you’re known for staying calm and coming through when the pressure was at its highest. Of course, pressure isn’t just limited to sports, right? It shows up in all kinds of workplaces and careers. So I’m curious, what advice would you give to middle and high school students about how to perform well and stay confident in high-pressure environments on the job? David Ortiz My biggest advice to all you young people over there, teenagers in general, is to be able to perform at the highest level under pressure. The main key is, number one, to be disciplined. Number two, you need to have a really good work ethic so your body and mind is prepared to react whenever the opportunity comes. And I’m talking about performance on the field or at work or whatever you do. You need to have the discipline and the dedication to get prepared for because that’s the only advantage you have. And when it comes to performing off the field, listen, nobody gonna give you better advice than the one that you can give yourself. I always use as a tool my mom and dad, who were my best friends of all time. I was a good listener. I listened to what they had to say because life experience is all about who got here first, who has the most experience. And I always give credit to my mom and dad because they were my parents. They want the best for me. They want all the good things for me. My dad was a baseball player and all he preached about was me. It was him wanting me to be a better player than what he was. So you don’t get that from many people. You don’t get that from many people. And the one person that wants you to be good, that wants everything to be good for you, that wants to take care of you, that’s the one. So be a good listener, pay attention and they’re going to take you to the promised land. Take care. God bless you and see you when I see you. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    4 min
  4. George Appling: Why 'Follow Your Passion' is Terrible Advice for Your Career

    Apr 14

    George Appling: Why 'Follow Your Passion' is Terrible Advice for Your Career

    On our latest episode, we welcomed entrepreneur and leadership coach George Appling, who challenged the common advice to “follow your passion” when planning a career. George outlined five different ways young people can intentionally connect passion and work and concluded with advice for students to take a holistic, structured approach to career planning. Julie Lammers Today, we’re welcoming entrepreneur, author and leadership coach, George Appling. George describes himself as a “passionpreneur,” someone who builds businesses around the things that he loves. His career has spanned industries and continents, from leading teams at Fortune 500 companies to creating his own mead making business, a medieval festival and a summer camp. We’re thrilled to have him on. Michael Horn And a mead making business sounds pretty good to me. So, Julie, I agree. I’m incredibly excited for this conversation given his research. And George first, welcome. You’ve built an incredible career by developing passions that you could build real businesses around and then helping other leaders do the same through your work as a Vistage chair. And of course your book, Don’t Settle: A Pick-Your-Path Guide to Intentional Work. So what’s your advice for middle and high schoolers on how they can do the same? Is it as simple as just follow your passions? George Appling My number one piece of advice for young people as they think about their career is this: You’re probably being told over and over again by lots of different people to follow your passion or follow your heart or follow your bliss. And I think that’s terrible advice. And I think at some level you probably know that that’s terrible advice because you may not know what your passion is. You may not be able to make money at your passion. You may not be able to make enough money at your passion. If you make money at your passion, your passion may go away. And so I think there’s… you need to think about this in a much more sophisticated way. And that’s what my book is about. It’s about choosing the relationship between your passion and your work intentionally. And I lay out five different ways that your passion and your work can relate to each other, particularly targeted at young people. So those five ways are passion. now which is under certain circumstances, it does make sense to follow your heart immediately as a young person. But those are pretty specific circumstances, mostly that you know what your passion is, you know you can make money at it, you know you want to, and you can make enough, which probably means your need for financial security is low. This is how the framework gets built in the book. Two is independence, which means your passion and your work don’t have anything to do with each other. That’s kind of the default path, meaning the economy will force you into that if you don’t choose. But my belief is that if you make the choice yourself, you’ll be much happier with it because it’s your choice. Three is experiment. That tends to be for people who don’t know what their passion is. And so the experiment path, and there’s a whole set of guidelines on this, is about opening yourself up to different opportunities and ideas and locations and functions and sectors, looking for that spark of something that you might be able to fall in love with. Four is the money path. I think there’s a lot of people who just aren’t going to be at peace until they have financial security. So this tends to be for people whose need for financial security is high, they might fall to the money path. And the money path is you’re going after the dollar. That might mean investment banking or venture capital or strategy consulting or all sorts of things where you’re chasing money. And the last one, which is the one that I did, is the balance path. The balance path is, you know, that you want to monetize a passion or marry your work and your passion. Make that the same thing, but not yet. You’re going to do it later. And so what you’re going to do is spend the 5, 10, 15 years preparing for that day. And by preparing, I mean working in a regular career, ideally, that you really enjoy. But what you’re doing is you’re increasing the probability of success of monetizing a passion later in life. And that may mean having financial security. It may mean building certain capabilities or certain brands or certain networks or just certain understanding of things. And so the idea of the balance path is you’re very intentionally building out what you need to succeed when you switch over to the passion path later in life. So those are the five ways that passion and work can relate. They each have their audience. I’ve got a huge data set that says there’s a significant audience of young people that choose, you know, one of these five paths. And so the next time someone says, follow your heart, follow your passion, you should think, you know what? That’s terrible advice. I may not even know what my passion is. I may know what my passion is and understand that if I try to make money out of it, it’s not going to be my passion anymore. So my advice to you is to think holistically and in a structured way about how your passion and your work can relate to each other, and make that choice yourself. You can learn more about that in my book, Don’t Settle, A Pick Your Path Guide to Intentional Work. All right, thanks, everybody. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    6 min
  5. Kenny G: Compartmentalize Your Time

    Mar 31

    Kenny G: Compartmentalize Your Time

    After a brief hiatus, we’re back with another episode of the Youth Career Readiness: The One Question Podcast! Legendary musician Kenny G. joined us to to share his advice for middle and high school students on the importance of compartmentalizing their time and dedicating consistent effort to multiple interests. You may be surprised to learn that he has an accounting degree! Kenny G encouraged students to keep multiple doors open and develop diverse skills. You can become excellent in different fields with focused dedication. Michael Horn Today, we’re excited to welcome musician and recording artist Kenny G. Kenny is one of the best-selling instrumental artists of all time, known for building a decades-long career in music while, get this, also earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting, of all things, early in his journey. I suspect that a lot of my fellow jazz band members from back in high school will be a bit surprised to see him popping up on our podcast today. Julie Lammers Kenny, a lot of middle and high school students are feeling pressure to choose one path early, either something practical or something they’re passionate about. You earned your degree in accounting while steadily building your music career. How did you balance these two pursuits? And what advice would you give students who are trying to keep multiple doors open and navigate their own path to future success? Kenny G Here’s how I like to look at it, and I still look at life like this. I compartmentalize my time. So, here I am with my saxophone. I’ve already practiced 3 hours this morning. So I take some hours and I do something consistently. So practice your saxophone for hours a day for years. Study a few hours a day for those years. And you know what? You can just get good at lots of things and you can do lots of things to a top level. Maybe only one thing to the very top level, but you can get really good at a lot of things. If you just take those hours and dedicate it to whatever it is that you want to dedicate it to consistently over time. That’s what works. So with that in mind, let me play a melody for you. [MUSIC] All right, guys, sending you all my very best. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    3 min
  6. Ryan Fitzpatrick: Prepare Like Crazy

    12/16/2025

    Ryan Fitzpatrick: Prepare Like Crazy

    Former NFL-quarterback-turned-analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick joined us to discuss his experiences adapting to new environments throughout his football and media careers. Ryan shared practical advice for middle and high school students on how to succeed when entering unfamiliar situations—with an emphasis on being authentic, preparing diligently, and building strong relationships. Michael Horn Today we’re welcoming NFL quarterback turned analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick. And you may recognize Ryan from his 17-year career across nine NFL teams or, more recently, from Thursday Night Football where he’s brought his trademark energy and insight to the broadcast booth. And we are thrilled to have him on our podcast today. Julie Lammers We definitely are Michael. Ryan, you’ve had a remarkable career, one where you often had to step into brand new environments, sometimes on very short notice. And now you’ve launched a new career in media. For this question, I want to go back to those moments when you were starting fresh. Whether it was walking into a new locker room or now stepping into the broadcast studio. What advice would you give to middle school and high school students about how to succeed when they find themselves in a brand new environment or taking on a new pursuit? Ryan Fitzpatrick Here’s what I can tell you. Number one, be yourself. When you’re the new person, there’s a temptation to change who you are to fit in. But the most respect I ever got in a locker room came when I was authentic, letting teammates see the real me. Number two, prepare like crazy. You can’t control how talented everyone else is, but you can control your effort and how ready you are. Showing up prepared is going to build your confidence in yourself and it’s going to earn respect from others very fast. And number three, and the most important, build relationships. Whether it’s football, media, or any other workplace, people want to work with someone they trust. Ask questions, listen more than you talk, and don’t be afraid to show a little humility. So there’s my advice. Be yourself, put in the work, and connect with the people around you. Those are the three things that will help you succeed no matter what your environment is. Thank you for letting me join and good luck to all of you on chasing your own careers. Fitzmagic out. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    3 min
  7. Reed Hastings: Use AI for Real-World Learning

    12/02/2025

    Reed Hastings: Use AI for Real-World Learning

    Reed Hastings, the co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, joined us to share advice for middle and high school students navigating a rapidly changing world influenced by AI. Reed encouraged students to move beyond traditional academic achievements to use AI to build, design, and solve real-world problems. He highlighted how engaging with AI in meaningful ways—whether for developing business plans, designing spaces, or even crafting recipes—builds the adaptable skills necessary for future success. Julie Lammers Today, we’re welcoming entrepreneur and education innovator Reed Hastings. Reed is the co-founder and longtime CEO of Netflix, the company that transformed how the world watches television and movies. He’s also been a major force in expanding access to education and supporting innovative schools and learning organizations all over the world. Michael had the chance to sit down with Reed recently and get his advice for teens as they explore their careers. Michael Horn What advice, given all the change in the world right now around AI, how it could change the world, et cetera, what advice would you give middle and high school students right now as they’re coming up through the system and thinking about the choices that they’ll have and the choices that they get to make right now? Reed Hastings I think they’re pretty aware of what’s going on. But I would certainly add to the fact that doing well in the classic biology class in 9th grade is of modest use and continuing to use AI to build things and like design a house or a sewer system or, or a tree garden, you know, or a business. And sort of the more they can be involved back and forth with AI for developing their brain as opposed to, you know, what some teachers call “CheatGPT,” which is, you know, when you’re in the classic high school, it’s very tempting to just use AI to write the essay because it’s just too easy and too boring and you’re going to take the easiest route. So then it’s, you know, the challenge is using AI to do interesting things in the world. Like what’s a recipe that combines, you know, now I’ve got eggs and cardamom. And like, what would be an interesting way to combine eggs and cardamom to make something that’s tasty? So, you know, it’s sort of setting yourself challenges doing things with AI both in the virtual world, like creating a business plan or in the real world, like creating some breakfast. Because those skills of probing and learning and using AI, you know, to make a cool TikTok, it’s whatever they’re passionate about, I think will be, it’s the best way to prepare themselves for the future world. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    3 min
  8. Tony Hawk: The Lessons in Our Failures

    11/18/2025

    Tony Hawk: The Lessons in Our Failures

    Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk joins the One Question Podcast to discuss the importance of embracing failure and perseverance in both sports and professional life. Tony shares personal stories of overcoming obstacles, including setbacks in his skateboarding career and business ventures. He argues that failure is often the best teacher. He encourages middle and high school students to learn from their mistakes, pursue their passions with dedication, and see challenges as opportunities for growth. Michael Horn Today’s guest is a true pioneer in the world of sports, sports and youth culture. None other than Tony Hawk. Known as one of the most influential skateboarders of all time, Tony turned a passion that many dismissed as a fringe hobby into a global phenomenon. He was the first to land the iconic 900 spin and helped bring skateboarding into the mainstream through the X Games, through video Games, and through his own foundation that builds skate parks for kids across the country. Whether you know him from his tricks, his brand, or his relentless drive, Tony’s story is one of turning obstacles into opportunity. And before we bring him on, I’m delighted to have Julie Lammers join me as my new co host of this podcast. Julie was recently named as President and CEO of ASA. So, Julie, first, congrats. I’m thrilled to do this with you on your own career journey. And second, I’ll let you welcome our guest and ask him our question for today. Julie Lammers Thanks so much, Michael. I’m so excited to be doing this with you and excited to have Tony on our podcast. So, Tony, first off, thanks so much for joining us. We’re so excited to learn from you. As Michael was saying, so much of your story and the sport of skateboarding more generally is about overcoming obstacles and persevering through failure. What advice do you have for middle and high schoolers and how they can do the same in their professional journeys? Tony Hawk Wow. Well, skateboarding is mostly about failure. And I think the best, well, the best thing we can do with that failure is to learn from it, is to embrace it. I think that’s the key. Yes, you can resent your mistakes, you can regret them, but ultimately you have to embrace them because that’s the only way you’re going to grow and get better. And I mean, I’ve had some catastrophic failures. I’ve had crazy injuries, but in some way, I’m thankful for all of them because they each taught me a lesson along the way. I’ve had failures in business too, and learned a lot from those. Take for example, sometime in the late 90s, early 2000s, my partner at Birdhouse Skateboards and I decided we were going to do high end denim jeans. We didn’t know anything about the fashion world, the apparel business. We just knew that this designer that we were friends with made really cool jeans and suddenly realized after putting a lot of money into production and spending a lot of our resources and a lot of time, that people don’t really want to buy $200 jeans. And we didn’t have a lot of outlets, retail places for them, and we ended up having to sell the whole company in order to pay the banks back for the money we loaned from them. So that was a lesson in kind of staying in my lane. But when I say stay in my lane, you mean if you’re into something, your passion, whatever it is, your hobby, learn everything about it, even the stuff that seems boring and that you might not need because it’s going to benefit you in the end. That’s what I learned about the secret of business, about being in business in general. And so it’s my passion. And I, like I said, I really am thankful for the failures along the way because it taught me so much to appreciate the success even more. So I hope that helps. And like I said, don’t try to fail. But if you do fail, treat it as a lesson, and at some point, you look back and you go, man. I’m so thankful that I got through that, that I had the resources to get through that, and that I also had the capacity to change and learn. All right, that’s my pitch. I wish you guys all the best. Keep the hustle, stay motivated, and keep challenging yourself. See ya. Oh, and do a kickflip. The Future of Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelbhorn.substack.com/subscribe

    5 min
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About

Twice per month, this podcast features one-question interviews with celebrities from various sectors, including arts and entertainment, sports, journalism, and more, on their career advice and insights for youth. Hosts and authors Michael B. Horn and ASA's Jean Eddy will speak with guests about how they navigated a path to career success, things they wish they had known, and advice they would offer to middle and high schoolers about careers. This is for all caring adults interested in learning how they can help the kids and teens in their lives learn about careers and prepare for their futures. michaelbhorn.substack.com

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