What's Your Escape Velocity?

Kevin Sawyer
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What's Your Escape Velocity?

"Why do we do something instead of nothing?" That's the question at the heart of "What's Your Escape Velocity?". Each bi-monthly episode features a lively conversation with a career changer, as they tell their story of breaking through the inertia of the everyday—the comforts, the routines, the false truths we tell ourselves. Some are glorious successes. Others are epic failures. None of them is a straight line. Looking for inspiration to tackle a new career, pick up a new hobby, or just choose to show up to the world in a more authentic and meaningful way? This is for you.

Episodes

  1. 006 / Xiomara Lorenzo / "Begin where you end"

    12/21/2020

    006 / Xiomara Lorenzo / "Begin where you end"

    ABOUT THIS EPISODE A passionate champion of human centered design, Xiomara Lorenzo (she/her) combines her backgrounds in business strategy, data analytics, and product leadership to help organizations make data-driven decisions to better serve customers. She is the founder of Xiomara Lorenzo Designs, a boutique studio specializing in handcrafted 3D-printed jewelry. HIGHLIGHTS 1:35 The origins of Xiomara Lorenzo Designs 4:24 Learning about 3D printing 6:32 The philosophy of continuous growth 8:38 How to live in a spirit of continuous growth 12:00 The relevance of history 15:00 How to overcome self-doubt 18:40 Advice for living through change 22:58 Knowing when and when not to pursue change QUOTES "One should always be growing, both as an individual and in the relationships they are in" "There's a lot that can come out of a moment of, [...]'Oh, I used to think this way, but actually my mind is expanded and now I'm thinking more broadly. I can actually hold more, and not be so siloed in my thinking.' That's a really great aspect of humanity." "Every cycle, every period, there's a crack of openness that can be driven through." "If you're trying to change, it has to inherently be more than just you. You have to really inspire people. And that's in some ways the biggest innovation beyond the product you deliver." "The study of history has been a great teacher to me. [...] I take history with me, as part of how I think and how I approach things." "There was no longer that question of, 'Can I do this?' It's a matter of, 'How am I going to do this?' And that's a very empowering place to shift to." "With change can come a rethinking of yourself, an opportunity to get to know yourself better." "To forge yourself into something new takes a lot of willingness to see that head on. And if you're not willing to, then I think that's just as important to know about yourself as it is to say, 'I am ready to grow.'" RESOURCES Xiomara Lorenzo Designs (3D printed jewelry) http://www.xldesigns.co/ Still Processing (podcast) https://www.nytimes.com/column/still-processing-podcast SOUNDTRACK "Palms" by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz "Trip to Ganymed" by KieLoKaz Headshot by Alex Macini Photo ___ Presented by Modern Wordshop www.modernwordshop.com

    28 min
  2. 005 / Soo Uhm / "I just need to know the goal"

    12/07/2020

    005 / Soo Uhm / "I just need to know the goal"

    ABOUT THIS EPISODE Soo Uhm is learning the art of acupuncture after a globe-trotting journey of jobs in teaching, finance, and advocacy. It all began with a worried cab driver in South Korea. HIGHLIGHTS 1:22 - From college to South Korea 5:16 - Detox retreat and traveling 7:00 - The influence of immigrant parents 8:35 - "You can't be good at everything" 9:36 - Red flags to watch for in a job 11:40 - Being happy vs. being satisfied 13:30 - The impact of the pandemic 19:19 - Finding roots 20:22 - Straying from parental expectations QUOTES "I just felt like I was trapped in this chair for no reason in this confined space, and I just felt like, 'This is why people age.'" "I was happy enough but I wasn't satisfied." "Because my parents were immigrants, you have to do 10 things with one thing: What can I do make this happen with what I have?" "What really hit me hardest was when I wasn't good at things." "You can't be good at everything. You just can't be too hard on yourself. I think that's the biggest thing: Give yourself a break." "I think it's very easy to be satisfied. [...] But I wanted to do something that actually was going to be a part of me. I wanted my job to be a reflection of who I was, and not a separate entity." "What my parents envisioned for me was nothing that I did. And that's OK. But it was many years of friction." "As long as you understand *why* you're doing it, and you understand that it's not going to easy, but you really think this is what you need in your life—I think you should go for it." RESOURCES Lonely Planet (travel guides) https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ SOUNDTRACK "Palms" by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz "Trip to Ganymed" by KieLoKaz ___ Presented by Modern Wordshop www.modernwordshop.com

    25 min
  3. 004 / Drew de Michaelis / "Focus on the people"

    11/23/2020

    004 / Drew de Michaelis / "Focus on the people"

    ABOUT THIS EPISODE Drew de Michaelis left a career in finance and customer experience to grow the family business: cremation services. HIGHLIGHTS 1:52 - Drew's journey from finance to the death industry 6:28 - The broad trend toward cremation and away from funerals 9:36 - The demographics of cremation customers 11:40 - Customer service training in the death industry 13:45 - Treating customers well 19:38 - An optimistic outlook starting the job 24:15 - Finding meaning in the day-to-day 29:35 - Working with a sibling QUOTES "Once I was sold and committed to joining, I was super optimistic with the business's upside. [...] I was focused on looking up as opposed to saying, 'Look at all the things that could go wrong.'" "I enjoy my work now more, and so it doesn't feel like I'm working as much as I probably am." "I don't think that people should have to be burdened by this end-of-life expense. We know it's coming for everyone. [...] If the business exists, I think we should operate not as a super capitalist mindset but as a super people-focused mindset. The money will come. I think we can take the greed off the table and focus on the people and you tend to get good results that way." "Treating people well is a good practice in business. I think it comes back in a lot of ways that bring you more success and also more enjoyment out of your work." "Our families get great care when our team feels they're cared for. And so in any way I can do that, I try." "I've taken the approach of, 'You guys are going to give me all your good ideas, and I'm going to help you make that a reality if I can.'" "That's what we're trying to measure our success by, 'How many people can we get to have a great experience and be treated with fair pricing and a great team?'" SOUNDTRACK "Palms" by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz "Trip to Ganymed" by KieLoKaz ___ Presented by Modern Wordshop www.modernwordshop.com

    33 min
  4. 003 / Blaire Jenkins / "This isn't your only moment"

    11/09/2020

    003 / Blaire Jenkins / "This isn't your only moment"

    ABOUT THIS EPISODE Blaire Jenkins's passion is meeting people in their worst moments—a consistent theme in her work as an EMT first responder, a uniformed police officer, and a student ministry director relating to teenagers. HIGHLIGHTS 1:52 - Career inspirations from TV Land 2:58 - Learning about God at a Christian youth group 4:30 - The decision to become a youth pastor 6:58 - Becoming an EMT 8:35 - Joining the police force 11:30 - Similarities between youth ministry and first responders 12:57 - Ministering to teenagers virtually in the COVID-19 era 14:12 - How teenagers think about the future 16:03 - How to know when you're in the right (or wrong) career 20:40 - The interplay of faith and authority 23:40 - Ministering to vulnerable people as an EMT QUOTES "I wanted to do for other teenagers what I felt like adults who weren't my parents, who chose to care about me [...] I wanted to do that for other people." "I wanted to be there in someone's worst moment to remind them that it's not their only moment." "As teenager, we try on identities; as adults, we try on careers." "If you can stand the paperwork—the stuff that you really get paid to do—then you're probably in a good spot." "I'm the type of person that, it's not enough for me to put a Band Aid on. I want to solve the problem." "I wanted to help people with the reason they got there, not the symptoms." "If I have context, I know how to move forward." "It never felt like I was following orders so much as I was following a natural path that I may or may not have ended on eventually." "I always saw the ministry opportunity, never as a [...] self-righteous person, but trying to see that as, 'What if I was sitting there?'" RESOURCES TVLand - (television channel) - https://www.tvland.com/ The A Team (show) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084967/ Adam-12 (show) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062539/ SOUNDTRACK Palms" by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz "Trip to Ganymed" by KieLoKaz ___ Presented by Modern Wordshop www.modernwordshop.com

    29 min
  5. 002 / Philip McCluskey / "The goal is to shoot straight"

    10/26/2020

    002 / Philip McCluskey / "The goal is to shoot straight"

    ABOUT THIS EPISODE Philip McCluskey is a professional writer, enthusiastic story-seeker (and teller), and an avid empathizer. He has traveled to 40+ different countries on six continents, has officiated four weddings, and has had three separate friends name things after him: A beer, a cat, and taxidermied puffin. He was also once rescued at sea by a retired plumber. Follow along as he drinks with people he doesn't know at www.adrinkwithastranger.com. HIGHLIGHTS 1:40 - Phil moves to Key West 2:38 - Phil suffers existential career crisis, meets with a career counselor, decides to become a writer 5:58 - Phil explains the Stoic philosophy 7:35 - The Stoic philosophy can be help up in times of chaos and disruption 8:05 - Phil introduces his book project, Drink with a Stranger 11:30 - Fear and lack of intention can lead people into mismatched careers 15:00 - The absurdity and overly complex work processes 17:40 - The delights of living in San Francisco 19:00 - Phil's 8-country global trek as a solo traveler 20:08 - A transformative moment at Coit Tower 22:25 - Releasing yourself from expectations and uncertainty 24:00 - Risks are necessary if you want the reward 25:35 - Accepting things as they are and trusting in yourself 29:00 - Constant upheaval as positive training for the younger generation QUOTES "Once you're in a career, you can change it [...] but there's a long stretch ahead, so if you have an idea, you might as well take an opportunity while you have it." "Because it was so uncomfortable and because it was definitely not for me, it forced me to ask myself some questions about what was for me." "A lot of us get caught up in trying to control everything, and the Stoics are really, really good about reminding you that there are only so many things you can control. The things you can't control are a waste of your time and energy." "A single conversation with a stranger; it's amazing how quickly it goes from small talk to the real things that matter in our lives." "Everyone wants to be heard. Social media is basically a bunch of people just screaming out to be heard. And everyone's yelling over each other right now. And that's understandable considering the amount of noise to there. But there's also a signal—and usually those signals are better heard when you're speaking one one." "I could have stayed in that kind of job for a long time. But because it was so antithetical to what I wanted, I was confronted every day with the pain of not doing what you want to do. And that forced me to make the choices I did." "Risks are necessary in a lot of cases if you want the reward." "Having a more open mind to just how diverse the opportunities are out there, and trusting in yourself and what you can do, and recognizing when you aren't in the right role—that there's a reason something inside of you is telling you that." RESOURCES Cocktail (movie) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094889/ The Daily Stoic (book) — https://dailystoic.com/ Drink with a Stranger (website) — https://www.adrinkwithastranger.com/ Coit Tower (monument) — https://sfrecpark.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Coit-Tower-290 Garden State (movie) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0333766/ SOUNDTRACK "Palms" by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz "Trip to Ganymed" by KieLoKaz/li> ___ Presented by Modern Wordshop www.modernwordshop.com

    32 min
  6. 001 / Jarret Izzo / "Big juice, little juice"

    10/12/2020

    001 / Jarret Izzo / "Big juice, little juice"

    ABOUT THIS EPISODE Jarret Izzo tell us about his journey from dueling piano player to PR professional to elementary school teacher. HIGHLIGHTS 0:04 - Definition of "escape velocity" 5:25 - The day Jarret quit his PR job 9:50 - The realization that made Jarret leave his full-time piano gig 13:05 - Why the day-to-day nature of PR work wasn't enjoyable 14:30 - The search for meaning in the big-picture mission and the day-to-day routines 16:40 - The need for patience when trying to pivot your career 20:00 - Finding inspiration while volunteering to teach middle schoolers on the weekends 22:04 - Looking for opportunities to try out other things 23:42 - Cold-calling antique stores on Charles Street for an apprenticeship 26:40 - The importance of intuition and feeling 30:30 - The performative appeal of PR 32:45 - The urgency appeal of teaching 36:08 - Setting up shadow opportunities to observe a variety of teaching environments 44:15 - Learning by seeing vs. learning from instruction 48:55 - Jarret's joys of teaching 52:05 - The challenges of maintaining academic consistencyduring a pandemic 61:12 - Using dissatisfaction as the engine for positive change QUOTES "You know what I don't want to be? I don't want to be loading out heavy equipment at 2 in the morning when I'm 50; I know that, that's how I can make that kind of lifestyle decision concrete." "I wasn't getting a bigger picture of an overall meaning of this work that I can latch on to days when I'm not feeling it." "There's some sort of interplay between, [...] 'What's the purpose of this work?' And 'Do I actually enjoy the minutia, the actual doing?'" "Hopefully life is long, and you can fashion a career pivot or a lifestyle pivot. But it's kind of like a [...] rocket ship, you've got to just steer one half of one degree to the starboard. And then all of a sudden, 6 months later, you're going to be in a very different place." "One of my ways of exploring 'Is this for me?' was by looking for opportunities to try out other things." "At 11:30 the show is going on regardless — so you gotta figure it out. So I like that aspect very much, of it being 'showtime.' And I think that's something that over the course of several careers chunks, I've found that to be an appealing thing. There's an 'on' time and there's an 'off' time. "I tried on a lot of different costumes in a very compressed timeline." "I feel more ownership of the situation, and I find that satisfying." "What's happening day-to-day in a classroom is pretty different than what's happening in a lecture hall, or what the requirements of an education course are. "There's a confidence in the material that I'm teaching [to elementary students], that it's going to be valuable. I can guarantee that you're going to need adding; I feel very confident in that. So I never have a big-picture crisis going, 'What's the point of this?'" "Who knows what the lasting academic impact of [the pandemic] will be? And so, any encouragement I can give my [class] to still work hard or still achieve, even if it's some strange at-home or hybrid model, has got to be valuable in some way." "If I felt sort of out of control [...] I'm going to take that core of dissatisfaction and use it positively as the engine for moving on to the next thing." SOUNDTRACK "Palms" by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz "Trip to Ganymed" by KieLoKaz ___ Presented by Modern Wordshop www.modernwordshop.com

    1h 3m
  • 6 Episodes

About

"Why do we do something instead of nothing?" That's the question at the heart of "What's Your Escape Velocity?". Each bi-monthly episode features a lively conversation with a career changer, as they tell their story of breaking through the inertia of the everyday—the comforts, the routines, the false truths we tell ourselves. Some are glorious successes. Others are epic failures. None of them is a straight line. Looking for inspiration to tackle a new career, pick up a new hobby, or just choose to show up to the world in a more authentic and meaningful way? This is for you.

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Sawyer
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kevin Sawyer

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