Kimberly Baker grew up in New Jersey with a lot of opportunities in front of her, until one lifechanging day when she got to shadow a neonatologist. At only 11 years old, Kim basically knew she wanted to be in the healthcare space in some capacity. She graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology  with her BS in Engineering, after doing a 5 year program that also incorporated co-op programs and graduate level certificates. The co-op portion of her collegiate career played a pivotal role as Kim knew before even finishing her degree that she would be shifting in product marketing and strategy when finishing college. Hear Kim talk about her journey in the product marketing space between established companies doing global scale product launches to start-ups focusing on the domestic market in orthopedics, women's health, and now cardiology. Her journey wasn't the most linear, but Kim is an incredible example of following her passions and using her previous experiences to guide her future ones! 

Chirayu Baxi grew up with a physician as a father and dentist as a mother, so he knew from an early age that helping people in the healthcare space was something he wanted to do long-term. He graduated from the Loyola University Chicago with her Bachelors of Science in Biology in 2009 and completed his MD from St. Georges University School of Medicine in 2015. Chirayu initially went to college thinking she was going to pursue pharmacy as a career path, but then he decided to switch his focus to medicine after his sophomore year. Making the decision late in his collegiate career would then have a major impact on the path he would inevitably end up taking to get to his current position. Listen to Chirayu talk about his path from Chicago to Greneda to New York City and then back to Chicago. What a full-circle ride he's been on, but he would not have had it any other way. If you think people just end growing up to be doctors and it's a simple path, listen to this episode! 

Liz Ewen was just a middle school student when she first came across genetics in her journey, reading a book on Cystic Fibrosis that would basically change her life. That book and her classroom learnings on Punnett squares basically set her on a course for her entire career. She graduated from the University of Connecticut with her Bachelors of Science in Genetics in 2000 and completed her PhD in Molecular Biology from Boston University in 2010. Liz initially went to college thinking she was going to pursue physical therapy as a career path, but then genetics pulled her back in. So much so that she completed her PhD after seven years of grad school and mice models. Hear as Liz recounts her incredible journey from a child in New Jersey to becoming a PhD scientist and now a medical science liaison. If you like lab science and/or genetics or ever had an interest in a PhD... this is an episode for you! 

Nav Iyengar came to the United States, from India, before he was 5 years old. Starting his life growing up in Michigan and Wisconsin, Nav initially thought he would grow up to be a doctor. After enjoying Debate in high school, he then thought that lawyer was the right profession. Neither ended up being the path he'd take... but his journey has worked out incredibly anyway!  He graduated from Loyola University Chicago with his BA in Finance in 2015.  Starting his story in the currency trading space, Nav traversed numerous industries and positions as he took a winding road across the spectrum of opportunities to get to where he is today. After getting through the pandemic and teaching himself numerous skills, Nav combines his knowledge of IT and passion to work with people in his role in PLM. Listen to Nav recount all of the different stops he's taken along his journey and how unique every experience has been along the way. What a story and inspiration for us all. 

Allison Edwards grew up and wanted to be a veterinarian. She knew at a young age that she loved animals and thought that being a veterinarian was the right job for her. Now, 25 years later... she's doing just that! She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with her BS in Animal Science and then went on to complete her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Tennessee. Unlike many other people that have had journeys with numerous twists, turns, and stops... Allison has a pretty straightforward story. She wanted to be a veterinarian and worked as hard she possibly could to get there. Still, the road wasn't exactly easy. Listen to Allison tell her story about how difficult it was to get into vet school, the types of experiences she had while there, and what life is like as a veterinarian in a small suburban Nashville town! Her story is an inspiration to all! 

Stephanie Scearce grew up in Massachusetts thinking she was going to be a dancer. She thought that dancing or teaching dance was her path in life. Then, an ankle injury showed her how quickly that could all be taken away from you.  Since then, her life has taken a number of turns but all towards happiness! She graduated from Roger Williams University  with her BA in Anthropology and Sociology, after having a professor that opened her eyes up to what that field was all about. After having a couple different interests and positions throughout her career, Stephanie now works as a staff accountant for a CPA firm outside of Boston. She's taught herself how to handle bookkeeping for multiple clients and is focusing on driving AR for her current project. Listen to Stephanie talk about her journey from wanting to do dance or event planning or early childhood education and how she somehow ended up handling numbers and financials for some sizable organizations throughout the Greater Boston area. Her story may not be an easy one to have been on, but definitely is educational to listen to! 

Jon Esmail really had no idea what he was going to do with his life when he was growing up. He knew he loved sports, but that was about it. He had assumed that sports would take him beyond high school and would be his opportunity to get to college and beyond. What he didn't know was exactly how sports would the foundation for his career. Jon began his post-high school career at Worcester State College, but didn't return to campus after suffering an on-field injury during his freshman year. Having left his college program, Jon began his incredibly serendipitous path of going from being an assistant high school football coach and bar security to helping troubled kids in the classroom to now running the entire athletics department for the Hartford Police Athletic League.  Listen to Jon give some incredible real-world advice on what life has been like for him since leaving Worcester State and how many incredible people have had some influence on his career and his life. This may not have been the journey that Jon expected to take back in 2001, but there is no question that he's impacted the lives of thousands of young men and women across CT in the last 2 decades. 

Dan Tompkins knew he loved science, and so he grew up thinking about going into medicine. What he didn't know then was what type of medicine he would be doing. Years of working at a local garden & nursery shop inevitably led him down his career path of agricultural science. He graduated from Delaware Valley College with his BS in environmental design and ornamental horticulture and then went on to the University of Florida for his Doctorate in Plant Medicine.  Currently, Dan has pivoted a way from his passion of agricultural science to start a new company called GrowMars focusing on agricultural growth and development in space. Listen to Dan talk about the numerous issues and topic areas that plague the agricultural industry and the myriad of concerns that the common person will never even hear about, let alone understand. He's a wealth of knowledge about everything related to plants and agriculture and well on his way to helping solve some of the world's biggest questions on food production and plant growth. 

Phil Maddalena grew up thinking about being a singer or a rapper, but quickly realized that he probably wasn't going to be able to make a living off of that. Then, he thought teaching would be a good career path to take. That didn't get very far. Inevitably, Phil saw that Law was his calling and he became a criminal defense attorney. He graduated from Quinnipiac University with his BS in psychology and then went back to Quinnipiac University for his J.D. Currently, Phil works for a private firm in Connecticut as an associate criminal defense attorney and also has his own private practice doing criminal defense work. Listen to Phil talk about his journey and how his illusions of grandeur were rudely busted up by mountains of student debt and a tough job market even for someone who passed the BAR exam on their first attempt. His story shows how difficult life can be even for people with specialized degrees. There are no easy roads and Phil's story proves that. 

Tune in as Kristen tells us how she went from making her own skirts as she thought about going to medical school... to owning her own design studio. She graduated from Framingham State University with his BS in Design with a Minor in Art. Kristen went from making clothes for her Barbie Dolls and sewing her own clothes in high school to then actually becoming a designer for big name intimate and swim wear lines like Lane Bryant, Avon, and Victoria's Secret.After numerous jobs in Boston and New York City allowed her to gain loads of knowledge about design, merchandise, and apparel... Kristen started her own self-titled company that now helps other people with fashion ideas get off the ground and grow their business. In her current role, Mark is the Founder and Owner of KNDRSN. An incredible story and journey that could have changed at many points along the way, Kristen shares some of the trials and tribulations of a young fashion designer making her way in a giant industry. Tune in now! 

Alan "AJ" Pelletier didn't go the "normal" route of high school to college to job. He listened to advice that his dad gave him and decided to go to Trade School and bypass the college degree. Today... he regrets that decision. A.J. started his path towards a trade school by electing to attend a technical high school instead of general one. He was focusing on manufacturing as the path he wanted with the expectation that he would progress in it.  After completing high school, A.J. instead went on to complete his plumbing certification at the Industrial Management Training Institute . Not loving plumbing and wanting to pursue something more in the realm of art, A.J. started his online program for graphic design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh but the school closed down about 3 months before he could complete his coursework. Today, A.J. works as a full-time CNC operator and a part-time graphic designer. In his free time, he was the lead vocalist for a band and is pursuing his aspirations to record his own solo album! Listen to his story today! 

Janan Dave grew up in New Jersey watching various baking and cooking shows on the Food Network, thinking that she'd grow up to be a pastry chef. As you can imagine, that hasn't happened yet. Instead... Janan has built her career on focusing on helping people dealing with the behemoth that is the U.S. healthcare system. She went into the College of Arts and Sciences at University of Pennsylvania as undeclared, but left with her BA in Health and Societies. After having worked for numerous agencies and start-ups (both in the United States and in India), Janan currently heads up the patient operations for TomorrowHealth, a small start-up in New York City focusing on the aging/senior population. Listen to her detail her journey from getting to Penn with no real idea of what to do and having one freshman level course change the trajectory of her career. She gives some great advice on the weight put on each individual job and how careers aren't made by gaps in resumes. Even though she hasn't had a long career yet, Janan has already learnt a lot about the business world and what being a professional is all about. Check out her story! 

Ryan Marut grew up with dreams of being the replacement to Tom Brady as the QB1 for the New England Patriots. With those dreams not really working out, he knew he still wanted to work in and around sports. He initially went to St. Johns University to study Sports Management, but ended up transferring to Florida International University to be a part of a D-1 football program in addition to his studies. After completing his Bachelors Degree in Sports Management, Ryan also went on to get his M.S. in Sports Management from West Virginia University.After completing his Masters Degree, Ryan initially thought that he had enough education and experience to get a full-time job somewhere and an internship was probably beneath him. Still, he humbled himself enough to take an internship with the Cleveland Browns and that set off his career to where it is. Ryan now manages operations for football games, concerts, large events, and much more at Ford Field in the Greater Detroit area. Listen to his story and hear how he got to where he is! 

Andrea Baggetta really liked her AP psychology class in high school. She would never have thought that one class would have then set her off on to the journey that her career has taken. She graduated from Sacred Heart University with her BA in Psychology and then went on to get her MA in Psychology with a Concentration in Child Development from Boston University. After finishing her MA, Andrea realized psychology wasn't going to get into a direct job and took whatever position was available to her that time. It didn't take too long to realize that she needed something else. After doing some internal reflections on what/when made her the happiest, she realized that she wanted to be back on campus at Sacred Heart. From a gloried intern position, Andrea has worked her way up through the ranks to make it to Director of Graduate Admissions for the College of Arts and Sciences (and other programs). Listen to her story and her advice on doing things for yourself, not for others. 

Anuja Martinez went into college thinking she was going to do something in business or computer science. She left college with a completely different perspective on where her life was going to go. She graduated  from Indiana University with her BA in Religion and then went on to get her MA in Clinical Social Work with a Concentration in Sex Therapy from the University of Chicago.While getting her degree from IU, Anuja was volunteering and putting in hours at different shelters for victims of domestic and sexual violence. That would basically be the starting point for her to finish school and start down the path that she's been on ever since. Currently, Anuja is the lead ER social worker at the University of Chicago Hospital focusing on adult patients. Listen to her give some great insight into how her story changed from her college days to now and also detail some of the incredible work that social workers are doing every day!Check it out now! 

J. Salome Martinez went to see The Wiz as a child and the rest, as they say, is history. He knew that he wanted to be a performer, but there is no way that he thought that would lead him to a career a bona fide screen, theater, and voice actor.  He graduated from Barat College with his BA in Acting and immediately went on to get his MFA in Acting & Directing from the University of Florida.Since finishing up in Florida, Salome has acted in 20+ tv shows and feature movies along with countless theater performances, tv commercials, and voice acting opportunities. This guy grew up on the Southside of Chicago and has gone to places like South Africa to act for HBO. Hear his story and his advice now! 

Kate Orefice was pretty much driven towards studying speech pathology from her early childhood years. That interest was further strengthened after she and her family dealt with a tragedy when Kate was in high school. By the time she was off to college, Kate pretty much knew what she was going to be. She graduated early from Southern Connecticut State University with her BS in Communication Sciences & Disorders and went on to get her MS in Special Education with a Teaching Certification at St. Joseph's University (PA).Currently, Kate lives in Virginia and focuses her work with students across the K-12 age group throughout an entire county. Listen to her give some invaluable advice about taking a her personal and family experiences and using them as motivation to go out and make this her lifelong endeavor. Her story may not be easy and direct, but it's one that shows true commitment to the goal of helping those who need it. 

Sheila Kelly was unsure of what she wanted to be when she grew up. What she did know was that she didn't really want to have the same jobs her parents did. Well, she definitely accomplished that. She graduated early from Brandeis University with her BA in English and Economics and immediately went on to get her Masters in Public Health from Boston University. As you'll hear, a tragic event occurred in her undergraduate experience which set her off on the path that Sheila is on today. Currently, Sheila manages numerous research projects being run through multiple health and hospital systems around the greater Philadelphia area. Listen to her give some invaluable advice about taking a horrible situation and building from it to the point where she's made a career out of it. This is an episode that you do not want to miss!