Designing Your Work + Values Ecosystem with Nathan Bransford

Designing Your Work + Values Ecosystem with Nathan Bransford

Nathan Bransford is the writer's champion, offering A to Z advice for writers about the craft of storytelling, finding an agent, navigating the publishing industry, and everything writers need to make their dreams come true. Don't leave if you're not a writer, though! This episode is for anyone who loves the stories people tell about their varied career paths. Nathan has amazing advice about determining your values and making them the pillars to build your work and life around. Everything that matters to us can exist in one integrated ecosystem that we build and refine as we go. Nathan believes in Extreme Calendaring to make this possible, i.e., if it's important to you, put it on your calendar. Nathan also has a sad/sweet childhood story about the beloved author Roald Dahl. And, along with all the talk of meaning and values, Nathan and I speak tongue in cheek about the sweet, sweet joy of money. It's all in this amazing episode with author, editor, and uncredited life coach Nathan Bransford. Chapters 00:23 Who is Nathan Bransford 3:34 Nathan's early career as a literary agent 8:11 Writing dreams and Roald Dahl! 11:51 What is a literary agent? 13:27 Starting his website/insider tips for writers 18:21 Leaving the literary agent gig 24:42 Work Pivots - CNET, Bridgewater, and more 36:15 Riding the waves vs. charting a course 41:25 A new career driven by values and meaning 47:36 Building the ecosystem (it's all connected) 52:10 Prioritizing meaning (with values pillars) 57:21 Nathan's editing/coaching services 1:04:39 Putting creative time in the ecosystem 1:11:10 What Nathan does for fun (World Cup!) 1:15:18 Why do we write? 1:22:35 Be the protagonist/hero of your own life 1:34:32 Extreme Calendaring (It worked for me) Links: Nathan's website: https://nathanbransford.com/ [https://nathanbransford.com/] One of my favorite posts by Nathan, How To Live Creatively: https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2023/01/how-to-live-creatively [https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2023/01/how-to-live-creatively] Nathan's How To Write a Novel: https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/10/my-guide-to-writing-a-novel [https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/10/my-guide-to-writing-a-novel] Nathan's Jacob Wonderbar series:  * https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2010/08/jacob-wonderbar-and-cosmic-space-kapow [https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2010/08/jacob-wonderbar-and-cosmic-space-kapow] * https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2012/03/jacob-wonderbar-for-president-of-3 [https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2012/03/jacob-wonderbar-for-president-of-3] * https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/02/jacob-wonderbar-and-interstellar-time [https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/02/jacob-wonderbar-and-interstellar-time] Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackman: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209739/rock-paper-tiger-by-lisa-brackmann [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209739/rock-paper-tiger-by-lisa-brackmann]/ We Need Diverse Books: https://www.diversebooks.org/ [https://www.diversebooks.org/] Pitchfork (where Nathan finds new music): https://pitchfork.com/best/ [https://pitchfork.com/best/] I Do This For a Living is independently produced.  @serenitylive [https://www.instagram.com/serenitylive]

Try the Side Gig; It Might Be the Calling with Lt. Joe Nickerson

Meet my brother, Lt. Joe Nickerson. He started in law enforcement as a side gig and discovered it was the perfect fit for his specific strengths and calling. Joe describes his first experiences in the police academy as "life-changing." Learning a new job within law enforcement became Joe's next aha moment. Now he had found not just a calling but a role comprising everything he cared about most. I loved this conversation with one of my favorite humans. His connection to his calling is inspiring. Listen for that and stay for the great advice about finding your own strengths and leveraging them. Chapters 02:27 Early understanding of how work relates to identity 07:22 Joe’s 7-year-old self may have known 08:31 Planning a bivocational life (ministry + side gig) 11:48 Starting college 12:37 Law enforcement: the side gig 17:37 Law enforcement in rural America 20:41 Law enforcement: the calling (and how to get there) 33:06 Strengths finding: a new role in the department is a surprisingly perfect fit 35:45 Starting over in Omaha 40:44 Specializing again (negotiator training) 46:54 Naming AND aiming our strengths for success 53:56 Trusting the calling even when others doubt 1:00:11 Long-term goals, leaving a legacy, and never leaving the calling 1:06:13 Misconceptions about law enforcement 01:23:24 Feeling cohesion (what is cohesion?) 01:28:19 Come work for the Omaha PD! (the many possibilities of a job in law enforcement) 01:32:45 It worked for me Links Gallup strengths: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx JoinOPD.com https://www.joinopd.com/  Omaha 360: https://empoweromaha.com/violence-prevention-omaha-360/ Other references Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Kevin M Gilmartin I Do This For a Living is independently produced.  @serenitylive [https://www.instagram.com/serenitylive]

Get Interested, Change Your Life with Dennis Trinkle

Dennis Trinkle was the son of a pastor and on a similar track until a teaching job along the way inspired him to go back to school. He liked teaching but knew he would have better success with more education. When fulfilling a liberal arts requirement led him to a philosophy class, he discovered an interest that would shape his next move and his continued education for years. There are more pivots in Dennis's story--all sparked by pursuing the paths he found interesting. Dennis is a longtime friend, thankfully always willing to discuss big ideas with me. I couldn't wait to hear his work story and learn more about how his current job fits into it. Chapters 05:15 Indiana Jones (early work thoughts)  08:30 Being a pastor's kid and wanting to be like Dad 15:31 Bible College and church work 20:22 Pivoting! Enjoys teaching, goes back to college 24:14 Choosing a major from the life of J.R.R. Tolkien 26:35 Philosophy is interesting, adding a major! 31:26 After college...more college (pursuing a doctorate) 35:56 New career track ("This sounds interesting") 40:45 Let's talk Liberal Arts 48:52 What is a Senior Quality Analyst? 56:19 How it matters 01:02:16 Taking things apart, including thoughts and Ideas 01:06:43 Big ideas, social media, and understanding each other 01:14:53 Talking to kids about work and education choices 01:21:16 It worked for me (learning HOW you like to work) Links Dennis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-trinkle/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-trinkle/] The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix: https://www.johnhendrix.com/the-mythmakers  [ttps://www.johnhendrix.com/the-mythmakers ] I Do This For a Living is independently produced.  @serenitylive [https://www.instagram.com/serenitylive]

You Bring the Meaning with Carrie Gaines

Carrie Gaines and I have a shared work experience but very different relationships to work in general. We worked together in the grant-seeking and management department of a health professions university - a workplace that set the bar for both us when it comes to professional and supportive work environments. Carrie transitioned from her grants management role after getting new assignments at the University that piqued her interest even more. This is the story of her transition, the supportive response she received from the workplace she was leaving, and the internal work she finds most important of all. Carrie has been an inspirational voice in my work life - she's a soundbite a minute! I can't wait for you to meet her. Chapters 02:56 Carrie's backstory, early understanding of work 05:30 Kid dreams and first experience with college 08:13 Finding what you like at work by doing it 10:08 Our shared experience in a positive workplace 15:34 How that workplace reacted to her new interests 18:01 Personality in the workplace ("I only extrovert for money") 25:50 Carrie leans into new interests and a work transition 30:34 Internal work first ("Wherever you go, there you are") 36:03 Personal responsibility in work experiences 44:50 Carrie's transition, a brand new track 52:33 If you want to work in compliance... 55:46 The importance of internal work (reprise) 01:00 Finding Meaning in Work 01:09:42 Talking to kids about work 01:12 Everything is going to be okay 01:15 It worked for me 01:16:44 We all have more in common than we think Links Carrie on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-gaines-5b5ba990/] We took our Myers-Briggs assessment at 16 Personalities [https://personality.co/16personalities-test] I Do This For a Living is independently produced.  @serenitylive [https://www.instagram.com/serenitylive]

When Knowing Yourself Means Quitting the Dream Job with Charity Long

It's another sister episode! Today, Serenity chats with her younger sister, Charity, "a singer and a mom." Charity had her dream job, a paid worship pastor at her church. She has a lot of insight about what it really means to have a job in ministry/nonprofit. When her leaders took the team through the Working Genius framework to discover their work personalities, Charity realized why the administrative parts of being an on-staff worship paster had been so challenging for her. There came a point when she determined the right move would be letting go of the job that looked so perfect for her on paper. This is her story! Charity also talks about homeschooling, creative dreams, and making a big family adventure possible. Chapters 2:56 I want to be a singer and a mom 7:36 First jobs 9:19 From volunteering to a staff position in ministry 12:33 How ministry/nonprofit is unique from other jobs 20:01 Artist questions - is there more I could do, did I miss my break? 23:17 Quitting the dream job 30:16 Leveraging cosmic insignificance in decision-making 39:20 The Working Genius framework and realizing you’re in the wrong job 48:09 The difficulty of untangling your identity from your title 1:00:03 What it takes to homeschool 1:07:45 Taking the whole fam to Costa Rica for 10 weeks! 1:12:02 It Worked for Me Links Charity on Apple Music [https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-more-perfect-ep/556403359] Charity in her role as worship leader [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlQPZoMtq28] Parenting is for Losers  [https://www.youtube.com/@ParentingIsForLosers] Working Genius [https://www.workinggenius.com/] Charity and her husband, Ryan, sing an original song about NOT telling their younger selves how great it’s going to be: Don’t Tell Them Anything [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS4St5azSGI] Also discussed:  Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown  Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman  I Do This For a Living is independently produced.  @serenitylive [https://www.instagram.com/serenitylive]