Career Chat

Adam Cannon first tried theater in high school, even dabbled in college.  But it wasn't until he had his own kids who were interested in theater that he made his way back to the stage door, this time behind the scenes.  Adam has spent his career as a teacher and instructional designer, but his passion is directing live theater.  He even started a production company before Covid hit and shares the lessons he learned from that experience.  Adam has worked in community theater in Cottonwood Heights, Payson, Spanish Fork, American Fork, Alpine and Cedar Hills, Utah.  He has directed Matilda and the Utah premier of Bonnie and Clyde, as well as original musicals written by local playwriters.  But one of the most fulfilling experiences he's had is bringing a number of youth into the theater world and watching them take off.  Join me as Adam shares his passion and commitment to community theater and makes a case for why it's so important to support. LINKS: Thank you for tuning in! | Thank you for following along to our Theatre in the Heights, Tips of the Trade! It has been a full month of little lessons and lectures from our theatre... | By Cottonwood Heights Arts Council | Facebook Roll of the Director! | Adam Cannon talks about his roll of directing and what he loves about community theatre! Thank you for your love and passion, Adam! | By Cottonwood Heights Arts Council | Facebook

Anina Cummings and Lauren Russell both completed the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in Florida, USA.  Both consider themselves big Disney fans and both of them would recommend this paid internship to other college students.  But they also had different experiences doing the same program.  Join me to hear these back to back interviews with Lauren and Anina as they share their recommendations for people interested in applying for the program, the skills they think are an asset, their favorite rides, and what they learned working at Disney.  They also share their tips and tricks for making the most of your next Disney trip.   LINKS: Disney Programs (disneycareers.com) World of Disney® | Disney Springs Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge® at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida | Walt Disney World Resort (go.com)

Robb Wirthin is a graduate of the Air Force Academy with 21 years of service in the military.  He's also had a successful civilian career working for Ford as a senior technical leader in systems engineering.  But Robb's childhood dream was to become an astronaut.  His 3rd grade teacher inspired this goal when she assigned him as a class reporter on the space station Skylab.  Robb hoped the Air Force Academy would provide a foundation for NASA and he attended and graduated with honors.  But careers aren't always straightforward and Robb used the lessons he learned at the Academy to help him when his childhood dream came to an end.  In this episode, we discuss how to apply for and survive a military academy, the reasons behind the rigorous training, the roll that mistakes and failure play in our development and how to prepare for a military career.  And I couldn't resist getting his take on Top Gun Maverick! LINKS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab https://www.usafa.edu/

Amber Bird always loved photography growing up - in fact, she spent every last penny after high school graduation to buy her first DLSR camera.  And she's been taking photos ever since!  Amber taught herself the skills she needed to take amazing photographs.  In fact, she recently added a beautiful, new studio to her business, where she can combine her love of natural light with funky backgrounds and lots of color.  In this episode, Amber shares how she's pushed herself to learn skills, expand her business, win clients and try new techniques.  Where she started out taking photos for friends and family, a good portion of her work now is professional portraits and product shoots.  And because she loves the Fall and Halloween, she does an incredible Halloween photo shoot every year, just for fun!  Amber's passion for color and creativity have helped her develop a successful photography business and find her own niche. Links: Amber Lynne—Salt Lake City Fashion Photographer (amberlynnephoto.com) @daylightstudios

Rebecca Johnson is a family nurse practitioner with Jordan Women's Health Center in West Jordan, UT.  She's also a wife and mother with 5 kids who are involved in everything from mountain biking and ski team to opera singing!  Rebecca earned her bachelor's of nursing from the University of Utah and worked as an RN at Boston Mass General in her early days. She then moved to CA with her husband and worked in the NICU at Stanford.  It was there she decided to go back to school at UCSF to get her NP degree. Rebecca has also taught undergraduate nursing students at UCSF and BYU and has a subspecialty in Women's health.   In this interview, Rebecca shares why her degree is a great fit for the busy life she shares with her family.  We'll talk about the uptick in depression and anxiety that she's seen in her patients since Covid, how she diagnoses and treats patients with PCOS, and why sleep and time spent in nature are so important to wellness.  Nurses are trained to educate and Rebecca shares a wealth of knowledge about her career path in this episode.    Links: Jordan River Women's Health - Utah Obstetrics and Gynecology (jordanriverwh.com) Leaders in Nursing Education, Research, & Clinical CareCollege of Nursing | University of Utah School of Nursing and Health Professions | University of San Francisco (usfca.edu) Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic Amazon.com: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (Audible Audio Edition): Matthew Walker, Steve West, Simon & Schuster Audio: Books

Kyle Ackerman is a Park Guide at Arches National Park in Southeastern Utah.  But his path to this career was as winding as any nature trail.  Kyle graduated from college with a degree in liberal studies and an emphasis in new media communications, or "journalism" as he tells everyone.  But he also loved photography and public speaking.  After a few years working in marketing, Kyle started as a seasonal worker at a national park and decided that was the career path for him.  With experience working in Flagstaff, AZ; Sitka, Alaska; and Death Valley, Kyle eventually made his way to Zion National Park and now Arches.  In this episode, we talk about how to apply for a job with the NPS, what a typical day is like, some of the challenges park guides face and one of Kyle's fondest memories working at Arches.  We also talk about how to visit the national parks with sustainability in mind and have the best experience possible.  Kyle's career advice for working in the NPS is valuable, as is his advice to anyone searching for their life's work. If you love the National Parks like I do, listen to this episode! Links: USAJOBS - The Federal Government's official employment site Home | AmeriCorps Arches National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) The Student Conservation Association (thesca.org)

Sharlene Wells first gained national attention when she won the 1985 Miss America title. But that was only the beginning of her varied accomplishments.  Sharlene now works as the senior vice president of public relations and organizational communications for Mountain America Credit Union, which includes overseeing government and community relations, something she has plenty of experience in. One of Sharlene's passion projects has been working with the US military to tell the stories of service men and women.  In fact, she shares a pivotal experience she had with a Vietnam vet just a few years ago. Sharlene grew up in South America and was the first woman to win Miss America who was foreign-born and bilingual.  She learned the power of differentiation when she performed a Paraguayan harp solo while she sang in Spanish for her talent in Miss America.  She's continued to be a stand-out in everything she's done, including working for ESPN as one of their first women reporters.  We'll look back over her dynamic career to find the skills that anyone can develop for success.  Join me!  LINKS: Miss America 1985 | Sharlene Wells 🇺🇸♥👏 - YouTube UVU: Women's Success Center Lecture Series - Sharlene Wells Hawkes - YouTubeEp 4:  Multiply Success, Interview with Sharlene Wells, Miss America, ESPN & Executive Successes - YouTube President Reagan meeting with Miss America Sharlene Wells on January 23, 1985 - YouTube

As the daughter of two teachers, K.C. Boyd didn't want to follow her parents into education.  But after various jobs, she was bored and unfulfilled.  It was then K.C.'s dad suggested she work towards becoming a school librarian, and she never looked back.  Now, after 20 years in the field, K.C. was just named Scholastic Library Journal's 2022 Librarian of the Year. K.C. is currently the librarian at Jefferson MIddle School Academy in Washington, D.C.  In this episode, K.C. discusses why librarians are so fundamental to learning and the impact they can have on overall student achievement.  K.C. also shares the role she played with students as the Capitol riot was unfolding just blocks away from her school.  And wait until you hear about the no-TV Wednesdays she grew up with as a kid! It's all in this episode. KCBOYD.COM - KC Boyd, Librarian/Library Media Specialist K.C. Boyd Named 2022 School Librarian of the Year | School Library Journal (slj.com)

My mom has been my biggest supporter throughout my life and always listens to my podcasts.  But she also has a story tell - one that is full of difficulty softened by faith.  In 1973, my mom suffered a life-threatening emergency when she developed HELLP syndrome during her labor with my sister (that wasn't the term they used back then, so my mom is a case study in the medical books). Every Mother's Day since has been a gift, because she almost didn't make it.  In this episode, we talk about some of her memories growing up, her experiences working at Grand Canyon to put herself through college, and her first years working as a teacher.  But it's her traumatic birth story, the critical days afterward and the years she spent trying to heal that have made my mom one of the most empathetic people I know.  Her advice to people suffering from long-term illness is so good.  And her experience grieving her old life and making adjustments to a new life is worth hearing.  Come meet my mom! 

In this episode, I talk with Josh Allen, English professor and the author of two collections of scary stories for kids.  Josh's love of the spooky started when he was kid, watching all of The Twilight Zone episodes with his dad.  But it wasn't until much later in his life that he realized writing spooky stories was what he wanted to do as part of his career.  Now, Josh teaches creative writing at BYUI and continues to write scary stories for middle-grade readers.  We talk about why reading scary stories can be good for kids and why fiction is good for all us. Josh shares great advice for anyone who wants to write and for everyone looking for their life's work.  Don't miss this one! Josh Allen Website: https://joshallenwriter.com The Storytelling Animal | Jonathan Gottschall