This podcast is a journey.  A pipe dream. A creative outlet. A window of hope. 

I left my job as a high school science teacher in 2022 and transitioned into staying home with our son (and now daughter!). While I still coach cross country and track & field, I don't hold an out-of-the-home job title. So how did I end up on this road of being interested in researching jobs and sharing the story behind the title?

Being a teacher was a dream for me. Specifically, being a teacher at the school I taught at was the dream. And I landed it right out of college. Thinking I was set for life during that first school year, things began to unravel as the world fell apart in a pandemic, as my perspective on balance shifted, as my exhaustion increased, as my complacency became overwhelming, and as my quarter-life crisis kicked in. Was this what I truly wanted?

While I don't regret my four years of being a teacher, I do question why I never considered the multitude of pathways that so many around me have explored. 

Enter: Job Title. A place to learn, be challenged, take chances, and wonder. What do people really do at their jobs? My friends, family, neighbors? How did they get there? What was their inspiration? What keeps them motivated to stay?

The podcast path may be full of unexpected turns, but there should be great adventure in exploring. Adventure doesn't come without risks and fear, but that's what makes it real. 

I hope this podcast shows you the reality behind the job titles people carry. I hope that you hear authenticity in their stories. And the forever-teacher in me truly just hopes we can all learn something, whether that's about work-life balance, appreciating skills others' possess, our dependence on each other, or simply being kind.

Thanks for being here.