Forever Employable Stories

Lindsey Pollak is a bestselling author and keynote speaker. In 2020, she was named on the Thinkers50 Radar List, which honors the top global management thinkers. Her work is shaping the future of how organizations are managed and led, and she is dedicated to helping employers nurture the kind of cultures that develop the diversity modern businesses need to succeed.  Lindsey chats with Jeff Gothelf about why writing worked as an exit from the mainstream career track and its struggles, how being present in the conversation is equally important, and how to stay relevant to the current conversation to become forever employable. You’ll hear Lindsey and Jeff Gothelf discuss: How Lindsey got her startup into public speaking. Following her interests and her skill sets while watching what was happening in the markets. Being able to pivot and reposition to stay relevant.  Doing the things that you love. The challenges of writing despite all the connections and advantages Lindsey had.  Having a big sister and RA approach to how she guides the millennial generation. In the Forever Employable podcast, host Jeff Gothelf shares stimulating, impactful stories and interviews with successful professionals as he prepares to launch his new book. It is his aim to provide listeners with the actionable insights to take them from professionally fit to forever employable.  Watch the full conversation with Lindsey and Jeff here.  Resources Jeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | Twitter JeffGothelf.com Lindsey Pollak on LinkedIn | Twitter LindseyPollak.com Recalculating: Navigate Your Career Through The Changing World of Work

Mathieu Bitton started his career as a graphic designer who, like most early-career creatives, didn’t have a huge amount of content to demonstrate his abilities, so he created an aspirational portfolio of exactly the kind he wanted to have throughout his career. Decades later, he has created almost everything he originally imagined. From freelance gigs, to American Eagle, to a project with Quentin Tarantino to becoming a sought-after photographer and artistic director for major musicians, Mathieu has mastered the art of being forever employable. You’ll hear Jeff and Mathieu talk about: Creating a vision for the future you want and taking steps towards it. How Mathieu wore down the defenses of a gatekeeper standing between him and an amazing opportunity. Why he left a prestigious, 6-figure salaried position to take a chance on a creative project.  Why music and photography were such intense passions. What you need to do to stay relevant in an industry with a heavy churn rate and tons of competition. The secret to networking. How Mathieu curates what he presents on social media, and why you should, too. The fact that there will always be challenges and obstacles between you and what you want to achieve – but you can often remove, or work around them. In the Forever Employable podcast, host Jeff Gothelf shares stimulating, impactful stories and interviews with successful professionals as he prepares to launch his new book. It is his aim to provide listeners with the actionable insights to take them from professionally fit to forever employable.  Watch the Full Conversation between Jeff and Mathieu Resources Jeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | Twitter JeffGothelf.com Mathieu Bitton on: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Matthieu Bitton

Nir Eyal is the Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of Hooked and Indistractable. He is also a public speaker and Behavioral Design Consultant and Investor at Nir Eyal. Most notably, Nir was able to transform what used to be a side gig into a profitable career in consulting. His valuable knowledge and dedication were rewarded with professional advancement as people started paying him attention.  Nir joins Jeff Gothelf to share tactical insights about how owning your audience makes you forever employable. You’ll hear Nir and Jeff Gothelf talk about: Nir’s inspiration for his bestsellers. Tips for writing your book. The importance of immersion as an author. Why the cake (not the icing) is the audience you own. How following your curiosity leads you down the right path. Why your input and experience are valid contributions. What builds self-confidence. In the Forever Employable podcast, host Jeff Gothelf shares stimulating, impactful stories and interviews with successful professionals as he prepares to launch his new book. It is his aim to provide listeners with the actionable insights to take them from professionally fit to forever employable.  Watch the full conversation between Nir and Jeff here. Resources Jeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | Twitter JeffGothelf.com Nir Eyal on LinkedIn | Twitter NirAndFar.com 

At the age of 30, Danny Thompson moved from frying chicken at a gas station to a career in software development. He is now a software engineer and a chapter founder at Google Developers Group. Since then, his mission has been to give back to his community and to help others like him locally and around the world by sharing his journey. Danny chats with Jeff Gothelf about getting hired in tech, and how to use social media to become forever employable. You’ll hear Danny and Jeff Gothelf discuss: What sparked the change in Danny’s life. Why you shouldn’t concern yourself over timelines. The power of prioritization. How Twitter can be a place of opportunity. What drives Danny to help people. How the current crisis has impacted Danny and his work. In the Forever Employable podcast, host Jeff Gothelf shares stimulating, impactful stories and interviews with successful professionals as he prepares to launch his new book. It is his aim to provide listeners with the actionable insights to take them from professionally fit to forever employable.  Watch the full conversation between Danny and Jeff here.  Resources Jeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | Twitter JeffGothelf.com Danny Thompson on LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Tara Schuster is an author, playwright, and an accomplished entertainment executive. Upon graduating college, Tara had no idea what she was going to do with her future. Through establishing herself as someone who could do the most hated tasks, and do them well, she was able to seize many opportunities. Tara joins Jeff Gothelf to share her story and to explain why being the best at the worst will make you forever employable. You’ll hear Tara Schuster and Jeff Gothelf talk about:  Her foray into the entertainment industry.  Being the best at the worst.  The rarity of true confidence and reliability.  Showing the value that you possess and working around people's expectations.  Planting flags and acting with integrity.  The importance of making writing a habit and a practice. In the Forever Employable podcast, host Jeff Gothelf shares stimulating, impactful stories and interviews with successful professionals as he prepares to launch his new book. It is his aim to provide listeners with the actionable insights to take them from professionally fit to forever employable.  Watch the full conversation between Tanya and Jeff here. Resources Jeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | Twitter JeffGothelf.com Tara Schuster on LinkedIn TaraSchuster.com Buy Yourself The Lilies

In this Forever Employable Story, Jeff Gothelf talks to Tendayi Viki who made the major leap from Academia into tech after noticing a need for usability researchers and to stem the concern about being able to rely on traditional employment. Because often, opportunity meets preparation, Tendayi dove deep into the lean start-up community, volunteering his time and expertise to establish his authority and reputation as an expert which, over time, allowed him to develop his own content, audience and practice as an innovation consultant. You’ll hear Jeff and Tendayi talk about: How Tendayi reinvented himself after leaving Academia  Leveraging the Stanford name and relationships into Silicon Valley boardrooms.  Mitigating the risks that comes with changing careers. The importance of reputation building and how to make it part of your regular schedule. Transitioning to more virtual work during the coronavirus pandemic. Why you need to recognize blessings when they come – and work with them. In the Forever Employable podcast, host Jeff Gothelf shares stimulating, impactful stories and interviews with successful professionals as he prepares to launch his new book. It is his aim to provide listeners with the actionable insights to take them from professionally fit to forever employable.  Watch the full conversation between Tendayi and Jeff. Resources Jeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | Twitter JeffGothelf.com Pirate in the Navy and The Corporate Startup by Tendayi Viki Tendayi Viki on LinkedIn | Twitter

Joel Hoekstra is the current guitarist for the hard rock band Whitesnake and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and is someone who Jeff Gothelf believes embodies the 5 key characteristics of being Forever Employable. Despite a global pandemic and huge disruption to the music and performance industries, Joel is staying busy and productive, and continuing to make a living doing what he loves to do. By constantly reinventing himself and being dedicated to his craft, Joel has developed a diverse set of income streams that will be able to weather any obstacles. You’ll hear Jeff and Joel talk about: How Jeff’s career was a series of small steps rather than a single breakthrough. The way that opportunities seem to come from doing things that don’t make much sense at the time. His belief that lives are changed by simple decisions – and because of this, you create your own destiny to a certain degree. Why he thinks that promotion from anyone matters – no one is too small an opportunity. The importance of finding ways to be productive and move forward every single day. What it means that “the window can close so easily,” and how you can make sure your opportunities stay open.  Why you should try to have an understanding of where you sit in the big picture. Watch the whole conversation between Jeff and Joel. In the Forever Employable podcast, host Jeff Gothelf shares stimulating, impactful stories and interviews with successful professionals as he prepares to launch his new book. It is his aim to provide listeners with the actionable insights to take them from professionally fit to forever employable. Resources Jeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | Twitter JeffGothelf.com Joel Hoekstra on: Twitter  | Facebook  JoelHoekstra.com

It’s demo day on this special episode of Forever Employable. Jeff Gothelf invites individuals from the first cohort of his ten week workshop Becoming Forever Employable, to share their stories and what they’ve learned. They give tips and advice on how to implement the concepts they learned from Jeff’s podcast, and their own personal advice to make you forever employable. You’ll hear the First Cohort and Jeff Gothelf discuss: The challenges individuals have to overcome when building an online presence, a reputation, network and platform for themselves. Experimenting with what works, and doing so regardless of what the world tells you to do.  Overcoming imposter syndrome and perfectionism. When planting your flag, and deciding what expertise you’re going into, you need to reflect on where you’ve been, what you’re good at and what you love to do. Future proofing your career to find what value you can add to the world. Not letting your job become your identity. Once you plant your flag, you have to start generating content in any way you believe your audience will consume. We need to be consistent in messages that we send to our audiences, as well as the frequency we send them in order to be heard. We need to build trust, as well as our personal and professional brand.

Welcome to Forever Employable Stories, a podcast where Jeff Gothelf is showcasing some of the inspiring experts who embody the ideas in his book: Forever Employable: How to stop looking for work and let your next job find you. Jeff has spoken to people from all walks of life who decided that the traditional career ladder was not the path they wanted to follow. These are people who used their passion, expertise, and experience to build platforms that future-proofed their careers.  In this series, you’ll hear from artists, entrepreneurs, developers, athletes and more, and you’ll learn how you can do what they did – using their skills and knowledge to create platforms for your community that you can use to create your own opportunities and future-proof your career. Jeff’s background is in technology, and for many years, he followed a traditional career path in that sector. But with every merger and acquisition, or new technological development, he had to wonder: “Will I get the next job? the next raise? the next promotion?” He radically changed his career and built a platform that allowed him to create content and a community that afforded huge opportunities – and security for the future. Listen to these stories of talented people from different industries and walks of life, to learn how you can do it, too.