Lifetime at Work: Career Advice Podcast

Episode 34. What do you know about the insurance industry? Diving in quickly you learn that it can be a tremendous place to learn about the world of business and make money as someone new, young or old. The role of brokers is perhaps the most fun.

With guest Stanislav Kojokin, co-founder and CEO of KASE Insurance, he tells us all about his journey through the industry and co-founding the company and the great culture they have today. At over 2,000 clients on their roster, his team works alongside companies as they navigate what can be the complicated world of insurance, while offering his employees an invaluable opportunity to learn about insurance and the business world.

Key Takeaways and Discussion

• Background in the industry and building KASE Insurance.
• Why he was drawn to working within the insurance industry.
• Examples of entry level jobs in insurance.
• What makes KASE Insurance different from their competitors. 
• The biggest challenges he faced in becoming successful in the insurance industry.
• How confidence builds once you start gaining more wins.
• Advice for those considering a career in insurance.
• Stanislav’s personal goals and what he’s striving for now.
• How the insurance industry has changed, especially with increasing use of the internet.

Episode 33. There are many reasons we work hard at our jobs. Sometimes we work too hard and sometimes we work without really thinking why.  Hamza Khan is an international keynote speaker, author and business owner who has been through the trenches working the long hours he needed to prove himself. Unfortunately when you do that, you can burnout, without even recognizing what happened.

In this episode host Greg Martin speaks with Hamza about his book The Burnout Gamble, along with his theories around work, millennials and how we are sometimes motivated by fear and other times trying to prove something to ourselves and our parents. 

Hamza is an expert in modern leadership, purposeful productivity, and navigating change with resilience. His TEDx talk "Stop Managing, Start Leading" has been viewed over two million times. He introduces his clients to new ways of being so they can get out of their fear cycles and begin to thrive in a sustainable way.

Episode 33. There are many reasons we work hard at our jobs. Sometimes we work too hard and sometimes we work without really thinking why.  Hamza Khan is an international keynote speaker, author and business owner who has been through the trenches working the long hours he needed to prove himself. Unfortunately when you do that, you can burnout, without even recognizing what happened.

In this episode host Greg Martin speaks with Hamza about his book The Burnout Gamble, along with his theories around work, millennials and how we are sometimes motivated by fear and other times trying to prove something to ourselves and our parents. 

Hamza is an expert in modern leadership, purposeful productivity, and navigating change with resilience. His TEDx talk "Stop Managing, Start Leading" has been viewed over two million times. He introduces his clients to new ways of being so they can get out of their fear cycles and begin to thrive in a sustainable way.

Episode 32. Our working habits have changed, but not everyone thinks that should stay. Many employers out there feel like everyone working from home right now should head back to the office. Others thing embracing the work from home or the hybird lifestyle is here to stay.

Adam Pekarsky works in the recruitment industry and has witnessed employers grappling with this issue. Is work from home dead, dying, or here to stay? Adam emphasizes that a career is a contact sport. He believes those who return to the workplace will have advantages over those who don’t. That said, working from home has not led to decreased performance, and it’s important to lead your people with as much flexibility as you can. The debate rages on…is the work from home dying, or here to stay?

Episode 32. Our working habits have changed, but not everyone thinks that should stay. Many employers out there feel like everyone working from home right now should head back to the office. Others thing embracing the work from home or the hybird lifestyle is here to stay.

Adam Pekarsky works in the recruitment industry and has witnessed employers grappling with this issue. Is work from home dead, dying, or here to stay? Adam emphasizes that a career is a contact sport. He believes those who return to the workplace will have advantages over those who don’t. That said, working from home has not led to decreased performance, and it’s important to lead your people with as much flexibility as you can. The debate rages on…is the work from home dying, or here to stay?

Episode 31. Katie Jefcoat is an expert on happiness. She has read all the books, reviewed all the studies and has been on the hunt to help people bring more happiness to their lives. It starts with understanding what makes us happy. 

A former lawyer, Katie is the host of the Everyday Happiness Podcast, she is also a best-selling author, public speaker, and entrepreneur. When the pandemic hit and she saw the way it impacted the world, Katie found herself researching everything she could about happiness.

Katie took the information she was collecting daily and began sharing it on her podcast. There are so many different factors you have control over that can increase your level of happiness. Sometimes its not about changing something to become happier, sometimes it’s about mindset, and all the happiness we need is right there today.

Key Takeaways

• Over the course of the episode, Katie takes us through her journey from being an intense work-all-the-time lawyer, to having her children and the pandemic transform her professional life
• As she discusses all the theories around happiness, we cover:
  • Happiness is a responsibility no matter what the state of the world is
  • The media you consume and the way you engage with it matters
  • Which factors (such as genetics and environment) contribute most to your happiness.
  • Where long-lasting happiness actually comes from
  • Why satisfaction is elusive and how to create it in your life
  • How your social interactions influence your happiness.
  • Small ways you can work in a gratitude practice every day.
  • What the research says about money and happiness.
•  We also cover Why being happy all the time isn’t realistic and Katie’s recipe for increased happiness

Katie’s Background

• Katie originally pursued a career as a lawyer after graduating from Mitchell Hamline School of Law
• After having kids, she realized becoming a lawyer wasn’t really her passion, a few months into the pandemic, Katie started researching happiness
• Katie now shares information on all things happiness on the Everyday Happiness Podcast

Episode 31. Katie Jefcoat is an expert on happiness. She has read all the books, reviewed all the studies and has been on the hunt to help people bring more happiness to their lives. It starts with understanding what makes us happy. 

A former lawyer, Katie is the host of the Everyday Happiness Podcast, she is also a best-selling author, public speaker, and entrepreneur. When the pandemic hit and she saw the way it impacted the world, Katie found herself researching everything she could about happiness.

Katie took the information she was collecting daily and began sharing it on her podcast. There are so many different factors you have control over that can increase your level of happiness. Sometimes its not about changing something to become happier, sometimes it’s about mindset, and all the happiness we need is right there today.

Key Takeaways

• Over the course of the episode, Katie takes us through her journey from being an intense work-all-the-time lawyer, to having her children and the pandemic transform her professional life
• As she discusses all the theories around happiness, we cover:
  • Happiness is a responsibility no matter what the state of the world is
  • The media you consume and the way you engage with it matters
  • Which factors (such as genetics and environment) contribute most to your happiness.
  • Where long-lasting happiness actually comes from
  • Why satisfaction is elusive and how to create it in your life
  • How your social interactions influence your happiness.
  • Small ways you can work in a gratitude practice every day.
  • What the research says about money and happiness.
•  We also cover Why being happy all the time isn’t realistic and Katie’s recipe for increased happiness

Katie’s Background

• Katie originally pursued a career as a lawyer after graduating from Mitchell Hamline School of Law
• After having kids, she realized becoming a lawyer wasn’t really her passion, a few months into the pandemic, Katie started researching happiness
• Katie now shares information on all things happiness on the Everyday Happiness Podcast

Episode 30. Tricia Timm hid who she was for years as she climbed the corporate ladder as a lawyer, aspiring to be better and better eat each step. But, what did better mean and what was the top? Throughout much of her career she hid that she was Latina and in other cases hid that she was a mother. 

At a certain point she decided to stop hiding and to out herself. Rather than being ashamed of her background, she decided to come out and talk about it. To tell her store and inspire young Latina women, she decided to write a book.

With host Greg Martin, this interview covers her story and how many of us feel in the workplace, not totally comfortable with revealing who we are, but also not comfortable sharing our true selves. It wasn’t something she even knew, but once it dawned on her that she was hiding, she decided to reclaim her identity and began advocating for inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

Yes, the culture of white males tend to dominate many places of professional work - but to break-in we must advocate for inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

Key Takeaways

• Tricia’s vast personal and professional accomplishments, absent of knowing her cultural background
• How not seeing people like her in the corporate world impacted her
• Why diverse thoughts, perspectives, and people create better companies
• The moments that brought up inner conflict during her career
• Why she decided to “out” herself in a LinkedIn post
• When Tricia feels like an imposter and how she navigates fear
• Signs your work environment is inclusive and ways to be inclusive while respecting a diverse team
• How to build your support network in the workplace
•  How storytelling helps build bridges between people
• The obstacles Ttricia faced as a new mom in her career, including secretly breastfeeding in parking garages
• How and why she started her own firm—and why she left it

Episode 30. Tricia Timm hid who she was for years as she climbed the corporate ladder as a lawyer, aspiring to be better and better eat each step. But, what did better mean and what was the top? Throughout much of her career she hid that she was Latina and in other cases hid that she was a mother. 

At a certain point she decided to stop hiding and to out herself. Rather than being ashamed of her background, she decided to come out and talk about it. To tell her store and inspire young Latina women, she decided to write a book.

With host Greg Martin, this interview covers her story and how many of us feel in the workplace, not totally comfortable with revealing who we are, but also not comfortable sharing our true selves. It wasn’t something she even knew, but once it dawned on her that she was hiding, she decided to reclaim her identity and began advocating for inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

Yes, the culture of white males tend to dominate many places of professional work - but to break-in we must advocate for inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

Key Takeaways

• Tricia’s vast personal and professional accomplishments, absent of knowing her cultural background
• How not seeing people like her in the corporate world impacted her
• Why diverse thoughts, perspectives, and people create better companies
• The moments that brought up inner conflict during her career
• Why she decided to “out” herself in a LinkedIn post
• When Tricia feels like an imposter and how she navigates fear
• Signs your work environment is inclusive and ways to be inclusive while respecting a diverse team
• How to build your support network in the workplace
•  How storytelling helps build bridges between people
• The obstacles Ttricia faced as a new mom in her career, including secretly breastfeeding in parking garages
• How and why she started her own firm—and why she left it

Episode 29. Company culture is the focus of managers, owners and employees alike, but the question around what we’re all looking for isn’t always easy. Speaker, author, and business transformation expert Steven L. Blue discusses his background and why he’s an expert on company culture. Through experiences at different levels of an organization and his roles working to improve and fix the internal workings of different businesses.

With host Greg Martin, the interview covers topics including the divide between blue collar and white collar culture, rooting out problems within a company, trusting and respecting employees and interacting with subordinates.

Key Takeaways

• Steven got his bachelor’s degree when he was 40. He pursued his goals ruthlessly and was always willing to take on the assignments no one else would. This has made him an expert problem solver—a skill he uses now in his own business to identify issues from the top down.
• Other topics discussed include:
  • The benefits of pursuing education at a later age.
  • #1 trait employees are looking for from their job is “RESPECT”
  • How you can use education to distinguish yourself in a blue-collar industry.
  • Why it’s important to pursue your goals with everything you’ve got.
  • The secrets to creating and delivering a great speech.
  • How to cultivate a respectful team environment.
  • What people really desire to have in their work.
  • How to deal with internal growth limitations in the workplace.
  • Top tips for improving company culture, and where to start.