Stine wasn't happy in her law job—until a pottery class changed her life. Now she's a sought-after ceramicist, making beautiful pieces for top chefs and restaurants. We hear a lot about bringing your whole self to work, being the real you in the office. But that can be easier said than done. And for Stine Dulong, it's been a journey. Stine moved fr…

Barry's decision to leave his corporate job to work for a health nonprofit was deeply personal. When you’re having one of those tough days at work, it helps to focus on the big picture. To remind ourselves why we do what we do. That sense of perspective is what motivated Barry Greene. Barry started out working as an accountant in corporate tax. And…

Sometimes our career plans are taken out of our hands. That’s what happened to Stephanie Wolf. She was a ballet dancer, performing with companies across the US, including Wonderbound (formerly Ballet Nouveau Colorado), the Metropolitan Opera, James Sewell Ballet and Minnesota Ballet. Stephanie thought she’d be dancing until she was 40. But a seriou…

Will is quite the reinventor. He's been an actor, executive, therapist, and personal trainer. Now he's a life coach examining people's dreams. A few years back, a palliative nurse who cared for patients as they were dying, recorded the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. Number one on the list? "I wish I'd had the courage to live a…

When the pandemic hit, many of us had this desire to help in whatever way we could. Aki Naito took that to the next level. Aki had worked in technology for years. She was really good at taking these complicated ideas and tools, and explaining them to people. Then March 2020 came along. Aki saw an opportunity to take what she’d learned in tech, and …

When James Murgatroyd was 18, he had his whole life mapped out. He was going to meet a girl, get married at 25, own a BMW by the time he was 30. But he became a dad when he was 20. That wasn’t in the plan. Priorities shifted, and he went to work for a bank, then in local government and social enterprise, before becoming a construction manager. Thos…

Maha Bodhi escaped a brutal childhood and forced marriage in Yemen. When the pandemic threatened her career, she had to transform her life again. Maha grew up in Yemen, where she endured a brutal upbringing and was forced into two violent arranged marriages. She managed to escape and set up a life for herself in the US, working initially in human r…

For season two, you'll hear from people whose lives were derailed by the pandemic. These are stories of turning a bleak situation into something bright, to bring you a little solace and inspiration. Hosted by journalist Clare Wiley, The Reinventors tells stories of radical career change. Subscribe and tell a friend!…

For the final episode in our first season, I’m excited to share the incredible story of Elena Joy Thurston. Elena grew up in a really turbulent home, and joined the Mormon church in her teens. She did what good Mormon women do: got married and had kids. But deep down, she knew something wasn't right. She began to develop feelings for a female frien…

When Stephanie Erazo worked as a news producer at CNN, she was basically on call, and eventually the stress really wore her down. So she decided to take a trip to India, where she had a literal epiphany, under a waterfall in the Himalayas. She knew she was in the wrong job and decided to follow her passion of health and wellness. When she came back…

Amanda Blumenthal was working as a sex and relationship coach, when she saw that the HBO show Euphoria was hiring an intimacy coordinator. This was back in 2018, when no one really knew what an intimacy coordinator was. But Amanda thought she could do it — and when she went for the interview, she was hired on the spot. Amanda is now LA’s first inti…

A quick note: this episode of The Reinventors was recorded before the global uprisings sparked by the killing of George Floyd and the swell of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. I want to take this moment to acknowledge my own unknowing complicity in systemic racism, and recognize that I need to do much more to use my privilege to amplify…

Josh Klooz was an infantry officer in the US army, serving in Afghanistan in 2011. He loved the volatility and intensity of combat. But because he was starting a family, he made the tough decision to leave the army. Like many veterans, for Josh, finding a calling outside the military was really difficult. The path wasn’t straightforward. Now, Josh …

Pamela Joy worked in Silicon Valley for more than a decade. But difficulties she was having in her sex life prompted her on to go on a journey of self discovery (that word is overused but this really was a journey). She left her job as a data scientist at Facebook to retrain as a sex coach. Now, she helps people who are struggling with their own se…

This episode I’m excited to be talking with Jen Mattiola. Jen worked in the fashion industry for over 15 years, starting out as a fashion stylist, and then launching her own sustainable handbag company. But stress piled up and eventually she hit rock bottom. The job went from something that gave her joy, to the source of her stress and anxiety. The…

I’m so excited to share this episode: an interview with the wonderful Marlina Moreno. Growing up, Mar always felt like she was in two different camps: the nature nerds and the cheerleaders. That led to a really unusual career path. She started out as an NFL cheerleader and dancer, but then retrained as a conservation biologist and filmmaker. Mar no…

This episode I'm chatting to Anna Mortimer. Anna began her career as a journalist, working as the Moscow correspondent for The Times. Her father had been a journalist too, reporting from war zones in far-off places. But then, when Anna was 19, her father was murdered. That set off a chain of events that led to Anna retraining as a therapist. She we…

Saffron Finch worked as a corporate lawyer in London for 10 years. The job got more and more stressful and in her early 30s, it became overwhelming and she had to quit. After a whole lot of soul searching, she is now setting up a luxury furniture and interior design business. We chatted about how Saffron dealt with burnout, how she found a communit…

This episode I’m speaking to the seriously ambitious and ever-curious entrepreneur, Jake Lau. In high school, Jake wanted to be a fighter pilot, a race car driver, or an investment banker on Wall Street... really, anything that would bring him white-knuckle adventure. But a twist of fate meant he ended up becoming an accountant. Within days, he kne…

This episode I’m so excited to be talking to Allie and Trent. Just a couple of years back, this amazing couple were working desk jobs — Allie in healthcare and Trent in sales. Every weekend they would take trips in their van, but they quickly realised they wanted to be in the van for longer than just short trips. Now, they’re living full time in th…

This is The Reinventors, a brand new podcast about radical career change. Journalist Clare Wiley speaks to people who took the leap into a totally different job. This is a show that’s all about walking out on what we think we should do, and being brave enough to pursue work we love. You’ll hear from an NFL cheerleader who became a conservationist, …