It's The Mama Episode! Let's hear from Kathy Nickerson, mom of four (including your host, Serenity Bohon), emotional/spiritual mom to hundreds more, author, and eternal optimist. Kathy knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a writer, but it took her some time to admit it and go for it. Now, she has five books published in her "granny lit" series, a book for young readers called Jack and the Green Dragon, and a book on its way to readers soon, A Girl Called Something. Kathy and Serenity talk about childhood and how we bring things from it that we might need to learn to overcome. Kathy shares her work history and her mission during the pandemic to tell us all that it would be okay, a mission she hasn't stopped since. This episode is filled with meaningful stories and warm advice from a mama who loves the role and sees it as the calling she brings to everything she does.

Chapters
7:53 My dad was a farmer
13:09 I always wanted to be a mom (and a writer)
21:29 Bringing the writing dream into the light
28:17 Kathy's day job years
28:17 Kathy's weekly Facebook videos
39:54 Kathy's activities and how they all connect
43:00 Spearheading Regen, a recovery program
48:46 Kathy's "granny lit" book series
57:49 The new book, "A Girl Called Something"
1:04:23 Defining success
1:09:18 Matching our strengths to our activities
1:12:11 Your calling has strengths and weaknesses
1:22:23 Getting Back What's Missing (teamwork)
1:28:40 Parenting advice from a seasoned mama
1:36:20 People are the most important ingredient (It Worked for Me)

Links
Kathy online: https://www.kathynick.com/
Kathy on FB: https://www.facebook.com/KathyNick

A mimeograph! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFIUm0DWA74

Regeneration (find a program near you): https://www.regenerationrecovery.org/

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive

Nathan Bransford is the writer's champion, offering A to Z advice for writers about the craft of storytelling, finding an agent, navigating the publishing industry, and everything writers need to make their dreams come true. Don't leave if you're not a writer, though! This episode is for anyone who loves the stories people tell about their varied career paths. Nathan has amazing advice about determining your values and making them the pillars to build your work and life around. Everything that matters to us can exist in one integrated ecosystem that we build and refine as we go. Nathan believes in Extreme Calendaring to make this possible, i.e., if it's important to you, put it on your calendar. Nathan also has a sad/sweet childhood story about the beloved author Roald Dahl. And, along with all the talk of meaning and values, Nathan and I speak tongue in cheek about the sweet, sweet joy of money. It's all in this amazing episode with author, editor, and uncredited life coach Nathan Bransford.

Chapters
00:23 Who is Nathan Bransford
3:34 Nathan's early career as a literary agent
8:11 Writing dreams and Roald Dahl!
11:51 What is a literary agent?
13:27 Starting his website/insider tips for writers
18:21 Leaving the literary agent gig
24:42 Work Pivots - CNET, Bridgewater, and more
36:15 Riding the waves vs. charting a course
41:25 A new career driven by values and meaning
47:36 Building the ecosystem (it's all connected)
52:10 Prioritizing meaning (with values pillars)
57:21 Nathan's editing/coaching services
1:04:39 Putting creative time in the ecosystem
1:11:10 What Nathan does for fun (World Cup!)
1:15:18 Why do we write?
1:22:35 Be the protagonist/hero of your own life
1:34:32 Extreme Calendaring (It worked for me)

Links:
Nathan's website: https://nathanbransford.com/
One of my favorite posts by Nathan, How To Live Creatively: https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2023/01/how-to-live-creatively

Nathan's How To Write a Novel: https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/10/my-guide-to-writing-a-novel

Nathan's Jacob Wonderbar series:

• https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2010/08/jacob-wonderbar-and-cosmic-space-kapow
• https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2012/03/jacob-wonderbar-for-president-of-3
• https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/02/jacob-wonderbar-and-interstellar-time

Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackman: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209739/rock-paper-tiger-by-lisa-brackmann/

We Need Diverse Books: https://www.diversebooks.org/

Pitchfork (where Nathan finds new music): https://pitchfork.com/best/

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive

Meet my brother, Lt. Joe Nickerson. He started in law enforcement as a side gig and discovered it was the perfect fit for his specific strengths and calling. Joe describes his first experiences in the police academy as "life-changing." Learning a new job within law enforcement became Joe's next aha moment. Now he had found not just a calling but a role comprising everything he cared about most. I loved this conversation with one of my favorite humans. His connection to his calling is inspiring. Listen for that and stay for the great advice about finding your own strengths and leveraging them.

Chapters
02:27 Early understanding of how work relates to identity
07:22 Joe’s 7-year-old self may have known
08:31 Planning a bivocational life (ministry + side gig)
11:48 Starting college
12:37 Law enforcement: the side gig
17:37 Law enforcement in rural America
20:41 Law enforcement: the calling (and how to get there)
33:06 Strengths finding: a new role in the department is a surprisingly perfect fit
35:45 Starting over in Omaha
40:44 Specializing again (negotiator training)
46:54 Naming AND aiming our strengths for success
53:56 Trusting the calling even when others doubt
1:00:11 Long-term goals, leaving a legacy, and never leaving the calling
1:06:13 Misconceptions about law enforcement
01:23:24 Feeling cohesion (what is cohesion?)
01:28:19 Come work for the Omaha PD! (the many possibilities of a job in law enforcement)
01:32:45 It worked for me

Links
Gallup strengths: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
JoinOPD.com https://www.joinopd.com/
Omaha 360: https://empoweromaha.com/violence-prevention-omaha-360/

Other references
Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Kevin M Gilmartin

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive

Dennis Trinkle was the son of a pastor and on a similar track until a teaching job along the way inspired him to go back to school. He liked teaching but knew he would have better success with more education. When fulfilling a liberal arts requirement led him to a philosophy class, he discovered an interest that would shape his next move and his continued education for years. There are more pivots in Dennis's story--all sparked by pursuing the paths he found interesting. Dennis is a longtime friend, thankfully always willing to discuss big ideas with me. I couldn't wait to hear his work story and learn more about how his current job fits into it.

Chapters
05:15 Indiana Jones (early work thoughts)
08:30 Being a pastor's kid and wanting to be like Dad
15:31 Bible College and church work
20:22 Pivoting! Enjoys teaching, goes back to college
24:14 Choosing a major from the life of J.R.R. Tolkien
26:35 Philosophy is interesting, adding a major!
31:26 After college...more college (pursuing a doctorate)
35:56 New career track ("This sounds interesting")
40:45 Let's talk Liberal Arts
48:52 What is a Senior Quality Analyst?
56:19 How it matters
01:02:16 Taking things apart, including thoughts and Ideas
01:06:43 Big ideas, social media, and understanding each other
01:14:53 Talking to kids about work and education choices
01:21:16 It worked for me (learning HOW you like to work)

Links
Dennis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-trinkle/
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix: https://www.johnhendrix.com/the-mythmakers

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive

Carrie Gaines and I have a shared work experience but very different relationships to work in general. We worked together in the grant-seeking and management department of a health professions university - a workplace that set the bar for both us when it comes to professional and supportive work environments. Carrie transitioned from her grants management role after getting new assignments at the University that piqued her interest even more. This is the story of her transition, the supportive response she received from the workplace she was leaving, and the internal work she finds most important of all. Carrie has been an inspirational voice in my work life - she's a soundbite a minute! I can't wait for you to meet her.

Chapters

02:56 Carrie's backstory, early understanding of work
05:30 Kid dreams and first experience with college
08:13 Finding what you like at work by doing it
10:08 Our shared experience in a positive workplace
15:34 How that workplace reacted to her new interests
18:01 Personality in the workplace ("I only extrovert for money")
25:50 Carrie leans into new interests and a work transition
30:34 Internal work first ("Wherever you go, there you are")
36:03 Personal responsibility in work experiences
44:50 Carrie's transition, a brand new track
52:33 If you want to work in compliance...
55:46 The importance of internal work (reprise)
01:00 Finding Meaning in Work
01:09:42 Talking to kids about work
01:12 Everything is going to be okay
01:15 It worked for me
01:16:44 We all have more in common than we think

Links

Carrie on LinkedIn
We took our Myers-Briggs assessment at 16 Personalities

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive

It's another sister episode! Today, Serenity chats with her younger sister, Charity, "a singer and a mom." Charity had her dream job, a paid worship pastor at her church. She has a lot of insight about what it really means to have a job in ministry/nonprofit. When her leaders took the team through the Working Genius framework to discover their work personalities, Charity realized why the administrative parts of being an on-staff worship paster had been so challenging for her. There came a point when she determined the right move would be letting go of the job that looked so perfect for her on paper. This is her story! Charity also talks about homeschooling, creative dreams, and making a big family adventure possible.

Chapters

2:56 I want to be a singer and a mom

7:36 First jobs

9:19 From volunteering to a staff position in ministry

12:33 How ministry/nonprofit is unique from other jobs

20:01 Artist questions - is there more I could do, did I miss my break?

23:17 Quitting the dream job

30:16 Leveraging cosmic insignificance in decision-making

39:20 The Working Genius framework and realizing you’re in the wrong job

48:09 The difficulty of untangling your identity from your title

1:00:03 What it takes to homeschool

1:07:45 Taking the whole fam to Costa Rica for 10 weeks!

1:12:02 It Worked for Me

Links

Charity on Apple Music

Charity in her role as worship leader

Parenting is for Losers

Working Genius

Charity and her husband, Ryan, sing an original song about NOT telling their younger selves how great it’s going to be: Don’t Tell Them Anything

Also discussed:

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive

Deana Berrey was nine years into teaching when she looked for a pivot and found medical school. Today, she is Dr. Deana Berrey, an anesthesiologist who loves her job and has inspiring ideas for anyone considering a tough road toward a new dream. Dr. Berrey's episode addresses mom guilt, quality over quantity when it comes to the time we have for what matters, and walking through life's open doors when they present themselves. Her full, delightful life includes three grown daughters, reading all genres, and playing the cello. It's a beautiful life and an inspiring story.

2:55 Astronauts and Rockstars

6:23 Deciding to teach

8:29 New dream: Medical school!

14:47 How does it happen? (Looking for open doors)

17:56 The kids will be okay

19:48 Choosing anesthesiology

34:37 Advice for med school (and life!)

48:19 What do you like to do?

50:42 Making the most of each season (then moving on!)

57:53 Gratitude for supportive friends & fam

58:20 The kids will be okay (reprise)

1:00:13 It worked for me

Deana's Book Rec: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

(S1E7)

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive

Serenity interviews Melissa Cassera, a screenwriter, author, and publicity strategist, who introduces herself as a girl who has lots of obsessions. Melissa wants us all to celebrate something every single day, specifically something we accomplished. She offers advice about knowing what you want to do and applying it at a high level in many different ways, describing how she is a storyteller, which plays out in her publicity work, her screenwriting, and her books. Melissa's final advice is to put ourselves in positions to lose, or to be a beginner, because it will make us unflappable in the face of any rejection. Melissa's conversation is packed with advice for learning to validate ourselves, trust our gut, and discover who we are outside of any specific type of work.

Chapters

2:08 Melissa describes herself as a storyteller, which plays out in many ways

5:10 How Melissa's work history mattered when she started screenwriting

5:58 Knowing what you want to do and finding adjacencies

10:00 Celebrate something. Every Day.

14:07 Our wish: work optional

21:11 Melissa starts a business and returns to acting to help fund it

27:19 From the casting chair, Melissa tells us all: It is not personal

29:40 Melissa's quitting story: leaving pharmaceuticals to start a business

34:35 Getting free of the need for external validation

42:24 When to question whether you've tied your identity to the wrong thing

50:42 What you accomplish is good enough and it absolutely counts

55:28 Melissa's podcast about having multiple income streams

1:02:27 It Worked For Me: Put yourself in a position to lose and always be a beginner

Links

Melissa Cassera (website)

Drip Trickle Flow Flood (Melissa's podcast)

Other things we reference in this episode: Work Optional, a book by Tanja Hester

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive