What do you do when your job keeps changing in ways that pull you away from the work you love? Sometimes keeping what matters means changing the job around it.

Steve Wilson knew by thirteen that he wanted to study companies for a living, a fascination that began with farm shows on early-morning TV. At twenty-five, he was running the investment department of a 9,000-employee insurance company. Within a year, he walked away, because the job left him no time for the investing he loved.

It wasn’t the last time he made that choice. Steve and I talk about why the next rung on the ladder isn’t always a step toward what you want, and what it takes to protect your core work when the organization around you changes. As Steve puts it, “I’m trying to preserve one thing.”

We also explore what happens when the part of your work you loved most disappears through no choice of your own, and how a casual conversation led Steve into a classroom he never planned to enter. Along the way, he offers a simple Sunday-night test for whether your work still energizes you.

If you’ve climbed into a role that no longer includes the work you came for, and you’re wondering how to get back to it, this conversation is for you.

Guest Bio: In 2023, Steve Wilson joined the faculty of UConn's Business School as the Director of the Investment Management Initiative. He took on this role after 43 years of managing institutional equities for leading organizations in the US and Europe. His is the founder and director of the UConn Opportunity Fund Project. His latest venture is as the Managing Director of the University Female Investors International Network, an organization dedicated to creating a supportive community for women just beginning their careers in finance.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-wilson-19817329a/?isSelfProfile=false

https://opportunityfund.business.uconn.edu/

https://www.instagram.com/uconnopportunityfundproject/

https://ufiinsin.com/

https://www.instagram.com/UFIINSIN/

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How do you know when it’s time to leave a career you once loved? And what do you make of the quiet desire that keeps returning, no matter how long you put it off?

Hannah Kissel built a successful sales career at LinkedIn, but after severe burnout, returning felt like “a betrayal of self.” She now runs an executive coaching business and is writing her first novel, following a desire that had stayed with her since adolescence.

We explore what it means to listen to that persistent inner voice while facing the uncertainty of a different working life. Hannah also questions the assumption that following a calling means doing it full time: writing matters deeply to her, but so does helping people in groups.

Those groups have also shaped her own transitions. From getting sober to becoming an entrepreneur, Hannah has sought out people who make a different way of living feel possible. Her approach begins with a simple question: Who is already living the change I want to make?

If you’re questioning a career that has served you well, or wondering how long you can keep postponing something important to you, this conversation is for you.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HANNAH KISSEL
Website: http://www.hannahkissel.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahkissel/
Free Career Confidence Course: https://www.hannahkissel.com/careerconfidence
Hannah Hotline Podcast: https://www.hannahkissel.com/podcast

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What happens when something completely outside the life you’ve built starts pulling at your attention? Is it just a passing curiosity—or could it be the beginning of your next calling?

David Dachinger’s career has taken some remarkable turns. He began in the music world, eventually composing for major television sports and earning a Grammy nomination. Then, after moving next door to a firehouse and simply accepting an invitation to attend a drill, he discovered an entirely different kind of purpose. He became a career firefighter and lieutenant, and later moved into work supporting the mental health and resilience of first responders.

David’s story is about what can happen when we “go through the open door.” We talk about recognizing opportunities we didn’t plan for, how experiences from one chapter can quietly plant seeds for the next, and why the things that matter most may require us to tolerate a period of uncertainty and discomfort.

If you’re curious about a direction that doesn’t quite fit the professional identity you’ve already built, this conversation offers a useful way to think about whether that curiosity deserves a closer look.

About Second Calling

Second Calling is a podcast for professionals figuring out their next chapter. Host Bradley Wright, a sociologist who studies purpose and change, talks with people who have navigated meaningful professional transitions and with experts who help us understand what those moments require.

Learn More About David Dachinger
Helping the Helpers Book: https://a.co/d/04SSmMFd

Website: https://www.respondertv.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ResponderResilience

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/82141685/

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