Northwestern Intersections

When life throws you curveballs, you can either hide or welcome the new changes into your life. In Jordan’s case, he welcomed them and quickly adjusted to the changes to live out the most fulfilling life he can have. Major changes were part of his journey, which led him to become an Executive Coach who guides others to overcome uncertainty and discover what brings them meaning and fulfillment. Listen in to hear how you can step outside of your comfort zone in the midst of unforeseen changes and take control of your career path.

Welcome back to our new season of Northwestern Intersections. We’re starting off the season strong by having Chelsea Hayes with us to talk about how we present ourselves in front of others. As an Executive Coach and Corporate Trainer for Fortune 500 companies, she emphasizes the importance of directly asking for what we want, giving ourselves the credit we deserve, and forming memorable relationships with your mentors/mentees. She also shares her experience of joining the Council of One Hundred and meeting incredible Northwestern women from all over the world. 

Today’s episode marks the last episode of 2019! As a way to celebrate, our podcast team went back and pulled out some of our favorite advice and insights from various alumni guests from 2019. We’ll be back in February 2020 with our new season so stay tuned. Have a wonderful holiday season and go ‘Cats!

Roy Lu’s first career transition came shortly after his graduation from the McCormick School of Engineering, when he made the move from engineer to entrepreneur, with his first startup, Vitaminbubbles, a biotechnology company.  Since then, Roy has worked and learned at two major tech companies, seeing first-hand how companies grow and flourish. Roy’s latest venture, Timepop Technologies, focuses on how technology can create a more connected world.  Roy co-founded his company with fellow Northwestern graduates and is continuing to expand his company in Asia. Listen in as Roy dives into the changing technology industry, the world of international business, and the lifelong impact of the Northwestern network.

After receiving her Ph.D. in Political Science and Methodology at Northwestern University, Dr. Sally A. Nuamah worked at Princeton University and Harvard University as a research fellow, followed by her assistant professorship at Duke University. She then returned to Northwestern to become a tenure-track professor of Urban Politics in Human Development and Social Policy. Her work explores issues of race, gender, education policy, and political behavior. Forbes Magazine quotes that “..leaders like Nuamah are a testament to the strength of the entrepreneurial spirit in academia’s young disruptors”. Sally is a notable advocate and filmmaker, in which you can learn more about her initiatives through her book, How Girls Achieve, and her documentary, HerStory.

From dressing up as a clown for birthday party gigs to working at Hilary For America, Ryan Bernsten has done them all. But one of the most fascinating experiences he has embarked on was driving across America to listen to stories of Americans in all 50 states from 2018 to 2019. His thesis, now a podcast called 50 States of Mind, sheds light on his journey of interviewing elected officials, mayors, and voters on both sides. Ryan also highlights that he could not have done this alone without the support of fellow Wildcats, some who opened up their homes, provided meals, and connected him to other networks further his mission.

After running a marathon, Zeena Dhalla recognized her passion for fitness and decided to become a personal trainer, transitioning from the film and Internet industry. Finding great success in her training, she took on a new major role: being a mom. Now she works as a Certified Postural Alignment Specialist improving posture, a small part of fitness that makes a world of a difference. Zeena coaches clients through this journey as the founder of her own company, VerticAlign Posture Coaching. She dives into what it means to find your own personal definition of success, finding balance in a world that focuses on “having it all” and even teaches us some exercises to do while listening to this podcast to start to improve our posture.

What’s Next Live is back by popular demand! This time, we traveled to New York to host a live panel of recent alumni who shared stories about what it takes to make a major transition early in their careers. Our panelists, Sierra Boone '17, Charlie Oh '16, Tracey Haneman '13, and Henri Pierre-Jacques '13, are phenomenal alumni, living in New York and navigating their career transitions in their own unique ways. Discover What's Next in your career by listening to the recording of our second ever live podcast experience.

Becoming a successful comedian and performer in New York did not happen overnight for Ziwe Fumudoh. Her Twitter fame started when she worked as a hostess at a barbecue restaurant, tweeting as much as she could during her breaks. While juggling multiple jobs, Ziwe worked harder than anyone else by working at prestigious digital media companies like The Onion, Above Average, Comedy Central, and many more. As a creative professional, living in New York, Ziwe sheds light on being comfortable with the unknown, battling Imposter Syndrome, and challenging yourself to try as many different activities as you can to find what makes sense for you.  Listen in to this special episode as Ziwe also shares about her upcoming Fifth Reunion as one of the Committee Members for the Class of 2014. Homecoming and Reunion Weekend will take place on the week of October 21st, 2019 in Evanston, IL, where Wildcats will come back to celebrate and reunite with their fellow classmates.

As the principal of Acero Marquez Charter School in the Chicago area, Allison Hansen wears many hats to make sure that school is a place where both her teachers and students can grow together. Despite seeing the challenges of being a principal through her experience with the Teach for America Program, Allison still stuck to her passion for education reform. She sheds light on her definition of what great leadership is and what it looks like to be vulnerable as a leader. Owning her privilege takes a lot of courage but naming it and educating herself to be an ally has been instrumental in her relationship at her school. Listen in to this special episode as Allison also shares about her upcoming Tenth Reunion as one of the Committee Members for the Class of 2009. Homecoming and Reunion Weekend will take place on the week of October 21st, 2019 in Evanston, IL, where Wildcats will come back to celebrate and reunite with their fellow classmates.

The NAA is happy to introduce our new host of Northwestern Intersections, Helen Kim. Helen is one of the founding team members of this podcast and has served as the editor and producer of Northwestern Intersections. She currently works as the Assistant Director of Career Advancement at the Northwestern Alumni Association, specializing in digital career programs for both alumni and students, and is an alumna of the Class of 2016. Listen in as former host Cassie Petoskey passes the baton and asks Helen about her experience transitioning from studying Percussion Performance at the Bienen School of Music to working in career programming for the University. We want to thank Cassie for all her efforts and wish her the best in her next role, where she will be working with Weinberg students to facilitate career exploration programs.   

In this three-part series featuring outstanding coaches, you’ll hear some of the most frequently asked questions that they receive from their clients in their industries. Tish Hicks ’88, Kathryn Haydon ’99, and Melissa McFarlane ’86 are leading experts in their fields who have presented Northwestern Alumni Association’s career webinars in the past on topics including on the power of one’s voice, creativity at work, and goal-setting processes on designing one’s business and personal endeavors. In this episode, we are speaking with Melissa McFarlane ’86, an internationally-recognized coach with over 28 years of experience in executive, business, and personal coaching. She is the Founder and CEO of Creative Successful Entrepreneurs | Coach for Creatives.

In this three-part series featuring outstanding coaches, you’ll hear some of the most frequently asked questions that they receive from their clients in their industries. Tish Hicks ’88, Kathryn Haydon ’99, and Melissa McFarlane ’86 are leading experts in their fields who have presented Northwestern Alumni Association’s career webinars in the past on topics including on the power of one’s voice, creativity at work, and goal-setting processes on designing one’s business and personal endeavors. In this episode, we are speaking with Kathryn Haydon ’99, a creativity and innovation strategist at Sparkitivity with over 20 years of experience and the author of four books, including her upcoming book, The Non-Obvious Guide to Being More Creative.

In this three-part series, you’ll hear some of the most frequently asked questions that they receive from their clients in their industries. Tish Hicks ’88, Kathryn Haydon ’99, and Melissa McFarlane ’86 are leading experts in their fields who have presented with the Northwestern Alumni Association through career webinars in the past on topics including the power of one’s voice, creativity at work, and goal-setting processes on designing one’s business and personal endeavors. In this episode, we are speaking with Tish Hicks ’88, the founder of V.O Dojo with over 25 years of experience as a voiceover professional with a background in acting, singing, and kickboxing.

After her own experience in conflict with chairpersons, Isabelle Nüssli interviewed 100 chairpersons and CEOs to uncover the source of the tension that’s often built at the top of the corporate pyramid. When she realized that admitting these issues in leadership was considered taboo, she sought out to take action, ultimately resulting in writing her book. Nüssli is the author of Cockfighting: Solving the Mystery of Unconscious Sabotage at the Top of the Corporate Pyramid. In this episode, you’ll learn the three conscious and five critical unconscious drivers that drive these types of turmoil, according to her findings.  

Start your day off with a sense of peace and mindfulness with Ellie Burrows Gluck as she guides us through a calming meditation exercise in this special episode. Before co-starting MNDFL, Ellie Burrows Gluck served as an executive in the film business for a number of years until she came across her true passion: spirituality and pursuit of consciousness. She then quit her job in 2013 to travel around the world as a spiritual tourist, returning to New York City at the end of the trip to pursue her Certificate in Coaching. And then came along MNDFL, a drop-in meditation company where New Yorkers can better connect to their mind, heart, and the body without the weekend-long commitment. Listen in as she sheds light on her non-linear career changes she made while facing unexpected life circumstances. 

Erica Keswin is a workplace strategist and business coach with over 20 years of experience, having worked with top organizations that honor relationships at their workplace. Keswin, a bestselling author, published her book, Bring Your Human to Work, to help employees and leaders at organizations navigate ways to connect in the workplace and develop a winning culture. In addition to tips on how to form genuine relationships, she also shares her experience in the field of executive recruiting, a field not most MBA graduates go into, and her transitions between companies while going through major personal life changes. Keswin is always ready to be challenged and she is ready to share with the world on how to leverage all that technology has to offer but also to put it in its place and connect with humans face-to-face.   

Concertmaster of Hamilton: An American Musical of the Chicago company and artist and teacher-in-residence at the Lyric Opera of Chicago come together to share their stories as entrepreneurial artists in the 21st century. What’s inspiring about these artists is that they’re not afraid to be vulnerable when it comes to elaborating on the topics of injury, fear, and insecurity – most which are not often talked about in the creative arts community. Aranyi, who is also on faculty at the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Northwestern, offers her expertise on branding classes she teaches on campus, one of which Bontrager was invited as a guest speaker at. No matter how many times (around a thousand) he performed Hamilton or she sang cantatas and debuted at the Carnegie Hall, they still get nervous. And that makes them human.

August 1st is the long-awaited day that the Common App opens for students applying to colleges. Paula Whitman is here to tell you that applying to colleges does not have to be stressful! Whitman, a college application and essay coach, shares what has changed and stayed the same over the past year in the admissions process and offers tips for each class of high school students. She also points out what to avoid and the pitfalls most students make during this process. Tune in to hear how to make the college admissions process as easy and smooth as possible for the entire family.    

Gary Beasley went with his gut to leave his first job after few months, despite the general rule of thumb his mentors suggested of staying at a company for few years. This was only one of the many successful calculated risks he took to become the CEO and Co-Founder of Roofstock, a technology-enabled marketplace that provides tools to investors for evaluating, buying, and selling single-family rental homes. Beasley shares his experience of how to take charge in one’s non-linear career track and how to manage transitions between varying levels of roles at one’s company. You’ll also hear tips on how to be a valuable CEO at a thriving organization and how to scratch the entrepreneurial itch.