A Life Worth Working – Finding Purpose & Overcoming Setbacks – Details, episodes & analysis

A Life Worth Working is a podcast hosted by Michelle Weise and Dana Allen Walsh. Michelle is an education and workforce strategist and author of Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet, and Dana is a senior pastor at a progressive church. This isn't a religious podcast. “A Life Worth Working” celebrates the scraps, screw-ups, and detours of our work lives because we believe that nothing is wasted. The hardest moments we endure, from epic failures to employment gaps and crushing disappointments, all become fertile ground for new growth and endless possibilities. So you’ll hear about the wild journeys of our guests: a comedy writer turned ER doctor, a hedge fund manager turned death doula, a musician turned consultant, even a K-pop star turned lawyer—the list goes on! Each guest reveals pivotal moments of growth born from career zig-zags and dead-ends. Forget linear paths! We’re all navigating spaghetti-shaped journeys. And even those who appear to have it all figured out are fumbling their way through. Our guests talk about the pitfalls, the whispers they couldn’t ignore, or the moments of release that enabled them to jump to something unexpected. And perhaps most importantly, they talk about the messiest, hardest, and most painful parts of their journeys that created the conditions for new life and growth. If you’re interested in dwelling in that messy middle, you’ll love this podcast. And best of all, you’ll hear each of these guests in quick, punchy 20-minute episodes.