People in Transition – Details, episodes & analysis

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People in Transition

Bob Gerst

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/16d. Total Eps: 144

"People in Transition" is your ultimate guide to navigating life's major career changes with confidence and excitement! Whether you're a student landing your first job, a professional between gigs, an aspiring entrepreneur ready to start your own business, or someone preparing for a well-earned retirement, we've got you covered. Each episode offers unique insights and practical tips from people who have successfully walked these paths themselves as well as helped many others in their journey. Join us for an inspiring and entertaining journey through the many transitions of life!

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Data updated on 14/07/2026

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https://www.buzzsprout.com/803141/fan_mail/new
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Score global : 73%

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144. Sue Maitland - Life & Career Transitions Coach for High-Achieving Professionals

Season 6 · Episode 144

Sunday, April 5, 2026 • Duration 31:49

In this episode of “People in Transition”, we’re joined by Sue Maitland, an ICF-accredited life and career transitions coach with over 13 years of experience helping high-achieving professionals navigate midlife change and create more meaningful, fulfilling lives.

After a successful 20+ year career in IT consulting, Sue reached a point many can relate to - her life looked great on paper, but it no longer felt aligned. That realization sparked a bold career pivot, leading her to support others who feel stuck, uncertain, or ready for change but unsure where to begin. Today, she works one-on-one with clients, leads workshops, and runs a thriving global community designed to help people gain clarity, confidence, and direction in their next chapter.

In this conversation, we explore a topic that resonates with so many - how to navigate midlife transitions, overcome self-doubt, and build a life that actually feels as good as it looks.

Key topics we discussed:

The signs of being “successful but stuck,” including dreading the start of the work week, feeling underutilized, and questioning what you’ll have to show for your efforts
Why change is inherently difficult - our brains are wired for consistency, making career transitions especially challenging
The importance of doing real-world research before pursuing a new path (including Sue’s example of the “romantic” idea of winemaking vs. the reality of it being farming)
Understanding imposter syndrome, which affects over 70% of people, and how it shows up as a fear of being exposed as not good enough
The concept of keeping a journal to track your wins, to reflect on and appreciate your accomplishments
Practical advice for getting unstuck: pausing to reflect, identifying your core values, and aligning your work with both your strengths and your passions

…and much more around gaining clarity, building confidence, and taking meaningful steps forward.

Connect with Sue Maitland:

Website: https://www.suemaitland.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemaitland/
Email: sue@suemaitland.com

If this episode resonated with you, please take a moment to leave a rating and review - it really helps others discover the show. And if you know someone who might benefit from this conversation, share it with them.

Your next chapter might be closer than you think . . .

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143. David Chami - Managing Partner at Consumer Justice Law Firm

Season 6 · Episode 143

Sunday, March 22, 2026 • Duration 31:17

David Chami, Managing Partner of Consumer Justice Law Firm, joined us on “People in Transition” to shed light on an issue that quietly impacts millions of job seekers: background checks. With a legal career rooted in consumer protection and years of experience litigating under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, David has helped clients recover tens of millions of dollars from companies that reported inaccurate or misleading information. His work sits at the intersection of law, employment, and fairness—making him a powerful advocate for individuals navigating the hiring process.

Even before founding his current firm, David Chami built a reputation for holding large institutions accountable, including insurance companies and credit reporting agencies. Today, his focus is on ensuring that everyday people are not unfairly denied opportunities because of errors, outdated records, or systemic flaws in background screening and credit reports. His insights offer both a legal and human perspective on what can often feel like an opaque and unforgiving system.

In our conversation, we explored the realities of modern hiring, where background checks are used by nearly 95% of employers and are often handled by major background check companies. We talked about why employers generally cannot deny employment based solely on a charge without a conviction, and the many challenges within the system—such as dismissed charges that remain on records, mistaken identity issues (like data confusion caused by common names or hyphenated names), and inaccuracies caused by data vendors that don’t rely on Social Security numbers. David also shared a compelling case involving a client who successfully sued Uber over incorrect background information, resulting in a $680,000 verdict. We discussed who actually pays for legal representation (the answer may surprise you), the differences between expungement and record sealing—and why neither fully guarantees your past won’t resurface—and, most importantly, how the Fair Credit Reporting Act exists to protect employees and ensure their rights are upheld.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating today’s job market. Whether you’re actively searching, considering a career move, or simply want to understand your rights, David’s insights could make a critical difference. Tune in to “ and learn how to protect your future before a background check defines it.

142. Anthony Sharp - Chief Branding Officer | Adjunct Faculty | Motivational Speaker

Season 6 · Episode 142

Sunday, March 8, 2026 • Duration 33:47

I’m excited to welcome Anthony Sharp to “People in Transition”. Anthony is a career strategist and job search expert who has helped countless professionals clarify their value, sharpen their messaging, and approach the market with greater confidence and intention. With a practical, no-nonsense style and a deep understanding of how recruiters and hiring managers think, Anthony brings both technical expertise and real-world insight to every conversation.

In this episode, we explored a wide range of topics designed to help job seekers find their confidence and clearly communicate their value. Anthony debunked common myths job seekers believe about resumes — including the idea that because AI helped write it, it will automatically pass an applicant tracking system, or that an employer will figure out where you fit within their organization. We discussed why using numbers and percentages is critical to demonstrating measurable impact, and what it really means when a recruiter reads your resume and silently asks, “So what?”

We also talked about how to “own your story,” especially when addressing employment gaps — including a helpful LinkedIn hack using the career break section. If there’s one action Anthony recommends you take this week, it’s this: be intentional about what you’re looking for. Throughout the conversation, he shared powerful examples and stories that brought his technical advice to life, making this an episode full of practical strategies you can use right away.

For more information on Anthony, go to his website, brandingsyou.info, or his LinkedIn profile, linkedin.com/in/brandingu. You are going to want to follow his thoughts as recruiting and the market evolve.

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141. Dan Waskow - I help you escape the job you hate - and get a job that you’ll love.

Season 6 · Episode 141

Sunday, February 22, 2026 • Duration 31:29

In this episode of “People in Transition”, we discuss what really happens inside the hiring process — and how understanding it can help you land your next role faster, smarter, and with far more confidence.

My guest is Dan Waskow, founder of OnPoint Job Search Solutions. With more than 20 years as a corporate recruiter for organizations like Dell Technologies, Fidelity Investments, Credit Suisse, Accenture, NASDAQ, and Madison Square Garden, to name a few — plus over a decade as a job search coach — Dan has seen the hiring process from every angle.

He knows exactly what recruiters look for… and why strong candidates often get overlooked.

If you’ve ever wondered:

Why you’re not hearing back
Why interviews stall
Or how to position yourself strategically instead of emotionally

This conversation is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why recruiters don’t “connect the dots” for you — and how to clearly translate your background so they instantly see the fit.

• The truth about the job market — there’s no “good” or “bad” time to search, only busier and slower cycles. The candidates who consistently build relationships always win.

• The two pillars of a successful job search: Marketing and Storytelling. Master how you present your value and how you tell your career story, and everything changes.

• Resume strategy that actually works. Clean formatting. No colors. No text boxes. No graphics. Make it easy for both humans and systems to read.

• How informational interviews and virtual coffee chats create momentum. They’re not just conversations — they’re relationship builders that open real doors.

What an episode. Dan brings clarity, strategy, and straight talk to a process that often feels confusing and frustrating.

To learn more about him and his coaching services, visit myjobsearchadvisor.com.

140. Mallory Byers - Ex-Salesforce Recruiter | Founder of The Inner CEO Method™

Season 6 · Episode 140

Sunday, February 8, 2026 • Duration 29:32

Welcome to another episode of People in Transition. I’m your host, Bob Gerst.

Today’s conversation is especially relevant for anyone who appears successful on paper—but feels burned out, unsettled, or quietly questioning what’s next.

My guest is Mallory Byers. Mallory spent nearly a decade as a top-performing sales recruiter at Salesforce, where she helped highly driven professionals secure roles at the highest levels. She understood the hiring process inside and out—and by all external measures, she was thriving.

Yet along the way, Mallory began to notice something that fundamentally changed the direction of her work. Even the most capable and accomplished people weren’t stuck because they lacked strategy. They were stuck because deeper forces were at play: long-standing patterns, chronic nervous system overload, and a version of confidence built entirely on performance.

Today, Mallory is a Career Breakthrough and Empowerment Coach who supports high achievers navigating career transitions, burnout, or layoffs. Her work goes far beyond résumés and interviews. She helps clients strengthen the person behind the strategy—by rebuilding self-trust, regulating the nervous system, and untangling subconscious patterns such as people-pleasing, perfectionism, and over-functioning.

Through her signature one-on-one program, The Inner CEO, Mallory helps clients stop outsourcing their worth to job titles and start leading their careers with grounded authority. As she teaches, you are the CEO of your life and your career.

If you’re in a season of transition—or sensing that the next chapter of your career requires a different version of you—this conversation will resonate deeply.

Topics We Discuss in This Episode Include:

How tying your identity to your job impacts your career—and how to navigate that shift
What it means to operate from survival mode, and how people-pleasing reinforces it
Where imposter syndrome shows up and how it quietly influences decisions
The connection between perfectionism, overthinking, freezing action, scarcity thinking, and a dysregulated nervous system

139. Rachel Spekman - help high-performing professionals find soul-aligned work

Season 6 · Episode 139

Sunday, January 25, 2026 • Duration 28:03

This week on "People in Transition", I had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel Spekman, a career strategist, therapist, and founder of Made for More Coach. Rachel brings a rare and powerful blend of experience—having spent years in corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit work before navigating multiple career transitions of her own into mental health and career strategy. You can learn more about Rachel and her work on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelspekman.

Rachel helps high-performing professionals who feel stuck in high-paid but soul-sucking roles reconnect with their values, strengths, and sense of purpose—without ignoring the realities of money, market demand, and impact. As a trained therapist who deeply understands corporate pressure, burnout, and identity loss during transitions, she fills a critical gap between traditional career coaching and emotional well-being.

In our conversation, Rachel and I explored what really shows up during a job or career transition—mentally, emotionally, and physically—and how job seekers can move from being passive candidates to confident experts. This episode is packed with practical insights, mindset shifts, and strategies for anyone navigating change, questioning their next move, or trying to align impact, income, and fulfillment.

Some of the Topics We Discussed in This Episode

Somatic symptoms job seekers experience and how to recognize and cope with the physical signals of career stress and misalignment
Using your feelings toward community, contribution, and problem-solving as guidance in your job search
Impact vs. income: understanding what you can do, what the market needs, and where tension naturally shows up
Positioning yourself as the expert, not a passive candidate waiting to be chosen
The role of confidence in your job search and practical ways to build and display it
What an internal resume audit is and how it improves both job search results and long-term job satisfaction

Also, go to her website, where there is a free training to support your job search - https://www.rachelspekman.com/

138. Stephanie Cordes - Empowering Professionals to Reimagine Their Careers

Season 6 · Episode 138

Sunday, January 11, 2026 • Duration 30:31

Stephanie Cordes knows what it means to chase success—and then intentionally redefine it. After spending more than twenty years building a strong corporate career in healthcare leadership, she made a bold pivot and now helps others take ownership of their careers on their own terms. As a Career Ownership Coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source, Stephanie creates a safe, no-pressure space for professionals to explore what they truly want next—whether that’s flexibility, control, additional income, or a complete career reinvention.

In this episode of “People in Transition”, host Bob Gerst and Stephanie dive into the real emotions and practical realities behind career decisions. They unpack why reassessing your goals is essential, how unmet needs can cloud your ability to identify what you actually want, and why money often represents much more than a paycheck. Stephanie introduces the idea of a personal “North Star”—a clear framework built around income, lifestyle, wealth, and equity—to guide smarter, calmer decision-making.

This conversation is grounded, honest, and empowering. Transition doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful—and clarity is often the most powerful first step. If you’re feeling stuck, restless, or quietly questioning what’s next, this episode will help you slow down the noise and move forward with intention.
For more information from Stephanie, visit her web site: https://scordes.esourcecoach.com/contact/

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137. Merry Korn - Career & Business Coach

Season 5 · Episode 137

Sunday, December 28, 2025 • Duration 29:34

My guest today is Merry Korn, author of Fired to Inspired, a powerful teaching memoir that chronicles an extraordinary journey from professional setback to purpose-driven success. Merry’s story begins with being fired—a moment many job seekers fear most—but instead of letting that moment define her, she used it as the starting point for reinvention.

What followed was not a polished overnight success, but a real, unvarnished transformation. Through strategic pivots, hard-earned lessons, and persistence, Merry went on to build a social enterprise that now employs more than 1,300 people across 30 states, giving hiring priority to individuals facing the greatest barriers to work. Her journey is a roadmap for anyone who has ever felt defeated by a career setback and wondered whether their lowest moment could become their greatest opportunity.

Merry’s perspective is deeply rooted in resilience. Her role model is her mother, a Holocaust survivor, who taught her the meaning of perseverance and never giving up. That lesson shows up throughout Merry’s work and is especially relevant for job seekers who may feel discouraged, fearful, or worn down by a prolonged search. In a time of economic uncertainty and career disruption, her story offers both hope and practical guidance for building something meaningful out of adversity.

Key Themes We Explore in This Episode

In our conversation, Merry shares insights and tools that are immediately applicable for anyone in transition, including:

Turning setbacks into setups for success and reframing career disappointments as opportunities for clarity and growth
The power of informational interviews—what they are, how to use them, and why they are one of the most effective job-search strategies
Using available resources such as coaches, books, and LinkedIn to build momentum and expand opportunity
Staying physically strong during your job search, and how physical health directly impacts emotional resilience and mental well-being
Overcoming fear and uncertainty, with the reminder that this season will end
Finding purpose before accepting your next role, and why not jumping at the first offer, can lead to a more fulfilling career

136. Jake Kennington - Personal Development Coach for Mid-Career Professionals

Season 5 · Episode 136

Sunday, December 14, 2025 • Duration 31:51

Ever look at your life and think, “How did I end up here… and why doesn’t this feel the way success should?”
If that question feels uncomfortably familiar, this episode of “People in Transition” is one you’ll want to hear.

My guest, Jake Kennington, knows what it’s like to build a career that looks enviable on paper while feeling disconnected on the inside. As a licensed Structural Engineer, he spent more than a decade designing $100M buildings, leading high-pressure projects, and stacking up the achievements people associate with success. But privately, his health was slipping, his relationships were stretched thin, and he began questioning whether the life he was building was actually the life he wanted.

Becoming a husband and father of four brought that reality into sharper focus—and ultimately pushed him to redefine success, rebuild his habits, and realign his life around what matters most. Today, through his work at Actively Human, Jake helps mid-career professionals do the same: reconnect with who they really are, create space for what they care about, and build lives that feel as fulfilling on the inside as they look on the outside.

In our conversation, Jake and I explore:

• The moment he asked himself, “Is this it?”—and why that question is worth paying attention to
• How identifying who you are not can open the door to who you truly are
• Why defining your own meaning of success becomes a powerful compass
• Subtle early signs of misalignment—especially in your health and relationships
• The value of owning your morning for yourself, not your inbox
• Why slowing down (and sometimes even disrupting what you’ve built) can be the path to clarity and joy

If you want to learn more about Jake and Actively Human, visit his profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakekennington/

Or visit his website at activelyhuman.com

Listen to Jake’s recording here—and take the first step toward a life that finally feels aligned.

135. Susan Hensley - Helping people navigate change

Season 5 · Episode 135

Sunday, November 30, 2025 • Duration 32:14

Welcome to “People in Transition”, the podcast that gives you the tools, insights, and inspiration to navigate life’s biggest shifts with clarity and confidence. I’m your host, Bob Gerst — the Job Transition Professor — and today’s guest is someone who brings a powerful blend of creativity, wisdom, and lived experience to the world of personal transformation: Susan Hensley.

Susan is a transformational coach, speaker, and author whose global career has taken her from corporate boardrooms in Hong Kong and London to leadership development spaces across the U.S. Her work helps people meet change with resilience, curiosity, and even joy. One of her most impactful tools is art journaling — a creative practice that blends reflection, mindfulness, and imagination to help people process transition and build emotional strength.

In our conversation, Susan and I explore how creativity can quiet the inner critic, steady us in times of uncertainty, and unlock new possibilities during job transitions. We’ll dig into the “messy middle,” examine the six major types of life transitions, and talk about why early reflection and reinvention can completely reshape your job search path.

If you’re facing change — or helping others navigate it — you won’t want to miss this episode. Susan brings practical tools, a fresh perspective, and an energizing sense of possibility to anyone standing at a crossroads.

For more information about Susan, go to https://susan-hensley.com/

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People in Transition – Details, episodes & analysis

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People in Transition – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

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Buzzsprout2

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