Second Act Stories – Details, episodes & analysis

Simmy Kustanowitz spent the bulk of his career working in television production. From the moment he took a job as an intern for "The Daily Show," he fell in love with the industry. After college, he climbed the ranks. His first job as an NBC page gave way to a gig as a production assistant for MTV, where he worked on a variety of shows. That's where he was given his first opportunity to produce TV shows.

With all that experience under his belt, Simmy eventually landed a role as an executive at the newly formed TruTV Network. That's where things really came together. Not long after he joined TruTV, Simmy became the network executive (or, the network suit) in charge of the rising comedy juggernaut "Impractical Jokers."

He oversaw that production for several years before leaving the network and jumping to the other side of the equation, working directly for the Jokers' production company. It didn't take long for Simmy to become the popular show's showrunner, the person who had overall creative authority and management responsibility for the show.

In spite of all that success, Simmy felt the need to find a lifeboat. As much fun as TV production was, there were signs that it might not be his long-term career path. He started searching for a career path that would make sense. As he shares in this inspiring episode, the result soon became Clock Tower Innovation, Simmy's creative consultancy for companies that don't have time for bloated processes or mediocre execution.

In this episode, Simmy shares details of his path that culminated in his running one of the most successful comedy shows ever to air on TV, how he made the difficult decision to leave TV behind, and what inspired him to draw on all his production experience to launch one of the most unique creative consultancies in the world.

To learn more about Simmy, you can find him on Substack (https://substack.com/@simmykustanowitz), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5cTuZAeTy_xkQ18iPrGgSg) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/clocktowerinnovation/)

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Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes.

If you like coffee, you're going to love Mike Ayar's second act.

Mike ran a highly successful software company for 24 years. With a niche focus, his organization served pest control companies, an industry Mike describes as "the absolute best service business in the world in terms of recurring revenue."

In 2002 a private equity company began pursuing the purchase of his company and in 2006 they made him a financial offer "he couldn't refuse." After the purchase, he continued to run the company but finally departed in 2009. Mike had "no idea" what he wanted to do next.

A few years earlier, Mike had developed an intense interest in speciality coffee and in particular coffee roasting. Surprisingly, he had never tasted coffee until he turned 45. Waiting for a flight, he entered an airport Starbucks and ordered a double espresso. He was hooked.

Mike took a range of courses and seminars from coffee experts around the country. In 2011, he launched Turnstile Coffee Roasters in Belmar, NJ. The company has grown into a thriving cafe which also offers online coffee sales and wholesale services to other coffee shops and area restaurants. It's a family affair with his nephew and two daughters actively engaged in the company.

Click here to learn more about Turnstile Coffee Roasters and their seventeen different blends of coffee from Costa Rica, Brazil, Guatamala, Ethiopia, Columbia, Nicarauga, Peru and Indonesia.

C. Scott Votaw is the Assistant Vice Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, where he is responsible for overseeing the Georgia Film Academy.

After growing up in Georgia and graduating from college, Scott packed his car and headed west without a plan. With no relevant experience in film and production, he eventually networked his way onto a crew as a runner. Just by being present and paying attention, he found a way to save the production money and was rewarded with an almost immediate promotion to second assistant director.

That auspicious start launched him into what would become an incredibly successful 25-year career in the film and production industry. His big break, a job working for Saban Entertainment on its new and wildly popular Power Rangers television show, set him on a course to work with Hollywood legends including George Lucas and Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt.

Then came his moment of reckoning. After building a career that was largely unplanned, Scott returned home to Georgia to care for a relative and try something new. He eventually networked his way into opportunities in education, but the timing was serendipitous as Georgia was in the process of building the infrastructure to support the growing film industry in the state. Thanks to Scott's experience in both education and production, and his availability and willingness to take on something new, he found himself in a position to help launch and run the Georgia Film Academy.

In this episode, Scott shares his unplanned journey through the film industry, his tough decision to leave it behind and move back home to Georgia, and the incredible timing that set him on a course to transition from an industry insider to an educator at the highest level.

Second Act Stories theme music: "Between 1 and 3 am" by Echoes

Bruce Feiler is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers (including Walking The Bible, The Secrets of Happy Families and Abraham), the presenter of two prime-time series on PBS and the inspiration for the NBC drama series "Council of Dads." He's also presented two TED Talks viewed by more than two million people. It's an honor to have him on Second Act Stories.

We sat down in the backyard of Bruce's townhouse in Brooklyn for a socially-distant interview focused on his latest book Life Is In The Transitions: Mastering Change At Any Age. It is a highly-relevant book for anyone exploring a second act and we've happily added it to our "Best Books About Second Acts" resource page.

For more on Bruce and his work, here's a link to his website.

Kiku Mehta was born in 1937 and grew up in the Gujarat Province on India. He was trained as a lawyer there but emigrated to the United States in 1964.

When he arrived here in the US, he set aside his work as a lawyer and went to work as a social worker for Children's Services Inc. in Philadelphia. It paid the bills and helped him and his wife Kira put their three daughters through college.

He stayed with Children's Services for 51 years. But when the organization shut down in 2017, Kiku was out of a job.

With the help of his youngest daughter and a family friend – both lawyers – Kiku want back to school to complete 41 continuing education credits and pursue the reinstatement of his law license. And today at the age of 83, he now practices immigration law in Philadelphia at the law offices of Stanley J. Ellenberg.

Kiku Mehta's advice to others considering a second act: "Do it to help people. My background as a social worker helped me to do it that way. So, money is the last thing on my mind. I joined the law profession to help people."

We learned about Kiku's story from a terrific article, "He Returned To The Courtroom At 82 For A Second Act As A Lawyer" in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Special thanks to Mari Schaefer for her excellent reporting.

We first read about Terry Kutz in a terrific article in The Wall Street Journal. Terry had a long career as a financial planner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But as a hobby he had become involved in revolutionary war reenactments with a group called the Northwest Territory Alliance (NWTA). And one day an organizer asked him if he'd be willing to play the role of Benjamin Franklin at an event they were putting on.

In retirement, his work interpreting Ben Franklin has become a part-time occupation (or what his wife now calls a full-time obsession). He's participated in dozens of historical re-enactments and events as a historical interpreter. When we met him at his home in New Berlin, Wisconsin, he came in full historical costume and wearing bifocals – which of course were invented by Ben Franklin. Click here for more on Terry and his work as a historical interpreter.

The bulk of today's episode focuses on Terry and his second act. But we'll start by going back to 1776 for an interview with one of America's founding fathers.

Chris Welles was a 46-year-old executive recruiter in Boston, Massachusetts. He was happy in his job and he had no plans for a change. But in 2008 he took a summer vacation with his wife, four kids and two other families to Kenya. And the trip completely changed his life.

Today he manages "American Rhino," a growing clothing brand with a retail and online presence. The company sells shirts, pants, sneakers, canvas bags and now face masks. All of the manufacturing takes place in Africa. And 10% of our every purchase goes directly to supporting wildlife and land conservation in Kenya.

The products that American Rhino produces are truly outstanding. Kikoy is a wonderful breathable fabric that has the feel and look of linen. Please visit www.AmericanRhino.com and check the shirts, shorts, canvas bags, sneakers and more. And remember 10% of every purchase goes back to Kenya to support wildlife conservation.

We depart from our traditional format with this episode to offer a glimpse inside the world of contact tracing. This is the fastest growing job in America, with the need for an estimated 200,000 contact tracers to track infections and protect the U.S. population against the advance of the COVID-19 virus. For those in our audience who may now be unemployed or simply looking for a new challenge, we thought it would be interesting to learn how the job works and the qualities needed to excel in this role.

We connected with Daniel Okpare, a 30-year-old masters student in New York University's School of Global Public Health. In addition to getting an advanced degree, he is on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, working for New York City's Health and Hospitals Program. He was previously profiled in The New York Times.

One point of clarification...many of the contact tracer positions focus on connecting with individuals infected by the virus by telephone. Daniel's job is that of a "community engagement specialist." He goes out into the community to meet with individuals that can't be reached via the telephone. He typically conducts 4-6, face-to-face interviews per day. Interviews take place in the doorway of the infected individual's home and run for 20-30 minutes.

We regularly celebrate the doctors, nurses, physicians assistants and paramedics helping to combat the COVID-19 crisis. It's to add "contact tracers" like Daniel Okpare to this list of healthcare heroes.

Patricia Heaton starred in two wildly successful television series: Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle.

But it was the not-so-successful series Carol's Second Act that led Patricia (or Patty she likes to be called) to author a new book called "Your Second Act." It shares her own story and her new work serving as an Ambassador for the non-profit organization World Vision. The book also details the "Second Act Stories" of 14 other, courageous individuals navigating major, life transitions. It's an inspiring read for anyone exploring a new path.

We normally conduct all of our podcast interviews face-to-face. But with travel challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis and the opportunity  to interview a three-time Emmy award winner, we made an exception for the chance to speak with Patricia Heaton via telephone.

Her new book, "Your Second Act," is on our "Best Books about Second Acts" list.

Susan Goldfein is 79 years old, in great shape and splits her time between Florida and Connecticut. For most of her professional career, she served as a speech pathologist in a range of different settings. She worked with elementary school students, provided home care for stroke patients and she taught at the university level.

Her last position was with the Alzheimers Association in New York City. But in 2008, the organization faced major funding challenges and had to reduce their staff. So at the age of 68, Susan was out of a job and completely lost in terms of what to do.

After some early struggles, she took an eight-week course in short story writing at a community center. And in the footsteps of Nora Ephron and Erma Bombeck, she found her voice as a successful humorist. She pens a blog called "Unfiltered Wit," has written two books and her stories are syndicated in eight different newspapers across the country. You can check out her writing on her website.

Concerned about COVID-19, we sat down outside in two folding chairs in a Westport, Connecticut dog park – yes a dog park – for an interview. So enjoy the conversation and a few extra background noises too.