The Curious Middle – Details, episodes & analysis

Leland Vittert, NewsNation's chief Washington anchor and author of the memoir Born Lucky, joins us to talk about his childhood, his career, and all the unexpected ways he truly was born lucky.

Despite years of bullying and difficulty navigating school as an autistic kid, Leland had one enormous blessing: parents who never gave up on him, never lowered the bar, and never stopped believing he was capable of a beautiful life. The devotion of Leland's father will melt your heart—and make you think about the millions of ways a child's life can be transformed through love, discipline, and grit.

Leland shares moving stories about how his dad refused to quit on him and modeled what character really looks like. We also dig into journalism—his time reporting from Jerusalem, the state of today's media, who to trust, what's broken, and what still gives him hope.

If you've ever felt different, misunderstood, or simply love a powerful father–son story, listen in. This episode will make you rethink what's possible.

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What happens when a no-nonsense entrepreneur decides she's had enough of California's chaos? Elaine Culotti has ideas politicians won't touch.

She is a fearless entrepreneur, farmer, real estate developer, and a potential candidate for governor of California. You may also know her as one of the business tycoons on Undercover Billionaire. In this conversation, Elaine shares her frustrations with California's government and bold ideas for tackling its toughest challenges.

Shaped by decades of experience in real estate, building businesses, and running her own farm, Elaine brings a no-nonsense, working-class perspective to politics. We cover Calforinia's challenges with wildfires, immigration, homelessness and crime. 

 

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Natasha Sizlo was having a terrible year. Fresh off a divorce, bankruptcy, the end of a passionate relationship, and then the news came about her beloved father's devastating terminal illness. When a friend suggested an astrology reading, Natasha's first instinct was a hard pass. But, Natasha relented, and the reading led her towards a year of magic, the kind of year that turns into a romantic comedy on the big screen and a best-selling book.

All Signs Point to Paris by Natasha Sizlo.

Hire Natasha to be your real estate agent

If you enjoyed this podcast, check out our most powerful and inspiring conversations from the podcast featuring women who've taken bold risks, rebuilt their lives, or spoken the truths most of us keep quiet. These women are brilliant examples of living the life meant for you.

Starting Over, Resilience, Overcoming:

• Nicole Avant on a Mindset of Gratitude and Service

• Bethany Hamilton on Faith, Waves, and Fearlessness: Bethany Hamilton's Unshakable Journey"

• Claire Bidwell Smith, Finding Peace After Grief

• Dara Kurtz, How Dara Crushed Cancer and Changed Her Life

• Annette Ross was Meant for love, after overcoming a tragic accident during the birth of her second child that left Anette unable to walk, Annette went on to create a beautiful life with five daughters and the love of her life

Travel:

• Jeannie Ralston, The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blosssoming

Life Stories and Culture:

• Laura Belgray, author of Tough Titties, on growing up loud, weird, and real

• Kat Timpf, Truth Bombs and Punchlines: Kat Timpf on Humor That Hurts (and Heals)

• Tiffany Shlain on reclaiming time with Tech Shabbats

• Zibby Owens on bookfluencing and being a literary connector

Mental Health

• Lori Gottlieb (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone) on why you really should talk to someone

Serving Others

• Heidi Kuhn, founder of Roots of Peace, on turning grief into global impact

• Dr. Leana Wen, Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health

• Jessica Honegger on Going Scared and Choosing Purpose Over Comfort

Relationships

• Amy Chan, "The Love Rehab You Didn't Know You Needed" and the Psychology of Love

• Eve Rodsky (Fair Play) on burnout, breakdowns, and building a movement

 

Favorite Quotes from Natasha:

"I just have to go to find everybody with his exact same birth chart because the one has to still be out there."

"Once I started believing, I started seeing."

"To live an authentic life, that's a beautiful thing."

"If it's mentionable, it's manageable."

"Sounds like you're going to Paris. I'll meet you there."

 

Robyn Fisher really loves ice cream. As a kid, she and her family would have ice cream for those special moments in life – to bond, recover and really savor life. Fast forward to college. Robyn was in the middle of her studies and couldn't find a decent ice cream in NYC. She recalled the fresh gelato she experienced in Italy and realized that while gourmet coffee was taking off, there was a gap in the market for fresh ice cream. This realization set her life path toward the founding of Smitten Ice Cream.

After graduating from business school, Robyn found an engineer willing to work for equity for two years on creating a better ice cream machine, Brrr, a liquid nitrogen machine with six patents and a secret formula for gourmet ice cream.

This led to the creation of the Today Smitten makes every ice cream batch to order. You read that right – nothing is frozen until the customer orders it.

In this episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast, Robyn shares her motivations that led to Smitten and discusses how starting Smitten gave her a life purpose and a job she truly loves. You also will hear Robyn's unforgettable story of selling her first batch of ice cream in 2009 in a San Francisco park while using a Radio Flyer Wagon attached to a nitrogen machine and motorcycle battery held together with a bungee cord. After spending two years on the idea and her entire savings, Robyn gave herself two weeks to test if there was a market for her product. It was the depth of the recession, but instead of giving up or finding reasons why her idea wouldn't work, Robyn tried her idea on a serious budget, tweeting the location of her Radio Flyer ice cream. Robyn's experiment worked, and people showed up, a lot of people. That experiment changed Robyn's life and showed her there was a market for authentic food made with passion.

Today, you can experience Smitten ice cream in five stores in the Bay Area. Beginning in March 2020, wherever you are in the U.S., you will able to give your loved ones the sweetest surprise by making them a unique ice cream flavor. "Spoon me" and "You dumped his ass" are examples of custom ice cream flavors. 

Robyn's story is the perfect example of having the courage and passion to follow an idea despite the odds or large competitors. Robyn innovated on an existing product, created a unique experience and built a business based on passion, integrity and smiles. If you have dreams of starting your own business, Robyn's story offers plenty inspiration to get you thinking differently about the possibilities.

To contact the show reach out to: contact@meantforit.com

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Guest Co-Host Willow Older, Co-Founder of @today.i.noticed

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Need some inspiration about getting involved with an issue you're passionate about? You'll find plenty in today's interview with Shannon Watts. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Shannon was devastated. Like many of us, she assumed the horrific tragedy would provoke outrage and change. When legislative and social change didn't appear, and the status quo remained solidly in place, Shannon channeled her outrage and grief by starting a Facebook page for her few dozen online friends. Almost 7 years later, that single page has evolved into Moms Demand Action – a political powerhouse and one of the largest grassroots organizations in the country.

In today's conversation, I Want Her Job The Podcast Host Polina Selyutin and Guest Co-Host Willow Older discuss Shannon's new book, Fight Like a Mother, which is part memoir, part manual, and part manifesto. We talk about Shannon's journey as an accidental activist and find out how Moms Demand Action is changing perceptions and creating unlikely allies in the battle for common sense gun safety legislation. 

Shannon also shares how she manages to rise above cynicism, despite unprecedented rates of gun violence. We learn why "losing forward" is a crucial part of reaching big, long-term goals. And we find out how Moms Demand Action is developing volunteer leaders across the nation.

To contact the show reach out to: podcast@iwantherjob.com 

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Guest Co-Host Willow Older, Co-Founder of @today.i.noticed

If you enjoyed this show, please share it with a friend!

 

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a career switch? Or, have you wondered what to do to make that career switch successful – and not a complete disaster? We sat down with a woman who wrote the book on the art of a career transition – literally. Dr. Dawn Graham is author of Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers and Seize Success. She's also a coach for the Wharton School's Executive MBA program and host of Career Talk on SiriusXM channel 132. In today's episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast Dawn answers your top career transition questions. 

Questions discussed include:

Should I go back to school?

How do I pass an interview in a new career track?

How do I know if my job switch is worth it?

Today's episode shares advice from Dawn that is practical and will help you think through your career switch. And with advanced degrees in counseling psychology, her training allows her to understand the fears, doubts or mistakes that can often block us from making the career switch our souls want us to make.

 

Clarity comes through action, Dawn tells I Want Her Job The Podcast Co-Founder Polina. Learn how Dawn's advice can help you test out the new career role you are considering. Then, hear guidance from Dawn about what to do when you get an interview, how to show your dedication for a new role, and more.

To contact the show reach out to: contact@meantforit.com

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Lydia Fenet undoubtedly has a dream job. In her role as managing director and global director of strategic partnerships at the famed auction house Christie's. Lydia's role combines travel, strategy, art and social impact. In addition to living a life full of art and adventure, Lydia has raised more than half a billion dollars for over 400 non-profits worldwide as the leading benefit auctioneer in the country. In our conversation, Lydia reveals how she has used her work ethic and her unique skills of humor and persuasion to become a leading auctioneer. We also talk about her first book, The Most Powerful Women in The Room is You, where she shares the mindset and day-to-day tactics she used to land her first dream job as an intern. We also talk about the time Matt Damon accidentally called her Lindsey … and how one could possibly navigate that situation?! (With a classic response, of course.) Lydia also discusses one of her favorite events she's worked on – leading a benefit with Bruce Springsteen at Madison Square Garden in front of an audience of 6,000.  Dream job? Check. Most powerful women in the room? Double check. If you have your heart set on a dream job, Lydia's entire career path is a roadmap that can be transferred toward any big career goal.

We've all been through heartache and heartbreak, but today's guest on I Want Her Job: The Podcast has made a career of it.   Amy Chan is the Founder of Renew Breakup Bootcamp, a retreat that takes a scientific and spiritual approach to healing the heart. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of JustMyType.ca an online magazine that focuses on the psychology behind love, lust and desire. In our conversation, Amy shares how a painful break up led her to the idea for starting her thriving business focused on love and healing. We discuss how Amy's research on love dating changed her life and set her on a mission to help others, while running a successful business.    You will love this episode if you are curious about different dating attachment styles, common mistakes, and the single most important thing each of us can do to get on a happier, and more loving path. After listening to Amy's passion for how love and psychology are connected, it will be obvious why Marie Claire calls Amy, "A relationship expert whose work is like that of a scientific Carrie Bradshaw." Her company has been featured across national media including Good Morning America, Vogue, Glamour, Nightline and the front page of The New York Times. We can't wait for you to listen and to have Amy back on our show to discuss her upcoming book, Breakup Bootcamp – The Science to Rewiring Your Heart.

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Imagine that you are in a room in Silicon Valley. You think of your electrical engineering degree from Stanford, but you also think of the time you immigrated to the United States with only $43 to your name. Everywhere you look there's men, but you're a woman. And although setbacks are the norm for females in your industry, you're proving yourself to be a force in venture capital. After all, you're on the inside helping Marc Benioff build Salesforce – from the ground up. 

This is the story of Magdalena Yesil. Magdalena and three other extraordinarily strong, ambitious women share their stories in Alpha Girls, the latest book from acclaimed New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize nominee Julian Guthrie. In Alpha Girls, Julian takes the reader into the rooms where deals, risks and decisions shaped some of Silicon Valley's biggest industries.

The Alpha Girls story is so damn, jaw-dropping good that there was a bidding war for the film and TV rights that included the likes of Amazon, Universal and Brett Ratner, among others. The winner? Female-founded Welle Entertainment. And, with a TV series on the horizon, we can't wait to be taken into the girls' world in a completely new way. But, as always, we recommend you read the book first. It will help you truly savor and dive into the awe-inspiring lives of the Alpha Girls.

In episode 98 of I Want Her Job The Podcast, Host Polina Selyutin talks to Julian about her book. We discuss how the four women featured got on their respective paths and worked their way to becoming "the only" in their venture firms. We also discuss how Alpha Girls has opened a door into venture capital as a path of opportunity for other women. Although it is a highly intense, high-stakes, high-stress and super-competitive space, for those ready and prepared for the challenge, the women known as the Alpha Girls have offered four roadmaps to tremendous success and a chance to shape the future.

 

Esther Wojcicki is asked about parenting advice – sometimes over 10 times a day! In How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results, Esther shares the guiding principles she has used to raise her wildly successful daughters, as well as in her teaching of journalism to students at Palo Alto High School who affectionately call her Woj. Her parenting philosophy can be distilled into a combination of values and practices within an acronym called TRICK, which stands for trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness. In her book, Esther drills into each area, explaining why she believes each component to TRICK is critical. She also offers ideas for utilizing her TRICK philosophy with your children, and shares dozens of memorable stories.

There is no doubt the book will be a best seller since Esther has had such tremendous success as a mother and teacher. Each of Esther's daughters have phenomenal career achievements. Daughter, Susan Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube; Janet Wojcicki is a professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Francisco; and Anne Wojcicki, is the founder and CEO of genetic testing company 23andMe. At the center of Silicon Valley for her entire career as an influential teacher, Esther also is a dedicated community member. With Google famously beginning its empire in daughter Susan's garage, Esther has truly been surrounded by the tech revolution.

Hundreds of Esther's students still keep in touch with her, and as her daughters say in the book's foreword, they often meet former students who say, "You know, your mom really changed my life. She believed in me." Esther has been nominated for national awards for her teaching and thousands of students who went through her program often consider the experience life changing – both for the work they did, and for the respect, autonomy and the bar set by Esther.

In addition to sharing her philosophy for raising independent, kind and community-oriented children, Esther's book feels like a handbook for global citizenship. She firmly believes that kindness, finding ways to help others and the quality of our relationships are at the forefront of a happy life. 

In our conversation, Esther shares how tragedy and other intense difficulties  during her childhood influenced her parenting philosophy. We discuss why using TRICK with children and in schools leads to radical results and learn hands-on tactics for using TRICK in your family. Esther is a brilliant example of the impact one teacher can have, and the joy of living a life of purpose.