Advertise on podcast: Life After Ursinus

In this episode, our host, Johnny Myers ’19, sits down with cookbook author and journalist, Anupy Singla ’90.  Anupy and discuss the process of writing a cookbook and the inspiration behind the recipes, as well as Anupy’s time at Ursinus and how her liberal arts education was vital in leading her on to the path she is on today! Born in India and raised outside of Philadelphia, Anupy grew up visiting her grandfather’s childhood village in the heart of Punjab. She first learned to cook traditional, spicy Punjabi-style food from him. This passion compelled her to leave daily reporting to teach her young girls how to appreciate good Indian food and blog about it on www.indianasapplepie.com - now also the name of her company. Anupy has also written for the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, and other newspapers and magazines. Her newest book, Instant Pot Indian, came out at the end of April.

In this episode, our host, Johnny Myers '19, sits down with Christian Sockel '93, the Assistant Head of School for Institutional Giving at the Hill School in Pottstown, PA. They discuss the ways in which Christian's career trajectory was shaped by his Ursinus experience, as well as the power, and common misconceptions, of philanthropy and its impact. Christian is a vital volunteer for Ursinus. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees as Chair of the Advancement Committee. In addition, Christian chairs the Philanthropy Committee, which seeks to educate fellow alumni, parents and friends of the college about the importance of philanthropy.

· Robin explains their process of writing and the process of getting a book published. · Robin dives into their thoughts on genre and the many research projects that have inspired their books. · Robin discusses the banned books problem and how they handle criticism and roadblocks in their career. · Robin shares about common themes that links their work together and why it’s so important to them to write about messy characters. · Robin recalls their experiences at Ursinus and how being involved with GSA,  the Ursinus English department, Lic Soc, and the Lantern helped set Robin up for success. · Robin gives advice to anyone in the Ursinus community wanting to become a writer.

In Episode 14 of the Life After Ursinus podcast, host Johnny Myers ’19 sits down with Katie Morello ’08, a feature producer at NFL Films. One of Katie’s largest projects was her work on the HBO series, Hard Knocks. Hard Knocks is a reality sports documentary series that follows an NFL team through their personal and professional lives. In this episode of the podcast, Katie shares her passion for football and filmmaking and reflects on her journey from UC to Emmy Award-winning feature producer. · Katie talks about her 9-season run working as a feature producer on the TV show Hard Knocks on HBO. · Katie shares about the most emotionally challenging times during her career as a filmmaker. · Katie dives into how career path in filmmaking was informed by her upbringing and schooling and how her relationship to filmmaking changed along the way. · Katie reveals some of the key storytelling elements she uses every day to make compelling stories. · Katie discusses what it really takes to be a good filmmaker. · Katie explores her career and the transformative effect that it’s had on her.

In Episode 13 of the Life After Ursinus podcast, host Johnny Myers ’19 sits down with Vinny DiMeglio ’09, a corporate real estate broker and investment salesman. Vinny helps real estate owners find tenants, buy and sell buildings, and runs his own business through JLL. In this episode, Vinny discusses the ins and outs of commercial real estate trends including how outfitting office space affects employees, why big companies are moving their headquarters, and how he leverages social media to create new opportunities for himself.  Vinny emphasizes how his transformative experience at Ursinus laid the foundation for his success and shares tips from along his journey! Vinny dives into how the pandemic transformed the conversations around office spaces. Vinny talks about his thoughts on outfitting office spaces to accommodate the mental and physical wellbeing of employees. Vinny discusses the multitude of reasons many companies have been moving their office space to different states and what the differing strategies are depending on the company’s goals. Vinny examines what WeWork and other office sharing space companies mean for his business. Vinny tells us how he leverages social media strategy to grow his business and how everyone can use social media to create new opportunities for themselves. Vinny shares what his vision is for the future of the commercial real estate industry. Vinny about his transformative Ursinus experience giving tours, studying abroad, and being involved in Greek life and athletics.

In Episode 12 of the Life After Ursinus podcast, host Johnny Myers ’19 sits down with Cynthia Fisher ’83, life sciences entrepreneur, independent investor, and corporate board director. She is the founder and CEO of ViaCord, Inc., a leading umbilical cord blood stem cell banking service which she started in 1993. In 2000, she co-founded and was president of the cellular medicines company, ViaCell, Inc. (VIAC). Cynthia also is the founder and chairman of PatientRightsAdvocate.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on ushering in systemwide healthcare price transparency. In this episode, Cynthia discusses her journey from Ursinus to her career in changing lives. · Cynthia dives into her journey founding her company, ViaCord. · Cynthia explains how her Ursinus education and fellow classmates and professors helped her achieve her goals and how she uses the lessons she learned at Ursinus with her employees. · Cynthia provides tips and advice for the adventure of business and entrepreneurship. · Cynthia talks about the difference advising on the boards of both for-profits and non-profits. · Cynthia explains her work in founding Patient Rights Advocate.org, an organization that focuses on advocating for transparent hospital pricing. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) "Inspired" Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode of the Life After Ursinus podcast, host Johnny Myers ’19 chats with singer, actor, published writer, and award-winning songwriter, Kendal Conrad ’14. We get to know Kendal’s unique style of songwriting, what it’s like being a full-time musician, and how her career has blossomed post-Ursinus.

In the first episode of season two of the Life After Ursinus podcast, host Johnny Myers ’19 sits down with Zach Shamberg ’10, the president & CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA). Zach discusses his vital role in advocating for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents and their care providers, the challenges facing Pennsylvania’s population as it ages, how the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything, and how Ursinus prepared him to face it all. Music: bensound.com

In this special season finale, host Johnny Myers ’19 sits down with the 17th President of Ursinus College, Brock Blomberg. President Blomberg brings experience in academia, government, and economic policy to Ursinus, but shares how he didn't always envision becoming a college president or leading an institution through a global pandemic. In this episode, President Blomberg reflects upon how the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic changed campus life and details the pivot UC leadership made in response: creating and launching a virus task force, tailoring the student experience to ensure the safety and welfare of our campus, and investing in comprehensive weekly testing for students, faculty, and staff. He also discusses the college's recent successful Keep the Promise campaign, elaborates on plans to elevate the campus and surrounding Collegeville community as a destination location, and shares his personal experience navigating the challenges and achievements of this past year.

In this episode, mentor/mentee Michele (Benfer) Moyer ’90 and Delanie Rogers ’23 take over the Life After Ursinus podcast to chat about networking in your industry and beyond, resources for alumni job seekers, and how to pivot in the pandemic. Currently serving as director of development for individual and planned giving at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa., Michele also teaches a first year course which helps students both acclimate to college and work on developing a career plan. Delanie, a member of the class of 2023, imparts her own wisdom as a media and communications studies major and rising student leader on campus.

In this episode, host Kevin Cox ’15 sits down with Michael Agiorgousis ’13 to discuss how he makes physics easier to understand through storytelling. Michael dives into the technical-driven world of research, explains the advantages of being a good storyteller in STEM is critical to his success, and credits his time at Ursinus to helping him craft his writing and presentation skills.

 In this episode, host Johnny Myers ’19 sits down with Sabir Peele ’08, who owns his own men’s style and lifestyle blog and website, Men’s Style Pro. Sabir credits the networking skills built at Ursinus that have propelled him to build relationships with big names like GQ and Esquire Magazine. Sabir talks about how an Ursinus classmate encouraged him to create a men’s style blog, which led to the spontaneous creation of Men’s Style Pro. Ten years later, Men’s Style Pro has stayed true to the idea of how to help the everyday man dress. Sabir has shown his blog’s versatility, from working with big names like GQ and Pharrell, all the way to the ever-affordable Walmart, all while drawing in over 60,000 views on his platforms a month. Sabir shares how his interest in fashion trickles down to his roots working at his grandmother’s dry clean business in Germantown (Philadelphia, Pa.). Sabir analyzes fashion trends of the past and present, and gives us insider perspective on styles making their return in today’s fashion industry, and addresses the fate of brick-and-mortar stores in the COVID-19 pandemic. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the most essential accessory is the face mask. Men’s Style Pro has partnered with Henry Mask, one of the original organizations to create a face mask brand. Every mask purchased supports masks for frontline workers in need, and helps you look great while protecting others. Sabir talks fatherhood while managing his brand and business, and how to juggle wanting to support a family while enjoying the little moments along the way. Sabir traces his journey back to Ursinus which helped him to curate his own brand, reflecting on the principals of independence and drive he learned from faculty and advisors. He shares how it’s all shaped into his passion to help others build their brand, as well. Ursinus roots run deep - Sabir even designed his freshman roommate’s tuxedo for his wedding.