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Sharlene Wells first gained national attention when she won the 1985 Miss America title. But that was only the beginning of her varied accomplishments.  Sharlene now works as the senior vice president of public relations and organizational communications for Mountain America Credit Union, which includes overseeing government and community relations, something she has plenty of experience in. One of Sharlene's passion projects has been working with the US military to tell the stories of service men and women.  In fact, she shares a pivotal experience she had with a Vietnam vet just a few years ago. Sharlene grew up in South America and was the first woman to win Miss America who was foreign-born and bilingual.  She learned the power of differentiation when she performed a Paraguayan harp solo while she sang in Spanish for her talent in Miss America.  She's continued to be a stand-out in everything she's done, including working for ESPN as one of their first women reporters.  We'll look back over her dynamic career to find the skills that anyone can develop for success.  Join me!  LINKS: Miss America 1985 | Sharlene Wells 🇺🇸♥👏 - YouTube UVU: Women's Success Center Lecture Series - Sharlene Wells Hawkes - YouTubeEp 4:  Multiply Success, Interview with Sharlene Wells, Miss America, ESPN & Executive Successes - YouTube President Reagan meeting with Miss America Sharlene Wells on January 23, 1985 - YouTube

As the daughter of two teachers, K.C. Boyd didn't want to follow her parents into education.  But after various jobs, she was bored and unfulfilled.  It was then K.C.'s dad suggested she work towards becoming a school librarian, and she never looked back.  Now, after 20 years in the field, K.C. was just named Scholastic Library Journal's 2022 Librarian of the Year. K.C. is currently the librarian at Jefferson MIddle School Academy in Washington, D.C.  In this episode, K.C. discusses why librarians are so fundamental to learning and the impact they can have on overall student achievement.  K.C. also shares the role she played with students as the Capitol riot was unfolding just blocks away from her school.  And wait until you hear about the no-TV Wednesdays she grew up with as a kid! It's all in this episode. KCBOYD.COM - KC Boyd, Librarian/Library Media Specialist K.C. Boyd Named 2022 School Librarian of the Year | School Library Journal (slj.com)

My mom has been my biggest supporter throughout my life and always listens to my podcasts.  But she also has a story tell - one that is full of difficulty softened by faith.  In 1973, my mom suffered a life-threatening emergency when she developed HELLP syndrome during her labor with my sister (that wasn't the term they used back then, so my mom is a case study in the medical books). Every Mother's Day since has been a gift, because she almost didn't make it.  In this episode, we talk about some of her memories growing up, her experiences working at Grand Canyon to put herself through college, and her first years working as a teacher.  But it's her traumatic birth story, the critical days afterward and the years she spent trying to heal that have made my mom one of the most empathetic people I know.  Her advice to people suffering from long-term illness is so good.  And her experience grieving her old life and making adjustments to a new life is worth hearing.  Come meet my mom! 

In this episode, I talk with Josh Allen, English professor and the author of two collections of scary stories for kids.  Josh's love of the spooky started when he was kid, watching all of The Twilight Zone episodes with his dad.  But it wasn't until much later in his life that he realized writing spooky stories was what he wanted to do as part of his career.  Now, Josh teaches creative writing at BYUI and continues to write scary stories for middle-grade readers.  We talk about why reading scary stories can be good for kids and why fiction is good for all us. Josh shares great advice for anyone who wants to write and for everyone looking for their life's work.  Don't miss this one! Josh Allen Website: https://joshallenwriter.com The Storytelling Animal | Jonathan Gottschall  

In this episode I talk with Grammy-nominated performing artist and violinist Jenny Oaks Baker.  Jenny started on the violin at age 4 and was practicing 4 hours a day by the time she started high school.  Her musicianship and technique were perfected at the Curtis School of Music and later at Julliard for a master's degree, after which she performed as 1st chair at the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C.  But combining motherhood and a performing career was difficult.  In this episode, Jenny shares how she came to forge the career she has now, one that supports motherhood AND music. We discuss her recent collaboration with Condoleezza Rice and how she puts her YouTube music videos together.  She also shares how she helped her children choose musical instruments to excel at and why performing with her children is her greatest joy.  Jenny's faith is central to everything she does and it comes through in this interview.  And don't miss the story behind her rare violin! Links: Jenny Oaks Baker website: Jenny Oaks Baker  YouTube channel: Jenny Oaks Baker - YouTube  Jenny Oaks Baker vlogs: Vlogs — Jenny Oaks Baker Follow me on Instagram!  @careerchatpod 

Marilyn Ference has always loved creating a budget and managing her family finances.  As their family was growing, she often told her husband he was the offensive coordinator, and she was the defensive coordinator when it came to money. With a background in business and finances, managing money came easy to her.  But she saw a need for a simpler system of budgeting, one that anyone could use.  With the idea of creating a helpful app, Marilyn is now the co-founder of Otto, a budgeting app to help you organize your personal finances.  If you've ever wondered what it takes to go from concept to launching an app, this episode is for you.  Join me to hear about Marilyn's experience and what she's learned along the way! - Links: Otto Save-Otto | Easier than a budget (ottosave.com) - Follow me on Instagram! @careerchatpod

Today, we have an extra special episode of Career Chat. I (Emily LeBaron--producer, editor, daughter) interview our host, Andrea, in honor of her 52nd birthday on 02/22/22. Andrea graduated from the University of Utah with her degree in communications and went on to work as marketing director at KJZZ TV. When I was born, she became a stay-at-home mom for 18 years before working as an elementary school librarian and hosting this podcast. Andrea shares the career advice she has learned from doing 43 interviews, her experience as a stay-at-home mom, and her favorite part of working for KJZZ TV. Tune in to this fun episode to learn more about the host of Career Chat and celebrate her extra golden birthday. - Follow me on Instagram! @careerchatpod

Rowena Montaya has rebuilt her life not once, but twice - first when she was only 15 and her single mom died, and then as a 40-year-old whose husband's business closed unexpectedly. Both times she learned who she could rely on and what she needed to survive. Today, Rowena is the founder and CEO of JulieAnn Caramels, a gourmet food company. With flavors like coconut lime, cinnamon, and award-winning maple-bacon, Rowena uses only fresh ingredients to deliver these top-notch caramels. Join me to hear Rowena's inspiring career story and the advice she has for finding your life's work, even if you're down on your luck and unsure of the future.  Links: JulieAnn Caramels- JulieAnn Caramels Small Business Administration- Small Business Administration (sba.gov) Follow me on Instagram! @careerchatpod

When Brooklin Beech was young, she got to shadow her grandpa at his dental practice, and later wrote in her journal that she wanted to work on teeth when she grew up. Now, as the mom of 3 adorable boys, Brooklin works part-time as an orthodontic assistant at a Salt Lake-area practice. In this episode, Brooklin shares her experience training on the job, the advantages of this part-time work as a mom, and her expertise in caring for teeth. She also shares what happened when she made a big mistake early in her career, which became a positive learning experience, thanks to the supportive doctor she works with. As a result, she has a really great analogy about teamwork in the office, and the importance of caring about people, not just teeth. I hope you'll join me for this insightful interview! - Follow me on Instagram! @careerchatpod

Cindy Mitchell has spent the last 24 years working as the librarian at South Jordan Middle School. But she had a great idea after only a few years on the job--to create a website where she would rate and review all the books she read. In 2003, Kiss the Book was born and continues today as a premier book review site, covering the entire K-12 spectrum with over 1,000 reviews a year. In this episode, we talk about how to find a book your kids will love, some overall general trends in children's literature and we discuss the current issue of challenging and censoring library books. Cindy also shares what keeps her engaged in this passion project without making any money on it and what she would tell her kids about fin ding a career to love.  - Links: Kiss the Book Blog--KISS THE BOOK Follow me on Instagram! @careerchatpod

Karissa Gurthrie studied criminal justice in college, but she currently works with the homeless population at The Road Home in Salt Lake City. This time of year, she is busy overseeing Candy Cane Corner, a pop-up store for vulnerable populations in the area. In this episode, Karissa shares some misconceptions about homelessness; a kind, helpful response we can use when talking with, and ways you can help people experiencing homelessness during the holidays and throughout the year. I hope you'll join me to learn more! - Links: Candy Cane Corner--Candy Cane Corner 2021 | Bringing Holiday Cheer to Utah Families Since 1994 (candycanecornerslc.com) The Road Home--The Road Home – Helping people experiencing homelessness. Trauma informed Care--What is Trauma-Informed Care? - Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center (chcs.org) - Follow me on Instagram! @Careerchatpod

Emily DeHaan has always had a love for beautiful homes. While initially planning to major in interior design and then architecture, Emily eventually settled on construction management and worked as an estimator in her first job after college. But when she started a family a few years later, Emily chose to step away and ended up taking a 20 year hiatus from her career. Now, with mostly grown children, Emily has returned as a project manager with custom home builders Jackson & Leroy. In this episode, we discuss the advantages and challenges of being a woman in construction, what she would have done differently if she could go back, and her advice for anyone interested in construction as a career. - Links: Jackson & Leroy--Overview - Jackson & LeRoy (jacksonandleroy.com) BYU Construction Management--The Program (byu.edu) Resources for Women in Construction--16 Best Resources for Women in Construction (capterra.com) - Connect with me on Instagram! @careerchatpod