The Dream Job Podcast

Have you ever had an entire room full of successful, upwardly mobile peers eating out of the palm of your hand as you described the blow-by-blow details of one of your recent job-related phone calls? Probably not. But our guest today has.
For our first ever interview, we sit down with Collin Roberts, an NFL Agent at REP 1 Sports to talk about his journey from lawyer to professional sports agent. We talk about his 40 yard dash time. We talk about what he’d be doing if he hadn’t landed his dream job (hint: it has something to do with cults), and we finally work up the nerve to ask the one question we’ve always wanted to ask him: can he get Jon Gruden to be a guest on our podcast? It’s a beautiful moment.
We really enjoyed recording this one and we hope you enjoy it as well. Be sure to stick around till the end to hear the unplanned (and unwelcome) cameo from Onnie’s 4 year-old.

• Collin on Twitter
• Collin on Instagram
• REP1 Management

If posted as a job description on your company's careers page, the life of a Mom would attract fewer applicants than that entry level sales role that's been unfilled since the beginning of time. In fact, it would probably be flagged by OSHA as an unsafe and abusive work environment. The work is exhausting, unsanitary, and (often) embarrassing. There's no pay, no opportunity for promotion, and no objective definition of success. Job training? None. Work hours? All of them. Unreasonable coworkers prone to frequent emotional meltdowns and verbal abuse? You betcha.
Thankfully, despite all of this, millions of brave women still sign up for the job every year. The future of the human race (very literally) depends on them. And thankfully for us, one of those women agreed to talk with us last week about her life as a mom. Amy Evon, full-time mom and full-time sister-in-law to Kent, joins us for a special Mother's Day edition of the podcast to share about the highs, lows, and hilarity of her life as the mom of Susie (9), Emma (7), and Quinn (4). If you've ever wondered how you would handle a child pooping and puking at the same time, this episode is for you. And, if you forgot to say something nice to your Mom yesterday, consider yourself reminded. #backtowork

Today, Kent and Onnie welcome their college roommate, David McCloskey, onto the podcast. Now, reading that you may be thinking “geez louise. These guys are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for guests these days, aren’t they?” And while you’d be right, we actually have more to talk about with Dave than freshman dorm antics and Will Ferrell quotes from 2005. Specifically, we want to talk about his recent decision to walk away from his high paying corporate job to try his hand at being a novelist.

With his debut book coming out this October (available for pre-order now), and with him being two months removed from the corporate grind, we’re catching Dave at a unique stage in his journey toward his “dream job.” And since he’s a good friend, is (technically) unemployed, and is an easy guest to book, we thought we’d follow along with Dave as he opens this new chapter of his career. (A miserable pun, but it had to be said.)

In this first conversation – part 1 of 2 – we talk to Dave about the five years he spent working at the CIA, his transition into the private sector, when he knew it was time to leave, and how it feels to have “gotten out.” We also talk about the uncertainty of the road ahead and contemplate the possibility that his book might be an abysmal failure.

Give it a listen, and then stay tuned for Part 2 in November when we’ll check back in with Dave to see how things are going. Did anyone buy the book? Have they sold the film rights? Is Collin Ferrell attached? Does he still like writing? Has he gained 30 pounds and a drinking problem? These are questions that need answers, and we’ll get all of them at the end of Season 2.
Pre-Order Dave's Book on Amazon! (out October 5th)

Whether or not you're a fan of craft beer (and if you weren't a fan before 2020, honestly...what else will it take?), we can all acknowledge that the growth of the craft beer industry was unquestionably one of the defining food and beverage trends of the 2010s. The number of craft breweries in the US skyrocketed from around 1,500 to north of 8,000, and - in the process - Americans learned that beers could come in different colors beside "dehydrated urine yellow." We learned that bars could be built around things besides sports games and local cover bands. We learned not only how to pronounce gose, but also what they taste like. (Editor's Note: they're disgusting.)
Our guest on the podcast this week was there for all of it. After starting as the weekend bartender in Half Acre Beer Company's taproom, Lee McComb did just about every job in the brewery before eventually becoming the Specialty Beer Manager overseeing Half Acre's program of award winning small batch and limited release beers. (They have nearly 250 different rated beers on Beer Advocate!)
From a simple hobby to a decade-long career, Lee has been able to translate his interest in home-brewing into not only a profession but a true craft. Lee shares a few of the things that make Half Acre so special as a brewery, the impact #COVID has had on their business, and how he balances good beer vs. good business. Give it a listen while #daydrinking at your desk this week. And then go out and buy a six-pack from your favorite local brewery! Let's all get through this mess together.

• Lee on Instagram
• Half Acre on Instagram
• Half Acre on the web

The last few months have you itching for some hasty and politicized scientific claims? Spoiler alert: you won’t be happy with this pod, as we interview David Howell, a PhD researcher on concussions in sports.
Prior to the interview, we check in on our working definitions of dream jobs -- 18 episodes in -- and how we’d self-grade ourselves. Then join us as we go deeper than Will Smith in ‘Concussion’ to learn about the state of concussion research (hint: we’re decades out from firm conclusions), just what it means to be a professor and clinical researcher, and the details for how David went from the sideline and lab at the University of Oregon to one of the top researchers in his field. Throughout, we touch on topics like the importance of credibility/expertise in finding your dream job, being attuned to when you’re ‘resonating’ in a role/job and how that can be a hint toward your dream job journey, and some of the challenges/frictions you’ll face, even in a dream job (grant proposal rejections!).
If you enjoy the episode, follow-us, share us, and write a review. And if you want updates on the state of concussion research, follow David: @howellDR on Twitter

• Dave’s faculty page
• Concussion
• Oregon losing the 2011 National Championship (sorry Dave)