Welcome to the Messy Middle!

Over the last eight months, I’ve been working on a passion project. I’ve mentioned it here and there. And you got a glimpse of it in my most recent TEDx talk, where I called out the missing conversation we’re not having about the soul of work.

Well, finally, the sort-of-secret, mythical project is becoming real!

My good friend Dana Allen Walsh and I are co-hosting a podcast called, “A Life Worth Working,” available wherever you listen to podcasts. Even though Dana is a kickass senior pastor, and even though our little podcast studio is located in her church (and we place our laptop on a pile of hymnals and bibles to record), this is not a religious podcast.

“A Life Worth Working” celebrates the scraps, screw-ups, and detours of our work lives because we believe that nothing is wasted. The hardest moments we endure, from epic failures to employment gaps and crushing disappointments, all become fertile ground for new growth and endless possibilities.

So you’ll hear about the wild journeys of our guests: a comedy writer turned ER doctor, a hedge fund manager turned death doula, a musician turned consultant, even a K-pop star turned lawyer—the list goes on! Each guest reveals pivotal moments of growth born from career zig-zags and dead-ends.

Forget linear paths! We’re all navigating spaghetti-shaped journeys. And even those who appear to have it all figured out are fumbling their way through. Our guests talk about the pitfalls, the whispers they couldn’t ignore, or the moments of release that enabled them to jump to something unexpected. And perhaps most importantly, they talk about the messiest, hardest, and most painful parts of their journeys that created the conditions for new life and growth.

If you’re interested in dwelling in that messy middle, you’ll love this podcast. And best of all, you’ll hear each of these guests in quick, punchy 20-minute episodes.

Once you subscribe to “A Life Worth Working” (wherever you get your podcasts), you'll get a special little episode delivered every Thursday: a precious, little gem we lovingly call a "Shit Pile Episode" (yep, we curse here—and it's totally OK!). Think manure or compost. Each guest shares the shittiest moment of their careers and how vital and life-giving those moments ended up being.

And then the following Tuesday, you’ll get to hear a full episode with that particular guest. But heads up: we don’t repeat the Thursday stories in the Tuesday ones, so subscribe now! You definitely don't want to miss our stories about the muddy mess.

“A Life Worth Working” is a shared labor of love—created by podcast fiends for podcast fans. Just give us 20 minutes of your time, and we’ll share these gloriously messy stories to help you feel just a little less alone and a little less stuck.

Here we go!

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