I’m honored to bring today’s interview to you as it is a different angle this week. Jen has exemplified two different aha moments. One is switching her daytime career. And the other is starting a blog…one the side.

Jen left a job that most would be envious of and took a big risk to follow her calling. To me, she represents someone who constantly challenges herself and continues to grow and allows herself to fully embrace and be open to whatever calls her.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am a Deputy District Attorney in the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office. I also write a lifestyle blog called A Well-Nurtured Life.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I started as an assistant at a large entertainment public relations firm a few weeks after graduating from U.C.L.A and eventually left to start my own Entertainment/Fashion event company with another publicist from the firm. I did everything from walking red carpets with actresses to planning parties for international fashion companies and organizing events at the Sundance Film Festival. When you do event planning, your job description really entails so many different things – everyday is different.
What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

In the beginning I actually loved the job. It was fun, fast-paced and always exciting. I got to travel, attend fabulous parties and events, and worked with a lot of A-list actors. The down side was that the hours were long and the pay was low, especially compared with what some of my college friends were making at their first jobs.

When I started my own business, a whole new host of challenges presented themselves, but I still really liked what I was doing.  However, over time, the glamour and excitement wore off and I realized that I was beginning to define my success by which Oscar parties I got invited to or how quickly I could breeze through a Hollywood velvet rope. I looked in the mirror and saw someone that I didn’t necessarily want to be.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

After a lot of self-reflection, I decided to leave the company. I moved back in with my parents and wasn’t sure what to do next. My sister was studying abroad in Florence at the time and my family decided to visit her and travel through Europe for 6 weeks. That was my first trip to Europe and it really opened my eyes to how large the world really was.

For the first time I realized that there was so much more going on outside of the small, little Hollywood bubble that I had been living in. I remember visiting a winery in Tuscany and meeting the jovial owner who couldn’t have been happier or prouder of the beautiful little vineyard he had created. I thought to myself – he has no idea what the hottest Hamptons nightclub is or what actors attended P.Diddy’s MTV Awards after-party. That trip just changed the way I viewed the world and my place in it.

While I was in Europe, the trials of those responsible for the Rwandan genocide were going on at the Hague and I started following them pretty closely. When I realized there were many American lawyers doing the trials, I was moved and inspired by the work they were doing and the victims they were fighting for.

I came home and within a week I had done my research and signed up for the LSAT. I worked in the San Diego District Attorney’s office while in law school and as soon as the L.A. County D.A. started hiring, I applied.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

I was 25 when I started law school. I was worried about whether I would be able to compete intellectually with the other students in my class. I was hesitant about leaving L.A. for 3 years, where most of my family and friends were.

I was worried about disconnecting myself completely from a world I had been plugged into for years.

What do you love most about what you do?

One of the best things about my job is feeling like I have the ability to help victims of crimes in a small, but significant way. Whether it is a small shop owner who was burglarized and lost his entire inventory or a family who has lost a child, I have the privilege to come into their lives and fight to bring the perpetrators of the crimes to justice.

Knowing that dangerous individuals are off the street and that the victims can be given some type of closure, at least with respect to the justice system, feels really good. To hear the father of a child who was killed say “Thank You,” to you - there isn’t more professional fulfillment you can find.

My job is intellectually stimulating, challenging, and really fun. I also have wonderful co-workers who are supportive, creative and really excellent lawyers.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

1. Don’t wait. There will never be a good time to go back to school, change careers, or start a new creative endeavor and putting it “on hold” will only make it less likely for you to actually do it.

2. Nurture your interests. Whether its photography, painting, or sports, set aside time to nurture your interests or passions, especially if it’s not what you are doing for work. With the long hours most of us log at work, it’s easy to rely on our day jobs to derive satisfaction and fulfillment in our lives. But setting aside time to pursue things that inspire and challenge you will inject more happiness into your life.

I’ve always loved fashion and interior design and although it’s not something I would quit my job to do at this point, I’ve found a wonderful creative outlet in my blog. Who knows where it will lead, but it gives me a space to talk about things and people that interest and inspire me.

I think of it as being the editor of my own magazine – something I’ve fantasized about doing since I was a little girl. So sign up for a community class or start an etsy shop and see where it takes you!

3. Do things that scare you. I’ve received this advice since I was in college, but at this stage in life I’ve realized how true it is. Going back to school was one of the best decisions I’ve made, but at the time, I had a lot of fear about whether I was going to be able to do it successfully.

4. Try your best to keep your priorities straight. As a working mom, it is sometimes very hard to make sense of how to reconcile my drive and passion for my job and career related goals with my family life and spending time with my husband and daughter.

I’ll admit to having moments where I felt like my parental responsibilities were getting in the way of work, but every day when I come home from work to my giddy toddler, I’m reminded that for me, my family will always come first.

Check out Jen’s blog: http://awellnurturedlife.blogspot.com/

Today’s Aha interview is something that is so interesting to me yet not often talked about. Egg freezing. As a woman in my (now late) thirties, I am more and more aware of the difficulty in having children as we get older.

Brigitte has created an awesome site that gives all of the information you would ever need as well as provides a great community support.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I recently launched my first start up, Eggsurance.com.  It’s an egg freezing education and community site.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I have had a very eclectic career to date.  I started in an auction house in New York, worked in Production at the Gap and ended up in marketing strategy for tech companies.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

I am a fast learner, which made jumping from very different industries interesting and challenging.  However, I never felt passionate about the work I was doing.  I was constantly searching for that job that made me feel like I was making a difference.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

Most companies or products are built from personal experiences and mine is a textbook example.  I was in the midst of going through the egg freezing process myself and noticed a gap in the marketplace.  I was struck by the lack of relevant and unbiased egg freezing information and particularly the lack of any dedicated non-clinic related egg freezing portals.  I always knew that I would do something entrepreneurial and just needed that “big idea” – then it finally presented itself to me.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Financial, psychological, social… I had a long list of items on my cons list. However, the pros outweighed my substantial fears.  The primary driver that pushed me to take the leap was the fact that I would learn, from A-to-Z, how to build a company.  If I failed, I realized that whatever new skills I learned could be applied to my next opportunity.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love that I am doing something that challenges me daily.  I have become super resourceful and have learned to do things that I never thought would be in my realm of expertise.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Start doing things out of your norm.  Take that improv class, run a marathon, go on a blind date, adopt a dog.  When I finally stepped out of my quotidian routine the direction my career was meant to take quickly became clear.

This interview is for all of you frustrated writers out there who dream of writing a novel one day but have found every excuse in the book as to why you can’t do it.

Natalie has come up with one of the most creative and fun ways to keep herself on track while writing her first novel. I think you will enjoy hearing her story and what she’s built for herself.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I’m a professional storyteller. I write for companies like Peet’s Coffee, Perricone MD and Cowgirl Creamery. I love my work, and all the more so because it’s funding another dream I’m chasing: writing my feminist fairy tale spy novel. You can read along – and take part – at I Am The Unreliable Novelist.

Readers get to vote on plot turns, getaway cars, character flaws and other tricky decisions that help me stay on track to finish my book. It’s sorta like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, with the writer at your disposal. Or a Kickstarter project, except I need opinions instead of cash.

If all goes according to my nefarious plan, novel writing will become my full time job – and you’ll get your name in print. (And we’ll all be helping young writers pursue their dreams while we’re at it.)

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

Before I kicked off my copywriter career, I was an Account Director for branding and graphic design agencies. Which is a fancy way of saying I was a Mother Hen in black-framed glasses. I wrote schedules that only I stuck to, perfected the art of the Uncomfortable Phone Conversation, and herded creative and client cats (to mix my animal metaphors).

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

As an Account Director, I made safe space for other people to be creative. To my surprise, there was never any left for myself. The mindset of projecting and mitigating potential failure started to bleed into every other part of my life, so that I was swilling too much Pinot Grigio and losing my chutzpah.

By contrast, copywriting is incredibly fun. I actually get paid to make puns and translate nerdspeak into five-word headlines. But writing a novel is even better. There’s no one to answer to but myself – and my fellow Unreliable Novelists, of course! I make all my own rules and define my own metrics for success.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I think I’ve always known – my dad is kind of a famous surfer dude, and growing up I was probably the only kid in the world who contemplated ditching surf camp for the library. It only took me, oh, about 25 years to learn how to ignore my inner editor. (She’s a proper English school marm who lives inside my head, spares no feelings and carries a very sharp measuring stick.)

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

First I had to get over the mother of them all: fear of failure. As they always say, the only way to guarantee you’ll fail is to never try. Then I had to realize it was okay that I didn’t know what I was doing, and that I could ask for help.

I wrote the first draft of my novel about two years ago, stuffed it in a drawer because I was scared to read it, then spent the next year plodding through endless research because I couldn’t work out a major plot point. At some point a lightbulb went off: why not get the internet involved? Instead of giving up or letting perfection paralysis take over, I asked for help from my friends. (And their friends…and their friends…) It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love everything about it – as I suspected, it’s my dream job. Writing a novel is the ultimate challenge, which means that when it’s good it’s amazing, and when it’s hard, I refuse to let it beat me. I know this line of work will keep me on my toes for the rest of my life. I’m just glad I gave myself permission to do it.

As for the website, I thrive on the collaboration. It creates deadlines, keeps me motivated and gives me someone to socialize with besides my cat. It’s also a way to market the book while I write it, leveraging all the skills I’ve acquired in my branding career. I’m using every single tool in my toolbox, which negates all the ‘what ifs’ and potential regrets for not having started sooner. I’m nothing but grateful for everything that led me here.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

The chances are very good that you can get someone to pay you to learn how to do your dream job. Look for a way to start small, or under the radar. At the beginning of my writing career, I looked for clients who were illiterate or English as a Second Language. (I’m kidding. Sort of.)

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your friends can be a huge source of strength, support and courage. If I didn’t have Mark and Jenn and Yosh and so many others, I would never have gotten this far.

Learn how to save your money and live within your means. I know I spent a lot of my pre-noveling time complaining about not having a trust fund. That’s a bunch of bunko. Once you start doing what you love, you’ll find you need to buy considerably fewer pairs of shoes to stay happy.

Follow your instincts about the things you’re good at and the things that feed you. Your life’s pursuit is somewhere along that path. Yes, it’s uncharted, unpaved, poorly lit and sometimes there are disgruntled gnomes hiding in the bushes. But there are also unicorns, rainbows and magical bottles of gin. The relationship between risk and reward is real. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

When I veer off the path, I always remind myself that life consists of units of time and energy. How do you want to spend yours?

Be sure to check out her site here: http://unreliablenovelist.tumblr.com

I have known Natali for years and have watched her career with such admiration. She has taken so many risks and made sacrifices that have all paid off. I feel honored to have interviewed here.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am a technology reporter for CNBC. I work part-time for the network for now, which is perfect because I have a toddler and a bun in the oven six months along.

I never thought I would say that! I was a workaholic until I was blessed with motherhood at the age of 31 and even then I always thought I’d want to work full time. I am sure I will again but while my babies are little, I’m grateful that my TV career can progress slowly while I have the flexibility to raise my children in their infancies.

A woman I respect said to me recently, “As women, we can have it all. Maybe just not all at the same time.”

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I left CBS in April and was doing a very similar job for that network. Before I became an on-air reporter I was a print reporter.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

Oh so many. Broadcast journalism can really mess with your heart. Not your head. Your heart. You have to hustle to get your stories to air, to be the one to front your stories, to present yourself in the way you want. And there are days when other news trumps your news and your story dies because Paris Hilton goes to jail or some guy pretends to lose his child in a weather balloon.

It’s hard not to take those situations personally and it can be heartbreaking to see a story you worked hard on die for some of the ridiculous stories that do get reported. I actually didn’t learn to deal with this well until I got pregnant with my oldest child.

I was working hard to get stories to air at CBS and had an unlucky run where a few stories were canceled consecutively. I was getting worked up and taking it personally and upsetting myself when I realized that I was carrying stress at a time when I should’ve been taking care of my baby. I gave myself a pep talk about not responding emotionally to email. It helped a lot!

Now when I see an email about a story not going the way I want it to, I remind myself that the person who sent that story is not out to destroy me – they just see the story going a different way than I do or don’t see the value that I do. Once I learned to stop reacting so emotionally, I learned to deal with the situations at hand much better. That’s not to say that I don’t initially feel emotional about my pieces but I can talk myself off a ledge a lot easier now.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I fell quite backwards into television because of some coaxing from a pro who knows the business. It was actually Adam Curry, the former MTV VJ. He called me out of the blue one day and encouraged me to try my hand on camera and helped to teach me how. That was 5 years ago and I still can’t believe that happened. I look back on that phone call as one of the turning points in my life.

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. I’m just glad I swung at it.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

You have to have a level of confidence and stupidity to step in front of a camera and tell a story with authority. The day before my first on-air show, I called my father with trepidation and I’ll never forget what he said to me. He said, “Natali, who else can do it better than you? Do you know of anyone?” I have a lot of talented friends but I did think that I was one of the most qualified for the job I was about to embark upon. I remind myself of that every time I go on camera. Who can do this better than you?

There may be plenty of names that could be used to answer that question but I know that I am at least in the top echelon. You have to believe that or you’d crumble when the red light comes on.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love learning about a new story and then being the one to tell that story. There is always something new to discover, research, report. My husband is an anchor on Fox so we are usually working on breaking news at the same time and we both get pretty worked about current events. I love that.

There is also something else kind of silly. When you do morning television, you have to get up at ungodly hours but there is this feeling that when other people are waking up at 7 a.m., you already know everything that is going on in the world. It’s a bit of a rush to feel ahead of the game like that so early in the morning.

My husband knows that regularly, whereas I can be on any show throughout the day so he knows this feeling more regularly. Still, being a morning person, it is one of my favorite things about television. The sun rising, a hot cup of tea, and feeling so ahead of the game. 

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Be ready to swing at the curve balls! Imagine if I hadn’t entertained that phone call from Adam Curry so many years ago. I may have never tried my hand at TV, which means I wouldn’t have moved to New York, or met my husband, or had this family, or had the chance to work for the national network and cable news channels. I swung at a pitch that I wasn’t even sure was for me!

To learn more about Natali Morris, check out her website: www.natalimorris.com

I love today’s interview as there are a few lessons in her story that I see repeated in so many of the “Aha Moment” stories.

*Often we come to great discoveries through life’s hardest challenges.

*It is when we are helping people when we feel most fulfilled. (I love a Mozilla ad I recently saw that said “Work for mankind, not for the man.”)

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am a holistic healer and creator of Nectar Essences, a line of organic aromatherapy products for mind-body wellness. I practice 4 days a week and run my product line on the side.

I practice Quantum Energetics, a touch based healing system developed by a Chiropractor and Acupuncturist. My clients come from diverse backgrounds and ages, and many of them are children and babies. While most of them face health issues ranging from recurrent infections, digestive issues, injuries, learning challenges and behavioral issues, most of them receive permanent relief, not from touch and nutrition alone, but by addressing and releasing emotional stressors.

My work is dedicated to creating health through emotional well-being. I love helping people discover this through healing touch and my little Nectar Essences potions.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I worked in financial services for a boutique firm before starting my holistic health practice in 2003. In 2009, I took the leap and started my product line.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

I enjoyed my job in finance as it led me to meet some fantastic people and develop a strong work ethic. I could have even imagined a life where I continued in that path. However, I knew my true calling was to help people discover their emotional, mental and physical well-being. Working in finance couldn’t have been any more opposed to that goal!

I was becoming the typical stressed out American – working 10 plus hours in front of a computer, eating lunch at my desk, become more and more cerebral and less and less physical. Those years offered me a peek into the ’real world’ which, today, has given me a better understanding when my clients say: “I’m too busy for a wellness routine.”

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I feel truly blessed that I found my calling in Holistic Healing at 21. It didn’t come easy. I was riddled with health issues and pain from several car accidents.

Fortunately, I found Quantum Energetics Structured Therapy and it helped my body heal from colitis, fatigue, allergies, back and neck pain. After the very first session, I knew I had found my life’s work. I have been a practitioner for 10 years and I love love love it.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

The leap from finance to holistic healing was a fairly easy one. I was married at the time, and my husband supported me both financially and emotionally.

The leap from my practice to the product line was much harder. I turned 30, got divorced, closed my practice and moved back home to the Bay Area. I needed a sabbatical from my holistic health practice to care for myself. I was shell-shocked, but my decision felt totally authentic. Nectar Essences was already in development at the time, and it just felt right to go full force. I just close my eyes and leapt.

I plunged into the business with what one might call reckless abandon. I’ve had to overcome much bigger fears once the company was off and running!

What do you love most about what you do?

I love being a witness to the changes in my clients’ lives. When a client first comes to see me, they are often depressed, in pain and cannot understand why they feel so poorly. As we uncover the layers of blocked emotions and help them create healthier lifestyle practices, they begin to fall in love with themselves, their bodies and their lives.

I also love receiving phone calls and email testimonials from customers whom I’ve never met. It’s awesome to hear that they’re slept better from using my Sleep Remedy or managing their stress with the help of my De Stress spray.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Ask lots of questions. Ask for help. Talk to anyone and everyone who has changed careers or redefined themselves. I’ve never meant an Entrepreneur who has said that they regretted following their dream!

Check out her website and products here: http://www.nectaressences.com/

I’m really excited to bring you today’s interview as it is quite different than most interviewees that we’ve had. What I think that all of you will really respond to is that he doesn’t do just one thing.

He really has found “what he’s made for” and has pursued all avenues. Truth be told, we are all good at many different things and for some of us, what makes life interesting is exploring all of those talents.

Be sure to check out his website: www.markradcliffe.net

Here is his story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I have two careers, actually. By day I’m a writer, and by night I’m a musician. My writing consist of both a career in advertising as well as various fiction and essay-writing exploits. As for my music, I’m a singer/ songwriter, performing both on guitar and piano, performing mainly in New York, but occasionally touring nationally. I have two albums out, all on iTunes, Pandora, Spotify, etc. and am writing the third now.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

I joke with friends that I’ve already had 10 other careers even before my current two. I was an English teacher and counselor at a private school right out of college, then studied acting and film for a while (and correspondingly was a waiter/ bartender). But I’ve also been a lawnmower, a driveway sealer, an SAT tutor, public speaker, and dabbled in standup comedy.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

The most difficult period was probably when I was a teacher. It wasn’t so much the intense daily schedule–that was actually rewarding in a sense. The hard part for me was the monotony–having the exact same schedule every day. I hated knowing exactly what my day was going to be like for the next 30 years. I’ve learned I thrive on variety and unpredictability. Now with my two careers, every month is a new set of challenges. And in the years since I’ve left teaching, I’ve lived in over 8 cities in every corner of the country.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I’m not sure I really ‘knew’ anything at the time. All I knew when I quit teaching was that I had this vague instinct that I wasn’t ready to grow old in front of a chalkboard in a small town in Maine. I knew I had so much more that I wanted to express. That I wasn’t quite ready to only help others express themselves. I thought it might be in writing, but I thought it also could be in film, or music, or even architecture. Whatever it was, it was going to be creative in nature, of that I was certain. (The hard part was figuring out how to make a living at it.)

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

Quitting my career as an established private school teacher took a great deal of faith, and I encounter a lot of rolled eyes from family and friends at the time. It was a classic example of “jump and a net will appear.” I had no idea what I was going to do next, when I quit at 25, but I knew that if I didn’t, I sure wasn’t going to figure out my next move just by sitting around. I knew that I’d have to expose myself to utter failure and joblessness to create the kind of urgency wherein I’d make a solution happen.

What do you love most about what you do?

What I love now is that my life is about expressionism, whatever form that may take. Some days I’m writing songs and performing in front of 100 people. Some days I’m writing a national ad campaign or creating an international website. Other days I’m working on my novel. Another day I’m publishing an essay on single life in New York. I get to travel a lot, too, whether it’s shooting commercials on location, or doing a month long West coast music tour.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Well I’d say a few things:

1) Do your homework first. A successful career change is not simply about “just going for it!” You’ve got to balance a number of factors, and do your research. It’s one thing to have an instinct, such as ‘I really love acting,’ but it’s another thing to ask yourself, “Am I truly ready to commit to the daily realities that being an actor really entails?” (constant rejection, postponed financial reward, working a 2nd job, constant uncertainty). A lot of us have romanticized notions of what certain careers are like, and we later find out they’re not like what we envisioned at all. This pertains to a lot of lawyers I know – a path I almost went down myself since given my background an English major and debater. But most lawyers don’t get to argue passionately in a courtroom defending an innocent victim–they end up filing 300 pg documents, sitting in a small cubicle. And they’re very frustrated. So whatever career you think you want, make sure you really get to know it first–shadow someone in it for a week or do informational interviews, etc.

2) Every career has a pile of bullshit included, so don’t think there’s some bullshit-free life out there waiting for you. (If you’re a musician, it’s probably poverty and living on the road; if you’re a successful doctor, there’s still stress, long hours and bureaucracy; if you’re a pro athlete, there’s injury, public obligations & being away from your family; if you’re a writer, it’s loneliness, deadlines and torturing yourself over the details.) Just figure out what pile of bullshit you’re willing to deal with.

3) If you are unhappy, there’s probably something else you could be doing, and it’s almost your moral imperative to seek it out. This is partially as an obligation to yourself to maximize your own potential, but partially to society so you’re not another angry, depressed citizen who’s unpleasant to be around. I swear there’d be a lot fewer bar fights, a lot less divorce, and a lot fewer “going postal” incidents if most of the world were happier with what they were doing with their lives.

4) My biggest advice: Whatever you like to do in your free time, there’s probably a career for that. My step-sister laughed at this and said, “I like to talk on the phone with friends, how does that get me a job?” And I said, “Well, embrace that; you’re a communicator; you could be a presenter, or a tech support specialist who solves problems for people on the phone, or you might be an amazing hotel manager who has to constantly manage lots of people.” She’s now a high school counselor with a masters in social work.

If you like to plan parties, you could be come a wedding planner or an event coordinator.

If you like to complain, you might be a great standup comedian or joke writer for Conan.

If you like redecorating your apartment, look into interior design, or set design at a movie studio.

If you love reading, you could be a book critic, or a script reader at Paramount.

If you like tinkering with stuff in a woodshed, or played with Legos, you could be an engineer or invent the next iPod.

For me, I just always needed to write. I couldn’t go a day without doing it from age 14 & on. From keeping a journal, to writing letters to friends (or girls), or poetry, or short stories. It was a compulsion I was born with – to express myself in some way. It just took me a while to find out a way to bet paid reliably for it. But I’m glad I kept searching. When you find a career that comes out of something you do naturally, it doesn’t feel like “work,” it just feels like you being you.

www.markradcliffe.net

They say that the best businesses are created out of a need. And such is the case with Lynn Perkins who started UrbanSitter. As a mom, I definitely can relate to missing out on events because I couldn’t find a sitter.

Here is her story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

I am the co-founder of UrbanSitter.com, which makes booking a trusted babysitter as easy as booking dinner reservations. UrbanSitter provides trust and efficiency by leveraging members’ established networks to match families with caregivers. Parents can search, book and review trusted sitters within minutes.

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

Prior to founding UrbanSitter, I worked for Joie de Vivre Hospitality, developing and renovating boutique hotels throughout California.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job(s)?

I really enjoyed my job at Joie de Vivre Hospitality, but was getting the itch to start a business of my own.  When Joie de Vivre decided to expand outside of California, I knew that my work travel would become more extensive.  I realized it was a good time for me to leave the company to develop my own business idea.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

I had had my ‘aha moment’ at home on a Sat. night while my friends enjoyed a dinner reservation that I had booked….all because I couldn’t find a babysitter for my twin boys. It seemed to me that parents should be able to find and book a trusted sitter as quickly as you can find and book a date night restaurant reservation. So, my co-founders and I put our heads together and ultimately, created UrbanSitter.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

My biggest fear was moving from a job that had considerable structure and clear goals to the vastness of starting something from scratch.  It can be overwhelming to think about all of the things that need to be accomplished when you start a business.  When you couple that with not knowing if the business will work–or if you will earn a paycheck again–it can be really daunting.

I work best when I create a timeline and clear deliverables for myself.  Being able to focus on just a few components of what I need to accomplish makes me more efficient and less distracted by the sheer volume of responsibilities.

What do you love most about what you do?
As an entrepreneur, it is incredibly gratifying to know that every ounce of work you put in directly benefits you and your company. I also love receiving positive feedback from sitters and parents who use UrbanSitter.

When a sitter tells me that they are finding more work through our site, and that they like the families they’ve met, I feel good about the services we are offering to sitters.  When a parent tells me that they had a relaxing evening out because they felt comfortable with the sitter they found on our site, it makes my day.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

Hands down, I’d tell them to surround themselves with great people. Building and running a startup has its ups and downs.  Working with talented people, who you like professionally and personally, will make the good times even better and the rough times easier to navigate.  I think it is good to find people who have skills and strengths in areas that are different from your own.

My co-founders’ roles and skill sets are very different from mine.  Their responsibilities are critical for the success of UrbanSitter – they are fantastic at what they do and I genuinely like spending time with them.

I’m excited to bring to you today the story of investment banker turned online home decor entrepreneur, Stephanie Shum. She recently launched her gorgeous website, Muhs Home and here is her story.

Tell me about what you do for work.
I can tell you what I’ve been doing over the past several months in preparation for the launch of my webshop, but I would hardly call it “work.”

I’ve been spending about 14 hours per day doing any combination of the following: sourcing and buying small home furnishings like tabletop items and linens from as far as Japan and Finland and as close as Berkeley (many of which are made on a small scale by a single workshop); organizing inventory; designing the webshop; working with a team of web developers to get the webshop just right; and doing photo shoots so the products are well represented.

I’m very much excited for the part where I actually get to share all the beautiful objects with others through the shop, as well as the stories behind the objects, and perhaps even make some sales!

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?
I was in investment banking for seven years, basically helping companies raise funding through the capital markets by figuring out the appropriate type and structure of securities for them to sell and matching them up with the right investors.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?
I actually created a nice little niche for myself within the firm. The work was interesting, challenging and exciting. And I got to work with a team of guys who were both genuinely nice and very smart. But after years of doing basically the same thing, it felt like my job was becoming more administrative in nature than anything else.

Plus, I didn’t feel like I was being recognized enough for my work. The stress on my body from working endless hours at a desk wasn’t helping matters either.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?
The discovery that I wanted to open my own shop happened slowly over several years. It’s really a combination of several things: my love of the intersection of certain Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetics, wanting a good excuse to visit those parts of the world on a regular basis, seeing that it was difficult to find all those great design pieces here, and my desire to put my energy into something where I had more ownership.

You might describe the shop as somewhat anti-mass consumerism, which is just a little contradictory because it is a shop selling things. But if you’re going to be buying things for your home — your place of safety, relaxation and comfort — hopefully you bring in only the things that you absolutely love and will cherish. It’s easy to buy mass-produced items because they’re very accessible and function well enough. But that also means that you might not care for them as well because you know you can easily replace them. That can get very wasteful.

With the shop, my objective is to share timeless (not trendy) and functional home furnishings that are well made. This might mean that many of the objects may be more simple and understated, but that’s what makes them more versatile among different homes and generations. And hopefully allows you to better appreciate the craftsmanship behind each item.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?
Once I figured out I wanted to do this, the only thing I got truly nervous about was telling the people closest to me. I didn’t know if they would think it were silly to give up a cushy job for venturing into entrepreneurship where the results are always uncertain. Having support is very important when you’re making a big life change, and I feel very fortunate to have that.

What do you love most about what you do?
I’ve enjoyed making connections with people around the world. I’ve had the honor of meeting with artisans in their workshops, watching them work with their hands and seeing the passion in their eyes and smiles as they talk about their craft.

And I can’t leave out this part: Each day that I receive new inventory feels like my birthday, but better! I’ve found myself hanging out in my stockroom on occasion, just staring at all the lovely inventory.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?
Honestly, I don’t think I’m far enough along my new career to be offering advice. But I can say that it’s been the best decision for me. In my old job, I’d have regular massage and acupuncture sessions to deal with stress that manifested itself as pain in my neck, shoulders and lower back.

Shortly after leaving banking, all the pain and knots went away. And that’s really something, considering I was lugging my suitcase every day during a four-month sourcing trip across Japan and Europe, and back home, I’ve been busy handling large shipments and even building the shelves for the stockroom. That all sounds pretty strenuous, but I’ve never felt better.

Here is the first Aha Moment interview that we have done via video!

Great story with Caroline Fey of City Kitchen…

I am so excited to bring you today’s interview as I have a feeling a lot of you are going to really relate to their story (my favorite kind of Aha interviews!).

Steph and Springer started a company called Eat Life Whole and they did it by overcoming many of the same fears that all of you have.

Here is their story:

Tell me about what you do for work.

Everyday, Springer and I inspire, motivate and coach some of the brightest, talented leaders in the professional world, helping them resolve obstacles around energy, sleep, weight gain, digestive symptoms, stress management, and overall balance.

With delicious food as the cornerstone and “whole” aspects of life as the approach, we are dedicated to change the way people approach healthy living. We provide the tools needed to support long-term lasting change.

For most of us, we have an opportunity to eat something EVERYDAY. We wake up, we eat breakfast. We do some work, we squeeze in lunch (maybe). We get hungry, we grab a snack. We go home, we eat dinner (or take-out).

That’s pretty much a general flow for an average busy person’s eating routine. Throw in a few work deadlines, maybe some kids, and some unforeseen changes, and you have the beauty of LIFE.

What people fail to realize, is that what we CHOOSE to eat plays a direct role in how we feel, what we look like, how much weight we carry, our mood, our energy, and so much more.

More importantly however, our DAILY LIFE impacts our decisions on what we put in our bodies.

Most of our clients are busy, stressed, overworked, tired, and lack creativity in the kitchen. They eat the same things every day, they struggle with energy, weight, and mood obstacles, and are fed up with feeling that they can’t get themselves to a point of feeling great. A plate of greens and a daily workout won’t change the way they feel. Addressing the obstacles that are getting in the way and creating daily, healthy habits will.

The best part about all of this, is that it doesn’t have to be so SERIOUS and HARD. When Springer and I set out to help people Eat Life Whole, we knew that a hands-on, supportive, and fun approach would be key to our success. We are excited to continue to bring transformational coaching, creativity and deliciousness to the table (literally and figuratively).

What type of work were you doing prior to what you are doing now?

We worked in the tech-media world. Springer was in marketing and I was in design. We were well-familiar with the crazy deadlines, juggling family, and unforeseen changes that life brought us – all the while getting our personal health in order.

Besides going back to school for holistic nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, we give loads of credit to our previous lives and careers. It makes us the experts we are today.

What kinds of frustrations did you have with your previous job?

I think our largest frustrations we encountered with our previous jobs fall into 3 buckets:

1) level of intensity and personal sacrifice

2) lack of relevance to our personal interests

3) seeing people at their worst.

In other words, we were working our tails off – sacrificing our health and time with family and friends, day-in and day-out.

When we were in the thick of it, we had no idea what damage it was doing to our outlook and possibilities in life.

In addition, there was no strong correlation between our personal passions and interests to the work we did on a daily basis. We were great at what we did and enjoyed many aspects of marketing and design, but there was always something pulling us to apply our skills to “our own baby.”

Lastly, we saw people become new beings that were driven by money, fear, and scarcity. It affected our work, our speed, our mood, our passion, and our happiness.

So…we decided to create a new possibility.

How did you come to discover this was what you were meant to do?

To give you a brief background – Springer and I met back in 2006 – working on massive projects together for a major tech-media company. Long story short, Springer’s mom passed away and I had heard she was very close with her mom. That stuck with me because I too, share a very close relationship with my mom.

From that moment on, I knew Springer was special, caring, loving, and driven. I knew her soul was greater than great!

As time progressed, we moved up the corporate ladder, excelled beyond belief, and eventually parted ways to join other companies. The day I arrived at a new gig, I was pleasantly surprised that Springer was there too. It didn’t take us long to reconnect.

We found ourselves gathering in the kitchen to talk about our latest healthy creations and shared our stories of  transformation in our personal wellness.

We both healed issues of energy loss, sleep deprivation, mood, weight gain, and digestive upsets – simply by adjusting our food and lifestyle choices.

Driven by pure passion, Springer and I went back to school for holistic nutrition while juggling our full-time careers. It didn’t take us long to come up with the idea to create a business of our own. A few years later, we began a new journey to launch Eat Life Whole.

What fears did you have to overcome to take the leap?

I think the largest fear we both struggled with individually was self-doubt. “Can I do it? Do I have what it takes? Am I good enough?” It’s a common obstacle that many entrepreneurs experience, but I think that’s the beauty of doing anything new and different.

There’s always brief, suspended moments of “what if.” When you separate that thought as a pure thought, you realize you have everything you need to make it happen.

What do you love most about what you do?

We enjoy seeing the positive changes that our clients are making in their lives, and actually being a part of that transformation. There’s definitely beauty in what we do – simply by being present, extending our creativity, and having fun.

I think for the first time, in a long time, we are aligning our life purpose with our careers. Each day, we are finding that we no longer have to separate personal from professional. We strive to live one great life.

If you were to give advice to people thinking about changing careers, what would it be?

There’s tons of advice that we can give any new career changer, but we’ll limit it to these three:

1.     Build a support system. You can’t do it alone.

2.     Don’t let fear get in the way. The fear will come and go.

3.     Accept up front that your original idea may not be where you end up. Be willing to iterate and evolve.

Be sure to check out their website for great recipes as well as some really cool upcoming classes: Eat Life Whole