Welcome to Second Act Stories, a podcast focused on life and career change. In each episode, we bring you the story of a courageous individual who has made a decisive career pivot and is pursuing a more rewarding life in a second act. The stories are in their own words and the words of friends and family that helped them find a new path. Each episode examines the “before” and “after” phases of a life or career relaunch and offers lessons learned.
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Toy Story: When A Hobby Becomes A Second Act
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Bruce and Mira Brach opened Toy Utopia, an independent toy store, on May 27, 2022. Based in Red Bank, NJ, their aim was to create a “magical place that sparks interest, curiosity, imagination and creativity in children and adults.” The business is a leap for both of them. Bruce had managed a landscaping business for over 25 years. Mira was – and st…
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Dan Spitz and The Persistence of Time: Thrash Metal Pioneer Turned Watchmaking Legend
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Dan Spitz is a true pioneer in every sense of the word. As the lead guitarist of legendary band Anthrax, Dan was one of the innovators who birthed the entire genre of thrash metal music. Anthrax is one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands, a group that also includes Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. He sold millions of albums, played on the world’s b…
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TEDx to Triumph: Henry Rock Inspires A New Class of Entrepreneurs
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For most of his adult life, Henry Rock working in advertising sales representing a wide range of black media . His work brought him in direct contact with a number of inspiring, African-American entrepreneurs and that gave him an idea: what if we could inspire young black males in inner cities to explore entreprenurial opportunites? After relocatin…
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Bartender to Bestselling Author: The Man Behind "The Gray Man"
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Mark Greaney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His debut thriller, The Gray Man, was published in 2009 and became a national bestseller and Netflix film starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. He wrote twelve subsequent Gray Man novels that have been released to date. He is also the co-author of seven Tom Clancy novels. His latest book, Sen…
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Sam McKinlay Made an Abrupt Break From PR… and Became a Real Estate Rookie of the Year
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Sam McKinlay experienced something a lot of people can relate to in work and in life: she spent almost 25 years married… in her case, to a career that was exciting, fulfilling and rewarding. But over time she and the career she once loved grew apart from one another. They fell out of love and split up. Sam faced plenty of adversity over the years: …
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A Dream Deferred: Publishing A First Novel At 47
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Dann McDorman always dreamed of writing and publishing a novel. After graduating from Columbia University, he spent a decade pursuing that dream with little impact. "Not only was I never published, I never heard back from a single publisher. I had zero success." As he hit his 30s, he found his way to a career in broadcast journalism initially worki…
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PYTHON HUNTRESS! Amy Siewe Left Real Estate to Hunt Pythons in the Everglades
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Amy Siewe is the quintessential embodiment of how passion drives a second act. She left a safe and lucrative career as a real estate broker to hunt pythons in the Everglades. She proudly shares that she’s 5’ 4”, 120 lbs., and captures pythons as big as 180 lbs. by physically jumping on them and wrestling them into submission. This is what pure pass…
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🚨SPECIAL ALERT🚨 Four Reasons To Vote For Second Act Stories in the Webby Awards
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Second Act Stories has officially defied the odds. We've been nominated for a Webby Award! But our category is stacked with stiff competition: Michelle Obama, Sarah Silverman, TED Audio, Lemonada, and Slate. We need your vote! We can win this with your help. Here’s how you vote: Go to vote.webbyawards.com Click the search button on the right-hand s…
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A Stray Bullet Killed Her 8-Year-Old Son...In Grief, She Formed Strong Azz Mothers
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Tiffani Evans' life changed completely on August 24, 2021. That's when her 8-year-old son PJ was killed in gang-related, gun violence in the Washington, DC region. Emerging from the dark days that followed his death, she helped form the "Strong Azz Mothers," a group of area women who lost children to gun violence. The organization focuses community…
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The Case of Rachel Humphrey: Trial Attorney Turned Women’s Leadership Champion
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Rachel Humphrey was a trial attorney who was certain she would spend her entire career in front of judges and juries and eventually retire in a courtroom. After relocating from Virginia to Atlanta with her husband, she took a job at a firm where she represented clients in the hospitality industry, and that sparked a passion she didn’t know she had.…
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Retired Banker Helps Others Avoid "Retirement Shock"
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Mike Drak worked as a banker in Toronto for his entire professional career. When he was laid off at the age of 59, he received a sizeable severance from his employer. Telling his spouse "Contessa, we hit the lottery," he was initially ecstatic to be retired. But he quickly faced "Retirement Shock," a term that he coined to describe how tremendously…
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Stuckey’s Gamble: Stephanie Stuckey Cashes in Her Future to Revive Her Family’s Iconic Roadside Brand
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Stuckey’s is a legendary and iconic thread in the fabric of Americana. Founded in Eastman, Georgia in 1937 by WS “Sylvester” Stuckey, Sr., Stuckey’s grew into a roadside empire by the 1970s, with 368 stores in more than 30 states. Part of the charm that made Stuckey’s so iconic were its ubiquitous billboards, more than 4,000 of them, which were dot…
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Best of 2023 Audience Pick: Brian "Q" Quinn's Impractical Career Shift: Fireman to Funny Man
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Surprise, Second Act Stories fans! We have one more “Best of 2023” episode to share with you. It's the episode you picked as your favorite of the year: our interview with Brian “Q” Quinn, who's best known as one of the four stars of the smash hit TV show "Impractical Jokers." Currently in its 10th season on truTV, Q and lifelong friends Sal Vulcano…
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Best of 2023: Sweeter Days Ahead: How Baking Transformed Janie Deegan's Life
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Second Act Stories annual “Best of” episodes give us an opportunity to re-share remarkable stories, and welcome new listeners by giving them a good taste of what we do here: profile people who have made major life and career changes to pursue a more rewarding life in a second act career. We’re selecting two “Best of 2023” episodes to share with you…
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Best of 2023: The Unlikely Launch of a 54-Year-Old, YouTube Star
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Second Act Stories annual, “best of” episode gives us an opportunity to re-share a remarkable story, and welcome new listeners by giving them a good taste of what we do here: profile people who have made major life and career changes to pursue a more rewarding life in a second act career. We’re selecting two “Best of 2023” episodes to share with yo…
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Act II: Dynamic CEO Pens New Role As Playwright
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Donald Loftus had a difficult upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio. His father left him and his two sisters at a young age. His mother worked at Sears and struggled to make ends meet. From grades 1-8, he was a C student. But in 9th grade, his world changed when a class trip brought him to New York City. His class saw four Broadway plays that weekend and i…
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Empowering Moms: She Left Corporate Real Estate to Launch A Breast Pumping Startup
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Patrice Meagher had a lucrative career in real estate. For 15 years, she worked in New York City as an Executive Vice President at CBRE, one of the world's largest, corporate real estate firms. But like other working parents, she struggled with the challenge of balancing her work life and raising a family of four children. A specific pain point in …
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School's Out, Laughs Are In: Retired Teacher Patty Forehand Becomes a Standup Comic
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The moment Patty Forehand opens her mouth, you know she’s from the deep south. And with that comes a certain set of preconceived notions. If she opens her mouth in front of a microphone on a comedy club stage, those notions are immediately blown away, and the results are hilarious. It’s funny once the F-bombs start flying and you realize she’s not …
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Lawyer to Clown to Children’s Musician: Robert’s Unusual Journey
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Robert Markowitz was a criminal defense attorney in Palo Alto, California. But the work caused him a great deal of stress and he started developing all sorts of physical ailments. So he quit and headed to Mexico to escape the job he hated. When he finally returned to the United States, he was 37-years-old, broke and living with his mother back in h…
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On Patrol: Deputy Royce James Trades Financial Service for Public Service
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After growing up in what he describes as the ghettos of Daytona Beach, Royce James spent a decade working as a financial advisor, ultimately reaching the elite level of working with high-net-worth individuals. In spite of that success, he was frustrated by the fact that very few of his clients followed his advice. He knew it was time for a career c…
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"I Work With My Hands Everyday"...Ex-KPMG Consultant Finds Bliss Crafting Custom Furniture
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Sergio Raynal was at the top of his game. With a staff of 25+, he was responsible for KPMG’s real estate and hospitality consulting for Pacific Asia and the West Coast of the United States. Woodworking was always a hobby and a way to relieve stress from his high-pressure job. But it became a “side hustle” and eventually a full-time pursuit followin…
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'From the Vault' How Noa Shaw, an Overweight Drug Dealer, Became a SoulCycle Instructor
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We hope you enjoy this ‘From the Vault’ episode, which reintroduces one of our favorite guests: Noa Shaw. Noa Shaw has led a hard life. Drugs and alcohol took hold of him at an early age. And he has struggled as both a drug addict and drug dealer for most of his adult life. But eight years ago his life took a turn for the better when he wandered in…
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'From the Vault' Cathy & the Crankshafts: Social Worker Learns To Fix Cars For Working Poor
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We hope you enjoy this 'From the Vault' episode, which reintroduces one of our favorite early guests: Cathy Heying. While working as the Director of Social Justice at St. Stephen’s Church in Minneapolis, Cathy Heying observed a continuing problem among the working poor in the church’s neighborhood: A poor person’s car would break down and they woul…
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From GE Engineer to Bladesmith: Jonathan Bahlatzis' Epic Exit Strategy
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Jonathan Bahlatzis spent 15 years in corporate America, 11 of which were spent working as an engineer for GE. He rose through the ranks and took on leadership roles that gave him all the trappings of success. But even with all that safety and security, he had a passion he needed to follow. In 2016 – in the midst of his GE career – Jonathan launched…
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Alt Rock Icon Finds New Gig Teaching Music To Toddlers
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Tracy Bonham built a reputation as a "badass rocker" with "Mother, Mother," a powerful anthem that made it to #1 on Billboard's "Alternative Rock" charts. The song and her "The Burdens of Being Upright" album were nominated for two Grammy awards and led to arena tours with Aerosmith and the Blue Man Group. But in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandem…
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