Experience is often valued because of the lessons prior jobs have theoretically provided us with. While hearing about those lessons isn’t a replacement for actually experiencing it, we thought it would be very helpful to create a space where sharp and generous members of the community can come together to share stories and lessons learned at prior jobs for the benefit of others. 

Jim Grant

I was working in IT, and recently engaged to get married. I had recently experienced a personal trauma which caused me to re-evaluate my life, in particular my career path, which included a lot of travel around the US and sometimes overseas. It was lucrative, but I had come to realize not fulfilling in any meaningful way. Read More>>

Bonita Oliver

One of the most important lessons I’ve carried into business ownership is the necessity of trusting one’s own intuition. In a world where logic is prioritized, it is easy to underestimate the power of ‘knowing’, not the kind of knowing that has words attached, but the embodied knowing that is part of our primal inheritance. Read More>>

Shirley Touzin

One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned didn’t come from a stage, a mic, or a spotlight… it came from a desk. Back in 2005, I worked with H&R Block as a Client Service Coordinator. On the surface, it was about taxes, paperwork, and problem-solving—but beneath that, it was about people. Real people. With real worries, real stories, real needs. Read More>>

Donavan Jehiel

From working in luxury retail, the biggest thing I learned was that talent for a craft wasn’t the only talent a person can have. I learned quickly that being likable, having interpersonal & other soft skills, are also talents that serve a person best. Read More>>