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.

Shadi Absi

Sometimes the best way to learn is to be thrown into the fire!

As humans, we tend to get comfortable with our way of life, which leads to a lack of desire to push our boundaries. But in order to achieve anything of real value, we have to continually push our limits as much and as often as we can. So sometimes it’s good to get into a project that far exceeds your comfort, knowledge, and skills! This will force you to reshape your views, refine your skills, and learn an insane amount very quickly! Read More>>

Suky Pedemonte

Before I took the leap into full-time photography and entrepreneurship, I had the honor of working at Baptist Health as a lead patient representative. It was a challenging but deeply rewarding role, one that taught me so much about empathy, patience, and the power of human connection. Read More>>

Lindsay Martin

When I started the Lindemann program in September 2024, I came in with a mix of excitement and pressure. I thought I was supposed to show up as a “finished product”—ready to perform, ready to impress. But very quickly, I realized that mindset was limiting.

What I’ve learned this year is that there’s no such thing as a finished product in the arts—or in any meaningful career. Watching some of the most respected performers up close, I saw that they’re constantly evolving. They’re refining, experimenting, adjusting. You are never done learning and this realization shifted everything for me. Read More>>