Jim Pfander is the General Manager of the Akron RubberDucks and the 2025 Minor League Baseball Executive of the Year, but his journey to the GM’s chair came with real tradeoffs, sacrifices, and moments of letting go.

In this episode of Caller ID, Jim and I reconnect as Ohio University classmates and broadcast program peers to talk honestly about what it takes to build a sustainable career in professional sports. From early internships with the Cleveland Indians to leadership roles across Minor League Baseball, Jim reflects on the decisions that shaped his path, including the reality that sometimes you have to give up one dream in order to chase a different, better-fitting one.

This conversation isn’t just about baseball. It’s about patience, adaptability, family considerations, and the cost of saying yes, and no, along the way. Jim offers a grounded look at the business behind the dream and what success actually requires over the long haul.

Whether you’re a student, a young professional, or someone wrestling with career direction and identity, this episode is a reminder that calling is rarely linear—and that the right path often emerges through sacrifice, clarity, and courage.

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Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

What does Kobe Bryant have to do with Shakespeare?

More than you might think.

In this episode of Caller ID, I sit down with Mark Rankin, a Renaissance literature and English professor whose approach to calling, identity, and excellence is shaped as much by the Mamba Mentality as it is by Milton.

We talk about following your passion, but how much work that takes. We also tackle the hard work required to live at the center of ikigai, and why the most meaningful work is often the most demanding. Mark also shares how teaching 12-year-olds has made him a better college professor, and how working with college students has sharpened the way he shows up for younger learners.

This is a conversation about discipline, formation, and becoming who you are called to be, even when it’s harder than you expected.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.

In this episode of Caller ID, we sit down with Dr. Jacob Sands, one of the world’s leading oncologists and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. But before all of that, there was a moment when he walked away.

Dr. Sands shares how dropping out of Ohio University and traveling to Costa Rica on a whim, seeking clarity, learning from a shaman, and sitting with uncertainty, became a turning point that reshaped his sense of identity and purpose. We explore how unconventional choices, risk, and self trust ultimately guided him back to medicine with a deeper commitment to service, presence, and meaning.

This is a conversation about listening to your inner voice, figuring out who you are beneath expectations, and how that self knowledge quietly impacts everything, from career decisions to relationships to the life you build.

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Caller ID.

You can follow Caller ID wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you’re enjoying the show, a quick rating or review helps more people find it.

New episodes drop weekly, featuring conversations with people across disciplines who are thoughtful about their work and honest about the cost of doing it well.

I’m Brandon Davis Wells and thanks for answering the call.