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In the final episode of the year, Jason Ball takes a moment to look back not just at 2025, but at a life shaped by big transitions, many of them coinciding with presidential election years. From high school to his first job in television to becoming a news director, to finally stepping away and building something new, this episode is about evolution, reinvention, and what comes after the headlines.

Jason reflects on launching Life After News and Desert Dispatch, joining the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation, becoming managing editor of Oasis magazine, and what it’s like to build momentum in a second (or third) act. He also shares updates on several past guests and their own Life After News journeys from creative breakthroughs to retirement, travel, new babies, and new chapters.

Then, Jason is joined by friend and former TV journalist Dorothy Lucey to talk about their newest project, Chasing Faith with Dorothy Lucey, a podcast born out of conversations about faith, purpose, community, and doing good over chasing ratings. Together, they discuss what faith means now, the guests who’ve inspired them most, and why making change where you are matters.

This episode is a year-end check-in, a celebration of growth, and an honest look at what it takes to keep going even when reinvention is uncomfortable.

In This Episode:

• How major life changes have aligned with election years
• Launching Life After News and Desert Dispatch
• Staying connected to journalism after leaving the newsroom
• Why most podcasts don’t last and how to fight “pod fade”
• Updates on past guests and their Life After News chapters
• The origin and mission of Chasing Faith with Dorothy Lucey
• Faith, purpose, and choosing impact over metrics
• What might be coming next

Links & Mentions:

• Subscribe to Desert Dispatch: https://desertdispatch.beehiiv.com/
• Follow Desert Dispatch: @DesertDispatchPS
• Follow Jason on Instagram: @MrJasonBall
• Follow the podcast: @LifeAfterNewsPod

Listener Note

Jason wants to hear from you. What’s working? What isn’t? Who should be on the show next? The best way to reach him is via Instagram DMs.

Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.