We're at the end of season 4, and it’s time to take a look back. I ask my guests, “What advice would you give to your younger self?” not to ask what they would change, but to understand what they’ve learned along the way. The final episode of season 4 compiles my guests’ answers to that question. I hope you find their advice both inspiring and motivating as you pursue your own career. And if you have advice for your younger self, please share it with someone you care about.

Find full episodes from season 4 and all past seasons in our archive at www.socalledpodcast.com and wherever you get your podcasts.

How much is enough? You don't need to be King of Everything, says Steve Adelman, Nightlife Entrepreneur. Instead, be King of Enough and spend time developing long-term relationships.

Steve has ruled the nightlife realm for 30 years, but he didn’t begin his career as a nightlife entrepreneur. His career transition began as the result of a party at his apartment after he'd left a consulting job he didn’t love.

Success in making such a drastic career change wasn’t easy, but Steve was driven by his interest in the nightlife and entertainment business. Hard work, collaboration, and learning from successes and failures eventually prepared him to direct the four largest nightclubs in New York City. From there, he has gone on to start up nightlife and concert venues in major international cities.

Steve still enjoys the creativity involved in being able to conceive of an idea, plan it out, and see what works and what doesn't - night after night. He is currently working on a concept to address how people want to socialize in a post-pandemic world and writing Nocturnal Admissions, a collection of humorous essays about his 30 years as a nightlife entrepreneur, which will be published in early 2022.

Steve's career advice is to slow down and pay attention to the relationships you develop during your career by staying in touch.

Check out Steve's website for more information about his book and projects.

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But what if it doesn't work? Failure is not the end of the world, says Erin Sorensen, Project Manager at Ethos Design + Remodel and Ethos Real Estate. She says when failure happens, take a step back, calm down, and figure it out.

Erin is figuring things out daily at Ethos. Success in building and remodeling often requires the ability to combine knowledge of the industry and permitting processes along with the skills of a historian, archeologist, technologist, and inventor. She enjoys the variety in her work and learning new ways of doing things, which makes her a perfect fit for her role. 

Erin's background has proven to be a perfect fit at Ethos. As an engineer with skills and experience in drafting, public utilities, affordable housing, and community advocacy, she is positioned to help the company deliver for clients today and explore the future, including solutions to create more housing stock and use new building materials. 

Erin's career advice: don't grow up too fast, take your time, and don't forget to take your ski days. 

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Does what you do have integrity with who you are? For Sarah Cunningham, Principal and CEO of Ethos Design/Remodel and Ethos Real Estate, having that integrity of purpose is important for her to feel good about what she does day to day.

More than designing and remodeling, Sarah's work is about building community and connectedness, which happens by designing spaces one at a time to meet the needs of each client. At the same time, she seeks to create homes that will benefit current and future generations, building sustainably for the benefit of the community for years to come.

For Sarah, the key to success in business has been bringing together a purpose-driven life with her professional career, creating what she describes as a magic zone. If you are looking to integrate what drives you with your work, she says trust your intuition and listen to your inner voice.

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When opportunity knocks, will you open the door? Make sure you take a close look at the opportunities you are given, advises Katie Bratland, Public Relations and Communications Expert. You can always say no after you consider an opportunity, but know the details before you make a decision.

Katie almost missed out on a career-changing event when she was about to pass on a six-month engagement with the World Cup. She decided to go to the interview, and the role ended up shaping her career ever since, leading her to an executive role in communications/public relations for a sports management agency.

Katie enjoys connecting with people and learning about what they do. Her natural curiosity and ability to figure things out are assets in her field, which encompasses executive communications, media relations, public affairs, working with publicists, and more. Katie recommends following your curiosity to discover potential career opportunities through informational interviews and learning from others about the work they do.

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Can't find the light? There are people who want to help, including Eric Mraz, owner and operator of Cold Cactus Media Productions. Cold Cactus is producing Darkness to Light, a video series that aims to reduce the suicide rate in the Veteran community.

Eric's media company is working on the first of a planned 22 episodes, connecting the series to the number of veterans who lose their battle to post traumatic stress each day. Cold Cactus started as a project in Eric's capstone class at Boise State University. To get his ambitious project off the ground, he reached out to his network, and now Eric and his team of volunteers are working on final edits of the pilot video.

Eric sees parallels between the comeback stories Veterans tell in Darkness to Light and his own career. Following his own military career, during which he earned a Bronze Star, Eric notes that he had a difficult time finding his way. He had a variety of jobs and attended college, where he eventually connected with the leadership program that led him to start Cold Cactus. Now a college graduate, Eric feels he's in a place where everything is coming together. His career advice for others is to listen to what others tell you and don't be afraid of your own success.

For the release date, to follow progress on the series, and learn how to support Cold Cactus, connect with Eric Mraz on LinkedIn.

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Where do you focus your efforts? Saying no might be the superpower you need to unlock your best work and concentrate on the things most important to you, says Lisa Schelbe, Associate Professor at Florida State University, College of Social Work.

For Lisa, child well-being and prevention of child maltreatment are her areas of focus. In service of this work, she is an editor, author, and co-chair of the Child Well-Being Research Network along with her work at the university.

The potential for children to live a life free of violence in the future is what gets Lisa out of bed in the morning. She notes that it can be easy to get stretched thin with the many opportunities to contribute, so she reminds herself and advises others to choose carefully when saying yes. 

Lisa enjoys creating knowledge through research and is even more excited by putting her work into practice and making it accessible to the public. She finds hope in producing research that is designed to have an impact by improving systems that serve youth and their families.

For more information on Lisa and her work, check out these links:

• Florida State University College of Social Work
• Lisa Schelbe Faculty Page
• Child Well-Being Research Network
• Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal
• The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
• Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment (Schelbe & Geiger, 2017)
• The Handbook on Child Welfare Practice (Geiger & Schelbe, 2021)

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What's your cause? If you are working in a mission-driven organization, you need to win people's hearts and minds to advance that cause, says Jeff Vanek, Director of Human Resources at Utah's Hogle Zoo. Servant leadership is well-suited for mission-driven organizations, he says, because it can support and sustain a cause and culture over time.

Jeff enjoys his work at the zoo, where he learns about all aspects of the organization in his HR role, and he encounters people who approach their work with passion, creativity, and curiosity. Jeff advises others not to be afraid to be their best selves at work in the service of others. 

Currently, Jeff is writing a book about servant leadership. His first book is called Somehow I Thought I Would Be Taller: Finding the Courage You Need to Grow and is available on Amazon.

To learn more about Jeff, check out his website: https://jeffvanek.com/

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Love Shadow (Remix Safety Guide) by rocavaco (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Sampling Plus license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/rocavaco/52156 Ft: Loveshadow