The Portfolio Career Lab

Bhavna Devani: Skill Gathering in a Post AI World

In this episode, I chat with Bhavna Devani about the generational reckoning happening in the culture of work and why so many of us feel like we’re navigating economic precarity and career chaos alone, when it’s actually a collective, systemic shift.
We talk about the skills this moment now demands—continuous skill gathering, communications and marketing as core economic competencies, and the practice of ruthless prioritization as you build a portfolio of work. Bhavna also shares reflections on “Mad Men working in a TikTok world,” the widening cost-of-living-to-earnings ratio (especially for parents), and why the future can’t just be “13 income streams.” We close with a shared product lens re: portfolio careers: MVP-driven experimentation, signals of fit, and what “person–market fit” looks like when YOU are the product.
 
Sign up for my book launch party on 2/17 here: https://luma.com/oi11devk

Meg Scheding: Disrupting the Status Bro

In this episode, I chat with Meg Scheding of Strategic Pivotery, a Slack-based community for women (not so quietly!) stepping away from confines of tech hustle culture and the idea that work defines our worth.We chat about the intense loneliness that tends to creep up when you step away from full-time work, how she built a community as a means of solving that problem, and who Meg believes needs to read Polyworker (hint, hint: it's not just millennials!).

Julie Fedele: Saying Goodbye to Your Corporate Self

In this episode, I chat with Julie Fedele about the state of the corporate world and my upcoming book Polyworker. We explore the identity work that comes with starting over, and then wade into a harder question: if the social contract is broken, who is actually responsible for fixing it?

Did My Predictions for 2025 Come True?

In this episode, I run back through my big portfolio-career predictions for 2025 and then I cast a little spell for 2026. You know, set the vibes, summon the universe, see what sticks. It’s reflective, kinda witchy… very on brand.

Ashley Rudolph: Inertia Disguised as Achievement

In this episode of the pod, I sit down with executive coach Ashley Rudolph to explore the quiet crisis playing out inside modern careers: mid-career high achievers waking up in lives they never consciously chose. We dig into Ashley’s concept of utopia syndrome—when our ambition slips into autopilot—and how “inertia disguised as achievement” keeps people chasing roles they don’t actually want. We break apart binaries—girlboss vs. no boss, corporate is dead, personal brand is dead, etc—that we believe flatten our choices at the exact moment work is becoming more multidimensional, and we reframe portfolio careers as a means of identity vs income diversification.

The Hamlins: Getting in Front of the Camera

In this episode, I sit down with my former clients Sarah and Brendon Hamlin, the husband-and-wife team behind Hamlin Creative, to talk about what it really takes to evolve an established business in the digital age. After more than a decade of running their video production company, they decided to push beyond referrals and their reputation to experiment with growing their reputation on a new channel—LinkedIn.
We explore what it’s been like translating years of behind-the-scenes expertise into a public voice, learning to engage their ideal audience through authentic storytelling. Sarah and Brendon share how they’ve navigated imposter syndrome, opened up to vulnerability, and turned transparency into a growth strategy.
We also talk about the power of their partnership—how their complementary strengths fuel both creativity and trust—and how building a business together has deepened not just their storytelling, but their marriage.

Geoffrey Colon: AI Ate Our Jobs (And Our Sense of Purpose)

In this episode, I sit down with Geoffrey Colon to talk about how professionals can move through the stages of grief after job loss and channel that uncertainty into creativity and new beginnings. We dig into how the world of work is shifting toward smaller, more independent ecosystems—and the need for new support systems and policies to match.
We also explore the erosion of loyalty in corporate culture, the ripple effects of layoffs on both employees and customers, and why short-term thinking is eroding long-term resilience. Geoffrey warns of a “slow erosion” inside companies that undervalue builders and overvalue managers—a pattern that feels eerily familiar in the age of AI.
We wrap with a hopeful look at the next era of the creator economy: one grounded in depth, direct connection, and creative sovereignty.

Sarah Hanson: Writing a Memoir-in-Verse

In this episode, poet and truth-teller Sarah Hanson joins me to talk about leaving a successful 15-year run in corporate to write her debut memoir-in-verse, Conjuring the Hurricane. Sarah opens up about surviving domestic violence, living through and processing profound grief, and choosing to write about these experiences with both honesty and gentleness.
 

Bree Groff: On Making Work Fun

In this episode, Bree Groff joins me to talk about ways we can make work feel more human and joyful. As the author of the recently published book Today Was Fun and a seasoned change strategist, Bree brings a fresh perspective to the show regarding how both individuals and organizations can embrace ambiguity, build resilience, and actually enjoy the process of transformation.

Lindsey Lerner: Field Notes from the Work and the Wild

In this conversation, I chat with writer, photographer, and community builder Lindsey Lerner to explore the launch of her year-long project Field Notes from the Work and the Wild. Lindsey shares how her background in anthropology, photography, and storytelling informs her work documenting the often-overlooked process behind our creativity.
We chat about :
The origins of Field Notes and her drive to celebrate everyday work, not just the big wins
Lessons from a decade of working in the music industry 
Art in business
What it means to find your creative flow, and 
The role of community in shaping meaningful work
Lindsey even opens up about the realities of pursuing creative projects alongside practical survival work, launching a GoFundMe to support her field year, and her hopes for bringing people together across geographies and disciplines.