The Portfolio Career Lab

Polyworker BTS: Why Polyworking and Polyamory Have More in Common Than You Think

In this week's episode of the pod I have MJ Halberstadt back on again to talk about a comparison I make in the book between portfolio careers and polyamory. We also dig into this idea of automatic thinking and a key concept from the later chapters of the book: the professional polycule!
Buy Polyworker on Amazon or Bookshop.org: https://linktr.ee/BrieAbramowicz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Polyworker BTS: Managing the Feast or Famine Income Cycle as a Solopreneur

In this episode of the pod I chat with Ceres Chua, founder of The Money Mindset Lab about the feast-or-famine cycles that are a hallmark of running a small business, and how to build a financial system and money mindset that bolsters you when your business cash flows inevitably get lumpy.
If you're early in your polyworking journey, partway in and financially anxious AF, or on the fence about jumping ship to the land of independent work and wondering how the financial mechanics actually work, this episode is a brass tacks listen.
 
Buy Polyworker on Amazon or Bookshop.org: https://linktr.ee/BrieAbramowicz

Polyworker BTS: WTF is a polyworker??

What's the difference between a polyworker and a portfolio careerist? And why does it matter?
In this episode, I break down why I titled the book Polyworker and what it takes to build a career around your values while still operating inside capitalism. If you've ever felt like you were "doing the thing" but still had bad weeks because your business development pipeline was nonexistent or your cash got tight, this is a great episode to give you a little perspective.
Buy Polyworker on Amazon or Bookshop.org: https://linktr.ee/BrieAbramowicz
 

Polyworker BTS: Producing Corporate Fleabag and Planet Work

This is episode one of a little mini season of the show. (A whole mini season! I know. Bear with me.) It's going to be chock full of behind-the-scenes stuff re: my debut book Polyworker!
This particular episode gives you a closer look at the two companion films for the book — Corporate Fleabag and Planet Work . I sit down for a chat with SAG actress and the leading lady in both shorts Ally Condrath. Together, Ally and I field questions from fans about how the whole project came together: from first finding each other to building and then executing on the creative vision for each short.
If you loved listening to this episode and want to grab a copy of Polyworker right now, it's now available for purchase on both Amazon or Bookshop!

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.
 
Buy Polyworker on Amazon or Bookshop.org: https://linktr.ee/BrieAbramowicz

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!).
 
Buy Polyworker on Amazon or Bookshop.org: https://linktr.ee/BrieAbramowicz

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.