Designing a Life of Meaningful work at Any Age with Katharine Brooks Ph.D. & Dr. Amber Fossey
Original Air Date Wednesday, June 2, 2021
For most people, finding happiness and meaning isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when they think of work. But what if it was? What if individuals funneled their creativity and a little of their personal magic into designing a new work-life that was meaningful and fulfilling? To extract advice about designing a life of meaningful work, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who have channeled their creativity into new careers and serve others through their books. Dr. Katharine Brooks revamped the famous career guide, What Color is Your Parachute? for 2021 and wrote two additional books during the pandemic. And, Forensic Psychiatrist, Dr. Amber Fossey found herself with a substantial Instagram and Etsy following when she tapped into her creative inner child. Her sense of childlike wonder is accompanied by her poetry and illustrations in the book, Be Wild Be Free.
Dr. Katharine Brooks — Find Meaningful Work:
- Curiosity drives Katie’s quirky and adventurous exploration of travel and food. [2:06]
- Post pandemic reinvention: How to land your dream job in a challenging job market. [4:50]
- Advice for younger people preparing to enter the job market. [10:24]
- Katharine Brooks spent her pandemic writing three books. [12:12]
- Tips and strategies for job hunting in the new world of work and acing digital interviews. [14:50]
- Translating personal interest into marketable skills. [21:56]
Katharine Brooks, PhD, is an award-winning career counselor, consultant, and writer who has directed career centers at Vanderbilt University, Wake Forest University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Dickinson College. A nationally certified counselor and board-certified coach, she has worked with thousands of job seekers and writes the “Career Transitions” blog for Psychology Today.
Book: What Color is Your Parachute? 2021
Katharine Brooks Website
@KatharineBrooks on Twitter
Katharine Brooks on Facebook
Dr. Amber Fossey — Channeling Childlike Creativity while Adulting:
- Amber describes forensic psychiatry and what interests her about working with the mind. [26:59]
- Parental leave afforded Amber time to invest in the creative side of her life, which was writing and drawing as she did as a child. [31:06]
- The role of creativity and art in health and wellness. [32:41]
- Amber looked to nature for inspiration when creating her book, Be Wild Be Free. [40:07]
- The wonder and amazement of children can and should be integrated into our adult lives whenever possible. [43:26]
Dr. Amber Fossey is the NHS-doctor-turned-artist behind @Zeppelinmoon, the hugely popular Instagram account and Etsy store with over 220k followers. As an expert in mental health, her uplifting and wickedly funny illustrated stories of weird and wonderful creatures are inspired by her experiences with all the dark & glorious facets of the human spirit and a fascination with animals.
Book: Be Wild Be Free
Zeppelin Moon Website
@zeppelinmoon on Twitter
@zeppelinmoon on Instagram
This episode of Harvesting Happiness Talk Radio about designing a life of meaningful work is sponsored by:
Are We Happy Yet? Eight Keys to Unlocking a Joyful Life — A boot camp manual for greater emotional fitness. Happiness waits for no one and sometimes we all need support. What is getting in the way of your happiness right now?
H–Factor: Where is Your Heart? — Lisa’s documentary film explores the journey of human happiness. Emotions are contagious and happiness is a universally desired state. We tend to forget we all have the freedom to be happy or the liberty to be miserable each day.
“When we are in this space of midlife, we might not have the youth but we have the wisdom, which is extremely valuable.” @LisaKamen on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Look for opportunities that allow you to do more of what you enjoy and less of what you don't enjoy.” @KatharineBrooks on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“You are going to develop an approach to doing things, a way of thinking about things that will be different from someone else. That's what you want to apply to whatever job setting you go into.” @KatharineBrooks on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Social media creates its own little world. I think it can be pretty hard to navigate particularly when you are only 16 or 17 years old.” @KatharineBrooks on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Psychiatry is a real privilege because you get to hear people's stories and talking to people was the part of the work I really loved.” @Zeppelinmoon on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“I’ve always had a passion for wondering what makes people end up in their situations.” @Zeppelinmoon on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“I wanted to help set people free but in reality, you find it is really hard to change a huge institution like a prison system.” @Zeppelinmoon on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“Just because we are big and grown-up doesn't mean we can't do the things that are fun anymore.” @Zeppelinmoon on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“I think we all need a little bit of escapism sometimes.” @Zeppelinmoon on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“I try and process into my art and my stories, the wonder of the world that these little people have.” @Zeppelinmoon on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet“It is possible to become happier in life through these little shifts in perspectives. Step-by-step. One day at a time.” @Zeppelinmoon on @HHTalkRadio Click To Tweet
CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY
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