The Richard Taliaferro Podcast

What happens when you've achieved everything you set out to accomplish—but the career you've built no longer makes you happy?Curt Sassak spent more than 25 years building an award-winning career as a chef, working in seven countries and earning the recognition, status, and success he'd always wanted. By 40, he was ready to walk away. The trouble was, he had no idea what came next.In this episode of The Richard Taliaferro Podcast, Curt shares how losing his passion for cooking forced him to confront a difficult question: Who was he without the career that had defined him?We explore the hidden costs of staying stuck, why high achievers often struggle to ask for help, and how taking imperfect action can create momentum toward a different future.We also discuss Curt's journey from chef to career strategist and why he now approaches career transitions the way he once approached cooking: with the right ingredients, a thoughtful process, and a willingness to adapt.Topics include: Midlife career change, professional identity, overcoming perfectionism, asking for help, career reinvention, and taking the first step toward something new.To reach Curt:LinkedIn—https://www.linkedin.com/in/curt-sassak/Instagram—instagram.com/curt_sassak——————I’m Richard Taliaferro, a certified career coach, former journalist, and curious human. I talk with people navigating reinvention—founders, creatives, career changers, and purpose-driven professionals—about the work they’ve built, the lessons they’ve learned, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.I write a newsletter each week with more detail on this week’s conversation. Subscribe for more details and insights.https://www.richardtaliaferro.com/emailsHost/Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro#CareerChange #MidlifeCareerChange #CareerReinvention #ProfessionalIdentity #CurtSassak #TheRichardTaliaferroPodcast

What happens when the image you've spent years creating no longer reflects who you really are?Emily Katz has spent decades helping people transform how they look, from Hollywood actors to executives and everyday professionals. An award-winning makeup artist and image consultant whose credits include Lost and Anger Management, Emily has discovered that the most meaningful transformations often have little to do with appearance.In this conversation with Richard Taliaferro, Emily explores the relationship between our outward presentation and our inner identity, the limiting beliefs that keep us playing familiar roles, and the courage it takes to express who we actually are.They discuss why we become attached to outdated versions of ourselves, how small experiments can create unexpected possibilities, and why personal transformation begins with recognizing what no longer fits.Because sometimes changing your appearance isn't really about changing how you look. It's about giving yourself permission to be seen.Connect with Emily Katz: Website: https://ektruth.com Email: info@ektruth.com——————I’m Richard Taliaferro, a certified career coach, former journalist, and curious human. I talk with people navigating reinvention—founders, creatives, career changers, and purpose-driven professionals—about the work they’ve built, the lessons they’ve learned, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.Not sure where you’re actually stuck? Take the 90-Second SPARK for a personalized read: https://spark-diagnostic.vercel.app/Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.comHost/Executive Producer: Richard TaliaferroExecutive Producer: Debra Chandler #CareerReinvention #PersonalTransformation #Authenticity #SelfDiscovery #Identity #LimitingBeliefs #EmilyKatz #RichardTaliaferroPodcast

Mike Boland’s story could easily sound like several different lives.He was an award-winning newspaper reporter who walked away from journalism as alcohol increasingly took control. He found himself working in bars, watching his career and relationships deteriorate, before an unexpected suggestion from his mother led him to audition for a community theater production.He had never acted before.Within a few years, Mike was a professional actor. Eventually his career would take him to Broadway, national tours, television and film. But first, his drinking threatened to take that away, too.In this conversation, Mike talks with Richard Taliaferro about addiction and recovery, the people who continued to see something in him when he couldn't see it himself, rebuilding relationships after getting sober, and why the darkest part of his story changed the way he experiences joy today.They also explore Mike's deeply personal film Yo Andrea, a project he has spent nearly a decade writing, developing, financing and now directing — and the lesson from recovery that has carried him through the entire process:Don't quit before the miracle.It's a conversation about second chances, purpose, asking for help, and what can happen when the life you end up living looks nothing like the one you originally imagined.——————I’m Richard Taliaferro, a certified career coach, former journalist, and curious human. I talk with people navigating reinvention—founders, creatives, career changers, and purpose-driven professionals—about the work they’ve built, the lessons they’ve learned, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.Not sure where you’re actually stuck? Take the 90-Second SPARK for a personalized read: https://spark-diagnostic.vercel.app/Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.comHost/Executive Producer: Richard TaliaferroExecutive Producer: Debra Chandler #MikeBoland #YoAndrea #CareerReinvention #Recovery #Sobriety #AddictionRecovery #Broadway #ActorLife #Filmmaking #IndependentFilm #CareerChange #FindingPurpose #SecondAct #PersonalGrowth #TheRichardTaliaferroPodcast

Choosing a college can feel overwhelming—and for many families, the financial stakes make the process even harder.Shellee Howard, founder and CEO of College Ready, joins Richard Taliaferro to break down how families can approach college admissions more strategically, from identifying the right academic, social and financial fit to understanding scholarships, financial aid and the real cost of a degree.Shellee shares how her own journey began when her oldest son announced in middle school that he wanted to become a doctor and attend an Ivy League university. That experience eventually led her to become a certified independent college strategist—and helped her son graduate from Harvard debt-free.Richard and Shellee discuss why choosing the “best” college isn’t necessarily the same as choosing the right college, why students need to understand money before making a six-figure education decision, and how parents can help teenagers think more intentionally about majors, careers and return on investment.They also explore what happens when a family’s college plans collide with a layoff, career change or unexpected drop in income—and why having multiple financial options can keep a student’s future from suddenly feeling smaller.In this episode:How families can evaluate academic, social and financial fitWhy college planning may need to start earlier than parents expectThe different types of scholarships and financial aid availableHow financial literacy can change a student’s college decisionsWhy the most prestigious school isn’t always the smartest choiceHelping teenagers explore majors and careers before collegeWhat parents can do when a layoff or income change disrupts the planWhy students and parents need a strategy—not just a list of dream schoolsSpecial Offer for ListenersShellee is offering listeners a complimentary 30-minute discovery call to help families identify opportunities and think through their next steps.Visit CollegeReadyPlan.info to schedule the conversation.Prefer to explore on your own? Shellee also offers several free resources, including a Student Aid Index calculator and a core values assessment for students, at:CollegeReadyPlan.com/resource——————I’m Richard Taliaferro, a certified career coach, former journalist, and curious human. I talk with people navigating reinvention—founders, creatives, career changers, and purpose-driven professionals—about the work they’ve built, the lessons they’ve learned, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.Not sure where you’re actually stuck? Take the 90-Second SPARK for a personalized read: https://spark-diagnostic.vercel.app/Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.comHost/Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro#CollegeAdmissions #CollegePlanning #CollegeScholarships #FinancialAid #StudentLoans #CollegeDebt #CollegeReady #CollegePrep #Scholarships #PayingForCollege #CollegeBound #FinancialLiteracy #ParentingTeens #HigherEducation

What if retirement isn’t something you wind down into, but something you build?Anne van Leynseele is the creator of Preferment, a framework for accomplished professionals who want to rethink retirement and intentionally design what comes next. A five-time reinventor, Anne has been a lawyer, author, entrepreneur, farmer and founder of Rarified Life, with a career that has stretched from Hollywood and Fortune 100 consulting to government service and a chocolate farm in Hawaii.In this conversation, Anne and Richard explore why the traditional model of retirement may no longer fit the lives many people are living—and what might replace it.They talk about reinvention without “starting over,” maintaining an identity when the job title disappears, following curiosity instead of defaulting to comfort, returning to school later in life, navigating career change in your 40s, 50s and beyond, and preserving human judgment and agency in an AI-driven world.They also explore values, boundaries, intergenerational relationships, meaningful contribution after a career, and one deceptively simple question for anyone facing a transition: What do I want to build?If you’re approaching retirement, considering a midlife career change, or simply wondering what you want the next chapter of your life to contain, this conversation offers another way to think about what comes next.You can find out more about Anne at www.rarifiedlife.com——————I’m Richard Taliaferro, a certified career coach, former journalist, and curious human. I talk with people navigating reinvention—founders, creatives, career changers, and purpose-driven professionals—about the work they’ve built, the lessons they’ve learned, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.Not sure where you’re actually stuck? Take the 90-Second SPARK for a personalized read: https://spark-diagnostic.vercel.app/Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.comHost/Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro#Retirement #RetirementPlanning #Reinvention #CareerChange #CareerTransition #Midlife #LifeAfterRetirement #Purpose #SecondAct #NextChapter #HealthyAging #GenX #AnneVanLeynseele #Preferment

Award-winning author, television writer, producer, story consultant and Emmy-winning showrunner Samuel Garza Bernstein has spent his career thinking about what makes a story work.But in this conversation, we’re not just talking about stories on the page or screen. We’re talking about the stories we tell ourselves.Samuel — author of acclaimed biographies of Roddy McDowall, Cesar Romero and Joan Crawford, and showrunner and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning series After Forever — joins me to explore storytelling, identity, reinvention and the strange contradictions that make us human.We talk about why people become trapped inside old narratives, what Hollywood careers can teach us about reinvention, why struggle and conflict are essential parts of any meaningful story, and why changing your life requires more than a vision board or quick fix.We also explore self-knowledge, curiosity, mistakes, process, adaptability and a deceptively simple question for anyone who feels stuck:Where is the door?If the story you’ve been telling about yourself no longer fits, this conversation may help you start imagining what comes next.You can see his work at: https://samuelgarzabernstein.com——————I’m Richard Taliaferro, a certified career coach, former journalist, and curious human. I talk with people navigating reinvention—founders, creatives, career changers, and purpose-driven professionals—about the work they’ve built, the lessons they’ve learned, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.Not sure where you’re actually stuck? Take the 90-Second SPARK for a personalized read: https://spark-diagnostic.vercel.app/Find out more at: https://www.richardtaliaferro.comHost/Executive Producer: Richard Taliaferro#Storytelling #SamuelGarzaBernstein #Reinvention #Identity #PersonalGrowth #CareerChange #CareerTransition #Story #Writers #Authors