The Tightrope With Dan Smolen

Third Act By 28: One Man's Unusual Journey to do Meaningful Work (Part 2) “People said ‘well, he was a reporter, and a cop, and now he’s a cantor.’ When I look back on it, everything that I’ve done in my life, all of those jobs and the other smaller jobs in between, have always been about doing things with people, for people—helping them in some way.” - Michael Shochet, Senior Cantor of Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church, Virginia; Chief Chaplain of Fairfax County, Virginia Police Few of us can tell a personal career story as dramatic and ever-changing as Michael Shochet. After college, he became one of the youngest TV news reporters in Baltimore before pivoting to police work. But, Shochet was hardly settled on patrolling the streets of one of America’s most dangerous cities. Extreme on-the-job stress—and PTSD—sent him soul-searching. The work he eventually embraced, that of a cantor in Reform Judaism and police chaplain, would redefine his life and bring him boundless purpose and joy. In Third Act by 2