Voc Cast

Let's chat with entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, engineers and executives who LOVE THEIR JOBS for the benefit of those looking for a job they can love. Today’s guest, Erik Anders Lang hosts the ADVENTURES IN GOLF TV show in partnership with the PGA Tour and United Airlines. He is the Director of BE THE BALL, a documentary about golf and meditation. He also produces THE ERIK ANDERS LANG PODCAST and THE ERIK ANDERS LANG CHANNEL on YouTube. While golf is the common thread that runs through his creative endeavors, you don’t have to be a golfer to appreciate his work. Seven years ago, Erik pivoted away from a career as a commercial photographer/videographer. Letting go of his focus on client work, he began to share his enthusiasm and passion for golf through his videos. His intention was to be himself and creatively express his passion for the game of golf. Following a path he never could have imagined, Erik’s BE THE BALL trailer landed him the ADVENTURES IN GOLF gig. As he continues to share his passion f

Let's chat with entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, engineers and executives who LOVE THEIR JOBS for the benefit of those looking for a job they can love. Today’s guest is Abe Kislevitz. While still a college student, Abe went skiing with his friends up at Mammoth. They made a ski video with a GoPro camera. Abe posted his video edit on YouTube. A few weeks later, Abe got an email from GoPro CEO Nick Woodman offering him a job as employee number 31 at what is, today, a publicly-traded billion dollar company with deep roots in the action sports world. As a Creative Director at GoPro Abe gets paid to fly all over the world to surf, ski and ride with some of the world’s greatest athletes. Then he comes back to San Diego and edits promotional videos for GoPro's marketing department. Abe's story isn’t about networking or forcing something to happen. It is about attracting opportunity by simply doing and enjoying the things he’s already passionate about - mainly snow sports, photography and making movies. Abe

I first met Zio Ziegler on a bike ride with the Bear Development Team in 2011. The only thing I can remember from that ride that he rode flat out all day. I had no idea how he was able to sustain it. As long as I’ve known him, I’ve never stopped asking that question. His curiosities, his paint brush, his bicycle, his focus are always moving. Fast. And he goes to some really amazing places. At the time I met Zio, I was travelling full-time and living in my Airstream trailer. One day, when I was parked in Marin County, he dropped by and asked if I was game to let him paint a mural inside the trailer. I thought we might plan something out, pick the colors, pick the best spot on the wall and maybe talk about what it might look like. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Zio isn't really someone that you might manage or even direct. He is truly a free spirit and an artist in the purest sense of the word. It's a beautiful thing to witness him using his gifts. He pulled his rattle cans out, painted at a break neck speed and w

Let's chat with entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, engineers and executives who LOVE THEIR JOBS for the benefit of those looking for a job they can love. Today's guest is Hillary Peterson. Hillary went back to work after 12 years of raising children full time. In doing so, Hillary found a remarkable balance between her calling to be a mom and her vocation in the working world. Hillary founded True Botanicals, which is a thriving bio-active skin care line that has recently taken on a round of venture capital funding on account of its remarkable growth. Many of my friends are finding their own balance as they raise a family and thrive at work. In this episode, Hillary shares her insights and experiences in finding a balance that worked for her, her family and her company. Thanks for listening. Leave us a comment or review and let us know what you think.

Let's chat with entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, engineers and executives who LOVE THEIR JOBS for the benefit of those looking for a job they can love. 3 years ago, Holly Payne was up against some very real struggles in her career as a novelist and a teacher. She overheard several professors at her University teaching young people that they needed to take a vow of poverty if they wanted to be a true artist. And she wasn’t buying it. Despite the fact that she had zero experience in the tech industry and had recently become a single mother with her two-year old child, she decided to build a tech startup. Payne created Booxby to solve what she calls a “signal to noise” problem in the publishing industry that was keeping her books from being discovered and preventing readers from being able to find the right book for them. She teamed up with the technical co-founder of Pandora and one of the co-founders of Netflix to create Booxby, which is an iPhone app delivering book recommendations based on the reader’

Let's chat with entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, engineers and executives who LOVE THEIR JOBS for the benefit of those looking for a job they can love. Today's guest, Matthew Carlson is a TV Writer, TV Show Creator, Show Runner and Executive Producer who has been making TV shows in Hollywood for over 25 years. He's been nominated for multiple Emmy awards. Most notably, he and his team were nominated for their work on The Wonder Years, which was one of my favorite TV shows as a kid. It's easy to forget, when we are being entertained by TV shows and movies, that someone had to sit down with a blank page and create those characters, events and moments that end up on the screen making us laugh, cry or feel genuine suspense. In this episode, Matthew tells some fun stories from his journey and reflects on his creative process. We hope you find something in this episode that you can put to use in your own life. Thanks for listening. PS - Matthew looks a little scary in this photo. Truth be told, we haven't s

Let's chat with entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, engineers and executives who LOVE THEIR JOBS for the benefit of those looking for a job they can love. This episode features a conversation with professional Photographer/Director Embry Rucker. Embry's clients include some of the biggest consumer brands in the world: Nike, Sony, Nokia, Target, Billabong, Volvo, Reebok, Oakley, LL Bean, Google, Adidas, The North Face, Harley Davidson and many others. In this conversation, we talk about Embry's career path. He serves up actionable information with honesty and authenticity. We also talk about his role as a father and what that means to him. We tried to get Embry to brag in this interview. That said, we just couldn't get any self-promotion out of him. Embry doesn't come right out and tell you about the time shot Manny Pacquiao for Nike or Laird Hamilton in Hawaii. But he does make it clear that he sees himself as a creative problem solver who enjoys the collaborative and artistic nature of his craft. We can

Let's chat with entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, engineers and executives who LOVE THEIR JOBS for the benefit of those looking for a job they can love. In this episode, we sit down with Garrett Chow. Garrett is a designer, artist and entrepreneur. After attending Art Center College of Design in LA, Garrett moved to Amsterdam with the London Police street art collective. He then returned to the US to work with blue chip brands in a big agency before developing www.mashsf.com with his friends and finding a home as one of the most prolific and remarkable design professionals in the cycling industry. In this episode, we talk about education, design, branding, fine arts, drawing, punk rock, painting and, of course, a few of Garrett's most iconic designs. We hope you find something in this episode that you can engage with in your own life as you seek out authentic education, work and vocation for yourself. Along the way, don't hesitate to reach out to us at www.voc-lab.org. This is a nonprofit organization

In this episode, we sit down with Ian Ross and Rob Evans of www.rochaart.com. Are you curious to learn more about what it's really like to work in the art world? These working professionals generously share what they have learned for your benefit. Ian is a massively talented painter who has been making a living as a fine artist his whole life. He was an artist in residence at Facebook before leaving to found the Rocha Art Gallery with Rob. Rob left a stable and lucrative job with Apple in order to pursue this entrepreneurial venture with Ian. We appreciate the candor and authenticity with which he described this transition in the interview. These two were very generous in sharing their time and experience. We hope there is something for you in this conversation. Thanks for listening.