028: How career transitions affect your identity and sense of purpose with Al Erisman
Al Erisman is a writer, speaker, and board member for multiple organizations. He is also the executive editor of Ethix magazine (www.ethix.org). In 2017, he completed 17 years as Executive in Residence in the School of Business, Government, and Economics at Seattle Pacific University, where he taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in business, ethics, and technology. He remains on emeritus status at SPU. From 1969-2001 Al was at The Boeing Company, beginning as an applied mathematics researcher. During his last 11 years at Boeing he was the director of R&D for technology and mathematics, managing a staff of 250 computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. During this episode, Al takes us on his journey through various career and life transitions. Join us as we discuss:
- I wonder what it’ll be like in 20 years
- Technology and the world around us
- Pretty vulnerable and pretty ready
- Good guys and bad guys and the contribution to both
- Free to say what I needed to say
- Tough seasons before great opportunity
- When you’re in the midst of it
- The questions
- Wanting to be constantly learning
- Preparation for departure
- It’s for more than just a paycheck
- Which is more important: this or this?
- The only problem with working in 1000 different dimensions
- The lesson of yes
- You are in the real world
- Purpose and Meaning: Here’s the link
Ruth Seidel is a pastor at Bethany Community Church North in Shoreline, WA. She is fiercely kindhearted and offers a deep well of wisdom to those she walks through life with. One of her passions is serving others through Al-Anon,an organization that comes alongside individuals living with the disruption caused by a loved one who is struggling with alcoholism and addiction. During this episode, Ruth walks us through her own story as a wife and mother and living with an alcoholic husband. Her transition is about the journey from being the victim to becoming the hero of her story. Join us as we discuss:
Linda Wagner has a heart for learning and for the creative arts. She completed a PhD in education with a focus on complex learning, “later in life”. She’s worked in higher education, most recently as the Director of the Center for Learning at Seattle Pacific University, and since leaving that position continues to work with student learning on a consulting basis. Linda has also been involved in the arts community, primarily supporting writers. Among other things, she was the co-director of the Christian Writers Conference at Seattle Pacific University and has worked as an author’s agent, a freelance content development editor, and as a partner in a small publishing firm. As Linda and her husband were entered the retirement years and all they had dreamed it to be, Larry, unexpectedly died shortly after moving from Seattle to Portland. As you can imagine, this was an unimaginable loss for Linda. Join us in this episode as Linda walks us through the painful experience of losing her husband, and the slow journey to rebuild a life and a sense of home.
Gary has been studying and speaking on the subject of calling for 25 years. He is the author of the book, “It’s Your Call”. Founder of The Noble Heart ministry, Gary’s mission is to help people discover the life they were designed to live that brings life to others. He is also adjunct faculty at Colorado Christian University. Before starting The Noble Heart ministry, Gary was on the leadership team and a speaker with Ransomed Heart ministries for seven years. In this episode, Gary offers thoughts about the lessons he is learning about his calling during the second half of life. Join us as we discuss:
Jeff Andrechyn is a Captain for American Airlines. His motto: Travel lightly, but with great purpose. He has a passion to inspire through storytelling and listening to the hearts of others wherever he finds himself – the cockpit, conferences, retreats and especially around the dinner table.
The death of a loved one forces us to count what really matters to us. It also invites us to become who we were meant to be. In this episode, Dan Allender shares about engaging boldly with his father months before his death opening the door to the desires of his own heart as a son. Dan serves as the founding President and Professor of Counseling at 
What am I doing here? Where did I mess up? Is God disappointed with me? Am I really supposed to be working as a pastor? How do I make ends meet? Where’s my niche? Why was I fired? Am I sure this is my calling? Why do I keep getting “no” after “no”? Brad Thayer would be asking all of these questions and many more as he navigated many job changes, career stumbles, 37 job interviews, and great loss spread out over seven years. In this episode, Brad describes his long and painful journey toward finding work that matches his calling and purpose in life. Brad is the lead pastor at the Ballard campus of Bethany Community Church.
Join us this week as Liminal Space executive Jon DeWaal discusses the life changing fall that threw not only himself, but his wife and two young children into a world of transition.
As Shonnie Scott’s role as a pastor came to a finishing point, she found herself taking a leap of faith towards new and courageous opportunities. In this episode, Shonnie shares her experience with this career transition, and how much it formed her faith and calling. Shonnie’s life-vocation is all about empowering others to flourish in their callings, which she has fulfilled through multiple “God-assignments” over the last three decades. She has served the local church professionally since 1986, most recently spending six and half years as a solo lead pastor, launching the first satellite campus of Bethany Community Church in West Seattle. Out of that experience, she continues to empower women by serving as a pastor, mentor, speaker, and spiritual director to women leaders, pastors and church planters. Because gender justice and racial justice are inseparable, she also serves as a leader of Racial Reconciliation and Justice ministry at Bethany Community Church.