Stay ConnectedChart your Career is a podcast from Heidi Rose Robbins and Ellen Fondiler.
Each podcast episode explores a question from two listeners as they try to navigate their dilemmas about career choices and life purpose. Heidi works deeply with the language and guidance of astrology while Ellen offers inspiring, actionable, practical next career steps. They help listeners reimagine how to best design your life and call in renewal, reinvention and a new chapter.
Heidi and Ellen start by reviewing the astrology of the week, as there is a lot going on. Planets are moving direct and there is a full moon around the corner. It's 'Go Time'. Then they take questions from Kelly and Maria. Kelly is a mom to two daughters, one of them with special needs. She is ready to share the many lessons she has learned in raising her children. She wonders if she can just get started building a career from where she is now or if she should go back to school to become a therapist. Maria has been a specialty health care worker at a large hospital for the past 7 years. She has a dream to build a better delivery model for her patient population. She worries she does not have the bandwidth to make it happen. Ellen reads David Whyte's poem The True Love. They also talk about the movie The Gardener and the documentary Sidney.
Heidi and Ellen are thrilled to interview Lennon Parham, actress, comedian, improviser, and director. She created and starred in Best Friends Forever and Playing House (with Jessica St Clair) and has had recurring roles in Veep, Bless this Mess, Minx, and recently the animated series- Little Demon. She was also featured in Better Things and directed two episodes of the second season of Somebody Somewhere. Lennon has made a number of memorable appearances on television including CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, Netflix's LADY DYNAMITE, AMC's MAD MEN, ABC's SCHOOLED, and NBC's PARKS AND RECREATION. On the feature side, she also had flashy supporting roles in THE HOUSE, HORRIBLE BOSSES 2, CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, and OTHER PEOPLE.
Heidi and Ellen welcome the sign of Libra, the fall equinox, and the beginning of a new season. Libra is a month when we ask, What is fair? What is just? As the Sun enters Libra, we want to work on our relationships — within the family and in the world at large. It is a pivotal month when three planets (Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto) move direct and we begin new cycles. Heidi and Ellen also talk about the chart of Queen Elizabeth II (a Taurus!) (34:09) and the Libran GOAT Serena Williams (41:09). Heidi reads the beautiful poem, On A Train by Wendy Cope (46:36).
It's Virgo season, and Mercury is retrograde. Heidi and Ellen talk about how they are experiencing these astrological forces. Then they take questions from Christine and Tracy. Christine is a retired (burnt-out) public school teacher and is now working temporarily as a clerk in a grocery store. She has so many things she wants to do, but she mostly wants to write or do book editing or book coaching. She wonders how to make the transition (11:25). Tracy has had many jobs and thinks of herself as a master generalist. She is presently working in the field of risk management for local government. She also does a podcast with her friend Amy (from Episode 78!). She wonders about the future of that endeavor from the perspective of her chart (20:41). They also talk about the new Lord of The Rings prequel- The Rings of Power; The Game of Thrones prequel- The House of the Dragon; and the great series, Barry (31:28).
Heidi and Ellen catch up after a brief hiatus and take about the upcoming full moon in Pisces and the Mercury Retrograde. Then they take questions from Anji and Prab. Anji has been in the field of health and wellness for 25 years and is ready for a change. She knows she is destined for something bigger, yet at the same time lacks the energy to move her life forward. While she has gifts as a psychic and a medium that she would like to explore, she is unsure of her path forward. Prab was an ESL teacher and is now in accounting. Her employer offered to send her to school to move her to the next level, but she is hesitant. What she is really interested in is education- specifically Educational Design. She worries that following her heart into the educational field will not be the best decision financially. Heidi and Ellen also talk about David Whyte's September Series based on his book "Crossing The Unknown Sea'; the book 'Weird in a World That's Not: A Career Guide for Misfits, F*ckups, and Failures' by Jennifer Romolini; the movie 'Three Thousand Years of Longing'; the series, 'Trying'; the movie 'NOPE'; and the series 'Barry' and 'The Rehearsal'.
Heidi and Ellen welcome the earthy practical sign of Virgo. Under Virgo, we discern, refine and improve. We look to our health and well-being. We see the individual trees and not the forest. We pay attention to every last detail. And we make everything we touch just a little better for our care and tending. They do a deep dive into the chart of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Heidi reads the poem 'Work' by Jeanette Encinias.
Heidi and Ellen catch up and talk about the astrology of this week, including the lovely Venus trine Jupiter and Mars entering Gemini, where it will stay until the end of March (7:49). They then take questions from Autumn and Nat. Autumn has a very successful PR business that demands a good deal of her time. Her business is the main source of income for her family. She has a long-time dream of opening a floral design gallery and wonders how she might ever make the shift (12:03). Nat has been having a difficult few years, including leaving a graduate program due to bullying. She is now feeling lost and unsure of her next steps. She would like to do something with storytelling and communication. She wonders what to do when you know your soul has a purpose but you can't find it (24:14). Finally, unbeknownst to each other, Heidi and Ellen discover they both started watching the HBO show, Barry, which they love ( 38:22). They also talk about the movie Elvis; the poem Lost by David Wagoner; and the work of Day Schildkret (@morning altars).
Heidi and Ellen start by talking about the astrology of the past few weeks, including the explosive Uranus, North Node, and Mars conjunction (2:37). They then take questions from Jessalyn and Hannah. Jessalyn is a cocktail bar manager and also manages many bars in her area. She likes her work very much. She is also very passionate about Family Constellation Therapy and feels like that is her soul's calling. She is wondering how to make the transition while still maintaining financial security (9:53 ). Hannah has always worked with social justice organizations and while she loves the work, she feels drained and needs to start prioritizing herself. She asks where she should begin( 20:01). Heidi and Ellen then talk about movies and books. (31:10). They do a deep dive into the documentary 'The Last Movie Stars', Ethan Hawke's series about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward; the Apple TV shows 'Blackbird' and 'Trying', and the books 'The Crane Wife' by CJ Hauser, 'Home Cooking' by Laurie Colwin and 'Sum: Forty Tales From the Afterlives' by David Eagleman.
Heidi and Ellen had the pleasure of interviewing the wonderful Matt McConkey. They looked at four key career moments in Matt's life and talked about his acting and writing journey. Matt's TV writing credits include "Heathers", "Bajillion Dollar Propertie$", and his Pop TV pilot "Ride or Die". He co-created the Comedy Central digital series "Unsend" and is the Co-Host of the very popular podcast "Homophilia" with Dave Holmes (featured on Entertainment Weekly's "Must List"). Matt's acting credits include "Happy Endings", "Comedy Bang!Bang!" and "Marry Me". "The Housesitters", a short film he co-wrote and acts in, premieres in August at the HollyShorts film festival. Matt was a 2018 Honoree in the Writers Guild of America West's TV Writer Access Project.
Heidi and Ellen talk about the New Moon and next week's Mars/Uranus/North Node conjunction (4:01). Then they take questions from Vee and Amy. Vee has been working as an architect for the past 8 years, has changed jobs 4 times, and has worked in 3 different states. Nothing helps her ennui and she feels stuck. While she is thinking of pivoting to the financial side of things, what she is really itching for is to draw and paint and open an online store. She wonders if she should take the leap (11:50). Amy has been a librarian for 25 years. Her life is full, but she feels something is missing career-wise. She recently wrote a Young Adult paranormal romance, has a podcast with a friend, reads tarot, and tends to her huge garden. She asks if she should pick just one thing and focus her energies (22:36). Heidi and Ellen then talk about the series, The Last Movie Stars which follows the careers and personal lives of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, the series Loot with Maya Rudolph, and the Joni Mitchell concert at the Newport Folk Festival that was nothing short of magical (32:07).
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