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.
Welcoming Leo
Heidi and Ellen welcome the sign of Leo and the season of selfhood and identity. It's a time to allow yourself to be fully expressed and to let your heart lead the way. This is the moment of your unfolding, unfurling self. What do you want to share? What do you want to say? How do you want to say it? How can you offer your light, your warmth, and your gift? They talk about the amazing Leo septuagenarians, Helen Mirren, Mick Jagger, and Joan Halifax, with a special focus on the late, great Julia Child, who would have celebrated her 110th birthday this August (30:51). Heidi reads the poem A Small Moment by Cornelius Eady (44:08).
Heidi and Ellen start by talking about the full moon of the Cancer season (5:40). They then take a question from Heather who has been wondering if her values align with how she is bringing in money. She works in tech and is presently the stable earner in her family. She is also pregnant with her first child. Heather dreams of a more creative home-based life (10:31). They then take a question from Sarah (21:46). Sarah currently works in oncology. She likes her work but craves something different that will allow her more freedom. She worries she is not qualified for other kinds of work and that she will not be able to find something lucrative. Heidi and Ellen close the episode by talking about the movies Good Luck to You Leo Grande (32:10); Cha Cha Real Smooth (34:43) the series Black Bird (35:30); and the shows that bring us comfort during these Cancerian times (36:11).
Heidi and Ellen take questions from Carmen and Jackie. Carmen is quite happy in her life. She loves her job and feels she is doing what she was born to do. She has many outside creative interests that engage her. She wonders if something new and perhaps more creative is waiting to be invited in (11:40). Jackie is a return guest. She is just setting up her business and is stuck on how to value her services and charge appropriately. She is confused about how to monetize her worth and how she can untangle herself from financial complexities (22:04). Ellen and Heidi also talk about the movie Elvis (4:29); the conclusion of the series The Bear (6:56); the book Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (8:03); the essay The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser (17:36); the book We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers (28.33); and Megan deBoer's financial literacy company Tended Wealth (29.48).
Heidi and Ellen talk to Delian and Erica. Delian is currently an actor. She worries the path she is pursuing is frivolous and feels that she needs to be moving faster and doing more. She worries that she is not going to do what she is supposed to with her life (10:09). Erica works in human resources at a big tech company. For the past two years, she has felt a deep ache and unfulfilled with her work. She wants to think, speak, and contribute differently to the world and cannot seem to find the right path to step onto (20:01). Heidi and Ellen also talk about the movie Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (1:34); the television series Gaslit (5:27); The Bear (6:08); and the book We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers (7:02).
Heidi and Ellen welcome the sign of Cancer. We enter the season of nourishment and growth, family and feeling. We enter the season of resourcefulness and the ability to protect and produce. On this day Venus is trine Pluto. This transit brings depth, feeling, and maybe an increase in financial resources! They also talk about many Cancer birthdays, focusing on Chef Jose Andres, the extraordinary humanitarian and founder of the World Central Kitchen. In his words, "Many complex problems have simple solutions…Sometimes you just have to show up with a sandwich or some warm rice and beans. You'd be amazed at the power of a plate of food. It can change the world, and so can you."
Heidi and Ellen interview the beloved wordsmith Alexandra Franzen. They look at four key career moments in Alex's life and talk about her writer's journey and the astrology that supported her along the way. Alex is a best-selling author, award-winning editor, and entrepreneur based in Hawaii. She has written six books including two novels, and articles in numerous magazines. Her work has been mentioned in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, and BuzzFeed, Inc. She's the co-founder of a book publishing company called Get It Done. As a writing coach, Alex helps her clients write powerful books that touch readers deeply. Many client projects have gone on to win awards, but more than that, she has encouraged thousands of people to write and fulfill their life-long dreams of becoming authors. Alex deleted all of her social media accounts 8 years ago, and she's known for writing essays on technology, mental health, and why we all need to unplug more. She encourages you to delete Facebook and write a book instead.
Heidi and Ellen start the episode talking about the extraordinary Chef Jose Andres, his World Central Kitchen, and the new movie about him called We Feed People. They also talk about the second season of Hacks, the series The First Lady, and the new book by Emma Straub called This Time Tomorrow. They then take questions from Jennifer and Beryl. Jennifer has been primarily a stay-at-home mom for the past 12 years. She is feeling the pull to become a writer. She still has young children at home and wonders how she can make her writing career happen. Beryl is a creative director in advertising, working abroad in Amsterdam. She has recently become a new mom and at the same time, more involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion at her workplace. With so much potential for many different fresh starts, she is struggling to figure out where to begin (and where to rest).
Heidi and Ellen interview celebrity hairstylist Mara Roszak, one of the most respected artists in her field. Her creative vision has led to some of the most iconic looks in Hollywood and her success styling hair backstage at the Oscars, the Met Gala or the cover of Vogue, and a myriad of other magazines has made her one of the youngest female hairdressers to ever lead her industry. Over the course of 20 years, she has worked with clients such as Emma Stone, Nicole Kidman, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, and Lily Collins. As Ellen and Heidi talked with Mara about the astrology behind three key dates in her career, it became clear that Mara's secret sauce was a combination of her prodigious talent, her willingness to jump at all opportunities, and the ability to listen to the universe's nudges. Mara is the co-owner of Mare Salon in West Hollywood and is the creator of ROZ- a simplified line of hair products that not only perform but are delivered in a beautiful luxury experience. Visit Mara at rozhair.com and on Instagram @mararoszak.
Heidi and Ellen talk about the movies Downton Abbey: A New Era; The Duke; and Puzzle. They also touch on the television series The Great and the final of This Is Us. They then take questions from Beth and Martha. Beth has had a very successful career as a teacher and earlier this year had decided to leave her job in order to stay home with her kids full time. She has since been asked to return part-time, which while tempting, is the opposite of what her gut is telling her. She wonders if she should listen to her heart or her mind. Martha has recently retired after teaching art for many years and raising 5 children, including a daughter with profound special needs. She just wants to be in her studio doing her own work, after years of taking care of others. She judges herself for pursuing this solo endeavor and seeks encouragement to pursue that path.
Heidi and Ellen welcome the bright, chameleon-like sign of Gemini. We are moving quickly, on the go and we have something to say. Write it. Speak it. Connect the dots. This is the energy of connection and enlivened relationship. Don't sit still. Move for the good of all. Leave goodness in your wake. They also talk about four Geminis who have been in the news lately: Bob Dylan; Marilyn Monroe; Kendrick Lamar; and Johnny Depp. Heidi closes with the poem, Kinship of Flesh by Rebecca Foust.
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