Purpose Rockstar: Daily Career Stories including Grammar Girl and Gretchen Rubin

Special Announcement: Purpose Rockstar is coming back!

17 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Purpose Rockstar is coming back! In this quick update, I share with you some of our upcoming plans and how we got here. What's your plan to infuse pur...

215- David Brown- Part 1- How To Be A Succesful Businessman

04 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David Brown is a "rebel without a clue" and a private investor. Top knotch colleges and jobs make David Brown stand out.   Continue Reading 

217- Alexandra Marquez- From A Love Of Fashion To A Successful Business

01 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Alexandra Marquez started off with a love for fashion, then blossomed into a succesful business women on Poshmark. Going from a simple love of fashion...

214- Maggie Mabery- Changing Middle Schooler's Lives Through A Passion Of Science

27 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Maggie Mabery is nothing short of amazing as she as been elected teacher of the year in California. She shares her love of science with her students, ...

213- Kelly Peletz- Can Ride-shares be Women Only?

21 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kelly Peletz is the president of Chariot For Women, a ride-share service geared toward serving women through women drivers and passengers. Kelly's ext...

211-Sarah Worley- How Being A Mediator Shaped Her

19 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Worley is a nationally known Mediator in Boston area working for her company Sarah E. Worley Conflict Resolution P.C.. She was not only the firs...

210- Harry Campbell- Using Uber To Fuel His Passion For Blogging

18 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Harry Campbell is the man, the myth, the legend, behind the rideshareguy.com. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Harry went from being an aerospace engin...

209- Margaret Butler- Olympian Runner Changes African Girl's Lives

17 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret Butler is the Executive Director for Komera an organization that works to empower women through education and running. Margaret is nothing sh...

212- Baylee Greenberg- Could A Text Message Prevent Suicide?

13 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Baylee Greenberg is the COO For Crisis Textline, an orgnaization geared toward helping people stray from self-harm through text messaging.   Continue...

207: Building a museum without walls - Sam Aquillano

22 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Aquillano is founder of museum without walls for and by designers, Design Museum. We chat about how a teen who sold pirated CDs and built a lawn m...

206: Lindsay Lucas - Starving Artist to Working Musician

22 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Lindsay Lucas is neo-soul singer who has performed with Talib Kweli, Ernie Isley, John Scofield, Herby Hancock. This Berklee College of Music graduate...

205: Meera Vijayann, Exposing Sexual Violence in India

25 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this interview, we chat about how Meera Vijayan is putting herself in harm's warm way with her reporting, the event that pushed her to start her jo...

204: Lianne Wade, Wilde Agency - Journey of a Consumer Insight Marketer

11 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Lianne Wade (@liannewade) is the Director of Customer Insights at Wilde Agency, a marketing firm focused on using the science of human behavior to hel...

203: Lynn Aaronson - Managing the Ice Bucket Challenge and Career Challenges

04 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Lynn Aaronson is more than the woman who helped ALS work through the Ice Bucket Challenge. She is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts chapter ...

202: Katherine Keller - Building a business after divorce

02 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In 2008, Katherine Keller went from corporate marketing job married with children to divorce and too broke to pay the light bills as a single parent....

201: Conor Williams, How to change the US education system

01 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conor Williams has ideas on how to change the US education system. His ideas have been published in Washington Post, The New Republic, The Daily Beast...

Special Episode: How to become a Purpose Rockstar this year

28 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we say thank you and provide a road map on how to become a Purpose Rockstar in your life. We talk about the path to living a meaningf...

200: Isaiah Pickens, Understanding Teen Psychology

15 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Professor, psychologist, and actor Isaiah Pickens is changing the way we understand teenagers. In this interview, we discuss how teens brains develop,...

199: Andrea Funk, Too Cool Shirt Quilts - T-Shirts into lasting memories

20 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea Funk turns t-shirts into long lasting memories via her one-of-a-kind quilts. We chat about how she pushed through 10 years to create a successf...

198: Maria Kussmaul - Succeeding as a Woman in Finance and Investment Banking

18 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Maria Kussmaul is the Founding Partner and Investment Banking Head at America's Growth Capital (AGC Partners), a boutique Investment Bank that advises...

197: Renee Fry - Entrepreneurship Helped Me Overcome My Battle with Brain Tumor

17 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Renee Fry is the founder and chief marketing officer of Making Care Easier , a care platform that helps you take action and care of your elderly loved...

196: Paula Berg - Making it in the PR & Digital Marketing World

14 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Paula Berg is a PR and marketing expert and is the current Digital Media Manager at Hewlett Packard (HP). At Southwest Airlines, she was able to work ...

194: Mario Jannatpour, Honest Real Estate Agent

13 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Mario Jannatpour is a successful realtor and author of the Honest Real Estate Agent , a training guide on how to become a successful real estate ...

193: Blaz Jemc - A Kickstarter for Local Tourist Businesses

11 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Blaz Jemc is the COO of Travel Starter, a global crowdfunding platform for tourism businesses by helping them connect with the local community to rais...

192: Jen Gurecki - Radically Changing Lives and Elevating the Status of Women

10 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

It's not easy running a women's sports clothing company and a nonprofit organization simultaneously. Jen Gurecki, however, is doing just that. She is ...

191: Hope Nicholson - How To Get Thousands of Backers for Your Kickstarter

07 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Hope Nicholson is a Canadian comic book publisher, editor of Nelvana of the Northern Lights, and a Kickstarter maven with 3 successful campaigns under...

190: Ashley Rankin - How I Raised $25K in 30 Days

05 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Ashley Rankin is the founder of SHREDLY, a women's mountain bike apparel line that was one of the most funded clothing Kickstarter campaigns. Though h...

189: Smita Kapoor - Learning to Love Myself After Being Diagnosed With Cancer

04 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Smith Kapoor is the guidance coach to Sensitive Souls and author of forthcoming book "LIFE: Series of Learning Lessons and Vacation Time". We're here ...

188: Ja-Nae Duane - Choosing to Live Your Own Life

03 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The multi-talented entrepreneur, artist, author of The Startup Equation, and speaker Ja-Nae Duane started out with humble beginnings. Although faced w...

187: Liz Maxwell - Optimism Helped Me Live My Life

30 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Maxwell is currently the Events Manager of Impact Hub NYC and has a strong background in the arts working as the Artistic Director of the Art Mona...

186: Lisa Fetterman - Revolutionizing the Way We Cook at Home

29 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Say goodbye to overcooked eggs. Lisa Fetterman is the founder of Nomiku, the first ever home sous vide appliance that brings the secret of 3-Michelin ...

185: Emily Kund - Storytelling Through Data Visualization

28 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Emily Kund is an expert in the field of data visualization, a process that turns data into information that can be processed visually or narratively s...

184: Sarah Parsons - Improving Japanese & British Communications

27 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Parsons is the Managing Director of Japan in Perspective that offers a services and training packages to facilitate communication between Britis...

183: Marjorie Agosin - Writing to Gain A Sense of Identity

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Marjorie Agosin is an accomplished writer from Chile and professor at Wellesley College. She is best known for her book, I Lived on A Butterfly Hill, ...

182: Abby Speicher - Starting A Drone Pilot School from the Ground Up

23 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Abby Speicher is the founder CEO and Co-founder of DARTdrones, a FAA certified UAV drone pilot school. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, Abby S...

181: Fred Engh - Paving The Way For Youth Sports

22 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Fred Engh is the founder of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS), an organization that provides programs, services, and resources to promote ...

180: Tony Stubbleline - Building 10,000 Communities and 700 Coaches Ready To Help

21 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Stubblebine is the CEO and founder of Coach.me (formerly known as Lift), a popular app that gives ambitious people their own team of coaches to h...

179: Diane Hessan - Why You Don't Need To Be A Genius In The Startup World

20 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Diane Hessan is the CEO of Startup Institute, an 8-week program that transforms people into skilled individuals that are ready to take on the workforc...

178: Carol Stewart - Empowering Women In The Workplace

17 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Carol Stewart is the UK's Top 50 Business Advisors and founder of Abounding Solutions, a coaching and mentoring service to help women gain confidence ...

177: Amy Quigley - Cultivating a Digital Marketing Community in Boston

16 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Quigley is the President of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX), an organization with 7,500 professionals that provides co...

176: Ashley Milne-Tyte - Why Women Should Just Ask For It

15 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Ashley Milne-Tyte is a journalist and host for The Broad Experience, a podcast that focuses on women and the issues they face in the workplace. Ashley...

175: Deborah Gordon - Full Time Mom Running Two Hospitals Labs

14 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Gordon is the Medical Director of Pathology at Heywood and Athol Hospital in Massachusetts. She graduated from college not planning on attendi...

174: Jen Goldbeck - What Your "Likes" Can Reveal About You

13 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Before Facebook was even a thing, Jen Golbeck has already been analyzing social networks and using artificial intelligence to figure out people's secr...

173: Brian Miller - Turning Your Mistakes into Stepping Stones

10 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Miller is the head coach of the women's basketball team at Leeds City Schools. He has faced challenges but is here today to share his top tips o...

172: Brian Morgan - Changing Lives Through Football

09 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Morgan is the president of Texas Youth Football Association (TYFA) and grew up playing football as an outlet for him to make friends, learn how ...

171: Manish Chandra - Creating a Fashion Empire For Women All Over the World

08 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Manish Chandra is the CEO and founder of Poshmark, an online fashion marketplace that lets you sell clothes from your closet or buy clothes from peopl...

170: Mike Valenzuela - Touching People's Hearts Through Music

07 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Valenzuela and Casey Starr are both in Playing With Chaos, a rock band from Phoenix, Arizona that is passionate about music and composing their o...

168: Brendan Hufford - Starting My Own Business in the Fourth Grade

06 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Brendan Hufford is the jack of all trades - an entrepreneur, a business coach, a successful podcast host, and a blogger. He had an entrepreneurial min...

169: Oded Dumah - Humanitarian Builds 9000+ Homes in South Africa

06 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Oded Dumah, founder and president of Humane Human Settlements, a Johannesburg non profit that builds homes for people living in shacks, was born and r...

167: Jane Kohuth - Writing Childrens' Book in the Midst of Adversity

02 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Kohuth, a successful children's books author,  grew up facing a constant battle with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the...

166: Tamara Curl-Green - Turning a Hobby Into a Dream Job

01 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Tamara Curl-Green, Senior Marketing Manager for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash, grew up loving sports but only saw it as just a hobby. Little did...

165: James Dawkins - Video Production and Entertainment for the Masses

30 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

James Dawkins, video editor of the Houston Rockets, found his passion for video production at an early age when he used to film with his twin brother ...

164: Karen Chaston - Giving A Voice To Women

30 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Karen Chasten is the CEO of Alionment, resonator of Braveheart Women, and former CFO of a publicly listed company. After overcoming her son's death, w...

163: Ellory Wells - Achieve Your Goals with Mastermind Group

30 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Ellory Wells is a #1 bestselling author, business coach and the founder of Mastermind groups for entrepreneurs, an exclusive community that connects y...

162: Mary Liz Kehler, Building Social Enterprises

26 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Liz Kehler has impressive career in international affairs--working in places like the US Treasury Department, World Bank, and US Embassy in Paris...

161: Connie Chow - Fixing Science Gender Gap

24 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Connie Chow grew up in a women lead household in Hong Kong since the age of 6. After earning her PhD in Virology at Harvard, she took an unusual route...

160: Ali Fuller, Level Ground MMA How MMA saved my life and 100 others too

15 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

After getting arrested and getting caught in the wrong crowd Ali Fuller finds herself by teaching 100+ students discipline and increased self esteem i...

159: Bill Massaquoi, Surviving civil war and ebola to Rebuild Africa

26 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Founder of Rebuild Africa, Bill Massaquoi discusses fighting ebola, Liberian civil war, and helping young people in Africa meet their potential Conti...

158: Overcoming struggles with weight and business with Merrymaker Sisters

28 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Emma and Carla Papas are the Merrymaker Sisters. They are famous for their incredible enthusiasm for sharing mouth watering recipes, health hacks and...

157: Jasmine Cuffee, Chicana Poet Drops Out and Surges Forward

14 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Jasmin Cuffee lead the Women of the World Poetry slam and has made a name for herself in Alberquerque's poetry scene.  After dropping out of high sch...

156: Bob Halperin on why forums and masterminds work

09 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As former CEO of Young Presidents Organization, Bob Halperin helped thousands of executives world wide to make leaps in their professional and persona...

155: Poet Dan Gallant, Reviving a dormant brand - Nuyorican Poets Cafe

17 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Gallant journey from running zero budget productions to reviving the 40 year old Nuyorican's Poets Cafe brand, which helped launch Rosie Perez, Sc...

154: College Dropout Kanye would love - Danny Strack, Poet

16 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Strack uses his marketing skills and "whuffie" to turn his poetry into an actual living. We chat about how he dropped out of college, got into c...

153: Joseph Carrabis, Reading Virtual Minds

04 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Joseph Carrabis uses technology to read virtual minds through their purchasing decisions. He is the Chief Neuroscience Officer and Data Science at ...

152: Tatyana Brown, Poet and Educator - From $17.83 left to success

03 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Tatyana Brown: poet, teacher, and literary fighter of inequality. She touches on her story of overcoming childhood domestic abuse and starving artist ...

151: Career lessons from first openly gay college president Chuck Middleton

29 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck Middleton is the first openly gay man to become a college president in the US. We chat about advantages of being gay in a running a college, the...

150: Denise Bransford, Roosevelt University - Volunteer to VP

05 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Denise Bransford never intended to become a higher education executive. She cared deeply about education and young people. Listen to learn how her vol...

149: Camille Preston, Leadership Coach - Limo to Love

30 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Camille Preston was a limo driver, waitress, and did it all. In this interview we explore how she found her vocation and how you can find yourself in ...

148: Melissa Tyler, Tummy Toys - Silver, Stomach, and Incubators

29 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Melissa Tyler is a Jeweler and entrepreneur getting in people's stomachs and making big change. We chat about her Tummy Toys and the incubation space ...

147: Cheryl Brown, Quilter Chic - How to Qulit Online

28 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Cheryl Brown is teaching people how to quilt online. We chat about why she quilts and the challenges of making a living online. Sponsored by Perfect ...

146: Henry Johnson - Friend of Creators

27 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Henry Johnson has done the corporate thing, now he is on his way to creating a podcast about creators. We chat about the transition and his journey. ...

145: Sarah Sladek, Generations Expert - Make Boomers and Millennials Work Together

21 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Sladek helps companies figure out how to attract and retain millenials. We chat about the gap between baby boomers and millennials plus how to b...

144: Susan Murphy Warren - COO, Seeding Labs -

20 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Murphy Warren is the COO of Seeding Labs an organization that sends lab equipment to schools that need them all over the world. We chat about he...

143: Keith Griffis, IfSimply.com - How to make business like a rockstar

17 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Keith Griffis runs ifSimply.com which helps people create membership sites. Find out how he doesn't have to be sleazy to sell, the end of his career a...

142: Mike Messier, Film Director - Wrestling with Sanity

16 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Messier is a director, acting coach, wrestling commentator, and a compelling dude. We chat about his film The Nature of the Flame and overcoming ...

141: Angel Mendoza, Aztec Artist - Mexican and Native American Culture Icon

15 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Angel Mendoza specializes in Meso American, indigenous and Aztec art. We talk about the journey to finding his roots and his mission to reviving the i...

140: Charu Sharma, Entrepreneur - Conservative Upbringing Dynamic Life

14 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Charu Sharma grew up in a conservative Indian household then grew up to become a tech dynamo. Serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and trailblazer we ch...

139: Betsy Carson, Vegan TV Producer - Vegan TV Queen

13 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Betsy Carson was always interested in film. Her partner introduced her to the vegan lifestyle. Betsy has produced the very successful series Vegan Mas...

138: Joyce Walker, Pro Basketball Player - Fame to Drugs to Redemption

10 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Joyce Walker was one of the first female Harlem Globetrotters, played for Team USA, and avg 25 ppg at LSU. After going abroad to play she became addic...

Special Episode: Why doing everything yourself is not good - Single Point of Failure

09 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, we chat about the danger of doing everything yourself. I explain the term Single Point of Failure, why you need to know it an...

Special R.O.C.K. series CK - Create a Career Vision, Know What You Want

08 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This last episode of the R.O.C.K. series where we the C and the K. Have you created a vision for your career? Do you know exactly what you want in you...

137: Tess O'Brien, Clean Power Perks - Cool to be Clean

02 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tess O'Brien created Clean Power Perks make it cool to use clean power. We chat about how she is teaming with brands to provide 'perks' to people who ...

136: Bonnie Burgett, Sourced Capital - Crowd Funding Real Estate

01 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Bonnie Burgett is changing real estate with fancy math and crowd funding. We chat about her company Sourced Capital and its potential to change everyt...

135: Jin Ho Kim, Cool Human - Stress Making You Sick

30 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jin Ho Kim got so sick from stress he could not get out of bed for 1 year. We chat about how the stress of performing creating an autoimmune condition...

134: Valerie Groth, Life Coach - Build People Build Schools

29 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Valerie Groth is a Life Coach and former school counselor. We chat about the student who inspired her to create a boarding school in Chicago.Sponsored...

Special ROCK Series - O is for what you have to offer

27 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of the ROCK series is about what you have to offer professionally. We go into detail about how to find out what you have to offer your cl...

Special ROCK Series - R is for Recognize personality drives profession

26 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The ROCK series breaks down how to sell and talk about yourself effectively. R is for Recognize your unique personality and how to make it a professio...

Special Episode: Getting Help - Mentors and Interns

25 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, we chat about how to find mentors and interns for entrepreneurs starting out. This episode is sponsored by Perfect Fuel Choco...

Special Episode: Career Break is not Career Suicide

24 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, we chat about taking a career break. Is it career suicide? Listen to the show and let me know. This podcast is sponsored by P...

Special Episode: What to do in your career

23 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, Derrick talk about how to figure what to do in your career. We go down memory lane where he talks about dead end jobs and how...

Bonus Update - Amazon Gift Card Contest, Music, New Sponsor

22 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this special bonus episode, Derrick talks about some changes to the podcast. We chat about contest for Purpose Rockstars, musical change, and a bra...

133: Kacy Karlen, Founder, Height of Style - 6'4 Fashionista

19 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kacy Karlen started the Height of Style because it was difficult to find a great fashion resource for tall women and men.We chat about life as a 6'4 w...

132: Taylor White, International Real Estate Investor - Rum, Cigars, Property around the world

18 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor White decided to start investing in real estate just after Sept 11, 2001. In a down economy, he was able to invest in real estate throughout th...

131: Jonny Nastor, Entrepreneur - Canadian Punk Rock Business Star

17 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jonny Nastor grew up booking punk rock shows and running offline business. When it came to online business though, he took a long hard road. We chat a...

130: Monica RW, Host, Independent Underground - Passionate Independent

16 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Monica RW was 'Ms Corporate' working her way up the ladder until she got sick and tired. Now she hosts Independent Underground podcast. We chat about ...

129: Ani Alexander, Author + Writing Coach - Native English Writer from Armenia

15 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ani Alexander left a job that was taking her away from her family to pursue writing. We chat about how she found success as a self-published author, w...

128: Angela Gibson, Intuitive Counselor - More than Spiritual Woo Woo

11 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Angela Gibson is a transpersonal intuitive counselor. Translation: she helps gain insight into the spiritual world arous us. We chat abour her journey...

127: Sheeri Cabral, Mozilla MySQL Community Manager

10 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Sheeri Cabral makes MySQL databases cool and brings people together. We chat about how databases  affect our every day lives and how she went from ne...

126: Sherry Penney, College President - A Leadership Pioneer

09 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Sherry Penney rose to become the first female president of the University of Massachusetts system. Before then she was told she could not get a job as...

125: Latoya Burton, Interior Deisgner, Twelve-22 - On a Walkabout through life

08 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Latoya Burton is a San Francisco who found purpose in interior design and home in Australia. We chat about her journey and the walkabout that lead her...