"I Work With My Hands Everyday"...Ex-KPMG Consultant Finds Bliss Crafting Custom Furniture
Release Date: 08/18/2023
PYTHON HUNTRESS! Amy Siewe Left Real Estate to Hunt Pythons in the Everglades
Second Act Stories
Amy Siewe is the quintessential embodiment of how passion drives a second act. She left a safe and lucrative career as a real estate broker to hunt pythons in the Everglades. She proudly shares that she’s 5’ 4”, 120 lbs., and captures pythons as big as 180 lbs. by physically jumping on them and wrestling them into submission. This is what pure passion looks like. In this fascinating episode, Amy shares what motivated her to leave a relatively safe career selling real estate to become . In this wild ride, she shares how she became so interested in snakes, unbelievable accounts of actual...
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🚨SPECIAL ALERT🚨 Four Reasons To Vote For Second Act Stories in the Webby Awards
Second Act Stories
Second Act Stories has officially defied the odds. We've been nominated for a ! But our category is stacked with stiff competition: Michelle Obama, Sarah Silverman, TED Audio, Lemonada, and Slate. We need your vote! We can win this with your help. Here’s how you vote: Go to Click the search button on the right-hand side of the screen, under the start voting button Type in Second Act Stories Click on our category in the search results Click on our logo to cast your vote All it takes is entering your email address and a password, and then clicking the validate button in the email you...
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A Stray Bullet Killed Her 8-Year-Old Son...In Grief, She Formed Strong Azz Mothers
Second Act Stories
Tiffani Evans' life changed completely on August 24, 2021. That's when her 8-year-old son PJ was killed in gang-related, gun violence in the Washington, DC region. Emerging from the dark days that followed his death, she helped form the "Strong Azz Mothers," a group of area women who lost children to gun violence. The organization focuses community attention on the problem but also serves as a strong support group. According to Evans, "It's a sorority that we never asked to be in. But we're in it so we try to support each other. Nobody understands this like we understand it." With the...
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The Case of Rachel Humphrey: Trial Attorney Turned Women’s Leadership Champion
Second Act Stories
Rachel Humphrey was a trial attorney who was certain she would spend her entire career in front of judges and juries and eventually retire in a courtroom. After relocating from Virginia to Atlanta with her husband, she took a job at a firm where she represented clients in the hospitality industry, and that sparked a passion she didn’t know she had. The hospitality industry was interesting to her, and she thought that becoming involved with the associations that help the industry might be a great next step, but she had no real business experience at all. Prompted by the unexpected departure...
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Retired Banker Helps Others Avoid "Retirement Shock"
Second Act Stories
Mike Drak worked as a banker in Toronto for his entire professional career. When he was laid off at the age of 59, he received a sizeable severance from his employer. Telling his spouse "Contessa, we hit the lottery," he was initially ecstatic to be retired. But he quickly faced "Retirement Shock," a term that he coined to describe how tremendously unhappy he was in the year that followed. He missed helping people and the structure/routine of working at the bank. And he felt a loss of purpose. "Before my purpose was to go to work, get paid and then use the money to support my family. And...
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Stuckey’s Gamble: Stephanie Stuckey Cashes in Her Future to Revive Her Family’s Iconic Roadside Brand
Second Act Stories
is a legendary and iconic thread in the fabric of Americana. Founded in Eastman, Georgia in 1937 by WS “Sylvester” Stuckey, Sr., Stuckey’s grew into a roadside empire by the 1970s, with 368 stores in more than 30 states. Part of the charm that made Stuckey’s so iconic were its ubiquitous billboards, more than 4,000 of them, which were dotted along U.S. highways. Stuckey’s was an inextricable part of what became known as “The Great American Road Trip.” Fast forward to 2019, Stuckey’s was on life support. The brand had gone through hard times, and its former stand-alone...
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Best of 2023 Audience Pick: Brian "Q" Quinn's Impractical Career Shift: Fireman to Funny Man
Second Act Stories
Surprise, Second Act Stories fans! We have one more “Best of 2023” episode to share with you. It's the episode you picked as your favorite of the year: our interview with , who's best known as one of the four stars of the smash hit TV show "." Currently in its 10th season on , Q and lifelong friends and (a fourth friend and member of the show, , departed from the show last year) “compete to embarrass each other,” with hilarious results. It’s wildly popular because it doesn’t force you to think, and it’s guaranteed to make you laugh. At the age of 36, Q was working as an ...
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Best of 2023: Sweeter Days Ahead: How Baking Transformed Janie Deegan's Life
Second Act Stories
Second Act Stories annual “Best of” episodes give us an opportunity to re-share remarkable stories, and welcome new listeners by giving them a good taste of what we do here: profile people who have made major life and career changes to pursue a more rewarding life in a second act career. We’re selecting two “Best of 2023” episodes to share with you. Andy Levine selected his favorite interview conducted by co-host Scott Merritt in the past year, and Scott is reciprocating this week. Scott's pick for 2023 is “Sweeter Days Ahead: How Baking Transformed Janie Deegan's Life.” In...
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Best of 2023: The Unlikely Launch of a 54-Year-Old, YouTube Star
Second Act Stories
Second Act Stories annual, “best of” episode gives us an opportunity to re-share a remarkable story, and welcome new listeners by giving them a good taste of what we do here: profile people who have made major life and career changes to pursue a more rewarding life in a second act career. We’re selecting two “Best of 2023” episodes to share with you. Andy Levine gets to select his favorite interview conducted by co-host Scott Merritt in the past year. And Scott gets to reciprocate next week. Andy’s selection for 2023 is “Everything Rick Beato: The Unlikely Launch of a 54-Year-Old...
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Act II: Dynamic CEO Pens New Role As Playwright
Second Act Stories
Donald Loftus had a difficult upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio. His father left him and his two sisters at a young age. His mother worked at Sears and struggled to make ends meet. From grades 1-8, he was a C student. But in 9th grade, his world changed when a class trip brought him to New York City. His class saw four Broadway plays that weekend and it completely changed his life. He graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in theatre and business. Following a first job at The May Department Store Company, he rose up the ranks of the luxury beauty industry eventually serving as the...
info_outlineSergio Raynal was at the top of his game. With a staff of 25+, he was responsible for KPMG’s real estate and hospitality consulting for Pacific Asia and the West Coast of the United States.
Woodworking was always a hobby and a way to relieve stress from his high-pressure job. But it became a “side hustle” and eventually a full-time pursuit following a falling out with the management team at KPMG.
“The reward is the sense of accomplishment and creation. That's what I like about working with my hands. I'll sometimes be bone tired. I feel every ache and pain but at the end of the day there is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from a day well spent in the shop.”
Sergio uses old-world furniture making and cabinetry techniques – never using a nail or screw in his work. You can view his handiwork at www.SergioReynal.com.
Conference room table built by Sergio Raynal.
Phonograph table created by Sergio Raynal
Custom desk built by Sergio Raynal