REINVENTORS: BJ Miller, Art Historian To Palliative Care Physician
Release Date: 01/06/2021
REINVENTORS: Ellen Yin, Healthcare Administrator To Restauranteur
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Ellen Yin didn’t always love food. As a child in New Jersey, she was more into McDonald’s than her mom’s cooking. But when she did discover the magic of restaurants and the food they served, she was hooked. All through her time at the University of Pennsylvania, she dreamed of owning a restaurant. This was true even after she began working in advertising and hospital management. Today, she is owner and co-founder of High Street Hospitality Group, managing four restaurants in Philadelphia and one in NY
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REINVENTORS: Alex Beyer, Pianist To Navy Pilot
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When I met Alex Beyer in 2010 at a piano competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we struck up a conversation about his passion for soccer and his dream of becoming a NASA astronaut. Since then, he has gone on to win third prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Competition. And it was at the peak of his piano competition career that he pivoted, away from the life of a concert pianist. Today he is a Student Naval Aviator in the United States Navy.
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REINVENTORS: Megan Moore, Opera Singer To Arts Advocate
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Megan Moore now tells students she speaks to, that a career doesn’t begin once they’ve won a job, competition, or role - it starts the moment they walk into music school. As an artist faced with the horrors of a once packed schedule disappearing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Megan has thought much about what a career is to her, through her journey as a young operatic star to co-founding LYNX, a non-profit now working with people with nonverbal autism.
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REINVENTORS: Katherine Balch, Aspiring Historian To Composer
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As a senior in high school, Katherine Balch focused on applying to dual degree programs, so she could study music and something else. She refused to pigeonhole herself into a career track, and has kept that same spirit well into her now-flourishing career as a composer - even with the awards and prizes she has received, she’s open to change, maybe even away from composition one day. Today she is the 2020 Elliott Carter Rome Prize Fellow.
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REINVENTORS: Marcos Espinoza, Construction Estimator To Beef Jerky Maker
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When Side Project Jerky was launched almost ten years ago, it was meant to be exactly that - a side project. Working as a construction estimator, Marcos Espinoza saw the beef jerky business as a more fun way to earn extra income than a rental property. But through the years his fascination with jerky has continued to grow, culminating in the decision to pivot and focus much of his efforts into the business after he was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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REINVENTORS: Keegan Fong, Marketing Manager To Restauranteur
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This episode begins with a reflection on what has been happening in this country in the wake of the murders in Atlanta and the sharp increase in hate crimes against Asian people.
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REINVENTORS: John Geating, Aspiring Navy Pilot To Woodworker
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In high school, John Geating was dead set on becoming a Navy pilot. But because of a medical disqualification, he was forced to drastically alter his path. Through his numerous pivots, including becoming a janitor, working at a yogurt factory, and becoming a property manager in New Zealand, he’s taken the long road to where he is now. But perhaps the most devastating change was the loss of his dad. Today he is co-owner of the delightful Leeward Furniture.
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REINVENTORS: Jason Sturgill, Record Label Founder To Illustrator
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Friendships have been the most important aspect of opening doors for Jason Sturgill. From founding a record label, to a stint in telemarketing, to working at one of the big names in the advertising world, and becoming an illustrator, the serendipity and spontaneity that relationships bring have been central to his pivots. Today his list of clients include Nike, Muji, Teva, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters.
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REINVENTORS: Steven Banks, Saxophonist To Advocate For Diversity
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Steven Banks always felt that he was alone. As a classical saxophonist, no one looked like him or had a similar background - a fact that left him with what felt like a huge responsibility to represent all black people in classical music. That feeling fueled him to become an advocate for diversity and inclusion, as well as expanding into becoming a composer. He is the first ever saxophonist to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
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REINVENTORS: Jeannine A. Cook, Educator To Activist & Bookshop Owner
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As a nineteen year old college student, Jeannine A. Cook became pregnant. Initially fearing that her life and dreams were over, she eventually rose to meet those challenges, graduating and becoming an educator. Service has always been central to her ideas about what it means to be a human being - through her pivot and founding Harriett’s Bookshop, she is cultivating the next generation of activists.
info_outlineBJ Miller attended Princeton with the mindset of learning for learning’s sake, without a specific career in mind. That mindset has served him well through his numerous pivots, including the accident during his sophomore year, when he became a trilateral amputee. Today he is a hospice and palliative care physician, teaching at the UCSF Cancer Center and founding Mettle Health, providing a unique approach to palliative care.
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