Episodes

Is college worth it? In this episode, I sat down with Amber Gilsdorf, an Independent Educational Consultant at Estrella Consulting, to unpack this complex and timely question. We explore how families can evaluate the true return on investment (ROI) of college, what metrics matter most, and why personal values and readiness play a major role in long-term success. We also talk about the importance of looking beyond rankings and sticker prices to focus on outcomes, both tangible and intangible. Am...

Welcome to the High School Hamster Wheel podcast! I’m Betsy Jewell. It’s been a while—okay, a long while—since I last released an episode. Life has been busy with some exciting new projects, and I can’t wait to share one of them with you soon! But today, I have some bittersweet news. This episode marks the beginning of the final three episodes of the High School Hamster Wheel podcast. I can hardly believe it’s been over five years since I started this journey. What began as a passion project ha...

In this episode of the High School Hamster Wheel podcast, I am joined by Jared Chung, executive director of CareerVillage.org, a nonprofit that provides online career advising to help young people prepare for their future careers. Jared discusses the organization's flagship career Q&A platform where young people can ask any career-related question and receive answers from over 150,000 volunteer professionals. He also introduces their new AI Career Coach, which offers mock interviews, resume feed...

In this episode, I am thrilled to welcome Nat Greene to the podcast. Nat has accelerated the careers of hundreds of professionals of all ages as a consultant, coach, and business leader. Today, we'll be diving into some thought-provoking topics around education, including why the current system is broken, the misconceptions about the college application process, and innovative solutions like Nat's new venture, Futures Forge. This conversation is going to challenge some of the long-held beliefs a...

Today we are diving deep into the essential conversations about finding career success in today’s job market. In this episode, I am thrilled to welcome Jeanetta Warren, founder and CEO of JW Professional Writing Services, and the president-elect of the New Jersey Career Development Association. Jeanetta brings a wealth of knowledge in resume writing, LinkedIn profiles, and career branding. During our conversation, we will explore the intricacies of the current job market, discuss strategies for ...

I am super excited to bring you part two of my conversation with Dr. Emily Edlynn. Emily is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric health psychology who works in private practice with children, teens, and adults. She is also the author of her first book titled “Autonomy-Supportive Parenting = Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent, Confident Children.” In episode 140, Emily and I talked about autonomy-supportive parenting - what it means, why parents should choose to do...

I am thrilled to bring you my conversation with Dr. Emily Edlynn, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric health psychology who works in private practice with children, teens, and adults. Dr. Edlynn is also the author of her first book, "Autonomy-Supportive Parenting = Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent, Confident Children.” I picked up a copy of Emily’s book and couldn’t put it down. I just knew I had to invite her to be a guest on the show. During our conversation, ...

Today I am joined by Pam Roy. Pam Roy is a writer, filmmaker, investor, and philanthropist with a mission to provide community-based support for youth and families. Pam and I have a shared passion for parenting and educational transformation. During our conversation, Pam shares content from her new book, “Parenting From the Passenger Seat”, which by the way, is a must-read for anyone who parents, mentors or works with teens. We also talk about the value of social connections and how to help our ...

Today I am joined by Hassan Akmal, Executive Director, Career and Professional Development, UC San Diego, Author, Professor, Future of Work Expert, Career and Life Mastery Consultant, and TEDx Speaker. During our conversation, Hassan tells the story of his extraordinary path through high school, and college, as a tennis pro, and as a career development professional. It’s a pretty incredible story and one that demonstrates the value of being intentional about designing your own life and career. ...

It’s a new year and I’m excited to bring you new episodes with some pretty amazing guests, beginning right now. My guest today is Dr. Denise Pope. Denise is a Senior Lecturer at Stanford University Graduate School of Education and is also the co-founder of Challenge Success, a school reform nonprofit. Additionally, she is the author of “Doing School": How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students. Dr. Pope lectures nationally on parenting techniques an...

Today I am joined by Marcia Wall. Marcia is a certified Global Career Development Facilitator and a Certified Career Services Provider through the National Career Development Association. She is also certified to coach people who cope with mental illness and/or substance abuse issues. In today’s episode. Marcia and I will be discussing two words you may or may not be familiar with: Happenstance and Coddiwampling. Both two very fun words to say. But more importantly, two words that can have a big...

In this episode, I am joined by Nicole Precourt. Nicole is a Career and Educational Counselor and the owner of Waves of Change Careers. Nicole and I met in an online group for career coaches and counselors and immediately connected. We share a passion for helping teens and young adults explore and prepare for future careers. It’s become unfortunately clear to both of us that many students are graduating college without the career readiness skills that they need. During our conversation, Nicole a...

In this episode, I am super excited to welcome Erin Lewber to the podcast. I met Erin recently on LinkedIn. I had been following Erin for a while and knew I had to reach out to her. Erin brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to the show gained through her years of experience in staffing, recruiting, leadership and career coaching. During our conversation, we discuss today’s job search trends and the future of work. Erin shares valuable advice on knowing how to tell your story, how to ask good...

In today’s episode, I am thrilled to welcome Leah Jewell back to the podcast. You might remember Leah from episode 30 when we talked about the future of work for teens and young adults. It’s hard to believe that our conversation was THREE years ago. The future of work has changed dramatically in that short time and I’m delighted that Leah agreed to come back to talk more about this important topic. Since we last spoke, Leah has co-founded an amazing new company called Work Simplr that you will w...

In today’s episode, I am thrilled to welcome Deepali Vyas to the podcast. After spending a good part of her career in executive recruiting, Deepali has her finger on the pulse of the career landscape and what employers are looking for, and she has made it her mission to bring valuable advice and an amazing digital platform to help young people on their journey. During our discussion, Deepali shares how and when she got her first taste of entrepreneurship and how it actually helped prepare her f...

In today’s episode, I am thrilled to welcome Devon Turcotte to the podcast. Devon is a career advisor and the owner of Careerified. She has worked with thousands of teens, parents, and educators throughout her career and she is a wealth of information and insight related to helping young people build meaningful careers. During our conversation, Devon and I discuss the importance of career exploration in high school and how it can be a valuable tool when choosing a post-high school path. We also ...

Today I am thrilled to welcome Beth Probst to the show. Beth is the founder and CEO of At The Core. She has inspired parents of college-bound students to think strategically about how to select the best-fit college, major, and career so they don’t end up wasting precious time, energy, and money. In today’s episode, we’re focused on middle schoolers and why it’s not too early to be talking to them about careers. No, we’re not talking about helping them choose a career in middle school and stick w...

I’m super excited to bring you this episode. It is timely and relevant and provides amazing tips and advice for anyone who is interested in learning more about how to optimize their career search journey. My guest today is Jeremy Schifeling. Jeremy has devoted his career to helping others succeed in theirs. From teaching kindergarten in Brooklyn to recruiting top students at Teach For America to leading education marketing at LinkedIn, he’s touched the lives of millions of people at every stage ...

I am joined today by Jean Eddy. Jean is the President and CEO of American Student Assistance (ASA), where she develops and drives the overall strategic direction of the organization. During Jean’s tenure, ASA has pivoted to a new focus on helping students discover potential career paths earlier in their education journey. As you’ll hear during this episode, Jean is someone who has unlimited passion and commitment to helping kids, as early as middle school to know themselves, know their options, ...

If you know or you are a current college student or a student preparing for college, this is a conversation you will not want to miss. And if you are a parent who has helped your teen through the college application process then today’s guest likely needs no introduction. I am beyond thrilled to welcome Jeff Selingo to the podcast. For those who may not know, Jeff is a well-known journalist and respected thought leader in the areas of higher education and the future of work. Through his newslett...

In this episode, I am thrilled to welcome Jacki Ducci back to the podcast. You might remember Jackie from my conversation with her early on in the podcast, episode 18. When Jackie first joined me just about three years ago, she was running her own business, a talent acquisition agency with an astounding 90 percent success rate placing candidates in long-term positions. By all accounts, Jackie was crushing it in her career. But despite all of her success, Jackie felt pulled in another direction. ...

Today’s episode is relevant to anyone who drives a car, flips on a light switch, or flushes their toilet. That’s pretty much every single one of us, isn’t it? Today’s conversation is all about the trades. And no matter what you think about blue-collar careers, they are critically important for the future of our society. My guest today is Aaron Witt, self-proclaimed "Chief Dirt Nerd" and CEO of BuildWitt, a marketing and software business focused on helping the Dirt World (infrastructure and natu...

Today’s conversation is one that really resonated with me. As a teenager, I had no idea what I wanted for my life. I didn’t know where I was going and more importantly, I don’t think I really knew what mattered to me. Today I am joined by Mike Marriner of Roadtrip Nation. If you aren’t familiar with Mike or his mission, this is your lucky day. Mike is the founder and president of Roadtrip Nation, a mission-driven nonprofit in storytelling and education. Right after college, Mike and his friends ...

Today’s episode is one that is near and dear to my heart. It’s all about career exploration and planning in the K-12 years. My guest today is Karin Smith. Karin is an Educational Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction specializing in Academic and Career Planning, Dual Enrollment, and Career Pathways. I wish every school district in America had a Karin leading their career planning efforts. The work that Karin and her team are doing is making an enormous difference in the l...