From Louisiana to Iowa, Dr. Joseph Jones has built an intentional career across politics, academia, and a nonprofit. Through a doctorate, a Senate office, a governor's office, and a policy institute, every pivot in his leadership journey has been guided by a deep commitment to public service. Driven by curiosity and a mindset as a lifelong learner, he kept an unwavering focus on his goals, stepping into new opportunities when they aligned with his vision. In this episode, Dr. Jones shares how he checks his direction and follows his North Star.

📩 Read the companion essay and subscribe free → https://rimakawas.substack.com/?utm_source=youtube

In this episode:
00:00 Following the North Star
00:37 Meet Dr. Joseph Jones
01:58 Louisiana to Iowa: the field trip that became a move
03:36 Field trip vs. leap
04:11 Eight-year-old Joseph: who speaks for your family?
05:51 Where you actually start: Model UN and stuffing envelopes
07:15 Why leaders are usually just neighbors
07:48 A doctorate, for no reason except curiosity
09:45 Getting comfortable with not knowing things
10:18 International delegations, and what shapes a worldview
11:05 A stranger's front door in rural Iowa
13:00 Bridging divides: put the phone down
14:07 The nod in the grocery store
14:45 Many pivots, one North Star
16:15 The work at United Way of Central Iowa
17:53 "When did you decide?" — two moments
19:27 Closing: one person, today

About the show
Now Is Life is about the people who bet on themselves — career pivots, wild new hobbies, goals everyone called crazy — and the moment they decided to go for it. From global visionaries to your next-door neighbor, host Rima finds the real story behind the leap. Because inspiration isn't out there with the famous and the historical. It's next door. It's in the conversation you haven't started yet.

Listen on any podcast app
🎧 https://theconnectorsgroup.com/podcasts/?src=yt#nil-listen

Connect
Rima on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimakawas/
Rima / The Connectors Group: https://theconnectorsgroup.com/
Dr. Joseph Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-jones-5575732a/

New episodes monthly.

#NowIsLife #PublicService #CivicEngagement #Reinvention #Podcast

Have you ever hit a wall in your career and thought, "What now?" Jack Stahlmann knows the feeling. After years of grinding in Los Angeles as an actor, a moment of career panic forced him to completely rethink his path.

✍️ Read the deeper takeaways on Substack: https://rimakawas.substack.com/

In this episode of Now Is Life, Rima sits down with Jack (better known as the "Don't Flinch" guy) to talk about navigating those professional crossroads. Jack shares some incredible stories from his Hollywood days—including how a broken copier led to a friendship with Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper), and how handling a frustrating customer return at Sears landed him a role on Days of Our Lives.

It’s an honest conversation about stepping out of your comfort zone, figuring out what you actually want to do, and why the best things happen when you simply refuse to flinch.

📌 Episode Chapters
00:00 — "Sometimes we're jealous of things we're not even jealous of"
00:35 — Welcome + meet Jack Stahlmann
02:13 — Where it started: a prank and a show choir sign-up sheet
04:27 — The two people who changed the trajectory
05:52 — Career panic: "I had run my course"
06:44 — Actor vs. performer, and why they're different
09:42 — The agent who said "go find a job you hate"
10:50 — The danger zone: a job you can just tolerate
11:31 — Three panics a year: the speaking business
12:38 — There is no professional finish line
13:12 — Why he quit social media
14:06 — Do you like your now?
14:48 — The freest he's ever felt: driving to LA with nothing lined up
15:50 — Kinko's, Mr. Belding, and a jammed copier
16:37 — The don't-flinch moment
17:52 — How to actually get into speaking
18:52 — Days of Our Lives, and a customer return at Sears
20:48 — Where "don't flinch" came from
21:35 — Every success story starts with a moment
22:29 — Closing

About the show
Now Is Life with Rima is about the people who bet on themselves — career pivots, wild new hobbies, goals everyone called crazy — and the moment they decided to go for it. From global visionaries to your next-door neighbor, host Rima finds the real story behind the leap. Because inspiration is right next door. It's in the conversation you haven't had yet.

"Life isn't just about where we're going. It's about the now. It's about living in the moment." - Rima

Listen on any podcast app:
🎧 https://theconnectorsgroup.com/podcasts/?src=yt#nil-listen

Connect:
Rima on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimakawas/
Rima / The Connectors Group: https://theconnectorsgroup.com/

🔗 Connect with Jack Stahlmann: dontflinchguy.com

#NowIsLife #Podcast #Dontflinchguy

Alison Schafer covered Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court — then pivoted to teaching, went back for a master's, and reinvented herself again as an international trainer. This is a conversation about building a profession by saying yes before you can see where it leads.

📩 Read the companion essay and join the Now Is Life newsletter → https://rimakawas.substack.com/

We talk about the surprising life skills of waiting tables, why great journalists actually root for each other, the deepfake that fooled her, the one writing habit almost everyone gets wrong, and an interviewer's oldest trick: silence. An honest, lively conversation about reinvention, curiosity, and giving yourself grace when the path refuses to be a straight line.

In this episode:
00:00 — "Give yourself a little grace"
00:43 — Welcome / meet Alison Schafer
02:11 — Three careers, and the waitressing years
03:42 — Clues in what you don't want to do
04:03 — Taking an honest inventory of yourself
05:53 — Climbing the TV markets: Fort Myers to Washington
07:10 — Seasons of life, and staying neutral
07:39 — Liking people whose politics you don't share
08:41 — Post-pandemic isolation, and the collegial newsroom
10:21 — The pivot to teaching — wanting a life
11:22 — A master's, and "say you're an expert long enough"
12:45 — Career three: international work, and a Ukrainian helicopter
13:26 — What makes training work
15:02 — What Craigslist did to journalism
16:12 — Deepfakes: "I can't tell on my own"
17:27 — Why AI writing leaves her cold
18:08 — The hardest part of writing is thinking
19:22 — Media literacy, and Great Aunt Tilly
20:17 — Two interview secrets (one is silence)
21:47 — Advice to her younger self: patience and grace
23:33 — The now-is-life question: "I was just in it"
26:05 — "Did I have a plan? Not really"
26:31 — Closing

About the show
Now Is Life with Rima is about the people who bet on themselves — career pivots, wild new hobbies, goals everyone called crazy — and the moment they decided to go for it. From global visionaries to your next-door neighbor, host Rima finds the real story behind the leap. Because inspiration is right next door. It's in the conversation you haven't had yet.

"Life isn't just about where we're going. It's about the now. It's about living in the moment." - Rima

Listen on any podcast app:
🎧 https://theconnectorsgroup.com/podcasts/?src=yt#nil-listen

Connect:
Rima on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimakawas/
Rima / The Connectors Group: https://theconnectorsgroup.com/

Alison Schafer — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-schafer
Interscribe: https://www.interscribe.agency/

New episodes every other week.

#NowIsLife #Reinvention #Journalism #Podcast

Are you living the life you want?

Now Is Life is a podcast about people who bet on themselves — career pivots, bold life changes, and goals everyone said were crazy.

Hosted by leadership advisor, global strategist, and keynote speaker Rima Kawas, who has explored over 60 countries and is still chasing new goals, this channel brings you authentic, coffee shop-style conversations.

We dive into their stories and pull out the lessons they learned along the way. Because inspiration is all around us, from the neighbor next door to global visionaries.

Plus short "energy boosts" — actionable tips and mindset shifts to keep you motivated throughout your day.

"Life isn't just about where we're going. It's about the now. It's about living in the moment." - Rima

📩 Join the Now Is Life Substack— essays and episodes in your inbox https://rimakawas.substack.com/

▶️ Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode:

https://www.youtube.com/@NowisLifeWithRima

Connect
Rima / The Connectors Group: https://theconnectorsgroup.com/

#NowIsLife #inspiration #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #Podcast