Think beauty school is all creativity and glow-ups? The unvarnished truth is far more interesting.

This week, on Workplace Confessions: Behind Closed Doors, we sit down with an anonymous guest who grew up working on military bases, found his voice as a late-night radio DJ, spent years in the Air Force, and then used the GI Bill to reinvent himself in barbering, esthetics, and massage before stepping into a role as a beauty educator.

We talk about his day-to-day, including leading students through high-pressure community events and fashion shows. He explains why these events are IRL training in sanitation, speed, professionalism, and empathy.

If workplace culture, leadership development, and the hidden reality of vocational schools interest you, hit play, then subscribe, leave a review, and share this one with someone who’s lived a “behind closed doors” work story.

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We often refer to conflict at work as workplace drama. This label doesn't tell us much about the lack of trust, lacking culture, and other unmet needs underlying conflict at work.

This week, on Workplace Confessions: Behind Closed Doors, we sit down with a professional workplace mediator. He walks us through what he’s learned from years of helping people untangle high-stakes disagreements.

His core message is clear: we’re trained to talk, but we’re not trained to listen. Unfortunately, the workplace pays for that with fear, silence, and lost talent.

We get practical about conflict resolution and mediation techniques. He breaks down the difference between listening to defend and listening to understand, and why the need to be agreed with can turn a simple disagreement into an identity threat. We also talk about anger as something to work with, not erase.

If you manage people or work on a team, you’ll walk away with questions to ask, language to try, and a clearer sense of what “wholeness” looks like when nobody gets everything they want.

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Workplace Confessions: Behind Closed Doors (Workplace Confessions: Behind Closed Doors Support)

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A teacher can change your writing, your courage, and the way you think, and you might not realize it until decades later.

This week, on Workplace Confessions: Behind Closed Doors, we sit down with Robert Pacilio, a longtime English teacher, legendary speech and debate coach, and self-published author, to hear how a kid from Brooklyn builds a life in education and then turns those lessons into seven books.

Along the way, we get the behind-closed-doors version of what it really takes to lead a room full of teenagers and still keep your heart open. We talk about a teaching philosophy centered on teaching to kids, not at them.

Then we go into the publishing world with the same honesty. He breaks down the myths around self-publishing, why agents often push authors toward whatever is selling, and what “getting the word out” looks like without connections.

You will also hear some unforgettable workplace moments, including a final day straight out of Dead Poets Society, a dance-based final exam built around The Great Gatsby era, and how he learned to speak to students about 9/11 with care and clarity.

If you love stories about leadership, education, mentorship, self-publishing, and meaningful work, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share with a friend who had a life-changing teacher, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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Want to be interviewed? You can remain anonymous. Voice distortion now available. Email or Text us!