Model of Imperfection: Kristen Calcagni Johnson on doing lots of things but not all well

When we last spoke with Doug Asano, he talked about how our notions of success were a little skewed in the early days and it took a little time—and the help of friends—to figure out what a good life really looks like. In this Roads Taken Revisited, Doug reflects—as his daughters fledge and leave him with an empty nest—on words of wisdom dispensed as he was making his own full leap into the world. Realizing how special his friendships were and taking the time to nurture them has been a lifelong process and one that continues to pay dividends.

In this episode, find out from Doug how keeping up connections and tapping in can make even the quietest moments joyful…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Doug Asano continues to serve as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Roseburg Forest Products. He lives in an empty though still really fun nest in North Carolina with his wife, with room for his daughters to come in and out from time to time.

For Doug’s first appearance on Roads Taken, listen to our episode Redefining Success.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

When Mario Barge got to college, he was thinking medicine but eventually realized his love since childhood for the outdoors was leading him to environmental law. Once at law school around others with deeper environmental roots, he found another way to serve and advocate through labor law. Initial stumbles in the law firm track pointed him to the legal and compliance side of corporate human resources. He served in a variety of HR capacities within Nationwide and had other corporate experiences before hitting it out in his own firm.

Along the way, however, he had a number of unorthodox life experiences that made helped give him the perspective that stuff is just stuff and the outward trappings of success might not really be what we’re after anyway.//In this episode, find out from Mario how paying attention and being self-aware can help us see that life is really just for living, not perfecting…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Mario Barge is Co-Founder and Principal at Geneva Executive Partners, and is an expert in human resource development, coaching and consulting having previously served in a variety of HR leadership roles for Fortune 100 companies. He spends lots of time with his family and continues to learn more about himself.

For another story about someone who hones self-awareness and helps others do likewise, listen to our episode with Jennie Tranter.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

When Mal Wrenn Corbin got to college, the bucolic, peaceful campus seemed not only like a haven but a world away from the turbulence of her life in post-industrial Worcester, Massachusettes. As she set out to find success in the professional world, there was always a feeling that perhaps she hadn't tucked that history far back enough and she would be found out as who she'd been. Once she decided to face the trauma in her past, she was able to recognize that her full story was worth telling.

In this episode, find out from Mal how looking back and bridging the distance can sometimes show how far we've come…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Mal Wrenn Corbin has had a full career in the financial services industry, with experience in Fortune 500 companies, deepening client engagement and cultivating high profile client relationships, particularly with C-suite executives. Her successes there have tended to be shadowed, though, by deep seated trauma from her youth that she is finally addressing in her newly-published book Raising Wrenns: A Memoir. The book captures stories of her family’s life in post-industrial Worcester and how, unlike her brother and father whose lives were cut short there, she was able to leave and create a different life. Comparing and contrasting the Wrenn family’s behaviors with those of their avian namesake, the memoir touches on trauma and the strength it takes to fly. 

Find out more at malwrenncorbin.com and be sure to get a copy of Raising Wrenns: A Memoir wherever you buy books. 

For another story about someone coming to terms with who their parents could and couldn’t be for them, listen to our episode with Jackie Kim Chappel.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

When we last spoke with Michelle Villalobos, in our very first month of producing this podcast, she talked about how sometimes you need to quiet the noise and listen more carefully inside to figure out who you are and where you're going. Recently, that voice from inside woke her up to a new message she couldn't shake. In this Roads Taken Revisited, Michelle talk about how that has manifested into a book that is growing its own wings but not precisely on her imagined timetable.

In this episode, find out from Michelle how letting nature take the lead can show us that everything has its season…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Michelle Villalobos helps empower people to share their gifts, grow their impact, and “monetize their magic” as she puts it. She offers courses and retreats through her Superstar Activator brand. Her newest creation is But I Want to Fly: An Adventure Book for Dreamers of All Ages. Check it out, along with all of her other wisdom and offerings at SuperstarActivator.com. (174)

For Michelle’s first appearance on Roads Taken, listen to our episode Superstar Activator.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Last we spoke with Joey Hood, he was between assignments with the State Department, waiting for word on where he and his family would go next. It seemed everything from his language study to early career experiences were setting him up for the ultimate big league position. In this Roads Taken Revisited, Joey talks about being nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, the confirmation process, and what he sees as the potential in growing our bilateral relationship.

In this episode, find out from Joey how taking everything as it comes can sometimes lead you to where you’re meant to be…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Joey Hood was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia by the U.S. Senate in December 2022.  He served in leadership positions in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, including as Acting Assistant Secretary. He has served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Iraq and in Kuwait, as well as Consul General and Principal Officer in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Prior to these assignments, Mr. Hood was Acting Director of the State Department’s Office of Iranian Affairs.

For Joey’s first appearance on Roads Taken, listen to The Generalist Diplomat.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

When we last spoke with Keshav Puttaswamy, he told us about spending 20 years at Microsoft, finally making the break for a new venture in Australia and ultimately coming back home again. In this Roads Taken Revisited, Keshav talks about the five years that passed at Microsoft since his return from Australia and how the coincidence of 25 years at one company and his daughter’s prep for her college career jumpstarted a new venture for him.

In this episode, find out from Keshav how being open and staying in the present can provide options for the future…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Keshav Puttaswamy, a Seattle-based product manager, recently hit his 25th work anniversary at Microsoft and took it as an opportunity to take a chance on a new experience. His new chapter has begun with a leap to the Foundations team at Meta where he will weave his product management experience into something new and far-reaching. Check out the picture from his going-away party at Microsoft, complete with cupcakes with his face on them.

For Keshav’s first appearance on Roads Taken, listen to Time Traveler.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

A very early interest in the business world, planted by his father’s explanations of his own work and nurtured by mentors in the investment industry, gave Jamie Keenan a vision for what his future might hold. He decided to seek out breadth through his history major, foreign study in France, club water polo and his fraternity. When he started to think venture capital would be his direction, he learned there is no straight path to get there. He took the advice to pursue investment banking to get both the breadth of experience it afforded and the deep industry-specific knowledge he was lacking but would need in the future. And even though his mentors instilled in him the discipline to keep an eye on the long game, his chance to realize some of his dreams came a lot earlier than he'd thought possible.

Find out from Jamie how asking for guidance and following up on good advice can help in both the short and long run…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Jamie Keenan has been in the investing world nearly three decades. He is Managing Partner at Keenan Capital, which he's run since 2012. His long stint of managing portfolios for his partners and family has kept him busy but also has afforded him time to be with his extended family in the Bay Area.

For another story about someone hitting it out on their own, listen to our episode with Jessica Drolet Wadlow.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Last we spoke with Karen M. Smith Debolt she was continuing her campaign to Make Karen Great Again and yet didn’t know what might be the next chapter. The conversation actually proved to be a bit of a kickstart to get her involved in something new. In this Roads Taken Revisited, Karen talks about Humble Design, the organization that she found that gave her a new perspective on the talents and passions she has and how they can go to work for the benefit of others.//In this episode, find out from Karen how helping others feel at home can sometimes help you find your own place…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Karen M. Smith Debolt is involved with Humble Design, an organization that changes the lives of families emerging from homelessness by furnishing and decorating their bare homes with donated funds and goods from individuals, institutions, and corporate partners. Since 2009, they have transformed nearly 3,000 spaces for single mothers, children, and veterans nationally. Especially if you live in the Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, San Diego, or Seattle area, Karen invites you (or your friends and family in those towns) to check out the organization. And, since she's been feeling LinkedOut, give her a shout-out, too.

For Karen’s first appearance on Roads Taken, listen to Making Karen Great Again.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Welcome to Roads Taken and another great season of stories that remind us that you don’t have to know exactly where you’re going, you just need to be open to the adventure that awaits. As in all our previous seasons, we will greet new guests—all a quarter-century-plus after college—and ask them about who they were as they graduated, who they thought they’d become, and how they’ve traveled down various roads to get where they are today. (From what we've hearned thus far, where we end up is rarely what we anticipated.) Interspersed with these stories from new guests this season, we will be sitting down anew with some previous guests to get an update on the paths they've trod since our last conversation. You can find our full archive at RoadsTakenShow.com and get a new episode each Monday when you subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts. Every time, our guest's story will show us what Robert Frost was trying to tell us: It doesn’t really matter which way we turn….a full life awaits, regardless of the ROADS TAKEN.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley will be returning for an all new season soon—this time with a bit of a twist. As in all our previous seasons, we will talk with new guests—all a quarter-century-plus after college—about who they were as they graduated, who they thought they’d become, and how they’ve traveled down various roads to get where they are today. But this time, interspersed with those new voices, we will be sitting down anew with some previous guests to get an update on the paths they've trod since our last conversation. 

You might want to re-listen to a few previous episodes. 

Particularly handy might be the episodes with Karen M. Smith Debolt (Making Karen Great Again), Keshav Puttaswamy (Time Traveler), and Joey Hood (The Generalist Diplomat). Or visit our full archive at RoadsTakenShow.com. And be sure you've subscribed or you're following in your favorite podcast app and that your auto download feature is turned on so you don't miss any new episodes when they start dropping on January 1, 2024.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com