Feel Free to Deviate

Am I the guest? Is Oppie the guest? Is Pi the guest? Are all of us simultaneously both the guest and the host? These questions may never be answered, but in this episode I chat with Pi Ai about Christopher Nolan's 2023 summer blockbuster film, Oppenheimer. In case you are unaware, Oppenheimer is a film about the scientist who lead the team that developed the atomic bombs used at the end of World War II. It's a biopic, cautionary tale, and fine piece of filmmaking all wrapped up in one. To be clear, this is not a review, and I don't move through the film step by step. Maybe I should have, but I felt like that would be a waste of time. Am I wrong about that? Let me know your thoughts and feelings on the matter if you get a chance. I’m telling you this because the episode probably won’t make sense if you haven't watched the film. So, if you haven't already, watch the film, and then listen to this. If you boldly listen without watching the film, I must note that there are spoilers, though I seriously doubt anything said in the episode will ruin your enjoyment of the film. In fact, it may enrich it, much like the plutonium and uranium used in the bombs. Topics include: Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite long breaks and periods of doubt and despair, I finally made it to episode 50. This is a weird one. The guest, or guests are two different AI bots. The first is one I’ve named Max, and the second is the chat bot provided by Bing. We talk about a few articles about satisfaction in workplace, and I receive some decent feedback from a computer who has never actually had a job before, and I’m pretty sure it gets reset after each use. It’s pretty fun, except for all my human grumpitude. Topics include: The articles discussed are: https://hbr.org/2019/07/why-you-should-stop-trying-to-be-happy-at-work https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/unraveling-work-self-worth Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 49 of Feel Free to Deviate features musician and educator Eric Miller. Eric and I were in a band together when we were in high school and were later roommates during my early years in Boston. Since then, Eric has been a serially self-employed music creator, educator, and proprietor of Miller Music in Farmington, CT. He is a pillar of the community and an over all great guy who can shred with the best of them. Topics include: Some Eric related links: https://www.millermusiclessons.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/72RfGsy0V8oDUZwviOhdUX?si=peLXyvhVQ1uERKyXxuqTIA https://www.youtube.com/user/MillerMusicllc https://millermusic.co/masterclass/ https://linktr.ee/millermusicllc Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 0048 of Feel Free to Deviate features nobody… It’s a quick explanation of why Jim has recently strayed from the release schedule, and an outline of what you might expect in the future. Topics include: Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 47 of Feel Free to Deviate features singing, songwriting, guitar playing creative person, Tom Sturm. Our paths originally crossed in the late 90s when he moved into a house with a bunch of my friends. He’s a musician, but as many parents of musicians have noted over the years, making money as a musician can be… challenging. Because of that, he currently works as a content creator at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA, but he always seems to have some sort of project for himself and anyone who will listen. He’s been making stuff since he was a kid, and as far as I can tell he doesn’t plan to stop. Tom is all in. Topics include: A bunch of juicy Tom Sturm links: Search for “Vagus Nerve Reset” Bandcamp : https://vagusnervereset.bandcamp.com/album/vagus-nerve-reset Apple Music/iTunes : http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1674327276 Amazon Music : https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0BWTZQYW4?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_E4kAT363o48p8nYQtDvQqwbA0 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5nn14resUvLwHI8wCY2E3C A nice Snackbeard showcase! https://valleyadvocate.com/2019/11/01/snackbeard-on-the-valley-advocate-sessions-stage/ Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/tom-sturm SsasS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb199OJ88lo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvXqNdwiz0gpsMGac6WHMw Big Ugly Wrench / Darth Mordor : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IDwpaM9HT0 There’s more. Maybe I’ll add more later. Maybe you can search yourself. Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://www.buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way!Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 46 of Feel Free to Deviate features architectural power couple Valentina Fantini and Giulio Margheri. Both of them work for notable Dutch architecture firms and have their own career trajectories. They share their experiences of how they ended up working for their current firms, and how their relationship evolved with their careers over the years. The conversation provides insight into the world of architecture and what it's like to work for well-known firms like MVRDV and OMA without sacrificing personal relationships. Also, we have a fun little chat about architects and buildings near the end, so make sure you listen to the whole thing!!! Topics include: Look these up / Voor de liefhebber… https://www.mvrdv.nl/https://www.oma.com/That should keep you busy for awhile… Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way!Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 45 of Feel Free to Deviate features Evonne Wetzner, Senior Global Marketing Communications Strategist at Oracle, the gigantic software company. Sounds kinda nerdy, but she’s worked in a variety of industries, and she even founded one of the greatest video stores of all time: The Video Underground! This episode is brimming with pivots and real business experience, and it’s super fun. Perhaps most importantly, it’s an example of how one person was able to harness the power of their skills to thrive in a variety of industries. Topics include: Triumph of the NerdsFeel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way!Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guest on episode 44 is Joost van der Spek. Joost is a storyteller who mostly writes “stories that translate factual knowledge into an experience that museum visitors will remember.” Basically, he writes the scripts and stories that accompany those elaborate exhibitions you see in museums, and sometimes other places. We talk about how he approaches doing that as well as how he got into the field in the first place. Topics include: You can see examples of Joost’s work at his brand new website, https://www.story-matters.nl/ Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://feelfreetodeviate.com if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 43 of Feel Free to Deviate features Eric Mead. He’s qualified to do many things, but he is currently teaching young people the ins and outs of rigging for 3d animation. As cool as that is, it’s not the only reason I asked him to be on the show. Eric is the pivot master. Whether learning a new language or piloting helicopters, he ONLY does things that he enjoys or finds interesting. I believe that’s a good policy if you can swing it, and he can. We talk about some of his pursuits and the combination of qualities and circumstances that make his full life possible. I deeply admire his attitude about self-enrichment, and regardless of whether you can relate to him or not, we could all take a page from his book, even if only on a micro-level. Topics include: Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guest on episode 42 of Feel Free to Deviate is Rachel Carey. She’s an artist. I’ll let her fill you in on what that means, but it’s fairly important to note that she has a “regular” job doing financial stuff, because the bills aren’t going to pay themselves. It’s a fun and lively episode, and it is my observation that her combined experiences have brought her a pleasing and tasteful level of self-awareness, and I’m glad she shared it here and also in her art. We could all benefit from having a deeper understanding of why we do some of the things we do. I know I could. Topics include: For more Rachel, visit https://rachelcarey.hotglue.me/ and https://vimeo.com/charlesrenard. Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 41 of Feel Free to Deviate is the follow up, or sequel to episode 40, which was a re-visitation of a month long blog I wrote during the final 26 days of my twenties, back in 2005. That’s why it’s called 26 Days. Clever, right? If you haven’t listened to episode 40 yet, you should do that first. If you don’t, this episode won’t make much sense. It’s all about context. Frequent Feel Free to Deviate collaborator Ed Mubarek joins me, and we discuss the blog posts and how points of view may or may not change over time. There are also a few deviations along the way. It was fun, and I hope you agree. Topics include: Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is my birthday, and I recently rediscovered a blog I wrote in December 2005 about the last days of my 20s. Episode 40 of Feel Free to Deviate is a recitation of that snippet of my life. It’s a fun (for me, at least…) look into the mindset of myself at 30. I think I’ll follow up with thoughts and feelings about this at a later date. I guess I’ll do a part 2 in a few weeks. Right now I’m going to bed. I hope you are still feeling merry. Have a great day. The actual blog can be found here - https://twentysixdays.blogspot.com/ Topics include: Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

High school begins at 12 years old in the Netherlands, and the first year is what they call a bridge year. My daughter and her classmates are in the midst of choosing which high school they will attend next year. She and her classmates are rushing off to different schools for open days, information evenings, and trial classes hoping to figure out which Rotterdam school will cater to their needs after 8 formative years together. Most of these young minds will break away and go off to make new friends and forge new paths on their own, and there is a lot of stress and expectation that goes along with that. I’m not positive, but I think most of the stress is coming from the parents, but I didn’t talk to any of them. I did, however, talk to my own kid about how she feels about it, and that is what this episode is. We had a chat this afternoon before visiting a(nother!) school. I’m not sure if this is interesting or insightful for you, or if it’s just self-indulgent nonsense, but hey, isn’t that what podcasts are? It’s a quick one. Give it a shot Topics include: Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guest on episode 0038 of Feel Free to Deviate is techno artist/producer/musician/and DJ extraordinaire, Joris Voorn. He made a name for himself in the early 2000s, and he’s been going strong since. His job and lifestyle have always been interesting to me, partially because I once harbored a desire to be an indie-rockstar. Of course, I didn’t have the talent, drive, focus, or diligence to make that happen, but clearly Joris does. His story illustrates the difference between childish dreams and hobbies and an actual career in music. It’s a job, and he puts the work in. We talk about his musical roots and foundations and move through his education and the blossoming of his career. I’m not sure the key to DJ superstardom is revealed in this episode, but it’s a good place to start if that is something you are interested in learning about. Topics include: Joris’s website is https://JorisVoorn.com or you can search for him in most music streaming apps. Google works too! Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Guest on episode 37 of Feel Free to Deviate is Holly Adams. She’s a performer, voice actor, educator, and several adjacent things. She’s even a clown, but she doesn’t clown around. She is completely embedded and focused on being a legit working actor, and she’s been doing that for her entire adult life. It’s remarkable, and she’ll tell you all about it. Fun fact: I was in a play called Godspell my sophomore year of high school. I played Judas, and she was the director! How crazy is that? I decided to look her up, and this is the result. Doing Godspell was a good experience, as was our chat, and I hope that you agree. You can find Holly on the internet. Her website is https://shearwaterproductions.com You can also go to Audible and search “Holly Adams” to find examples of her work. I just did it, and there are TONS of titles. Here’s a link - https://tinyurl.com/yeym7exj You can also check her out on Instagram @hol.adams Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

***Apologies - If you were among the first downloaders you will notice a technical problem around 25 minutes in. I have fixed it. Please download the file again. You're gonna love it. The guest on episode 36 of Feel Free to Deviate is photographer, educator, and photography book author Sarah Malakoff. She is a professor at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and also a bonafide fine art photographer. What does that mean? Why don't you take a few moments to familiarize yourself with her work before listening. Her website is https://sarahmalakoff.com, but make sure you come back! Are you back? Pretty good stuff, right? If you have ever wondered about the experiences of university level art teachers, this is your chance to hear all about it. Even if you never wondered about that particular segment, it’s a great episode. I think both of us had a good time, and I hope some of that rubs off on you, dear listener. Topics include: As I mentioned before, you can check out Sarah’s work on her website https://sarahmalakoff.com. There’s a page on the site that showcases her book “Second Nature.” https://sarahmalakoff.com/books Also, she’s represented by the Howard Yezerski gallery in Boston. Drop in there and buy a photograph, or go to the site and look around. The link for that is https://www.howardyezerski.com/sarah-malakoff Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviate https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQLJzv4nxrpfn7FNedgwI2A https://www.tiktok.com/@feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 35 of Feel Free to Deviate is an outtake episode that has almost nothing to do with careers. Is that weird? Now that I’m writing this, I think it is. Anyway, first up is an extension of episode 34, featuring Justin Baum. We talked a bit about music and bikes and audio equipment. After the Justin segment is a clip from my conversation with esteemed educator, film lover, and comic book guy, Michael Switek from episode 21. We talk about our feelings for Marvel films, and it's fun! If you’ve ever used physical media, it’s sort of like bonus material on a DVD or BluRay. You’re gonna love it. Check out "Feel Free to Listen," an ever-growing playlist of all the music mentioned on Feel Free to Deviate. You'll probably hate some of it, so put it on shuffle and skip the ones you don't like! Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram @feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guest on episode 34 of Feel Free to Deviate is Justin Baum. He is the VP of Product at a software company called LeaseUp. He’s also a designer and a user experience guru. He probably won’t like that I called him a guru, but that’s too bad… He’s a very knowledgeable guy who digs deep into the philosophy surrounding the tech industry. I have always admired his technical skills, but also his uncanny ability to find an actual career path at an early age. He’s a sort of a wunderkind, who rocketed to early success, experienced some bumps along the way, and then reinvented himself on a different coast. We talk about the tech industry, image generation, and a bunch of other stuff. I’m hoping he’ll come back sometime so we can follow up on some of the many topics we started talking about. Check out Justin’s company, LeaseUp if you have commercial real estate needs, or if you are curious - https://www.leaseup.co/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stable_Diffusionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DALL-Ehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_title#List_of_chief_officer_(CO)_titleshttps://hbr.org/2019/01/the-era-of-move-fast-and-break-things-is-overhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_startupThat should keep you busy for a little while... Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviateAlso check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Normally I say that Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success, but Episode 33 of Feel Free to Deviate is a sort of rambling and lightly focused discussion of a film that many people consider inspirational for career, success, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness… In this episode I speak with my friend Florian Schroiff about the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness - that’s happyness misspelled with a Y. The film stars Will and Jaden Smith and is directed by Gabriele Muccino. This isn’t a full scale film review or an in depth discussion of the pros and cons of late-stage capitalism. I’m not equipped for that discussion. It’s more like a conversation starter. I think… After a few searches I found scores of lists of inspirational success movies online, and The Pursuit of Happyness is on most of those lists, and it is #1 on many of them. Florian and I talk about the movie and its message, and how it could be viewed as a dystopian nightmare instead of a motivational masterwork. Topics include: If you want to know more about Florian’s thoughts and feelings about the films he watches, he’s Flo, that’s F-L-O on Letterboxd. https://letterboxd.com/flo/ Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviate Also check out https://buymeacoffee.com/feelfree if you’d like to buy me a coffee or slide a few units of fiat currency my way! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 32 of Feel Free to Deviate features musician and sonic consultant Adam Brilla. Adam and his wife Jennifer run a company called Stompbox Sonic. What’s a sonic consultant? You should listen and find out. Spoiler alert: It’s super cool. He also works in the IT department of a Boston area college, and has had a string of jobby jobs along the way. This is a low-key episode sprinkled with bits of wisdom and whimsy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Topics include: You should totally go to https://stompboxsonic.com to check out Adam’s wares. Feel Free to Deviate is the podcast about people, their careers, and their relationships with success. My name is Jim Turbert, and I am the host. You can find me at https://feelfreetodeviate.com or on Instagram @feelfreetodeviate https://instagram.com/feelfreetodeviate Feel free to send inquiries to mail@feelfreetodeviate.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.