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June 17, 2025 11 mins

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Episode 20: A chance encounter with a DC native bartender reveals the layered complexity of navigating multiple professional identities. Lets Drive!

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to another episode of Rideshare Road Talk
Conversations in Motion, apodcast where we create
unfiltered talk space thatexamines the meaningful lives of
my passengers, while engagingin personal and topical
discussions.
I'm your host and driver, johnFondas, and we're cruising the
streets of Washington DC.
Buckle up, let's drive.

(00:31):
Getting in anything good,anything fun and exciting.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
No, I'm going to work .

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Going to work.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, I bartendend oh yeah, tonight is the game, so
hopefully it's something goingon wow, it's a teenager like 19.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
I used to be a bouncer in georgetown oh really
my sister's boyfriend playedfootball for maryland.
Then they ran the whole placeand so I was a high school
senior and I was down theredoing that stuff.
It was so much fun.
If you got to work.
You got to working at a partyisn't a bad deal.
It only takes a couple assholes, right, I'm in school and the

(01:22):
click of my knee.
I've been all it just kind ofmakes you feel like okay, I can
do this.
Yeah, yeah, where do you go toschool?

Speaker 2 (01:31):
American University, oh nice.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Tell me about bartending in DC, like what
turns you on about that and whatpisses you off, like what's
cool about it, what's not.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
For me.
I like bartending inc reallybecause I am one of the few
natives here, like you know.
Those few people are like okay,I'm actually from dc, live here
, grew up here with the schoolhere, so I'm it's very rare to
find people um like myself herenow.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
So well, the cool thing is it's like it's a
different crowd every four years.
Right, because it's transient.
Yes, and that's that's the coolthing.
Like even now, with thegovernment and the way the world
is right now it sucks, but it'stemporary, yeah, you know, but
the people who are here alwaysgoing to stick it out, right
yeah, I um, that's actually whatmade me go back to school

(02:21):
honestly I promise you, oncethat happened, I was like, oh
shit, I'm about to go back toschool.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Get my master's, let's do this.
So that's what I did.
I said, okay, let me work on mystuff good for you so I do.
Human resources for GWUniversity okay and um, okay,
let me start doing is that whatyou're studying?
I'm studying industrialorganization with psychology oh
okay, wait, wait, wait wait thatthat was so confusing.

(02:48):
I just missed our turn, so I'mgonna have to turn around so
it's um studying why peoplebehave the way they do in the
workplace man, come drive thiscar.
You'll figure that out and savea lot of money, I know right I
mean literally I love psychology, so I initially went to school
for education.
I was a teacher up until 2020.

(03:11):
That was my last year teaching,but I majored in early
childhood education, so I canonly teach until third grade and
at the time of the pandemic Istarted to do like I was like,
oh, this shit is hard, likeconnecting with the children
over there.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Well, I was going to ask, like, why did you bounce
out of the teaching?

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Because it was extremely challenging.
I was teaching pre-K for theyear of COVID.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah and doingthat over the computer and it
was just no fun.
You know what I'm saying.
Like I'm working withfour-year-olds.
I don't want to be one of them,you know, yeah, yeah, I'm taboo
with them all day.
So then I'm like, okay, what issomething that I?

Speaker 1 (03:49):
can do.
So what was it Industrial?
What?

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Organizational psychology.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
So give me an application on what that job is
down the road Like what wouldyou be doing?

Speaker 2 (03:57):
So it's human resources.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
That's a fancy way of saying you're going to mess
with people.
No, I do not like humanresources.
I have so many stories abouthuman resources.
People in my life, oh my God.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Everybody hates human resources.
Oh, assholes, don't be anasshole, I'm not my fancy little
logo is moto, I should say, isbringing a human back into human
resources.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
You know because.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
I think a lot of the times that's missed, that we,
like you know we're all human atthe end of the day, trying to
be personable in my approach,but yeah, everyone, they're like
oh, you didn't have a resourceeven when I go like to events on
the campus and they'd be likelet's stay away from you right
as soon as I say right, you'rethe snitch.
Yeah, what does that?

Speaker 1 (04:42):
say Right From HR You're the snitch, yeah, I.
It feels like a thousand yearsago I worked for Channel 5.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
And I was a cameraman there for gosh 15 years.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
So you're like a good visualizer.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Well that's, yeah, I mean I'm a photographer, I mean
that's just.
You know, that was my thing andI'm still doing it now with my
company.
But when I was there it wasgreat for a while.
But then, like many jobs, youkind of start getting some
friction, personality conflicts.
You get new bosses that come inand want to flex a little bit

(05:16):
and so I could tell the writingwas on the wall that I wasn't
gonna last there more than acouple more years and it started
getting kind of chippy, alittle adversarial, and the
people who you think had yourback really didn't.
And where I'm going with thisis, you know, I wound up in HR.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Oh really.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
Oh yeah, and this woman I'm not gonna say her name
, I can't remember her name.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
This woman Miss lady bitch.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
That's what Kevin Hart says right, kevin Hart's
right about this one.
Just like you know, whenthere's just something behind
the eyes, you can just see allthe wheels are turning.
Like she was just nasty and shewas there to mess with people,
and so push came to shove and Ifinally bounced out and I I

(06:04):
resigned, but I did it in theoffice with a union rep and you
know this lady sorry, this bitchwent up under the desk and hit
like a panic button.
What?
And all of a sudden, likesecurity came.
I'm like, are you serious?
Yeah, and I'm like, and I'msitting there with like four
grown-ass adults.
I'm like nothing's happening.
I'm like, and I'm sitting therewith like four grown ass adults
.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
I'm like nothing's happening.
I'm like are you kidding me?
Yeah, that's crazy.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
Oh my God, so they?

Speaker 2 (06:29):
come in?
Are they aggressive when theycome?

Speaker 1 (06:31):
No, because the guy knew me.
He was like hey, man, I don'tknow what's going on, they just
want your pass.
I'm like, well, yeah, I justresigned.
So here, but you know, yeah, Imean I got nothing for HR.
But change the world, pleaseChange the change, the view.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
So far I've only done talent acquisition Okay, and
I've done so that of courseeverybody likes the recruiter,
Everybody loves the recruiter.

Speaker 1 (06:59):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah, I've only done that and I've done benefits okay
so yeah well, that's good.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
That's the helpful part of it.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, yeah, I haven't dive into, like the
employability disciplinary,that's just.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
Yeah, I don't.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
I don't even want to do those type of thing because
you're gonna take it home withyou.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
I'm so empathetic, I'm.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
I will fucking cry, right, hey, fire you.
You have five kids, right.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Hey, did you see that movie?
What was it Up in the Air?

Speaker 2 (07:30):
No.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
George Clooney and I can't remember the lady's name.
She was in that movie wherethey all were singing oh my God,
I can't remember.
Anyways, it was about atraveling team of HR people
whose direction was to simply goaround the country and fire

(07:53):
people and he was like he wasthe heavy, he'd been doing it
forever and this was like alittle underling who was
studying under him and it's justa fascinating movie about that
culture and then their lives andhow they're just destroying
people and how it's affectingthem.
Damn, maybe you might stay inthat bar a little bit longer, I
don't know.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
Look at me jam.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
Here, I am getting old jam.

Speaker 2 (08:17):
Here I am getting up, but no, I really enjoy knowing
how people think and why, theyoperate the way that they do,
just kind of diving deeper intopeople.
That's kind of why I likebartending, just getting to have
those candid conversations.
Folks can talk when they'redrunk.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
I mean, I mentioned it real briefly when you got in
Doing this.
I mentioned it real briefly,you know when you got in, you
know doing this.
I mean I can't tell you howmany times like unsolicited
within five seconds yeah, myhusband's cheating on me.
I'm getting a divorce.
What should I do?
Yeah, or I'm seeing myboyfriend for the first time in
two weeks.
He just broke up with me.

Speaker 2 (08:55):
Can I talk to you and I'm like, oh my, oh, my god so,
and I'm kind of like alwaysthat friend, like my friends,
they call me, um, they call mefor everything, like you know,
oh, I just got a new job girlpregnant girl.
Wait, I don't even want to talkto baby, I'm about to move,
look for an apartment.
I like getting there like I'mjust that girl, so that's so's

(09:16):
so funny.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
I was like okay, so you are an empath.

Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, okay, and I'm like I guess I'm-.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
Leave room for yourself.
That's my only advice.
Yeah, you know, and.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
I feel like I don't.
Sometimes I feel like I justkind of-.
Well, I have this thing with mewhere it's like okay, you gotta
keep going, gotta keep goinggotta.
Six months ago, I started torealize that's not healthy.

Speaker 1 (09:38):
Yeah, I mean, what you're doing is wonderful, but
you will tap yourself out atsome point, and then who's gonna
be there for you, I think?

Speaker 2 (09:46):
I have this thing in my head that is like, okay, you
can't allow yourself to get inthis deep, dark place.
You know, like I have thisthing with like fear of
depression, Like I don't wannabe like in a house, depressed
sad as fuck, you know, of coursethings happen to all of us.
So it's like I'll keep going.
It's like okay.
I'll allow myself to feelwhatever I feel in that moment.

(10:08):
And then it's like girl, youcry.
What do you keep crying about?

Speaker 1 (10:11):
What are you going to do about it?
Let me drop this on you, okay.
I've lived a good portion of mylife.
I got more years behind me thatI do in front right just turned
57.

Speaker 2 (10:27):
Oh wow, I love.
Do you mean oh wow, because youdon't even look for these?
That's very nice of you, thankyou, you really don't you have a
fascinating 57 years?

Speaker 1 (10:31):
uh, yeah, you don't have enough time, but yeah, it's
been.
It's been interesting, for sure, for sure.
What's your name?
John?

Speaker 2 (10:40):
Thank you, John.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Absolutely.
I'm going to give you a QR codeso you can check out this
podcast if you want.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
I definitely want to check it out.
Yeah, I think that's so cool.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, it was like an accident.
I mean, it really was.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
Those are the best things right.

Speaker 1 (10:56):
Yeah, what's the name of the podcast?
Rideshare Road Talk.
It's on like Apple and Spotifyand all that stuff and there's
like a little bio in there soyou can kind of really see who
the hell I am and what I've beendoing and all that crazy shit.

Speaker 2 (11:09):
I don't do cocaine, I just like the way it smells.
Okay, let me get some hellafarts.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
That's actually a good one.
That's a good episode.
That's so funny.
It's all on the hook, right?
Yes, bye, take care.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of Rideshare Road Talk.
If you've enjoyed what you'veheard, we'd love for you to
review the podcast on yourfavorite listening platform,

(11:35):
like Apple or Spotify.
Your support helps us so much,and don't forget to reach out on
Instagram with your feedback ortopic suggestions.
Until next time, let's drive.
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