The Richard Taliaferro Podcast

What happens when you spend your career solving other people’s problems — and suddenly become the person facing a problem you can’t immediately fix?

Spencer Rosengarten has worked in information technology for nearly 40 years, supporting organizations ranging from pharmaceutical companies and banks to a national political campaign. He has also lived through layoffs, unemployment, a major pay cut, and a firing he ne...

What happens when you inherit extraordinary wealth before you’ve had the chance to figure out who you are?

Sharon Foulston lost her father in a motor racing accident when she was just 17. In the years that followed, she inherited not only significant wealth, but expectations, responsibility and an identity that increasingly revolved around money.

But having access to almost anything didn’t give her what she needed most: m...

What happens when “I’m fine” becomes the mask a man wears for years?

Andy Grant, host of the award-winning Real Men Feel podcast, joins Richard Taliaferro for a candid conversation about men’s mental health, masculinity, vulnerability, identity, and what it means to stop performing toughness and start living more authentically.

A survivor of multiple suicide attempts, Andy shares how his own struggle w...

What happens when a personal fear becomes a business mission?

In this episode, I sit down with Britton Kent, co-founder of Cooper’s AquaArmor, to discuss how learning to swim while pregnant—and discovering surprising research about children’s swimwear visibility—led her to launch a company focused on child water safety.

We talk about:

• Why swimsuit color matters more than most parents realize
• The rese...

What if intuition isn’t “woo-woo”—but a skill you can strengthen?

Shelley Poovey, founder and lead faculty member at Attune Coach Academy and author of The Energy-Intelligent Business: The Science and Soul of Sustainable Success, joins Richard Taliaferro for a conversation about intuition, decision-making, career clarity and the cost of chronic overwork.

Shelley shares her own unconventional career jou...

What happens when a creative outlet becomes something bigger?

In this episode, Richard talks with Sophie Blake, founder and designer of Sophie Blake jewelry, about her journey from corporate work to building a brand rooted in confidence, self-expression, and timeless style.

Sophie shares the story of her first handmade pieces, the moment someone asked to commission her work, and the long evolution from hobby to business. She ...

What happens after the career that gave you structure, identity, and community is no longer at the center of your life?

Dale Power, creator of Reimagine Retirement, joins Richard to talk about the part of retirement planning that rarely gets enough attention: the personal transition. Together, they discuss why travel and leisure are often not enough, how retirees can reconnect with their values, why work communities often do not...

Workplace bullying is more common than many people realize. And when the person causing the harm is your boss, the effects can reach far beyond the office.

In this episode, Richard talks with Andy Regal, author of Surviving Bully Culture: A Career Spent Navigating Workplace Bullying and a Guide for Healing. Andy is an award-winning media executive, workplace bullying expert, speaker, and coach who has held leadership roles at Co...

Leadership can look polished from the outside. But behind the title, many leaders are carrying enormous responsibility, constant visibility, and very few safe places to be fully human.

In this episode, Richard talks with Julie Jakopic, a leadership evangelist, strategist, coach, and founder of iLead Strategies. Julie works with leaders across nonprofits, government, public service, and mission-driven organizations—often pe...

Most people don’t associate imagination with leadership.

But every meaningful shift—in a company, a career, or a life—starts with someone willing to see something that doesn’t exist yet.

In this episode, I sit down with returning guest Dawn Kasey Lovelace, a certified coach and former music industry executive, to explore how imagination shapes leadership, decision-making, and team dynamics.

We talk ...

What happens when the life and career you built no longer fit the person you’ve become?

Richard Taliaferro talks with coach and strategist Meghan DeFord about career reinvention, identity, and what it means to rebuild a life around your values instead of other people’s expectations. After years in philanthropy and major fundraising leadership, Meghan found herself facing a divorce and a layoff within weeks of each ot...

What happens when the biggest disruption to your career isn’t your job—but your body?

In this episode, I talk with Claire Sachs, a healthcare policy expert and patient advocate who has spent decades navigating the system from both sides—as a professional shaping healthcare policy and as a patient living with chronic illness.

Claire shares her story of growing up with life-threatening illness, managing multip...

What happens when someone believes you’re ready for more—but you’re not sure you agree?

I unpack a tension that a lot of thoughtful, high-achieving professionals experience, but rarely name: the difference between being put on a pedestal and having your horizon extended.

If you’ve ever been told you’re “leadership material”… encouraged to step up before you felt ready… o...

What does reinvention look like when life forces you to pivot? In this episode, Richard Taliaferro talks with Rick Steeby—a former soldier, police detective, IT professional, contractor, and now published author—about building a new chapter later in life.

Rick shares how growing up in Alaska shaped his adventurous spirit, how a dyslexia diagnosis changed the way he understood himself, and why he kept writing through ...

What does it take to become a 13-time world boxing champion after starting at age 29?

In this powerful conversation, World Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Tori Nelson shares how she built a championship career while raising two children and working multiple jobs — including driving a school bus, working in a cafeteria, and pulling shifts at IHOP.

This episode explores women’s boxing, discipline, faith, mental t...

Dawn Kasey Lovelace brings a unique perspective to executive coaching—she's worked in the music industry for over 25 years, developing recording artists, TV projects, and films with well-known producers and filmmakers. Now she coaches creative leaders and Fortune 1000 executives on bringing their whole selves to their work.

In our conversation, Dawn shined a different kind of light on leadership: creativity isn't something you...

Who are you arguing with when you write that email? Prepare that presentation? Share your ideas at work?

Here's the thing—and I'm still working on this myself—most of us are unconsciously defending ourselves to an audience that doesn't exist. Ghost skeptics. Imaginary critics. The voice that says "that won't work here."

I call them ghost audiences, and they're quietly undermining your career confidence and professional im...

Think about the professionals who've made the biggest impact on your career. I'd bet they weren't trying to build a legacy—they were just showing up fully, caring deeply, and doing work that mattered to them.

Here's what I want you to know: You're capable of the same impact. You already are having it.

But most of us don't see it. We think legacy is something distant—a retirement speech, a plaque on the wall, some grand cu...

You've been following the rules, making safe choices, and building what looks like a stable career. So why does something feel so off? Here's the uncomfortable truth: the safety you've been optimizing for doesn't exist anymore—and playing it safe might be the riskiest career move you can make.

In this episode, I share why the old career playbook of stability, pensions, and predictable career ladders no longer works for Gen...