My Career Journey

by Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari

Season 1

Deep dive: Networking (Part 1) | My Career Journey

Curious about how to network and make new connections? Hosts Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari talk about what networking is, when to do it, who they connect with, their approaches to meeting and reaching out to new people, common mistakes and turnoffs, thought leadership, and more. ------ Highlights from this episode include: 0:00 - Intro 1:05 - Did you know - Interesting facts we found while researching 3:05 - Networking definition 3:34 - When we recommend networking 5:06 - Who we look to connect with and how 6:21 - Making new connections through groups and communities 7:33 - Making new connections though attending events 9:46 - How we define and do cold outreach, or messaging people without knowing them 11:23 - Framework for cold outreach 14:57 - Common mistakes and turnoffs while networking 18:42 - First impressions at events in person 20:01 - Thought leadership 25:42 - Final advice and closing ------ 🎙️My Career Journey is a podcast that highlights different career paths, tackles tough topics, and shares actionable tips and insights. Hosted by Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari. ------ 🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms 📺 Subscribe on YouTube ✍️ Subscribe on Substack 📸 Follow on Instagram

S1 · E15

Jul 1, 2026

26:56

From music to tech to Hollywood actor | My Career Journey

Ever wondered what it’s like to be an actor in Hollywood? Guest Keisuke Hoashi has been in the business for over 30 years! He's done it all – commercials, films, TV shows, theatre, voiceovers, and much more. He’s also a writer and musician and co-founded a music camp where he was the musical theatre director and where he and My Career Journey co-host Emily Banzhaf met! In the episode, Keisuke shares how he broke into acting, how he built his network from scratch, how he learned how to act, the depth he goes to prep for an audition, tips on getting an agent, how he deals with nerves, and hilarious stories from set. He also talks about starting out in the arts, the importance of his father in his life and career, the jobs he worked until he was able to support himself as an actor, when he realized he loved acting, running the music camp, transferable skills, and much more. To check out his incredible body of work, go to www.hoashi.com or find him on all socials at Keisuke Hoashi: IMDB Wikipedia X (Twitter) Facebook Instagram LinkedIn ------ Highlights from the episode include: 0:00 - Episode intro 2:47 - Keisuke intro, background, and formative years in the arts 5:13 - Realization that he didn’t have what it took to be a professional trumpet player 5:55 - Parallel career as a performer 8:28 - Job at the NY State Government as a writer and graphic designer 9:31 - Setting low expectations 11:23 - The realization in 2nd grade that acting was something Keisuke loved to do 13:46 - Working in tech 19:43 - Moving to Hollywood to pursue acting 21:42 - Building a network in LA without knowing anyone 23:25 - Getting started acting in commercials 25:22 - Taking acting classes 27:37 - Types of training required for each type of acting 29:34 - What commercial acting is like 31:49 - Getting into film and TV 32:46 - Dealing with nerves and stage fright 38:09 - Being boxed into roles as an Asian American actor 40:26 - Sabrina the Teenage Witch 42:41 - Running into people when auditioning for roles and 2 chances Keisuke had to be the next Ken Jeong 44:44 - The importance of personal branding and Keisuke’s tagline #1 Asian Every-Man. 48:11 - Chair farting while playing Judge Lance Ito 48:54 - Favorite stories from set 53:51 - How Keisuke’s audition prep changes depending on what role he’s auditioning for. Talks through how he used his real life experience on his audition for Brooklyn Nine-Nine 58:27 - What Keisuke’s life looks like as an actor, balancing auditioning and working 1:00:52 - Getting creative with auditioning on the go and Keisuke’s experience generating work vs. going through an agent 1:02:09 - Tips for getting an agent and what not to do 1:07:00 - Advice for finding what fulfills you and what you really want to do 1:09:39 - Doing a 45-minute standup set at a camp concert that got delayed 1:11:36 - How Keisuke’s tech skills helped the camp he co-founded become successful 1:15:08 - Mentorship 1:20:18 - Closing

S1 · E14

Jun 17, 2026

1:21:29

From retail to finance to education to Salesforce consultant | My Career Journey

Guest Nankya Senungi has been through multiple career shifts, layoffs, and other major changes, but her passion for helping people and positive outlook are two things that've stayed consistent throughout every transition. In the episode, Nankya talks about what it’s like to be a consultant and how she turned working with Salesforce into a career. She also talks about how faith influences her career, how she's navigated layoffs and turned them into opportunities, how she builds and nurtures relationships, her experience working with a career coach, and more. ------ Highlights from the episode include: 0:00 - Podcast and episode intro 2:00 - Nankya’s intro and career journey 4:47 - How faith influences Nankya’s career 6:41 - Navigating layoffs and what Nankya gained from it 12:29 - Advice for people going through layoffs 14:46 - Building and nurturing relationships 18:23 - What Salesforce is, training, 21:49 - What the Dreamforce event was like 24:04 - Salesforce training 26:26 - Motivation for starting a consulting business 29:25 - Working with a career coach 32:36 - Mindset in consulting vs. working for one client or company 35:34 - How Nankya learned the business side of consulting 37:47 - Advice on taking the next step in your career 38:54 - Closing out the episode ------ 🎙️My Career Journey is a podcast that highlights different career paths, tackles tough topics, and shares actionable tips and insights. Hosted by Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari. ------ 🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms 📺 Subscribe on YouTube ✍️ Subscribe on Substack 📸 Follow on Instagram

S1 · E13

May 27, 2026

40:04

From drama therapist to medical missionary to voice futurist | My Career Journey

Guest Mellini Monique has done it all. Starting from age 12, she worked as a camp counselor and in car washes and pizza shops, and then went to marketing research, drama therapist at an inpatient psychiatric facility, medical missionary, and founder of multiple companies. We don’t cover this in the episode, but she’s even worked as a clown! Currently, Mellini is a pitch coach for South by Southwest (SXSW), runs her own vocal coaching consultancy, organizes luxury wellness retreats, and has her own popcorn company called Herby PoP. She's also a mother of 6 children that all have their own businesses! In the episode, Mellini talks about what she did in her different careers, how she navigates the messy middle, how she learned about business from her grandmother, networking, work-life balance, turning passion into a business, what it’s like being a founder, and much more. She also gives valuable advice about aligning your vocal image with your visual image, how to gain the confidence to change what you're worth, and shares a helpful rebranding exercise. ------ Highlights from the episode include: 0:00 - Intro 2:29 - Mellini’s career journey 5:08 - Braces 5:47 - What it was like working as a medical missionary 8:50 - Family life 9:48 - Drama therapy 11:48 - Turning passion for voice into a business 16:36 - Watching pitch competitions and pitching to SXSW 20:08 - Communicating value 21:05 - Navigating career changes and identity 28:04 - Learning how to start a business 31:18 - Work life balance with a large family 34:44 - What it’s like being a founder 37:09 - Challenges of going through a rebrand 39:38 - How to advocate for and charge what you’re worth 48:00 - Networking approach and advice 54:27 - Navigating the messy middle ------ 🎙️My Career Journey is a podcast that highlights different career journeys, tackles tough topics, and shares actionable tips and insights. Hosted by Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari. ------ 🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms 📺 Subscribe on YouTube 📸 Follow on Instagram

S1 · E8

Feb 18, 2026

1:01:36

Part 3: A day in the lives of an AI conversation designer and consultant | My Career Journey

In the last part of the intro series, hosts Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari talk about their day-to-day lives in their new careers. Emily is a senior AI content and conversation designer and Allegra is a senior consultant in transformation, focused on workforce modernization. They give an overview of what they do, explain what a typical day looks like, share details about the skills they use, talk about how they approach learning and professional development, feedback, and promotions, and more. ------ Highlights from the episode include: 1:07 - Quickfire round of questions 3:47 - Overview of what Allegra does as a consultant 6:49 - Overview of what Emily does as a content and conversation designer 9:42 - What a typical day as a consultant is like for Allegra 12:39 - What a typical day as a content and conversation designer is like for Emily 15:01 - Difference between working at a smaller company vs. a big company 15:35 - Weekend work now vs. at our previous jobs 17:01 - How we set our schedules 18:43 - How often we travel 20:49 - How we use skills from music and other jobs 23:01 - Skills we use the most 27:00 - Learning and professional development 29:34 - Feedback 31:58 - Promotions 34:57 - Things we like and don’t like about our jobs and the industry ------ 🎙️My Career Journey is a podcast that highlights different career journeys, tackles tough topics, and shares actionable tips and insights. Hosted by Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari. ------ 🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms 📺 Subscribe on YouTube 📸 Follow on Instagram

S1 · E7

Feb 4, 2026

42:04

From Naval officer to product manager and founder of Veteran Timeline | My Career Journey

Service and helping people is at the core of everything guest Nick Co does. After serving as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy, he transitioned into tech, working as a product manager and founding Veteran Timeline to help make the military transition into civilian life easier for others. He also served as Virginia State Leader for Veterans for All Voters, leading a team that successfully implemented ranked choice voting in Charlottesville, VA. In the episode, Nick talks about his experience growing up in the Philippines, moving to Seattle, and the importance of service, family, and impact. He also talks about the challenges he faced when transitioning from the military, which is what inspired him to found Veteran Timeline. He also shares helpful tips about how to maximize informational interviews and the importance of learning the language of whatever field you’re going into. ------ Highlights from this episode include: 0:00 - Introduction 1:43 - Nick’s career journey 4:02- Inspiration and decision to join the military 7:59 - Nick describes his time in the Naval Academy and Navy 11:37 - Importance of service, family, and impact 15:02 - Involvement in local politics 19:04 - Transferable skills 22:47 - Informational interviews 26:31 - Veteran Timeline 35:10 - Challenges of building something from scratch 40:01 - Vision for Veteran Timeline 42:11 - Solving problems 44:38 - Malleability and making an impact 46:30 - Call to action and closing ------ 🎙️My Career Journey is a podcast that highlights different career journeys, tackles tough topics, and shares actionable tips and insights. Hosted by Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari. ------ 🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms 📺 Subscribe on YouTube 📸 Follow on Instagram

S1 · E6

Jan 21, 2026

48:15

1 of 2

My Career Journey

Deep dive: Networking (Part 1) | My Career Journey

From music to tech to Hollywood actor | My Career Journey

From retail to finance to education to Salesforce consultant | My Career Journey

Deep dive: Personal branding | My Career Journey

Deep dive: Mentorship | My Career Journey

From nursing to conversation design | My Career Journey

Deep dive: Giving and receiving feedback | My Career Journey

From drama therapist to medical missionary to voice futurist | My Career Journey

Part 3: A day in the lives of an AI conversation designer and consultant | My Career Journey

From Naval officer to product manager and founder of Veteran Timeline | My Career Journey