After acing undergrad, medical school, and the early years of her residency, Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason fully expected to spend the rest of her career as an orthopedic surgeon. But God had other plans. An unexpected medical diagnosis would change Bonnie’s life and career forever. On this week’s Protégé Podcast, Bonnie provides a testimony about creating new dreams, about the power of grit and grace, and about elevating the voice of God above her own.

Bernie Lawrence-Watkins has represented some of hip hop and R&B’s most accomplished producers and songwriters. But the path to being one of the top entertainment lawyers in America hasn’t been a crystal stair. On this week’s Protégé Podcast, Bernie and I talk about her being dismissed earlier in her career as just a pretty face, how she manages the recording career of her son, and why she’s had to pack some heat for the occasional crazy client.

When your career instincts call you, will you answer them? Joe Wilson Jr. answered the call as a creative talent in his early 20’s, and the rest is history. After a stint acting on Broadway, Joe joined Trinity Repertory Company where he’s been a resident actor for 13 years. Not content being a great stage actor, Joe is also a community activist in his adopted hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. On this week’s Protégé Podcast, Joe and I discuss living in the moment, balancing personal success with community impact, and how being black and gay can still mean you are privileged.

One moment you are married to a beautiful physician with a young family, you’re writing for The New York Times, and you are living in your dream house. Then life throws you one curve ball after another, and you find yourself facing demons from your past. How did Zack Burgess overcome one of the darkest periods in his life and career? On this week’s Protégé Podcast, we talk about triumph and failure, success and tragedy, and how one man – through extraordinary courage, renewed discipline, and the benevolence of mentors – came to experience a personal and professional rebirth.

On Part 2 of my conversation with Zack, he discusses how he fought through one of the darkest periods in his life and career through his own determination and the tremendous support of mentors. On The Breakdown, I provide perspective on how to overcome “imposter syndrome” and own your achievements.

How do you take a five month sabbatical to study fashion at Vogue in London, and then return to your high powered job at Accenture in the U.S. without missing a beat? Anything is possible when you design your own career. On this week’s Protégé Podcast, we talk with organizational psychologist Rachana Bhide, who shares her story about using mentors, sabbaticals, language immersion and other elements to help create a bespoke career.

You don’t have to become an entrepreneur to walk in your purpose. You can leverage your experience and creativity in a corporate role to create the ideal circumstances for your unique talents to flourish. On this week’s Protege Podcast, we discuss how to turn your day job into your dream job with UPS Vice President of Public Affairs Nikki Clifton.