10 Questions with ... Maureen Anderson

1. You're a public speaker, you've been in business management, but now you've moved into radio. What made you choose radio?

I was working on a feature story for a local newspaper about my (then) fear of flying, which involved taking a flying lesson. One day the manager of the little airport in town, who was helping me on the story, said, "You know what you should do?" I did not. And he said, "You should host a radio talk show." I promptly dismissed the idea because (get this) it sounded like too much fun. But gradually I convinced myself it might be a way to make a living. As that vision unfolded, I decided that radio would be a great place to tell stories, but also -- and this is so important -- leave something to the imagination.

2. What's the biggest obstacle to finding a job you love? What holds people back?

I think it's doubting that it's possible. Not very many of us are surrounded by people who love what they do for a living. I wasn't, until fairly recently--and I had this idea that if you loved your work, you weren't really working. Now I know better. But it takes time to really believe we're meant to enjoy our time on this earth, even -- or perhaps especially -- the time we spend at work.

3. Unemployment is one of the top issues in the world right now, yet there isn't a lot of career talk on radio. Why do you think that is? What would you tell a programmer or general manager who just can't see the need for a show about career advice?

I'm surprised there isn't more talk about jobs and careers on the radio. Radio listeners spend many if not most of their waking hours at work. They also spend a lot of time when they're not at work talking about it--or having anxiety attacks about it! Research shows four out of five people dislike what they do for a living, and many of them hate it. If you want a program that's relevant to almost everyone who listens to your station, employed or not, this is it.

I'm guessing there's a perception that a talk show about work would be about as fun as most jobs are. Not much!

You won't hear us dwelling on news about the latest economic downturn on this show. The focus of every program is to inspire people--to help them find a job, or find more joy in the job they have -- and to make sure they're having fun as they listen. Not everyone is unemployed, so we don't limit our discussions to job hunting techniques. One hour of the show might be about acing your performance review -- the next hour, how someone makes his living as a full-time poet. We talk to interesting people about interesting things under the general umbrella of career planning.

4. A lot of people who are unemployed now are hearing dire predictions about their careers, that they'll never earn what they used to earn, that they'll never get to the same level they once had, that they'll have to start over (and that, for someone in their 50s, is dire indeed). Do you see things that way? How does an unemployed person stay optimistic, and do you think that most people with experience in the workforce are looking at a derailed career path now?

One of my favorite career consultants says that a statistic doesn't have anything to do with you, and it never will. I think it's important to notice how you feel when you listen to all those "dire predictions." Do you feel better--or worse? Worse, right? So stop listening! Focus your attention on what you can do to turn your life around. The library, the bookstore, and of course "The Career Clinic" are filled with stories of people who overcame worse obstacles than you're probably facing and went on to amazing lives. It's your choice what media you consume. If staying relentlessly upbeat in the midst of uncertainty and upheaval is silly, call me silly. Maybe you've heard it said that the only time you'll be without problems is when you're dead. So, don't be dead.

Yes, this is a plot twist for many. Yes, it's painful. What are you going to do with that? Give up? It's your choice.

I read something once that haunted me, how many of us give up on our dreams in our fifties. My advice is, don't do that. Don't give up on yourself, ever. Don't decide the best part of your life is behind you. Maybe your story is only beginning to get interesting. At least give yourself that chance.

And sure, if you've just been laid off it's difficult to look at it as a good thing. I know. I've been laid off before, and I've been fired. Eventually I realized how important those turning points were to the life I now have, the one I love so much. I hear it from other people, too -recession or no: "Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to me." I think one reason is that it gives people time, which they've never taken before, to consider other choices.

It's encouragement like this we try to give to a station's listeners.

5. In a related vein, what's the most dramatic mid-career change you've seen? Who's made the biggest change in career and lifestyle?

Malcolm Bryan, an oil painter in Colorado. He knew when he was twenty he wanted to be an artist but was told he couldn't make a living at it. So he sold out, temporarily. He became a successful air freight forwarder. But before he embarked on the life other people approved of, he made a promise to himself. No matter what he was doing at age forty-five, he would quit and become an oil painter. He kept that promise. Twenty-five years later! I can't remember the last afternoon I finished something I set out to do only that morning. But Malcolm did, after twenty-five years, and he's one of the happiest people I know.

I think the best way to inspire people to go after their dream jobs is by featuring people like Malcolm, who have -- and can report back from the other side. It's one thing to tell someone how to accomplish something. Much better, I think, to introduce them to people who are living their dreams... and who can answer questions about how to pull that off.

What listeners seem the most hungry for is hope, in the form of successful career changers telling their stories.

6. Of what are you most proud?

That I look at life as an adventure. That even in some of the scariest moments, some of the most painful moments, I listen to that voice deep down inside that says, "This could be interesting!" I never approach the radio show as a "do this, do that" kind of proposition. I'm learning right along with my listeners.

Have fun, and learn a lot. That's what I tell people, including myself.

7. Who do you consider your mentors and inspirations in radio and in life?

"What Color Is Your Parachute?" author Dick Bolles once told me, "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." I used to think you should work hard, save a lot of money, and if someday you had the luxury of having fun, well, good for you. I never thought life was supposed to be filled with meaning until "someday." I was wrong. Now I think you should work hard, save a lot of money so you're not at the mercy of any one employer, but find a way to have fun along the way.

I was lucky. I found someone who believes in me, and I married him. Darrell Anderson is my husband and producer, and we take turns keeping each other inspired. Everything worthwhile begins with him--including our daughter Katie, our favorite North Shore Production, and another fountain of inspiration.

8. Say YOU had to make a career change. If what you do now -- career counselor, author, radio host -- became unavailable, what would you want to be doing for a living now, your dream "other job"?

I would be a spokesperson for Dove dark chocolate, or WASA crispbread, or Post shredded wheat, or Barilla pasta--or any of several other health foods. I've found a way to eat all day long and not gain weight, but I'm never hungry! I could write a book about what I've learned since giving up junk food altogether.

9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _______________.

...coffee. I'm with David Letterman (before his heart troubles) on this one. Without coffee I would have no identifiable personality whatsoever. Give me enough sleep, a good cup of coffee, and I can't wait to tear into the day and try to make something happen.

10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?

The best advice comes in the form of a question. It's from Gregg Levoy, author of "Callings": "If your life passed before your eyes, would it hold your interest?" Think about that. Are you having a good ride? Or are you slowly boring yourself...to death?

The worst advice? "Don't get your hopes up." I bet you've heard that a lot, and I bet you've heard it from people who love you a lot. But it's their story, not yours. They probably got a few hopes up themselves, and were disappointed. Maybe they decided the world is filled with disappointment, and they can spare you the pain.

Except that...they can't. What's the worst thing that will happen if you get your hopes up and you're disappointed? You'll live. And you'll probably learn something that will help you get what you want the next time, or the time after that.

I once read a story about a weatherman who loved his job so much he was embarrassed to get paid for it. That was another turning point for me, and it can be for you, too. Go after work you're so excited about it won't matter so much what you put on your resume or wear to the interview. Passion for the work is the one thing employers consistently tell me is irresistible.