A Student of Life

Pampering as Prevention

2009-09-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

From the same Latin word, hospes, we get two English words with very different meanings: hospital and hotel. As a consultant to the hospitality industry with an emphasis on health spas, Peter Anderson is bringing these two concepts together again. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Abandoning Law for the Lord

2009-09-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

When Deborah Smith Douglas could no longer silence the voice inside her that said she had chosen the wrong path, she left her law career behind and became a Camaldolese Benedictine oblate who leads retreats.

How do you go from high-powered corporate lawyer to contemplative writer? Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

From Photos to Hair: Franchises Can Work

2009-09-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

After rising high in the corporate world, former math student Terry Eubanks left to become his own boss, seizing the opportunity to invest in 14 franchise stores: Fantastic Sams (hair care). Find out more. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Stopping Childhood Sexual Abuse

2009-09-03T12:34:00.001-07:00

Recent news stories tell of the 18-year-long sexual abuse of a girl kidnapped at age 11 and imprisoned in the backyard of her molester. It's estimated that one in four American children will be sexually abused. How can we stop this? Find out how with Martha Wade, founder of A Quarter Blue. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

How to Break into Hollywood

2009-08-20T18:01:00.001-07:00

Jeremy Haft, a director and writer, spent his last semester of college working a short film that launched his Hollywood career. He and his friends took turns hiding in the editing room cabinet so that they could continue working after the room monitor left for the day. That level of dedication continues to serve him well. Find out how. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Successful Son Owes Mom

2009-08-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Hank Blank, a marketing expert, got his work ethic, determination, and anything-is-possible attitude from his mother, who escaped a work camp in Poland by walking two thousand miles with her young son to Baghdad, Iraq, where she became a courier for the British army until she was shot and wounded. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Key to Success: Show Up!

2009-08-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

Bob Staup has reinvented himself again and again. At the community college, he majored in music for 10 years, but also received certification in air-conditioning/refrigeration, enabling him to use his natural mechanical skills. Find out how this experience led to discovering a talent for sales and entrepreneurship, with a brief brush with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Advertising Career Leads to Writing and Travel

2009-07-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Chris Epting has created a life that combines travel with writing--yes, it can be done! The key: A tremendous commitment to hard work. Chris tells how a creative person can be a "trumpeter swan," not only imaging a project, but fully creating it. He's the author of 16 travel/history books. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Family First

2009-07-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Carine Nadel studied broadcast journalism in college and even broke into radio. But when she fell madly in love and agreed to marriage after the fourth date, she began a commitment to family life. She took jobs that allowed her to be home when her children
were. A few years ago she discovered that she had rheumatoid arthritis arthritis. Her chronic illness could have derailed her enthusiasm for learning new things, but instead made her more committed than ever to pursing her writing. And family--always family. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Finding Your Inner Artist

2009-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

As a college student, Cathy Cervantes studied recreational management. At age 23, an insightful boss told her she was in the wrong business, giving her permission to pursue her true passion--art. As the owner of Trixie Design she now provides graphics to non-profits and is also a fine artist, working in mixed media. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Starting Over, Again and Again

2009-06-30T08:30:00.001-07:00

Debra Self has reinvented herself many times, transitioning from being a chemist to a lawyer to a stockbroker to a teacher to a mediator. She’s established careers and friendships around the country, and even overseas. How does she adapt so easily to new situations? How did she end up exhibiting her calligraphy at Soka University? Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Swimming with Real Sharks

2009-06-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Richard Theiss has been able to pursue a series of creative endeavors, one after another, first as an aspiring rock star, then as a Hollywood video assistant, corporate marketing executive, and now as an underwater videographer. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show (KUCI 88.9 in Irvine, CA) that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

2009-06-09T09:13:00.001-07:00

Mike was a waiter finishing his MBA degree. But it wasn't a school counselor who got him into the corporate world. Find out how his talent for sales has enabled him to establish his own company and also break into book publishing. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Success Leaves Clues

2009-06-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Dave Phillipson went from umpiring baseball to coaching the stars of corporate America. How did he do it? Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Ron Carlson Never at a Loss for Words

2009-05-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

You can write a novel spending just 20 minutes per day, or at least Ron Carlson can. He's the director of UCI’s M.F.A. program in fiction and professor of English as well as an award-winning author of several short story collections and six novels, including the newly published The Signal. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Paint Your Way to Independence

2009-05-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

Kirk Miller is a successful artist, painting instructor, author, and owner of the Kirk Miller Art Studio. He traveled from Selma, Alabama to Sydney, Australia, to Southern California to become the artist he was meant to be. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Community Is More Important than Money

2009-05-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

Lori Nadeau was a preschool teacher who asked for more money and didn't get it. She decided it was time to establish her own company. So she strapped on her roller skates and went door-to-door asking to wash windows. As the owner of A Lady's Touch, she's still washing windows, but also able to give back to her community. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Photo by Judy Alexander: Lori Nadeau, left, gives a birthday card to her grandmother.

From Bar Room to Boardroom

2009-05-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

After college, Marie Moran hit the road as a night club singer. When she was ready to come home, how could she translate her performance experience into marketable business skills? Find out how she successfully became the founder of Mari Moran & Company, an executive coaching firm, and the designer of a workshop that helps other people, too, reinvent themselves. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Consulting Career Result of Encouragement

2009-05-01T15:29:00.001-07:00

Geri Lopker of Geri Lopker & Associates started out her professional life as an occupational therapist, helping patients recover the use of their bodies after an illness or trauma. Now, she does the same thing for corporations, as a corporate trainer and performance consultant. She's also on a personal mission to re-introduce gratitude in an impatient world. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Disappointment Leads to the Perfect Life

2009-04-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

When Jennifer Heinly was young, she wanted to be professional tennis player. That didn’t happen. She wanted to be a sports agent. That didn’t happen. Instead, she became the owner of her own public relations firm: J&J Consulting. Now, as a book publicist and PR expert, she’s living the life she always wanted. Learn why. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Midlife Awakening

2009-04-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Michael Hoffman was a success: He was a sports-industry promotions professional earning $350,000 per year. He had also successfully recovered from alcoholism. Even so, he felt dissatisfied. Find out how "taking the next indicate step" led him to go back to school in order to counsel recovering addicts. Listen to the show and read his blog.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Immigrants’ Son Abandons Big Corporate Jobs for Entrepreneurship, Family, and Faith

2009-04-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

There is still investment money in Orange County, according to David Oh, managing director of the Harvard Alumni Association of Orange County, which is sponsoring the 25th annual Southern California Business Growth Conference on April 20, 2009.

David is a graduate of some of the best colleges in the country, including Harvard, who has left behind a profession in large corporations to pursue a life modeled after his Korean immigrant father’s—dedicated to entrepreneurship, family, and faith. His company, EmLiv, helps aging family members stay in their homes by making structural modifications. Listen.

A Student of Life is a weekly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Drama Major Values Art

2009-03-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sheryl Gillett was a drama major who spent eight years in theater and film. Then she discovered a financially-rewarding way to live a creative life: She became an expert art appraiser. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Life Is an Adventure

2009-03-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

When one Michigan-born young woman declines an expenses-paid trip to Japan because her boss won’t give her a leave of absence, she might have been setting herself up for a constrained, predictable life. Instead, that painful moment became a turning point. Hear how Julie Diebolt Price—secretary turned college-educated manager turned entrepreneur—was able to create an adventurous life full of photography and travel. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Entrepreneurship Satisfies Desire to Directly Affect Client Satisfaction

2009-02-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Alyson Wiley is founder and CFO of Towne & Country Design Group, a boutique kitchen and bath design firm. She has an MBA degree but isn't sitting in a corporate cubicle working on Excel spreadsheets. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

She Empowers Children to Impact Their Communities

2009-02-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

Julie Hudash is founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization (Team Kids) that shows kids how to get involved in their

communities. She hoped to "make a difference in the world" and has realized that dream by encouraging even young children to take an active role in helping others.

Find out how one woman, who already had a full household, was able to set up a thriving organization whose mission of youth community involvement is more timely than ever. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Black Past Leads to Colorful Life

2009-01-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

Arie Galles is an artist, professor, and director of Creative Arts at Soka University. His works are in public and private collections in the US and abroad. He was born in Uzbekistan, then raised in Poland, Israel, and the U.S. by parents who escaped the Holocaust. Find out how he used his art to pay tribute to a black-and-white world, and how he returned to full light and color. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Blessed By History

2009-01-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

Douglas Westfall compiles first-person accounts and photographs into books that capture historical events. How did he create a life that allows him to preserve history through his books and lectures? Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Farmer, Writer, and Female Monk

2008-12-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

Paula Huston is a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow, essayist, gardener, and mother who monthly joins a monastery in Big Sur. Find out how she incorporates the principles of monastic life into her at-home life as a writer, gardener, and wife. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Convent Leads to Poetry and Photography

2008-12-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

Kathleen Gunton was a postulate in a New York convent who became a single-mother grocery-store cashier with a secret: She wrote poetry worthy of a nomination for California Poet Laureate. Find out how her fascination with the world around her feeds both her poetry and her photography. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Nate Morton: Drumming as a Fulltime Career

2008-12-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Nate Morton is a professional drummer on the TV programs Rockstar and the Bonnie Hunt Show. He discusses his success at making music a full-time career. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Creative Together

2008-11-16T08:09:00.001-08:00

How can two talented people create a marriage in which they remain connected to each other while simultaneously pursuing their own endeavors? Meg and Wayne Brazil have created a productive, artistic life full of a love of music and desire to help others. Individually, too, they fully use their talents: Meg as a musician, singer, teacher, and photographer, and Wayne as a psychologist, teacher, writer, and painter. Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Your Thoughts Lead You

2008-11-02T08:12:00.001-08:00

Kamin Bell was the Navy’s first black female helicopter pilot. Impulsively, she left her secure military career to purse entrepreneurship, but the results were disastrous. Even though she was a bright, college educated woman, she was facing bankruptcy. How could she admit to her family, and to herself, that she’d failed? Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

From TV Studio to College Classroom

2008-10-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Angela Sadler Williamson always loved television and dreamed of becoming the next Oprah Winfrey. She was on her way, breaking into television straight out of college, when she realized that her true passion was teaching. Why would a successful producer and writer give up 60% of her income to pursue a tenured professorship? Listen.

A Student of Life is a bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.

Don’t Let Your Past Stop You

2008-10-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Martha Nix Wade started appearing on TV at age four, on such popular shows as The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Days of our Lives. She now has a full life as a mother, teacher, and founder of a nonprofit organization. But to get this stage of life, she had to face a secret she’d kept for years. Listen.

A Student of Life is a new bi-monthly interview show that examines how to maximize your talents despite a college degree. The host is Judy Alexander, author and photographer.