Tag Archives: career development
JC Leveque Makes The Case For Conversation As A Surgeon’s Best Tool
What do 1990s college radio, Richard Scarry’s picture books, and complex spine surgery have in common? They’re all part of JC Leveque’s journey. Today he’s the Section Head of Neurosurgery at Virginia Mason in Seattle, but his path included years on the road with his Amherst-born band Rosemary Caine, the decision to, as he put it, “step off the bus” before med school, and a career built around making some of the hardest conversations easier for his patients.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
How JC knew it was time to walk away from his band Rosemary Caine to pursue medicine
His take on spinal surgery as both engineering and art
The Richard Scarry moment that made Seattle feel like home
What he’s learned about patient communication from time on stage
And, as always, JC names the classmates he’d like to hear on the podcast.
You can email him at jcleveque@me.com.
Alisa Pincus Finds Home Abroad
Alisa Pincus is in the 22nd year of a five-year plan to live in Sydney, Australia. After starting her legal career in New York, a blind date changed her trajectory, leading her to Australia, a global role with Nielsen, and extensive travel across the Asia Pacific region.
In this episode, Alisa reflects on the ways being an expat has shaped her perspective on America, Australia, and herself. She also shares the highlights of her years in corporate law — and her decision to step back and focus on family and board work.
Listeners will hear:
What it was like to trade New York City law for Sydney — and how five years turned into 22
The challenges and rewards of working across vastly different Asia Pacific cultures
Stories from a three-month family adventure around the world (including an Amherst reunion)
How Amherst prepared her for a life of pivots and possibilities
The classmates she’d like to hear from next
To get in touch with Alisa, email her at alisa.pincus@gmail.com and find her on Instagram: @alisapincus. Big thanks to Ed Castillo for nominating Alisa!
Abbie Raikes Seeks Out The Hard Stuff And Makes It Better
Curiosity and challenge have propelled Abbie Raikes ever since she left the stage at Amherst College in 1994 with her diploma in hand and launched her career in public service just five days later. Abbie describes the moves she’s made, from Nebraska to Paris and back again, as a series of deliberate choices to get closer to big, tough, important problems. She’s now tackling early childhood development on a global scale through her company, ECD Measure, and her role as a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
We talk about why she left the law school track, the revelation that hit her while working in a Nicaraguan health clinic, the philosophies that have guided her as a researcher and entrepreneur, and the ways that Amherst nurtured her early instincts. She shares a poignant remembrance of a classmate who left too soon, and offers insights about what she hopes to prioritize in the years ahead.
Highlights:
Abbie reflects on how a serious injury and a stubborn sense of curiosity led her to choose Amherst College over schools closer to home
She shares what working for Senator Bob Kerrey and reading constituent letters illuminated how she could best tackle important problems
Abbie explains what her company ECD Measure does. and why she prioritized cultural adaptability in its tools and output
She discusses the balance between academic rigor and entrepreneurial agility, and why she seeks out discomfort and challenge
Learn whom from the class of 1994 she’d like me to interview next
To get in touch with Abbie, you can find her on LinkedIn or through her faculty profile at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Brian Shactman Finds His Voice – And Amplifies Voices All Over Connecticut And Beyond
Brian Schactman in many ways has become the voice of Connecticut. As a co-host of a morning radio talk show, he travels the state to meet residents of interest and explore the topics that animate the 169 towns and cities that call Connecticut home. Having listened to his stuff, I can tell you that he’s awfully good at what he does. Thankfully, streaming makes it possible for anyone to listen to him, so I’ll include a link to do just that in the notes below.
Our candid conversation covers his journey from ESPN, through CNBC, MSNBC, and NBC Boston, to his current role at WTIC 1080 AM in Hartford. In the process, Brian helped me imagine a life I might have had if I had stuck with broadcast journalism as a career for myself.
Plus, tune in to hear whom from the Amherst Class of 1994 Brian wants me to interview next.
You can contact Brian via email (bshactman@gmail.com) and find him X, Instagram, and Facebook. Download the Audacy app by following this link so you can listen to his morning show, “Mornings with Ray and Brian.”
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