Last we spoke with Adam Medros, he had moved through a string of ever-more-interesting C-Suite roles. Not long after, he realized he needed to hit the pause button and embarked on a sabbatical of sorts. On this Roads Taken Revisited, find out how taking time to do nothing and some new somethings can help hit the reset.

Last we spoke with Jeneen DiBenedetto Graham, it was summer 2020 and as the head of the upper school at St. Margaret's Episcopal School in Southern California, she was still in the thick of the complexities of Covid-19. In the more than four years since, her ability to handle the unexpected has continued to be tested as she has faced fears, uncertainty, and a chaning future. Find out how keeping service and growth at the center can keep things on track.

Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley has only two more episodes in this season before we go on hiatus again. But when we're not on the air it doesn't mean we're not thinking about content. So drop us a line through the Contact Us link at RoadsTakenShow.com. Let us know what you might be interested in hearing in a future season.

In college, Jesse Israel knew that his major didn't really matter so much because he wanted to pursue a life in entertainment and media and early experiences landed him on the path right away. With a career that saw him in every sort of producing role, eventually developing major star vehicles, he realized that there might be another way to use the full range of skills he'd honed over two decades. Find out how tapping into relationships and dealing with rejection can be quite transferable.

Though starting out as pre-med and a member of the development ski team, Dan Kashman changed courses a couple of times in college and after until he found that his interests and skills made the most sense in the world of marketing. Moving between smaller companies and larger shops with powerful tools, he learned to find the connections between data, technology, and creativity for companies of all sizes, including his own. Find out how changing course and pursuing longevity aren't always in opposition.

As she began college, Annie Soutter Horton had a clear, singular identity: She was a swimmer. But something began feeling off and she had to make a change that left her in search of who she really was at core and how she could feel more whole. In following a path toward education, she saw others who might not be secure with who they were and what made them well. Find out how quieting yourself to tune into the elements of wellness can bring you fill circle.

When we last spoke with Jonathon Stewart, known affectionately to us as Stew, he was in LA hitting his stride in the world of screenwriting and working on animated and live-action feature films. He has continued on this path with his long-time creative partner, depsite the ups and downs that have come in this period of redefinition for the entire film industry. Find out how now, with the perspective one gets in the middle stages of life, sometimes looking at the long game really just tracks with searching for the little things that make us human on this Roads Taken Revisited.

When last we spoke with Pace Duckenfield, he was on the cusp of retiring from a long and decorated military career and he was weighing how he might use his skills and experience in the private sector. He kept his roots in Georgia but has still found ways to branch out. Find out how finding gratitude for one path ending and another beginning is the key to moving on.

Somehow, Michael Rigney always knew he wanted to work in the climate and energy space. So he studied engineering, but then wasn’t sure what the path would be. What he did know is that he wasn’t afraid of working hard or trying things. Find out how sometimes the journeys that create the most meaningful things are the long ones.

When we last spoke with Kira Lawrence, more than two years ago, she was taking a sabbatical from her tenured faculty position to work within New Jersey's Division of Clean Energy at the state’s Board of Public Utilities to try to make more direct impact on the climate crisis. Her time there made her think at length about how to best leverage her time and expertise for things she thinks are important. Find out how leadership is rarely about having the answers but motivating people from diverse backgrounds to take on the gnarly questions.

When her classmates were worried about their paths after graduation, Erika Monahan intentionally decided to remain focused on the present. Despite her training and innate skills as an historian, she has been able to keep this orientation front and center as she's navigated career choices in a variety of geographies. Find out how, while clues from the past can certainly inform the future, the present provides a necessary grounding.

Last we spoke with Brandon del Pozo, he had just finished his PhD after concluding a long and was looking for a home for his research agenda. Now at home in academia, he realized he could spread innovation better by getting beyond the local beat. Find out how reflecting on what you've seen and know locally can have eventual large-scale impact.

Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley will be returning for another new season this summer, but don’t expect frothy beach-read material. We’re getting into the heavy stuff of the current moment—the opioid epidemic, higher education, the climate crisis—but also finding the humans and humanity in it all. As in all our previous seasons, we will talk with new guests—all a quarter-century-plus after college—about who they were as they graduated, who they thought they’d become, and how they’ve traveled down various roads to get where they are today. But this time, interspersed with those new voices, we will be sitting down anew with some previous guests to get an update on the paths they've trod since our last conversation.

Welcome back to Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley. We are thrilled to be bringing you another great season of stories that remind us that you don’t have to know exactly where you’re going, you just need to be open to the adventure that awaits. As in all our previous seasons, in each episode we will talk to our guests—all a quarter-century-plus after college—about who they were as they graduated, who they thought they’d become, and how they’ve traveled down various roads to get where they are today. Interspersed with these new voices, we will be sitting down anew with some previous guests to get an update on the paths they've trod since our last conversation. New episodes post every Monday during each active season.

When Doug Asano and his buddies were graduating, one friend's dad took a minute to stop them and point out what they needed to take with them when they left college. At the moment, Doug thought it both odd and potentially monumental. And in the ensuing years, he's come to realize the true wisdom that lived in the remark. Find out how keeping up connections and tapping in can make even the quietest of moments joyful.

A few times in Mario Barge's life, he thought he knew where a successful path would take him, but then he listened harder. It seemed that some of his experiences were trying to give him the perspective that stuff is just stuff and the outward trappings of success might not really be what we're after anyway. Find out how paying attention and being self aware can help us see that life is for really just for living.

When Mal Wrenn Corbin got to college, the bucolic, peaceful campus seemed not only like a haven but a world away from the turbulence of her life in post-industrial Worcester, Massachusettes. As she set out to find success in the professional world, there was always a feeling that perhaps she hadn't tucked that history far back enough and she would be found out as who she'd been. Once she decided to face the trauma in her past, she was able to recognize that her full story was worth telling. Find out how looking back and bridging the distance can sometimes show how far we've come.

When we last spoke with Michelle Villalobos, in our very first month of producing this podcast, she talked about how sometimes you need to quiet the noise and listen more carefully inside to figure out who you are and where you're going. Recently, that voice from inside woke her up to a new message she couldn't shake. In this Revisited, find out how letting nature take the lead can show us that everything has its season.

Last we spoke with Joey Hood, he was between assignments with the State Department, waiting for word on where he and his family would go next. It seemed everything from his language study to early career experiences were setting him up for the ultimate big league position. In this Roads Taken Revisited, find out how taking everything as it comes can sometimes lead you to where you’re meant to be.

When we last spoke with Keshav Puttaswamy, he told us about spending 20 years at Microsoft, finally making the break for a new venture in Australia and ultimately coming back home again. Hitting the 25 year mark with Microsoft and watching his own daughter set off on a new adventure, the time seemed to be right to make a leap again. In this Roads Taken Revisited, find out how being open and staying in the present can provide options for the future.