Second Start With Joel Olicker

"Cliff Hakim started out as a public school teacher. He loved the work, but not the low pay. So he embarked on a series of work transitions, first into the corporate world, then starting his own firm, eventually becoming a sought-after author and career coach. There was a logical flow to all these changes, but recently Cliff took a different kind of turn, perhaps the biggest leap of his life. He and Joel talk about trusting your gut, sensing when things start to get stale, and mustering the courage to change."

Imam Taymullah Abdur-Rahman is currently a chaplain at Harvard Univesity. He's a lecturer, family counselor and educator in and around New England, and worked as a chaplain in the Massachusetts Correctional System for seven years. But things started out quite differently for Taymullah. As a 13 year old Roxbury kid named Tyrone Sutton, he became the lead singer of a major pop sensation boy band called Perfect Gentleman, the opening act for New Kids on The Block.  He toured for four years in his teens, performing in front of stadiums filled with screaming fans. Taymullah tells Joel the story of how his life moved from the precipice of mega-celebrity, through some very tough personal times, to a life of deep faith, with ongoing struggles, today.

Sometimes second starts can mean a return to an unexplored interest or passion. And at other times life changes aren't voluntary and can involve deeply personal sacrifices. Either way, the decision to begin a new chapter in life is never easy. In Episode 2 of Second Start Joel talks about his painstaking choice to lay off his last employee--and close friend--Rob Kirwan, and sits down with David Vos, a fellow producer, to chat about his whimsical foray into filming himself cook, iPhone in one hand, spoon in another.   

In the first episode of Second Start, I confront the looming question of what to do in the aftermath of the formerly-thriving business I owned for more than 20 years tanking. I’m joined by Roy Weinberg, who was able to make a fresh start of his own after losing his job and struggling with depression.