The Portfolio Career Lab
The Portfolio Career Lab explores the future of work and the people shaping it. It features conversations with entrepreneurs, futurists, and innovators about how careers are changing. The show examines portfolio careers, multiple income streams, and new ways of working. Hosted by Build with Brie, it offers ideas and stories for building a more flexible professional life.
Episodes
Polyworker BTS: Why Writing a Book Can Clarify Your Ideas and Grow Your Business
This episode is a pre-recorded webinar hosted by my friends from Hello Generalist. I share a bit about the thesis of the book as well as get into some of the big ideas from the book that now power my coaching business.
If you’ve been thinking about writing a book or are considering starting a newsletter, this is a great starting point for turning those big ideas rattling around in your brain into
Polyworker BTS: A Replay of a Convo with Anna Mackenzie about Why Portfolio Careers Are the Future
This is a revisit of a very conversation I had with the lovely Anna Mackenzie this time last year wherein we explorde how portfolio careers have moved from niche to mainstream, accelerated by AI and changing attitudes toward work. It was a catalyst of a conversation that sent me on my trajectory to writing my book Polyworker which is why I've included it in this BTS series.
Give a listen to Anna a
Polyworker BTS: Are We Living in Technofeudal Times?
In this week's episode of the pod I have brand strategist Mark Rukman on to talk about this concept of technofeudalism which I poke fun at in my book (albeit indirectly).
The laptop class is having a moment right now in terms of it's digital discourse. Economic anxiety has shifted from "my boss is the worst" to "late stage capitalism sucks". So I brought Mark Rukman on to help me figure out if we
Polyworker BTS: Why Polyworking and Polyamory Have More in Common Than You Think
In this week's episode of the pod I have MJ Halberstadt back on again to talk about a comparison I make in the book between portfolio careers and polyamory. We also dig into this idea of automatic thinking and a key concept from the later chapters of the book: the professional polycule!
Buy Polyworker on Amazon or Bookshop.org: https://linktr.ee/BrieAbramowicz
Polyworker BTS: Managing the Feast or Famine Income Cycle as a Solopreneur
In this episode of the pod I chat with Ceres Chua, founder of The Money Mindset Lab about the feast-or-famine cycles that are a hallmark of running a small business, and how to build a financial system and money mindset that bolsters you when your business cash flows inevitably get lumpy.
If you're early in your polyworking journey, partway in and financially anxious AF, or on the fence about jump
Polyworker BTS: WTF is a polyworker??
What's the difference between a polyworker and a portfolio careerist? And why does it matter?
In this episode, I break down why I titled the book Polyworker and what it takes to build a career around your values while still operating inside capitalism. If you've ever felt like you were "doing the thing" but still had bad weeks because your business development pipeline was nonexistent or your cash
Polyworker BTS: Producing Corporate Fleabag and Planet Work
This is episode one of a little mini season of the show. (A whole mini season! I know. Bear with me.) It's going to be chock full of behind-the-scenes stuff re: my debut book Polyworker!
This particular episode gives you a closer look at the two companion films for the book — Corporate Fleabag and Planet Work . I sit down for a chat with SAG actress and the leading lady in both shorts Ally Condrat
Bhavna Devani: Skill Gathering in a Post AI World
In this episode, I chat with Bhavna Devani about the generational reckoning happening in the culture of work and why so many of us feel like we’re navigating economic precarity and career chaos alone, when it’s actually a collective, systemic shift.
We talk about the skills this moment now demands—continuous skill gathering, communications and marketing as core economic competencies, and the pract
Meg Scheding: Disrupting the Status Bro
In this episode, I chat with Meg Scheding of Strategic Pivotery, a Slack-based community for women (not so quietly!) stepping away from confines of tech hustle culture and the idea that work defines our worth.
We chat about the intense loneliness that tends to creep up when you step away from full-time work, how she built a community as a means of solving that problem, and who Meg believes needs
Julie Fedele: Saying Goodbye to Your Corporate Self
In this episode, I chat with Julie Fedele about the state of the corporate world and my upcoming book Polyworker. We explore the identity work that comes with starting over, and then wade into a harder question: if the social contract is broken, who is actually responsible for fixing it?
Did My Predictions for 2025 Come True?
In this episode, I run back through my big portfolio-career predictions for 2025 and then I cast a little spell for 2026. You know, set the vibes, summon the universe, see what sticks. It’s reflective, kinda witchy… very on brand.
Ashley Rudolph: Inertia Disguised as Achievement
In this episode of the pod, I sit down with executive coach Ashley Rudolph to explore the quiet crisis playing out inside modern careers: mid-career high achievers waking up in lives they never consciously chose. We dig into Ashley’s concept of utopia syndrome—when our ambition slips into autopilot—and how “inertia disguised as achievement” keeps people chasing roles they don’t actually want. We b
The Hamlins: Getting in Front of the Camera
In this episode, I sit down with my former clients Sarah and Brendon Hamlin, the husband-and-wife team behind Hamlin Creative, to talk about what it really takes to evolve an established business in the digital age. After more than a decade of running their video production company, they decided to push beyond referrals and their reputation to experiment with growing their reputation on a new chan
Geoffrey Colon: AI Ate Our Jobs (And Our Sense of Purpose)
In this episode, I sit down with Geoffrey Colon to talk about how professionals can move through the stages of grief after job loss and channel that uncertainty into creativity and new beginnings. We dig into how the world of work is shifting toward smaller, more independent ecosystems—and the need for new support systems and policies to match.
We also explore the erosion of loyalty in corporate c
Sarah Hanson: Writing a Memoir-in-Verse
In this episode, poet and truth-teller Sarah Hanson joins me to talk about leaving a successful 15-year run in corporate to write her debut memoir-in-verse, Conjuring the Hurricane. Sarah opens up about surviving domestic violence, living through and processing profound grief, and choosing to write about these experiences with both honesty and gentleness.
Bree Groff: On Making Work Fun
In this episode, Bree Groff joins me to talk about ways we can make work feel more human and joyful. As the author of the recently published book Today Was Fun and a seasoned change strategist, Bree brings a fresh perspective to the show regarding how both individuals and organizations can embrace ambiguity, build resilience, and actually enjoy the process of transformation.
Lindsey Lerner: Field Notes from the Work and the Wild
In this conversation, I chat with writer, photographer, and community builder Lindsey Lerner to explore the launch of her year-long project Field Notes from the Work and the Wild. Lindsey shares how her background in anthropology, photography, and storytelling informs her work documenting the often-overlooked process behind our creativity.
We chat about :
The origins of Field Notes and her drive
Jillian Reilly: Redefining the Rules of Adulting
In this episode of The Portfolio Career Lab, I sit down with author and change strategist Jillian Reilly to explore what it really means to give yourself permission to architect a career on your terms at any age.
Jillian shares a bit about her new book The 10 Permissions: Redefining the Rules of Adulting for the 21st Century and chats with me about why so many of us are still waiting for a “green
Shaina Feinberg: Filmmaking, Family, and Finding Your Voice
And.. we're back for season two!
In this season’s opener of The Portfolio Career Lab, filmmaker, writer, and mother Shaina Feinberg joins me for a conversation about creating art inside the chaos of motherhood, the unlikely mentorship she found with legendary actor and director Joan Darling, and her upcoming documentary None of This Matters.
I hope this conversation moves you the same way it moved
Anna Mackenzie: Redefining Plan A
Are you a regular listener of the show? Do you want to shape the conversation for season 2? Fill out this quick survey and help me and the production team ideate for next season's guests and episode lineup. (And if you can, leave a review of the show on Apple or Spotify too!)
In this final episode of the first season, I sit down with my friend Anna Mackenzie. Anna has built a portfolio career that
Alex Huhn: Building a Minimum Viable Brand
In this episode I sit down with Alex Huhn, a marketing strategist who’s built a portfolio career that blends the stability of a W2 with a growing marketing studio of real estate clients. We talk about how he navigated the messy middle following a layoff, the Dream 100 strategy w, and what shifted once he stopped chasing the content treadmill and started building a “minimum viable brand.”
Shaina Anderson: Is Fractional is the Future?
In this episode I sit down with Shaina Anderson, a former Chief of Staff at Yelp and startup operator, as she shares her journey into the world of portfolio careers and the genesis of her business Hello Generalist. We chat the rise of fractional work, the difference between executive advisors and hands-on generalists, and why not every generalist is created equal.
Interested in fractional?
Go chec
Jamie Lee: Person Market Fit
In this episode of the pod, I sit down with Jamie Lee, founder of JME Lab, to unpack the evolution of her portfolio career and the strategic framework she's built around her business around (Jumpstart, Mobilize, and Elevate!). Jamie shares how she’s scaled her business through a thoughtful mix of consulting, fractional advisory, teaching, and one-on-one coaching engagements.
From her early days at
Harry Siggins: What's a Chief of Staff?
In this episode, I sit down with Harry Siggins, a former Chief of Staff turned workshop facilitator helping growth-stage companies. After five years acting as the strategic Swiss Army knife for startup CEOs, Harry stepped off the always-on hamster wheel and into a portfolio career focused on what gives him the most energy: designing high-trust, high-impact workshops!
We unpack what the Chief of St
Janel Abrahami: Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game
In this episode, I sit down with career coach, speaker, and future of work thought leader Janel Abrahami whose thought leadership has been featured in CNBC, Business Insider, Girlboss, and more. Janelle shares how a career crisis in 2020 led her to create a portfolio career—one that combines coaching, content creation, speaking, and more.
We unpack how she navigated the ‘messy middle’ of career tr
Jori Bell: Why PMs make great portfolio careerists
In this conversation, I sit down with Jori Bell, a product coach whose product experience includes companies like SoundCloud, Spotify, and Audible. Jori chats with me about her transition from consumer tech. We discuss the challenges of personal branding, imposter syndrome, and balancing multiple roles while trying to maintain focus. We also explore experimentation, lifelong learning, and how smal
Danielle Rogers: The Path to Self-Publishing
In this conversation, I sit down with Danielle Rogers, founder of Cleverly Corporate and SVP at Truist, to discuss her journey navigating an incredibly challenging 2024 and how it led her to build a portfolio career.
Danielle shares the highs and lows of 2024—including getting engaged (and later calling off the engagement), experiencing a layoff that... wasn’t quite a layoff, and dealing with pers
Bryon Majusiak: Conservation on Two Wheels
In this conversation, I sit down with Bryon Majusiak, a former mechanical engineer at Google and Blue River Technology, to explore his incredible work with Rally for Rangers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping park rangers around the world with the tools they need to protect some of the planet's most vulnerable ecosystems.
Bryon shares his journey from being a participant in a single
Oana Leonte: Your Zone of Genius & Building a Scalable Brand
This episode is a special one!
In this conversation, I sit down with Oana Leonte, founder of Unmtchd. and a seasoned marketer with over 20 years of marketing experience, to discuss her journey from working with iconic brands like Disney and Puma to launching a platform that redefines branding and marketing.
Oana shares how her early exposure to entrepreneurship in post-communist Romania and her co
Ellyn Shenke: Redefining Burnout
In this conversation, I sit down with Coach Ellun, a former scientist turned burnout expert, to explore her journey from academia to entrepreneurship and her mission to help others navigate the challenges of modern work. Ellyn shares how her personal experience with burnout during her PhD program led her to research and develop practical strategies for recovery, ultimately inspiring her transition
Dave Kang: Octopus Careers
In this conversation, I sit down with Dave Kang, entrepreneur and brand strategist, to explore his bold experiment in building an “octopus-style” portfolio career. Dave shares how his journey began with a corporate layoff and a transformative sabbatical, leading him to embrace generalism and launch multiple "tentacles" of work—from brand strategy consulting to e-commerce and even ambient music pro
A Meditation: Embracing the Holiday Rhythm
Through a short and sweet guided moment of stillness, Brie invites you to reset, recharge, and reconnect with yourself while inviting in the change of the seasons. Let this be your permission slip to step back and step into 2025 with renewed clarity and intention after some R&R for the remainder of the year.
Take a deep breath and join us. You deserve it.
Paige Hewlett: Balancing Motherhood and a Portfolio Career
In this episode, I sit down with Paige Hewlett, marketer, founder, and VP of Marketing at Mobius Risk Group, to explore her journey through a portfolio career and the creation of Margo, a SaaS platform designed to help small business owners tackle the complexities of marketing. Paige shares how her experience moving from running her own business to in-house leadership roles gave her unique insight
Bradley Schurman: The Future of Work Revolution
In this conversation, I sit down with Bradley Schurman, author, consultant, and founder of Human Change, to unpack the profound demographic shifts shaping today's workforce. Bradley shares insights on how changing birth rates, an aging population, and workforce challenges are pushing more people toward portfolio careers as an alternative to traditional work structures. We explore the ongoing "grea
The Great Unraveling
In this introductory episode, I share insights into what inspired me to launch this podcast. Drawing from my experiences navigating layoffs and career uncertainty, I discuss how the traditional promises of stability and security in work have eroded, especially in the wake of the pandemic and rapid technological change.
I explore why so many of us are rethinking our careers, the appeal of the portf
