I'm often asked how I started my career. So, of course, when Jody Cantor, author of How to Start,

investigative journalist for the New York Times, asked me to join her and Priya Parker, author of

The Art of Gathering, in a conversation about how to start our work life, our careers.

I was instantly intrigued.

There's so much to tell about how to start.

I actually really like the focus on the starting

rather than even anything that follows afterwards.

So we showed up on stage and basically asked questions about the book to

Jodi, like what made you want to write a book for young people finishing college or school and

wanting to know how to start. What was special about the audience was how intergenerational it was,

because everyone is concerned by the question of work today, whether you have just paid for

the college of your child, whether you are yourself in transition in your mid-40s, or whether

you are just starting. It is actually a collective question at every age level.

So my friend Priya Parker, who is a consummate group facilitator,

set the intention for the evening and facilitated the conversation.

We are gathered here tonight as a temporary community with a shared question.

And we are gathering around one of the things that people have done for as old as time,

which is to sit together, and ask something that is relevant to our young

people, but is actually relevant to all, which is how in this moment of uncertainty, in this one

could even say mess, does one find one's life's work? And a year ago, our friend Jody was asked by the Columbia

students to be their commencement speaker. Now, I don't know if you all remember what was

happening at Columbia at the time, but most people would probably say, you know, I need to wash my

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