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The Next Best Thing

The Next Best Thing

By: Aundrea Cline-Thomas
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This is a podcast about making changes in all areas of your life, even when you don’t know where to start. This is the antidote to your Sunday scaries. It bucks cultural standards that can leave you burned out and broken. It’s not about activating a Plan B or a career pivot; both of those terms indicate abandoning how you started. No, this is about continuing on your path and using all of your experiences to make a shift your future self will thank you for. Each episode includes a different example of what navigating your NEXT could look like. So get comfy…we’re on this journey together!Copyright Aundrea Cline-Thomas Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Corporate Exit That Started With One Dessert

    The Corporate Exit That Started With One Dessert
    Oct 28 2026
    Her business took off when she stopped hiding.

    Nicole Shaw spent years letting her product speak for itself. But when she stepped in front of the camera her first TikTok video got 500,000 views. Her second reached 1.7 million.On this episode of The NEXT Best Thing Podcast, Nicole shares how she turned an unexpected discovery in Hungary into Kurly Kürtősh, a New Jersey café and catering business, and what it really takes to build something from the ground up.

    From navigating the leap from corporate life to entrepreneurship to finding the right people who challenge and support her, Nicole reveals how preparation, resilience, and a clear sense of purpose helped her turn an unexpected opportunity into a business that brings people joy.

    Visit Kurly Kürtősh
    74 E. Passaic Ave,
    Nutley, NJ 07110
    Only 5 minutes off the Garden State Parkway
    (Exit 151: Watchung Ave/Montclair)
    Learn More: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bOTwPgyz08Q
    Website: https://www.kurlykurtosh.com/

    📩 Get the key takeaways in the Saturday Rundown, my weekly newsletter for career transitions: https://aundreact.com/NEWSLETTER/
    Join Aundrea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextbestthingpod/

    Join our upcoming workshop:

    Closing the Fulfillment Gap with Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda
    November 7th, 7:00pmET
    Sign up: https://streamyard.com/watch/kVhBCxegh7Gg
    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
  • What It Really Takes to Get Ahead in Communications

    What It Really Takes to Get Ahead in Communications
    Oct 21 2026
    You can be good at what you do and still struggle to get the right people to see your value. So how do you turn years of experience into new opportunities?In this episode of The NEXT Best Thing, I’m joined by Diana Alvear, a Verizon executive whose career spans the highest levels of journalism and corporate communications. Drawing on her own career journey, Diana shares what it takes to make your experience matter in a new professional environment. In this conversation, we explore:
    • How to translate your experience into value that hiring managers understand
    • Why relationships can create opportunities that applications alone may not
    • How to use LinkedIn to make your expertise visible
    • How to navigate career change without letting your job title define you
    Subscribe to The NEXT Best Thing for more conversations and practical strategies to help you live the life you design instead of settling for the life you think you have to: https://aundreact.com/NEWSLETTER

    Stay in contact with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianaalvear/

    📩 Get the key takeaways in the Saturday Rundown, my weekly newsletter for career transitions: https://aundreact.com/NEWSLETTER/
    Join Aundrea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextbestthingpod/

    Join our upcoming workshops:

    How To Get Clients with Allison Davis
    October 27th at 6:30pmET
    Sign Up: https://streamyard.com/watch/sV5wjRyiSHAN

    Closing the Fulfillment Gap with Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda
    November 7th, 7:00pmET
    Sign up: https://streamyard.com/watch/kVhBCxegh7Gg
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 10 mins
  • You Don't Have To Be An Influencer To Build a Personal Brand with Maribel Lara

    You Don't Have To Be An Influencer To Build a Personal Brand with Maribel Lara
    Oct 14 2026
    Building a personal brand doesn’t mean becoming an influencer. Maribel Lara, Founder and Principal at Beget Love Consulting, shows you how social media can grow your career.Maribel went from higher education to becoming Gary Vaynerchuk’s Chief of Staff, then built The Sasha Group to bring Vayner’s playbook to small businesses. She’s living proof that your skills can carry you into a whole new industry. Now she helps professionals and founders turn their experience into visibility that opens doors.

    If you’ve ever wondered how to build a personal brand, what to do when your LinkedIn posts get no engagement, or how to show up online when you hate being on camera, this conversation is for you! She reframes the real value in social media, and spoiler alert, it’s not to collect likes and how you can identify where your next opportunity is hiding.

    Stay for the ACT Up segment, where Maribel answers the most common reasons people give for staying offline.

    🤝 Connect with Maribel Lara
    Beget Love Consulting: https://www.begetlove.com/
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latina_sweetie/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maribellara/
    Substack: https://begetloveconsultancy.substack.com/

    📩 Get the key takeaways in the Saturday Rundown, my weekly newsletter for career transitions: https://aundreact.com/NEWSLETTER/
    Join Aundrea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextbestthingpod/

    Join our upcoming workshops:

    How To Get Clients with Allison Davis
    October 27th at 6:30pm
    Sign Up: https://streamyard.com/watch/sV5wjRyiSHAN

    Closing the Fulfillment Gap with Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda
    November 7th, 7:00pmET
    Sign up: https://streamyard.com/watch/kVhBCxegh7Gg
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
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