The Next Best Thing

Hosted by Aundrea Cline-Thomas

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129

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Oct 2026

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About the show

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!

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60 recent

November 11, 20261 hr 4 min

Networking That Gets You Hired with Shelly Lombard

Most people don't start networking until they need something. By then, it's usually too late. The best roles don't get posted. They get passed around between people who already know and trust each other. Yet most professionals were never taught how to build and maintain those connections without it feeling transactional or forced. In this conversation Shelly Lombard, founder of Schmooze and former Wall Street executive, for a practical conversation about building the kinds of authentic relationships that create opportunities at every stage of your career.In this session, Shelly will break down how to reconnect with existing contacts, turn weak ties into real opportunities, what to say during coffee chats, and how to stop being invisible even when you are talented, hardworking, and qualified. Stop competing for opportunities. Instead, build relationships that create them. Keep In Touch with Shelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellylombard/ Join the NEXT Schmooze event: https://schmooze.biz/pages/about-schmooze 📩 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/

October 28, 202648 min

The Corporate Exit That Started With One Dessert

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

October 21, 20261 hr 10 min

What It Really Takes to Get Ahead in Communications

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: h ttps://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

October 14, 202649 min

You Don't Have To Be An Influencer To Build a Personal Brand with Maribel Lara

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

October 7, 202640 min

How to Get 10 Hours Back in Your Week with Dr. Tiffany Shelton

You’re not failing because you need more discipline. You may simply need better systems. In this episode of I sit down with neuropsychologist and productivity expert Dr. Tiffany Shelton to talk about burnout, productivity, time management, and what it really takes to build a life that can hold your ambitions.Tiffany explains why high-achieving people often respond to overwhelm by doing more, when the real problem may be structural. She shares practical strategies for creating white space, getting hours back in your week, setting better goals, and deciding what to systemize, automate, delegate, or let go. If you’re ambitious, overwhelmed, burned out, or trying to do too much at once, this conversation will give you a new way to think about productivity and your next move. Meet Dr. Tiffany: https://www.tiffanyshelton.com/ Success Systems GPT: https://www.modambition.com/pages/success-systems-gpt?srsltid=AU7gw4WUnhUarfQm0VDlJI1HMrUbfQS9BT4fhUL9ipUClDP_fxf4wq4n Dr. Tiffany on IG: https://www.instagram.com/drtiffanyshelton/ Sign up for our newsletter: https://aundreact.com/newsletter/ Join me 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

September 30, 202650 min

When It’s Time to Let Go of What You Built with Dionna Dorsey

What happens when a chapter of your life ends, but you’re not quite ready to decide what comes next? I had such a deeply personal conversation with Dionna Dorsey, creative entrepreneur, founder of District of Clothing, just weeks after The Creative Ladder that she co-founded, announced it was closing after four years of helping more than 7,300 rising leaders build skills, community, and opportunity. This is a conversation about endings, identity, creativity, and the uncomfortable space between what was and what’s NEXT. Dionna opens up about what it feels like to close something deeply meaningful, recognize when a season has run its course, and resist the pressure to immediately replace it with something new. She shares the lessons she has learned from building businesses, taking risks on herself, and navigating seasons when the path forward isn’t clear. We talk about knowing when to let go and make room for creativity.If you’re exhausted, in transition, questioning what comes NEXT, or simply realizing you need more space to hear yourself again, this conversation is for you! Meet Dionna: https://www.dionnadorsey.com/ A Creative Existence: https://dionnadorsey.substack.com/ Sign up for our newsletter: https://aundreact.com/newsletter/ Join me 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

September 23, 202613 min

What It Really Takes to Get What You Want

You know what you want. But do you know what it will take to actually get it?In this episode of The NEXT Best Thing, I asks a question that’s been sitting with me for months: What does it really take? There’s a huge difference between naming the dream and building the life that can support it. I’m sharing what it’s actually taken to bring the podcast back, reorganize my business, and create momentum. All the the unsexy parts including the hours no one sees, the systems, the repetition, the money spent to get into the right rooms, the rejection, the uncomfortable action, and the willingness to keep going when it feels like you’re speaking into the void. The point isn’t to convince you to chase a particular dream. It’s to get honest about the choices in front of you, the consequences attached to them, and what you actually have control over.Because wanting something is one thing. Being willing to do what it takes is another.Don’t let your life be evidence of your inaction. Sign up for our newsletter: https://aundreact.com/newsletter/ Join me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextbestthingpod/

September 16, 202620 min

I Burned Out. Here’s How I’m Rebuilding My Life and Career

I disappeared for five months. After a year of constantly putting out fires, traveling every other week, and pushing myself far beyond my capacity, I hit a wall. And this burnout felt different. I realized I couldn’t solve it by working harder, taking a vacation, or simply pushing through. So I stepped back and put everything on the table. My business. My money. My relationships. My work. This podcast. And, honestly, the life I was building. In this episode, I’m sharing what I learned during that pause, how I created the financial space to stop and think, why I’m changing the way I work, and what burnout taught me about ambition, boundaries, money, and having enough options to walk away when something no longer works. I’m also talking about why I almost didn’t come back to the mic, and why I ultimately couldn’t let it go. If you’ve ever been successful on paper but exhausted in real life, questioned whether the path you’re on still fits, or wondered what your NEXT should look like, this conversation is for you. I’m back! We have A LOT to talk about. Your NEXT is within reach. Aundrea’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTI_i0hOkr0 EMPOWER Framework: https://youtu.be/6QFFEmwGslc Sign up for our newsletter: https://aundreact.com/newsletter/ Join me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextbestthingpod/

April 1, 2026Episode 10731 min

Overqualified and Overlooked? You're Playing the Wrong Game

Most people are job searching the same way they did 10 years ago. It's not working. 🎙️ Send the application. Wait. Send another. Wait longer. Refresh the inbox. Repeat. That's not a job search. That's a lottery. And in 2026, the odds are worse than ever, not because the market is impossible, but because everyone is using the exact same playbook. What Aundrea figured out when everything fell apart in 2008 wasn't a trend or a tactic. It was a different way of moving, one that kept working through every shift in the industry, every new platform, every changing economy. The world looks different now. The approach still holds. In this episode, we cover: ✅ Why waiting for a job posting could mean you're already behind ✅ How to get in front of decision-makers before a role exists ✅ The difference between having connections and having relationships that actually move for you ✅ What it looks like to treat your career like it's yours The people landing right now aren't the most qualified. They're the most intentional. This episode is about becoming that person. 🔗 Ready to stop waiting and start building? Learn more about… The Next Best Thing Membership: https://nextbestthingcommunity.com/sign-up The Next Level Accelerator: https://link.therewritecourse.com/widget/form/f3tg6AFVMPSriiz9w65i 🎧 Subscribe + 5-star review https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBestThingACT

March 30, 20266 min

Voice Note: We've Played Enough Defense

The economy is shifting, AI is moving fast, and playing it safe isn't a strategy anymore. This week, one line from a Jay-Z interview stopped me cold, and it's been living rent-free in my head ever since. Let's talk about what it means to stop playing defense and finally go on offense in your own life. Jay Z GQ interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu_MVMOdbvY&t=1413s Join the tribe: If you're navigating your own career transition, sign up for The NEXT Nuggets newsletter: http://aundreact.com/NEWSLETTER Music by Elysium Audio Labs Track: “Let It Flow” www.elysiumaudiolabs.com License: https://bit.ly/3wR1UKpYouTube: Funky Upbeat Hip Hop Background Music For ... Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3as7DLr