From The Bar To HR

A chance encounter with a D.C. native bartender reveals the layered complexity of someone navigating multiple professional identities. This young woman’s story unfolds as she balances evening shifts behind the bar with daytime human resources work at a local University, all while pursuing a master’s degree in organizational psychology.

Having grown up in Washington, D.C., she offers a rare insider perspective on a city shaped by a transient population that refreshes every four years with political cycles. When COVID-19 struck, it dramatically altered her career trajectory. 

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About: Foundation Digital Media | Kuna Video

Chapters

• 0:00 Meeting a DC Native Bartender
• 2:10 From Teaching to Human Resources
• 5:13 The Dark Side of HR Experiences
• 8:18 Bartending and Empathetic Connections
• 10:14 Finding Balance as an Empath
• 11:25 Podcast Wrap-up and Farewell

Transcript

Meeting a DC Native Bartender

Speaker 1 0:10

Welcome to another episode of Rideshare Road Talk Conversations in Motion, a podcast where we create unfiltered talk space that examines the meaningful lives of my passengers, while engaging in personal and topical discussions. I'm your host and driver, john Fondas, and we're cruising the streets of Washington DC. Buckle up, let's drive. Getting in anything good, anything fun and exciting.

Speaker 2 0:41

No, I'm going to work.

Speaker 1 0:42

Going to work.

Speaker 2 0:43

Yeah, I bartendend oh yeah, tonight is the game, so hopefully it's something going on wow, it's a teenager like 19.

Speaker 1 0:50

I used to be a bouncer in georgetown oh really my sister's boyfriend played football for maryland. Then they ran the whole place and so I was a high school senior and I was down there doing that stuff. It was so much fun. If you got to work. You got to working at a party isn't a bad deal. It only takes a couple assholes, right, I'm in school and the click of my knee. I've been all it just kind of makes you feel like okay, I can do this. Yeah, yeah, where do you go to school?

Speaker 2 1:31

American University, oh nice.

Speaker 1 1:34

Tell me about bartending in DC, like what turns you on about that and what pisses you off, like what's cool about it, what's not.

Speaker 2 1:41

For me. I like bartending inc really because I am one of the few natives here, like you know. Those few people are like okay, I'm actually from dc, live here, grew up here with the school here, so I'm it's very rare to find people um like myself here now.

From Teaching to Human Resources

Speaker 1 1:57

So well, the cool thing is it's like it's a different crowd every four years. Right, because it's transient. Yes, and that's that's the cool thing. Like even now, with the government and the way the world is right now it sucks, but it's temporary, yeah, you know, but the people who are here always going to stick it out, right yeah, I um, that's actually what made me go back to school honestly I promise you, once that happened, I was like, oh shit, I'm about to go back to school.

Speaker 2 2:26

Get my master's, let's do this. So that's what I did. I said, okay, let me work on my stuff good for you so I do. Human resources for GW University okay and um, okay, let me start doing is that what you're studying? I'm studying industrial organization with psychology oh okay, wait, wait, wait wait that that was so confusing. I just missed our turn, so I'm gonna have to turn around so it's um studying why people behave the way they do in the workplace man, come drive this car.

Speaker 2 2:58

You'll figure that out and save a lot of money, I know right I mean literally I love psychology, so I initially went to school for education. I was a teacher up until 2020. That was my last year teaching, but I majored in early childhood education, so I can only teach until third grade and at the time of the pandemic I started to do like I was like, oh, this shit is hard, like connecting with the children over there.

Speaker 1 3:24

Well, I was going to ask, like, why did you bounce out of the teaching?

Speaker 2 3:27

Because it was extremely challenging. I was teaching pre-K for the year of COVID. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah and doing that over the computer and it was just no fun. You know what I'm saying. Like I'm working with four-year-olds. I don't want to be one of them, you know, yeah, yeah, I'm taboo with them all day. So then I'm like, okay, what is something that I?

Speaker 1 3:49

can do. So what was it Industrial? What?

Speaker 2 3:51

Organizational psychology.

Speaker 1 3:53

So give me an application on what that job is down the road Like what would you be doing?

Speaker 2 3:57

So it's human resources.

Speaker 1 3:59

That's a fancy way of saying you're going to mess with people. No, I do not like human resources. I have so many stories about human resources. People in my life, oh my God.

Speaker 2 4:09

Everybody hates human resources. Oh, assholes, don't be an asshole, I'm not my fancy little logo is moto, I should say, is bringing a human back into human resources.

Speaker 1 4:22

You know because.

Speaker 2 4:23

I think a lot of the times that's missed, that we, like you know we're all human at the end of the day, trying to be personable in my approach, but yeah, everyone, they're like oh, you didn't have a resource even when I go like to events on the campus and they'd be like let's stay away from you right as soon as I say right, you're the snitch. Yeah, what does that?

Speaker 1 4:42

say Right From HR You're the snitch, yeah, I. It feels like a thousand years ago I worked for Channel 5.

Speaker 2 4:49

Okay.

Speaker 1 4:50

And I was a cameraman there for gosh 15 years.

Speaker 2 4:52

So you're like a good visualizer.

The Dark Side of HR Experiences

Speaker 1 4:54

Well that's, yeah, I mean I'm a photographer, I mean that's just. You know, that was my thing and I'm still doing it now with my company. But when I was there it was great for a while. But then, like many jobs, you kind of start getting some friction, personality conflicts. You get new bosses that come in and want to flex a little bit and so I could tell the writing was on the wall that I wasn't gonna last there more than a couple more years and it started getting kind of chippy, a little adversarial, and the people who you think had your back really didn't. And where I'm going with this is, you know, I wound up in HR.

Speaker 2 5:33

Oh really.

Speaker 1 5:34

Oh yeah, and this woman I'm not gonna say her name, I can't remember her name.

Speaker 2 5:39

This woman Miss lady bitch.

Speaker 1 5:43

That's what Kevin Hart says right, kevin Hart's right about this one. Just like you know, when there's just something behind the eyes, you can just see all the wheels are turning. Like she was just nasty and she was there to mess with people, and so push came to shove and I finally bounced out and I I resigned, but I did it in the office with a union rep and you know this lady sorry, this bitch went up under the desk and hit like a panic button. What? And all of a sudden, like security came. I'm like, are you serious? Yeah, and I'm like, and I'm sitting there with like four grown-ass adults. I'm like nothing's happening. I'm like, and I'm sitting there with like four grown ass adults.

Speaker 2 6:24

I'm like nothing's happening. I'm like are you kidding me? Yeah, that's crazy.

Speaker 1 6:28

Oh my God, so they?

Speaker 2 6:29

come in? Are they aggressive when they come?

Speaker 1 6:31

No, because the guy knew me. He was like hey, man, I don't know what's going on, they just want your pass. I'm like, well, yeah, I just resigned. So here, but you know, yeah, I mean I got nothing for HR. But change the world, please Change the change, the view.

Speaker 2 6:49

So far I've only done talent acquisition Okay, and I've done so that of course everybody likes the recruiter, Everybody loves the recruiter.

Speaker 1 6:59

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 7:00

Yeah, I've only done that and I've done benefits okay so yeah well, that's good.

Speaker 1 7:06

That's the helpful part of it.

Speaker 2 7:07

Yeah, yeah, I haven't dive into, like the employability disciplinary, that's just.

Speaker 1 7:13

Yeah, I don't.

Speaker 2 7:14

I don't even want to do those type of thing because you're gonna take it home with you.

Speaker 1 7:17

I'm so empathetic, I'm.

Speaker 2 7:19

I will fucking cry, right, hey, fire you. You have five kids, right.

Speaker 1 7:28

Hey, did you see that movie? What was it Up in the Air?

Speaker 2 7:30

No.

Speaker 1 7:31

George Clooney and I can't remember the lady's name. She was in that movie where they all were singing oh my God, I can't remember. Anyways, it was about a traveling team of HR people whose direction was to simply go around the country and fire people and he was like he was the heavy, he'd been doing it forever and this was like a little underling who was studying under him and it's just a fascinating movie about that culture and then their lives and how they're just destroying people and how it's affecting them. Damn, maybe you might stay in that bar a little bit longer, I don't know.

Speaker 2 8:13

Look at me jam.

Speaker 1 8:16

Here, I am getting old jam.

Bartending and Empathetic Connections

Speaker 2 8:17

Here I am getting up, but no, I really enjoy knowing how people think and why, they operate the way that they do, just kind of diving deeper into people. That's kind of why I like bartending, just getting to have those candid conversations. Folks can talk when they're drunk.

Speaker 1 8:36

I mean, I mentioned it real briefly when you got in Doing this. I mentioned it real briefly, you know when you got in, you know doing this. I mean I can't tell you how many times like unsolicited within five seconds yeah, my husband's cheating on me. I'm getting a divorce. What should I do? Yeah, or I'm seeing my boyfriend for the first time in two weeks. He just broke up with me.

Speaker 2 8:55

Can I talk to you and I'm like, oh my, oh, my god so, and I'm kind of like always that friend, like my friends, they call me, um, they call me for everything, like you know, oh, I just got a new job girl pregnant girl. Wait, I don't even want to talk to baby, I'm about to move, look for an apartment. I like getting there like I'm just that girl, so that's so's so funny.

Speaker 1 9:17

I was like okay, so you are an empath.

Speaker 2 9:19

Yeah, okay, and I'm like I guess I'm-.

Speaker 1 9:22

Leave room for yourself. That's my only advice. Yeah, you know, and.

Speaker 2 9:25

I feel like I don't. Sometimes I feel like I just kind of-. Well, I have this thing with me where it's like okay, you gotta keep going, gotta keep going gotta. Six months ago, I started to realize that's not healthy.

Speaker 1 9:38

Yeah, I mean, what you're doing is wonderful, but you will tap yourself out at some point, and then who's gonna be there for you, I think?

Speaker 2 9:46

I have this thing in my head that is like, okay, you can't allow yourself to get in this deep, dark place. You know, like I have this thing with like fear of depression, Like I don't wanna be like in a house, depressed sad as fuck, you know, of course things happen to all of us. So it's like I'll keep going. It's like okay. I'll allow myself to feel whatever I feel in that moment. And then it's like girl, you cry. What do you keep crying about?

Finding Balance as an Empath

Speaker 1 10:11

What are you going to do about it? Let me drop this on you, okay. I've lived a good portion of my life. I got more years behind me that I do in front right just turned 57.

Speaker 2 10:27

Oh wow, I love. Do you mean oh wow, because you don't even look for these? That's very nice of you, thank you, you really don't you have a fascinating 57 years?

Speaker 1 10:31

uh, yeah, you don't have enough time, but yeah, it's been. It's been interesting, for sure, for sure. What's your name? John?

Speaker 2 10:40

Thank you, John.

Speaker 1 10:41

Absolutely. I'm going to give you a QR code so you can check out this podcast if you want.

Speaker 2 10:47

I definitely want to check it out. Yeah, I think that's so cool.

Speaker 1 10:50

Yeah, it was like an accident. I mean, it really was.

Speaker 2 10:54

Those are the best things right.

Speaker 1 10:56

Yeah, what's the name of the podcast? Rideshare Road Talk. It's on like Apple and Spotify and all that stuff and there's like a little bio in there so you can kind of really see who the hell I am and what I've been doing and all that crazy shit.

Speaker 2 11:09

I don't do cocaine, I just like the way it smells. Okay, let me get some hella farts.

Podcast Wrap-up and Farewell

Speaker 1 11:14

That's actually a good one. That's a good episode. That's so funny. It's all on the hook, right? Yes, bye, take care. Thank you for listening to this episode of Rideshare Road Talk. If you've enjoyed what you've heard, we'd love for you to review the podcast on your favorite listening platform, like Apple or Spotify. Your support helps us so much, and don't forget to reach out on Instagram with your feedback or topic suggestions. Until next time, let's drive.