Life After News
What happens when the newsroom lights go out—and life begins again?
Life After News explores the raw, funny, and deeply human stories of journalists who’ve walked away from the adrenaline of breaking news to reinvent themselves in surprising ways. Hosted by former TV news director Jason Ball, the podcast goes behind the headlines to talk with anchors, reporters, producers, and executives about identity, resilience, and what it takes to start over.
From career pivots to personal awakenings, these conversations reveal how the skills learned under deadline pressure translate into entirely new chapters of life. It’s not just about leaving the news—it’s about discovering what comes after.
Whether you’re in media, on the edge of a career change, or just fascinated by reinvention, Life After News is your invitation to listen in, learn, and maybe imagine your own next chapter.
Life After News
🎙️ Storyteller Is the Job Title: Michaela Pereira is back and she brought a friend
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Last week was a tough one for journalism. The Washington Post laid off 300+ employees—about a third of its staff cutting deep, including foreign bureaus. 💔📰
So, this episode is about something we all need right now: two real-life “Life After News” success stories. ✨
Michaela Pereira returns with a big career update (and a big reminder that reinvention can happen at any age). Then we’re joined by her longtime friend Sumi Das—former TechTV / MSNBC / CNN journalist, now Senior Communications Manager at LinkedIn.
And yes… Sumi drops a very useful nugget for anyone job hunting right now: one word that’s showing up more and more in job descriptions—and it should make journalists feel a whole lot more confident. 👀🧠
⏱️ Episode Highlights
✅ Michaela’s major update: She’s now the Executive Producer of “Amazing America” 🇺🇸✨
🍔🚗 “Let’s Eat” and “Amazing Itineraries” — stories from the highways and byways, small towns, and the heartland
💥 Real talk on leadership whiplash: the creative dream + budgets + HR + performance reviews = “three jobs in one”
🧠 Imposter syndrome, learning curves, and why taking the leap at 55 is its own kind of power
✅ Sumi Das on her pivot: From on-air + field reporting to tech communications
📺 TechTV → MSNBC → CNN → tech journalism → in-house storytelling
🧩 How “connecting the dots backward” actually makes career changes make sense
🤝 The cross-functional culture shock in big tech: stakeholders, approvals, and learning who really needs to be in the thread (“adding for visibility” 👋)
✅ The LinkedIn insight you’ll want to steal:
📈 Sumi shares that “storyteller” is appearing far more often in job descriptions—great news for journalists looking to pivot. ✍️🎯
Because storytelling isn’t a “soft skill.” It’s a marketable advantage.
😂 Bonus: Michaela and Sumi’s legendary YouTube moment
⚔️ Search: “When Michaela Pereira Attacks” (lightsaber battle included) 🔥🪄
🎧 Listen + Take Action
If you (or someone you love) just got laid off and you’re trying to figure out what’s next: reach out. Jason wants to talk to you. 💬
⭐ If you enjoy the show, please give us GOOD RATINGS + GREAT REVIEWS + SHARE.
📲 Send this episode to a friend who needs a little hope (or a little shove).
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Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.