The Glass Sessions Podcast

The Glass Sessions is a weekly podcast hosted by the two Principal Advisors of The Glass Advisory, Courtney and Lauren. The two met working their first “real” jobs in customer service in 2012 and have been navigating work and life side by side ever since.

At the heart of the show is a belief that guides their work: that work can be a powerful activator of a good life.

Each week, Courtney and Lauren explore how people build careers that support their version of a meaningful, joyful life. Sometimes that means conversations with guests who share the decisions, risks, relationships, and turning points that shaped their path. Other episodes are just the two of them reflecting on their own experiences advising leaders, navigating their careers, and building The Glass Advisory.

Along the way, they share practical ideas, questions, and tools listeners can use in their own lives and careers.

Expect thoughtful conversations, real stories, a few actionable takeaways, and plenty of laughter — all centered around one question: how do you build a career that supports the life you actually want to live?

New episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Courtney Hartman Courtney Hartman

From Refugee to Founder: Garri Rivkin on Building the Support He Once Needed

In this episode, we sit down with Garri Rivkin, founder of The City Tutors. Garri’s journey from a refugee arriving in the U.S. to the head of a major educational non-profit is a masterclass in resourcefulness and stewardship. We discuss how his personal history informed his mission to provide professional access to students and alumni who are often overlooked, and why building "social capital" is just as important as building a resume.

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Jeff Carlson: A Calling to Education, A Commitment to Rural Communities

In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Carlson, a veteran leader in education who has spent his career at the intersection of high-stakes public service and deep personal values. Jeff shares how he’s navigated the unique pressures of leadership by moving past the "hero" narrative to find a way of leading that prioritizes people over bureaucracy. It’s a grounded conversation about staying anchored in your "why" while managing the very real, often exhausting, demands of a career dedicated to others.

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Finding Your Inner “Why”

We believe that work shouldn’t just be something you endure to get to the weekend—at its best, work is a powerful activator of the "good life." But for work to actually work for you, you have to be the one in the driver's seat. That starts with moving past the external "gold stars"—the titles, the pay bumps, the LinkedIn-ready milestones—and uncovering the internal "why" that actually fuels your sense of fulfillment. When you find that steady, quiet internal compass, you stop performing for an audience and start building a career that serves the life you actually want to live.

In this episode, we explore how identifying your intrinsic motivation is the first step in reclaiming agency over your career.

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Austin Croteau: Raising Four Kids Abroad and She’s Not Bankrupt Yet

This week, we spoke with Austin about the logistical and emotional hurdles of moving abroad with a large family. We dive into the "hard stuff"—the vulnerability of being a beginner in a new culture, the necessity of asking for help, and the identity shifts that happen when you step away from traditional career structures. Austin shares her hard-won wisdom on how she manages to run a business and raise four kids without losing her mind, proving that a big life doesn't have to mean a chaotic one.

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Erin Sears on Life as a Military Family and Keeping Her Pace

Erin Sears joins us to talk about her journey from elite runner and advertising professional to living overseas in Germany and navigating the isolation of solo-parenting during a deployment. We explore how she maintained her own identity and "pace" while supporting her family through the unique pressures of military life, and how those experiences eventually led her to a fulfilling new career in real estate.

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Peter Dolkas on Making Bold Career Decisions

In this episode of The Glass Sessions, we sit down with Peter Dolkas, Co-Founder of Studio Dorion. Peter shares his journey from a successful career in the fashion industry to launching his own interior design firm. We discuss the realities of starting over, the importance of transferable skills, and how to build the confidence to make a "bold" move when the path forward isn't perfectly paved.

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Lauren’s Life In Abundance

In this episode, we sit down with Co-Founder of The Glass Advisory, Lauren, to walk through her journey of professional growth and personal discovery. We explore how she moved past the external markers of success, like titles and compensation, to find a path that felt sustainable and true to her own intuition. It’s a reflective conversation on what happens when you stop looking for validation from the outside and start building a life from the inside out.

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