Modern Work is a podcast where people around the world talk about the work they do & how they got there.

Interview topics include careers, childhood hobbies, education, entrepreneurship, office culture, work-life balance, remote work, digital nomads, apps, tools, processes, workflow, strategy, and more. 

The host, Katherine Conaway, is a consultant, writer & traveler.

Spring 2018 Update

Spring 2018 Update

Listen to this episode via the audio file below, or on one of these platforms:


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Hello from Medellin, Colombia! 

I wanted to do a quick update about the podcast and what I’ve been up to for the past few months.

First, I really have to share a little story because it completely made my day… or week, when it happened. 

So I’m in Medellin and have been spending time with Remote Year while I’m here, and a staff member introduced themselves to me one of my first days here. We chatted a bit and she asked if I wanted to get breakfast one day. I said absolutely, and we made a date. 

As we sat talking and eating a week later, she told me a story about how she had been traveling as much as possible during her regular job in NYC for years. And last summer, she quit to go spend 2 months practicing her Spanish in Peru. I thought this was amazing!

But THEN, she told me that in October or November, when she was back home, looking for remote jobs, she found my podcast episode with Jason, my Remote Year program leader. She listened to it, and it convinced her to apply for a job with Remote Year. She got it, and a few WEEKS later, she was traveling the world, working for them. 

And here we were, in Colombia at breakfast together - because she listened to my podcast. I seriously could not have been more excited.

Because even though I make content for people to read or listen to, it’s been AMAZING to hear from current Remote Year participants and employee that they have read my blog or my book, or listened to my podcast. REAL PEOPLE! Not just stats on a screen. 

So: thank you for listening. I love making things, but I also love when they reach people and are interesting or useful.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch - tell me what you think about the podcast, what you enjoy, what you want to hear. 


As far as upcoming episodes…

I have previously recorded interviews that I will be editing & releasing this spring / summer, featuring:

  • graphic designers

  • digital marketers

  • software engineers

  • consultants

  • architect

I haven’t allowed myself to record new interviews or do any themed episodes yet (like editing together people’s responses about remote work, Remote Year, their education, passion projects, and more)... but they’re on deck!

Again, I really am curious - what would YOU like to hear? Get in touch.


As far as my update:

I’m here in Medellin for two months total - the longest I’ve been in one place since I started traveling in June 2014. Phew. 

I made a spreadsheet with my itinerary for 2017 and my median days in one place was 6. Six days! It was a mix of spending a month each in several cities, and some crazy trips around Switzerland, France, the USA, Ireland, Scotland, Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya. I need to do a recap of the year to share - it was an exciting one. 

Back to now… 

I actually spent the first month here in Medellin with a current Remote Year group - doing my first alumni month since my program ended in January 2017. This month, I’m staying in my own fancy studio apartment (which, I admit, has been a delight) and have been interacting with the current RY group at casual, unofficial events.

It’s been interesting to see other groups' dynamics, how Remote Year has evolved over the years (and stayed the same), and also be with other digital nomads after so many months last year traveling on my own. 


Professional development and networking can be interesting challenges when you are traveling the world, mostly alone, working on a laptop. 

So whenever I am at a coworking space, or a digital nomad hub, or somewhere I have local connections, I always like to attend to events and see what I can learn, as well as offer to speak and present when it seems appropriate.

For example:

  • I was on a panel last night - Remote Year hosted an event to discuss remote work and resilient startup ecosystems,

  • and I’ve given presentations at the coworking spaces around the world: one on how bloggers and brands can work together, and another that I call, How to Write A Good Book Fast: From Brainstorming to Self-Publishing.

I like to share the knowledge I’ve picked up through both formal and experiential education. And I love teaching. I always learn from the presentation flow and interaction with the audience - where I stumble, what they are interested in, which follow up questions I get.

Sometimes I don’t even think to do a talk, but after a 1:1 conversation about a topic that someone’s interested in, I think, yeah I could make a presentation deck and talk about that. So I go find somebody to help make that happen.

When I attend an event, I always take notes and often try to go meet the speaker afterward, if there’s not a line. As an introvert, it can be hard for me to talk to strangers in vague social settings, but that’s the benefit of talking to someone at an event: you already have a topic to discuss. 

Plus, my dad told me years ago that it only takes 20 seconds of courage to start a conversation. Usually after that, it’s either over or rolling along just fine. 

I’ve been thinking about recording my popular presentations as podcast episodes - how bloggers and brands can work together, and how to write a good book fast.

Here I go again, asking for your opinion - what ARE you interested in? Let me know so I can work on creating the content you want! 

There are so many people in my extended network and I have seen & learned so much over the years, and I would love to share it all. But I’d LIKE to share what you are curious about.


So I’m here in Medellin for two more weeks, and then I head back to the USA, with trips quasi-planned to:

  • Miami,

  • maybe Columbus, Ohio for a project;

  • New York City,

  • Washington DC,

  • maybe California,

  • and North Carolina…

  • and then who knows! Maybe Europe for the rest of the summer.

I might sign up for another writing workshop in July, and I’d like to spend Aug through Oct in one place - one apartment(!) - if at all possible. Perhaps in Berlin.


In summary: I am still traveling, and keep an eye out for new episodes coming soon!

In the meantime, please listen to the ones that are already published: 

  • the introduction (which is mostly clips to give you a taste of who I talk to and what we discuss)

and full-episode interviews with

  • Chrissy Barnum, Management Consultant at Accenture

  • Alondo Brewington, Independent Software Developer

  • Jason Piersialla, Programs Team Manager at Remote Year

  • Laura Hansen, Graphic Designer

  • Katy Fowler, Freelance Translator

  • Arestia Rosenberg, Director + Executive Producer + Writer

They’re all on modernworkpodcast.com/episodes

That’s the update for me and for the podcast! 

Thank you for listening :)

Rebecca Rubin, Marketing Coach

Rebecca Rubin, Marketing Coach

Arestia Rosenberg, Director + Executive Producer + Writer

Arestia Rosenberg, Director + Executive Producer + Writer