Anne Loehr Interviewed by Vorail for the Visually Impaired

I was honored that Tom Rosenthal of Vorail, a Twitter-like app with a feed of voices rather than 140-characters of text, invited me to speak to the global, visually impaired community. He explained that blind people face mobility challenges and a voice can change their lives. The interview was created to inspire and help their users “see” more of the world through the voice of others.

He asked me just three questions, which led to interesting conversations. Here is a summary of my responses, as well as a link to listen to my answers via live interview. On the live interview, you can use Vorail to ask questions or leave comments as well.

1. What Work Team Lessons Can We Learn from Volleyball?

I’m not a volleyball player myself, but in watching my daughter’s team practice the sport, I was struck with how much the rules that applied to volleyball teams applied to work teams as well. More specifically, here are four lessons we can take from volleyball to our offices:

• Call it “mine” and then get out of the way
• Shake off the mistake and keep moving
• Do your drills to learn agility
• Use the setter well

For an explanation of what I mean, listen to my answer here, or read, “Four Work Team Lessons from the Volleyball Court.”

2. Who Ditches the City for Rural America and Why? How is it Working Out For Them?

There are many different types of people who ditch the urban life for the rural one. When I spoke to freelancers who had successfully made this change, I found they were:

• People who want their kids to learn real skills
• Individuals who want to have access to nature for their favorite activities
• Those who are following their passions (like starting animal rescues, living near biggest flea market in the country, skiing)
• People who want to live near family
• Individuals whose spouses need to return to family businesses in rural America

To find out the real-life challenges and rewards of leaving the city to work freelance in rural America, listen to me speak about it here, or read, “Why These Freelancers Ditched Cities for Rural America.”

3. What is Helpful to Keep in Mind When Making a Career Change?

We all know career changes can be challenging! There are a few things to keep in mind when making making a career move:

• Ignore what others think
• Consider your purpose and values
• Prepare for setbacks by building a strong support network, saving money, and living cheaply from the start
• Plan well and make thoughtful choices, but be prepared to pull the plug if something isn’t working

If you’re tempted to make a career change, listen to what I have to say about it here, or read about people who have made the jump themselves in my article, ”People Who Followed Their Passions Share How and Why They Did It.”

Vorail is an important tool to connect with others. Explore it here, and consider creating a profile. How can you use your voice to connect to your visually impaired community members today?