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Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey.

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Speaker 2: Brain Stuff listeners. Instead of a normal episode, today, we

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Speaker 2: are back with a preview from the new season of

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Speaker 2: the podcast On the Job. We've teamed up with them

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Speaker 2: to bring you a few samples of what they do,

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Speaker 2: which is engage with professionals from all kinds of businesses

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Speaker 2: about what they do, from wind turbine technicians to cartographers.

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Speaker 2: Through these stories, the team tries to help explain and

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Speaker 2: explore different aspects of what working means in our world today.

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Speaker 2: They're sponsoring us to run these samples. I think it's

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Speaker 2: a good fit though, because it's a look into how

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Speaker 2: different jobs work. Today's episode is about the intertwined to

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Speaker 2: journeys of two different job seekers, one of whom wound

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Speaker 2: up being in the industry of helping the other navigate

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Speaker 2: the often difficult world of finding a good gig that's

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Speaker 2: good for you. Will feature some previews of future episodes

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Speaker 2: in the future, though. If you want to hear more

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Speaker 2: or explore their six seasons, you can find On the

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Speaker 2: Job from Express Employment Services wherever you get your podcasts.

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Speaker 1: Welcome back to On the Job. Can you believe We're

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Speaker 1: at episode six? Already, where does the time go? Well,

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Speaker 1: after all these wonderful profiles of people in the midst

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Speaker 1: of their careers, we thought we'd switch things up a

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Speaker 1: bit for this episode and take a look at the

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Speaker 1: challenges that many people face one looking for a job.

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Speaker 1: So today we're going to hear about one man search

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Speaker 1: for work and how that path to employment helped him

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Speaker 1: to discover a whole new approach to life. Let's face it,

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Speaker 1: looking for a job sucks. It does. It's a painful

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Speaker 1: experience in so many ways. It's a moment of humility,

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Speaker 1: of anxiety, and depending on how much money you have

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Speaker 1: saved from the last time you worked, oftentimes it's a

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Speaker 1: moment of sheer desperation. Whether you're searching online or in

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Speaker 1: the newspaper, or driving around town looking for now hiring

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Speaker 1: signs and handing out resumes. Searching for a job literally

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Speaker 1: begins to feel like a job itself. And one man

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Speaker 1: who knows exactly how that goes is Leon Albritton.

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Speaker 3: Here's a job, looking for a job.

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Speaker 1: And if you're like Leon who doesn't live in a

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Speaker 1: big city, your options are that much harder.

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Speaker 4: Because you have to go real far to get something.

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Speaker 4: You know they have way gainst it.

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Speaker 1: And then even if you get lucky and find a

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Speaker 1: gig that sounds of interest, you've got to go through

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Speaker 1: the whole application process, which means updating your resume, writing

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Speaker 1: a cover letter, reaching out to the hiring person, and

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Speaker 1: half the time, maybe way more than half the time,

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Speaker 1: after all that work, nothing and you can't help but

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Speaker 1: think that maybe that application that you've just spent all

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Speaker 1: that time working on wasn't even read. But thankfully there

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Speaker 1: are places like Express Employment professionals and people like Olivia Marrafeld.

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Speaker 5: And I am the operations manager for the Vaparaiso Indiana

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Speaker 5: and Shable Indiana Express offices, and.

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Speaker 1: Olivia totally knows how hard it is to get a

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Speaker 1: job because prior to working at Express, she was in

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Speaker 1: the exact same position that Leon was in.

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Speaker 5: And you get so caught up in applying for jobs

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Speaker 5: online or using those different avenues, you so many times

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Speaker 5: don't ever get to speak to a real person. You're

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Speaker 5: submitting resume after resume after resume.

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Speaker 1: But fortunately for both Leon and Olivia, they called their

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Speaker 1: local Express office.

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Speaker 5: I came into Express, had my interview. They ended up

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Speaker 5: placing me at a property management company where I was

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Speaker 5: the leasing agent and I was there about five years.

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Speaker 1: Well, Olivia got lucky with that first job. Leon was

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Speaker 1: having a harder go of it. How many different jobs

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Speaker 1: did they try to get you in it?

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Speaker 3: Over a day?

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Speaker 1: Doesn't right? More on that, Yeah, did you ever get

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Speaker 1: discouraged going after all these different jobs and them not

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Speaker 1: working outdays?

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Speaker 4: Man?

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Speaker 3: I was feeling just like you said too. It was heultlessly.

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Speaker 3: It was scessful. Man.

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Speaker 1: At Express, well, it's their goal to place job seekers

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Speaker 1: in long term positions. They're also realists. I know that

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Speaker 1: sometimes it takes a few tries until you find that

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Speaker 1: perfect match.

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Speaker 5: As much as it's about a client interviewing a candidate,

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Speaker 5: it's also a candidate interviewing the client, interviewing them to

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Speaker 5: make sure it's something that they're good at and want

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Speaker 5: to do. I tell people daily that not every job

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Speaker 5: is a right fit for every person. Just because something

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Speaker 5: doesn't work out that time around doesn't mean it won't

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Speaker 5: the next.

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Speaker 1: You're playing the long game here with these people. It's

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Speaker 1: not just like, Okay, you fail at doing this job,

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Speaker 1: we're done with you. It's let's keep working until you

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Speaker 1: find the right fit.

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Speaker 5: Exactly and as long as someone is willing to go

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Speaker 5: to work, show up every day, do their best. That's

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Speaker 5: what matters to me. It's not a matter of if

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Speaker 5: they're good at it or not good at it, it's

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Speaker 5: are they willing to try and put in the effort.

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Speaker 1: And Leon was definitely willing to put in the effort.

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Speaker 1: He went to job after job, showing up ready to work.

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Speaker 5: He has done everything from working in a facility that

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Speaker 5: did laundry for hotels, to dairy corporations to even a

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Speaker 5: packager at a candy factory.

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Speaker 1: It's quite the range there, it is.

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Speaker 5: But he was always willing to go and always willing

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Speaker 5: to try something new, even if he was going into

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Speaker 5: something that he had never done before, he was always

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Speaker 5: willing to give it.

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Speaker 4: A shot, showing up job they.

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Speaker 1: Too, Leon acknowledges that they were hard jobs. But if

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Speaker 1: we're being honest here, he puts the blame mostly on

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Speaker 1: himself because at that time in his life, with the

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Speaker 1: stress of trying to find work, piling bills, and a

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Speaker 1: feeling that he was letting people down, Leon turned to alcohol.

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Speaker 1: And anyone who has ever used drugs or booze to

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Speaker 1: cope with life's challenges, nos things can spiral out of

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Speaker 1: control pretty quickly. Did you lose a lot of jobs

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Speaker 1: because of your drinking?

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Speaker 4: Yes, I did it, some good jobs too.

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Speaker 1: Then, in a moment of pure desperation, Leon decided to

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Speaker 1: leave his home in Indiana and moved to Seattle.

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Speaker 4: Because I gave you up.

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Speaker 3: You know, I left my property here.

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Speaker 4: I sold my car, and I just left, thinking things

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Speaker 4: is going to be different.

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Speaker 1: There may have been a woman involved, but this is

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Speaker 1: a business podcast, people. So Leon found himself out there

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Speaker 1: in Seattle with no job, no car. And since I

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Speaker 1: know you're curious, that woman didn't work out either. And

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Speaker 1: while Seattle is a beautiful city, it doesn't exactly have

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Speaker 1: the kind of weather to breaken your spirits. And so

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Speaker 1: Leon's desperation only grew. And what started out is some

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Speaker 1: drinking to cope became a full fledged addiction. When we

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Speaker 1: come back from the break, Leon hits rock bottom.

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Speaker 6: A strong work ethic, takes pride in a job well done.

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Speaker 6: This is the kind of person you need. Express employment

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Speaker 6: professionals can help because in good times or bad, we

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Speaker 6: understand how critical it is to manage your business for

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Speaker 6: today with the right workforce. We offer hiring solutions to

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Speaker 6: fit changing demands. Express knows Jobs. Get to know Express.

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Speaker 6: Go to expresspros dot com to find a location near you.

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Speaker 1: We're back with Leon Albron, who at this point in

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Speaker 1: our story is out in Seattle, jobless and womanless, wondering

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Speaker 1: why he ever left Indiana and.

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Speaker 4: Left thinking things is going to be different, But he

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Speaker 4: got worshiped.

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Speaker 1: What started as a few drinks to combat life stresses

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Speaker 1: quickly turned into a full fledged dependency. Any money Leon

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Speaker 1: was making went straight to buying a bottle. But as

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Speaker 1: Leon's life was spiraling downward, he found out that at

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Speaker 1: that same time, his son's life was about to change

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Speaker 1: for the better in a very dramatic way.

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Speaker 4: Somebody showed me that my son was getting drafted in

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Speaker 4: the NBA.

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Speaker 1: Really yeah. Leon felt an obvious sense of pride that

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Speaker 1: his son's dreams of turning pro were about to come true,

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Speaker 1: but he also felt a deep shame for where he'd

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Speaker 1: let his life lead him. Leon had hit rock bottom,

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Speaker 1: or actually he didn't hit rock bottom. He tried to

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Speaker 1: walk into it and buy a drink.

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Speaker 4: The name of the bob was rock Bottom, and then

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Speaker 4: I looked at the top.

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Speaker 3: Whatever it is a rock bottom that's said, Oh.

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Speaker 1: Wow, And somehow that was what did it. The realization

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Speaker 1: that just as his son was about to become a

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Speaker 1: professional athlete, Leon was about to walk into a bar

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Speaker 1: named rock Bottom to have a few drinks and feel

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Speaker 1: sorry for himself. That's when he accepted that he needed

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Speaker 1: to turn his life around, that he needed help.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, well we got He got me back in the

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Speaker 4: swinging things out there.

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Speaker 1: And after getting sober, Leon decided to go back home

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Speaker 1: to Indiana.

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Speaker 4: And he told me that said, Leon, when you go

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Speaker 4: back in Indiana, surround himself around people.

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Speaker 3: That's gilbers My take.

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Speaker 1: And Leon did just that. He built up a positive community,

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Speaker 1: established a healthy routine, and rekindled his relationships with his family.

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Speaker 1: And then, of course he needed a job, and Leon

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Speaker 1: knew just where to go. When he got there, though,

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Speaker 1: there was a new face in the office because in

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Speaker 1: the time that Leon had gone out to Seattle, Olivia

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Speaker 1: Marifeld went from being a job Seekrett Express to being

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Speaker 1: a staff member there.

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Speaker 5: I had no idea that they were looking for someone

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Speaker 5: for the front office here. I ended up getting an

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Speaker 5: interview on the spot meeting with the franchise and then

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Speaker 5: started the next day.

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Speaker 4: Amazing, right, it's such a cool.

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Speaker 5: Thing to have been in the associates shoes in the past.

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Speaker 5: I know exactly what they're facing and what they're looking for.

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Speaker 1: And right off the bat, Olivia could see that this

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Speaker 1: was a new and improved Leon, Leon two point zero.

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Speaker 5: It's been such a cool opportunity to see him grow,

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Speaker 5: to see him change, to see the things that he's

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Speaker 5: overcome in his life.

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Speaker 1: Very quickly, Olivia had Leon back out in the workforce,

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Speaker 1: doing a few days here and there, but all the while,

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Speaker 1: her goal, as it is with all her associates, was

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Speaker 1: to eventually land Leon that keeper.

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Speaker 5: I think part of our goal in one thing are

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Speaker 5: really focuses on, is the fact that we aren't just

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Speaker 5: like any other temporary agency. My goal is to find

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Speaker 5: long term, permanent placement for these associates. So I want

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Speaker 5: to place them where their skill sets are going to

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Speaker 5: be valued and where they're going to do the best

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Speaker 5: long term. We want them to find a home and

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Speaker 5: find a career.

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Speaker 1: And with this new and improved Leon, a Leon that

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Speaker 1: is sober, clearheaded, motivated and always willing to do the work,

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Speaker 1: it didn't take long before Olivia made good on that.

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Speaker 4: She's kept the word, and that's how My mom ever

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Speaker 4: told me, wherever you go on life, if you don't

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Speaker 4: have nothing else, always keep your word.

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Speaker 1: Because after all the jobs that didn't work out, Leon

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Speaker 1: has finally found the job for him. Working in the

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Speaker 1: industrial industry for the last seven months has given Leon

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Speaker 1: not only an income, but a healthy routine and a

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Speaker 1: sense of purpose. Like all of us, he has his days,

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Speaker 1: has afternoons when the clock drags, and mornings when he

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Speaker 1: just doesn't want to get out of bed. But then

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Speaker 1: he reminds himself how far he's come and how hard

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Speaker 1: he and the folks that Express have worked to get

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Speaker 1: him where he is today.

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Speaker 4: Express Ball be back, contill a human again. That's the

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Speaker 4: way I'm gonna put it. They gave him my life.

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Speaker 1: Back for on the job. I'm Avery Thompson.