Keepin' It Candid With Kyle Hollis

This has been one of the most ridiculous week's in recent times. Trump supporters decided it would be a good idea to turn from a peaceful protest on the National Mall into a disastrous riot. They stormed the U.S. Capitol while congress was in session and was met with little to no resistance....smh.

Welcome to 2021 and we are back with the annual resolution episode. We've been doing this since 2017 and we are here to give you our plans for this year. Were any of your plans held up by the pandemic last year? Well fear not! 2021 is ours for the taking.

As we began wrapping up 2020, we took a look back on the episodes from the past year and ranked them by popularity. We were able to gather some insights onto what the listeners are interested in and we are planning to tailor the 2021 episodes to fit this mold.

According to Indeed.com A leadership philosophy refers to an individual's beliefs, principles and sentiments that they use to lead a company or organization. During this episode, we discuss the guiding principles that we use on a daily basis in hopes of becoming a good leader. What can people expect of you as a leader?

The vaccine is almost here! Who is going to be the first one to turn into a zombie? Some weeks I'm in and the next week I'm 100% out. I also discovered more of these idiotic challenges and I must be really old because I think these kids are going too far.

How was your Thanksgiving this year? We bought a family meal from Whole Foods and it was less than stellar. Then I read an article about people saying their Whole Foods turkey smelled rotten. Yep, that is a true story.

It has been a tough year but nonetheless we find thanks in the things we usually take for granted. Join us for this pre-Thanksgiving episode where we share the bright side of 2020.

Playstation 5 has swept the country and no one cares about the X-box series X. They are sold out everywhere and none of us here care but it is still fun to follow. Were any of you lucky enough to snag one for the holiday season?

What a week! Waiting on the 2020 election results and feedback from an AWS interview at the same time. Jonathan and I talked about President-elect Biden's victory and all of the strange conversations and media takes from that Tuesday night to Saturday when we finally found out who would be the next President. Next, we talk about the Amazon AWS interview experience. The process for the larger tech companies is quite different than what you experience at other companies, so I wanted to share my thoughts and provide a little insight.

Kyle and Brian tag team this episode while Jonathan is out this week. We are fresh off a Halloween bonfire event and ready to talk about what we can expect from the year 2021. The resolutions will come later but right now we want to know what normal life will look like once the ball drops on New Year's Eve.

Buying a house is super stressful due to so many factors. In this episode we talk about our home buying process and how it worked out for us. We also talk about credit card debt and other fun stuff that you find yourself in during your 20's. Take a listen to this episode if you want to figure out how to get your life together.

I'm in the process of interviewing for a new job and it is a longer process than most. Interviews aren't usually something I get spun up about but interviewing with a big tech company is a big deal. Working at one of these companies is life changing for not just myself but also for my family and close network. A lot more opportunities open up once you are able to get your foot in the door at one of these companies. In this episode we talk about Amazon. P.S. Not sure how part of our closing thoughts got cut off this week but just a heads up to anyone listening through to the very end.

We aren't quite done with election season just yet so buckle your seatbelts as we take you on a wild ride through tax regulations! Are you a Virginia resident who has already voted in the upcoming 2020 election? Are you waiting until closer to election day to vote? Either way, we are here to share our thoughts on VA amendment #2 and which way we may vote. What are your thoughts on this Virginia constitutional amendment?

November 3rd will be here before we know it and we want to make sure you understand what is on the ballot in the good ol' state of Virginia! We all have an idea of who we are going to vote for when it comes to the President, but what about some of those questions that we quickly look over and mark yes or no? Listen to this episode to figure out exactly what is going on with this proposed constitutional amendment. In my opinion, you should never blindly vote for a change to the constitution.

There has been so much going on recently as we get closer to the Presidential election. This episode was recorded on October 27th and we discuss the recent passing of RBG and how the Republican party is trying to push a new supreme court nominee through before the November's election. What are your thoughts?

Every month or so I start feeling uninspired by the work I'm doing and get into a funk. Once you get to a certain point in your career you will begin to realize that salary and schedule may no longer be the most influential parts of your job search. Doing meaningful and rewarding work has moved up on my list. And just to clarify...I am referring to work that is meaningful and rewarding to myself, not the client.

Jonathan and I are back this week with a special guest, Corey Fonville! For this episode, we wanted to focus on music and there is no better guest to have than Corey. Corey is an established and highly regarded jazz musician. He is the drummer in the band Butcher Brown and they are based out of Richmond, VA. Be sure to visit www.ButcherBrown.com to order a copy of their newest album, King Butch.

We're back with another special guest this week to talk about what hard work and dedication can get you as long as you keep working towards your dream job and career. This week we are joined by Josiah Turner and we learn about what he went through to end up working at The Undefeated here in the Washington D.C. area.

Sandy joins the crew for a nice little recap of the DNC. We discuss some key takeaways and talk about the current political climate as we are getting closer to election time. How are you planning to vote? We let you know our approach and also reminding you to get registered!

Show me the money!!!! Episode 70 is all about fighting for every dollar in that paycheck. What is the most effective way to ask for more money? Do you need to leave and go to another company? Do you get certified? Do you get another degree? How about all three of those things? Tune in and get some solid advice from folks who have been there and done that.