Alisha Fernandez Miranda is a Cuban-American writer based in Scotland. Her memoir, 'My What If Year' was published in February 2023, and the book describes her year-long experiment doing internships in the dream jobs of her childhood. She is also the host of the award-winning podcast, 'Quit Your Day Job', which explores some of these dream careers, with people who are actually doing those jobs.

Alisha is a graduate of Harvard University, and the London School of Economics, and is the former CEO and current Chair of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that coaches the world’s biggest non-profits, companies and foundations on their philanthropy and social impact.

She began her career in the pages of TEEN PEOPLE magazine, and is good friends with my previous guest, Amar Shah, who is also from Florida and who was also on TEEN PEOPLE's News Team. The TEEN PEOPLE News Team was a corps of young journalists from across the United States who created original content for the magazine, and contributed to TEEN PEOPLE's human interest reporting. As you'll hear in this episode, Alisha treasures her time with TEEN PEOPLE, and like many of my guests, speaks so fondly of that magazine and that time in her life!

Time stamps:

03:00 Why Alisha has kept a box of TEEN PEOPLE magazines, and why she was in TEEN PEOPLE magazine

08:35 TEEN PEOPLE News Team members were early content creators

09:50 TEEN PEOPLE was Alisha's first professional network, and the first time she was communicating online with people she didn't know in real life

16:23 Alisha talks about her move from Miami to Scotland (via Harvard and LSE)

21:21 mini Brexit rant

21:31 Alisha moved to the UK in 2008, a few months before the 2008 financial crisis

23:46 UK is a "dumpster fire", says Alisha (we get political)

25:44 I ask Alisha about her memoir

29:26 Alisha wants to intern at Disneyworld

30:48 Alisha wants to write more books

34:07 Alisha talks about her podcast, Quit Your Day Job

41:56 Is Alisha related to Lin-Manuel Miranda??

43:10 What's up with youth journalism in Florida?

44:45 What advice would Alisha give her teenage self?

Podcast notes:

Check out [at]TeenPeoplePod on Twitter and Instagram for pictures from this episode!

Buy Alisha's book through her website: www.alishafmiranda.comConnect with me on: www.annasoper.ca

Intro music: Jazzy Abstract Beat by Coma-Media on PixabayOutro music: Spirit Blossom by RomanBelov on Pixabay

Teen People is recorded in Kingston/Katarokwi, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat.