Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Zito – Mitch Albom (November 15, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast, host Jeff Zito sits down with renowned sports journalist, bestselling author, and broadcaster Mitch Albom. The conversation explores Albom’s first jobs, his unexpected journey from aspiring musician to journalist and author, and reflections on fate, regret, and career pivots. Jeff Zito guides Albom through stories from his early life, the break that changed everything, and insights into his fictional and non-fictional writing, highlighting how close even the most successful people might have come to being “jobbers”—or ordinary journeymen—had life not taken an extraordinary turn.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mitch Albom’s Background and Early Influences (02:49–06:17)

• Family & Childhood: Albom grew up just outside Philadelphia in New Jersey. His father worked in middle management; his mother was an interior designer.
• First Aspirations: Initially, Albom wanted to make a career in music, not journalism. “My initial major was actually music when I first showed up. And then I met Maury Schwartz, who became the Maury of ‘Tuesdays with Maury.’ ... I just majored in Maury, basically.” (04:52)
• On Music as a First Love: Albom dreamed of being a songwriter and producer more than a rock star. “The thrill to me was when I was in the studio, and I got to, you know, play with the buttons ... I could have done that the rest of my life.” (05:31)

2. From Musician to Journalist – The Accidental Calling (07:01–08:16)

• Albom describes “falling into” journalism while still pursuing music in New York. He volunteered for a free local paper after seeing an ad at the supermarket. Without previous experience, he wrote his first story about increased parking meter rates.
• “...there was my story with my name on it. And I got a little tingle inside and said, wow, you know, I wrote something, I created it. There it is.” (07:54)
• Volunteered 30-50 hours a week for free, learning journalism on the job before applying to grad school and formally becoming a journalist.

3. The Big Break: Tuesdays with Maury (08:29–10:04)

• Albom says the pivotal moment wasn’t a big promotion or hire, but a personal story: reconnecting with his old professor, Maury Schwartz, after seeing him on Nightline.
• “That certainly changed my life because, you know, instead of sports now, people wanted to talk to me about people that they lost and death and mourning and disease and the meaning of life and family and forgiveness.” (09:23)
• The memoir Tuesdays with Maury started as an act to help pay Maury’s medical bills, with publisher expectations of just 20,000 copies. It became the best-selling memoir in history.

4. Writing Fiction vs. Nonfiction, and the New Novel ‘Twice’ (11:39–14:42)

• On the writing process: “Even in nonfiction, you're telling a story ... In fiction, you can do the same thing.” (12:29)
• New novel ‘Twice’ follows a man able to redo moments in life—except for matters of the heart. “If someone loves you ... and you give your heart to somebody else ... that first person can never love you again ... there's no going back.” (13:40)
• Albom says the book is inspired by the human fascination with regrets and ‘what ifs’: “...let’s write a book about someone who has that power and see if his life is really any better than yours.” (14:11)

5. Regrets, Do-Overs, and Life’s Lessons (14:42–15:34)

• Albom reflects on his own regrets: “There are many things I wish I could correct ... but if you told me ... I would have to lose the scars ... or the lessons ... then I would probably say, no, thank you, because that's how I've evolved.” (14:57)
• The message: Growth and regret are intertwined; even painful moments contribute meaningfully to personal development.

6. Mitch Albom’s First Paid Job (17:46–19:00)

• At age 11, Mitch worked at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, selling programs and scorecards at Phillies games.
• “My father told me, that's it, you have to pull your own weight. I didn't even know what that meant ... They would give me a sweaty shirt that someone else had worn the day before ... and I would walk around the stadium for three hours yelling in my high-pitched little voice, you know, scorecards, lineup, that kind of thing.” (17:46)

7. On Philly Sports Fans (19:00–20:06)

• “You don’t want to mess around with Philly fans. No, they’re awful. I mean, and I know because I grew up there. They booed Santa Claus, they throw snowballs at people. They’re tough, but I get it. You know, they’re passionate and they’re tough.” (19:06)
• Albom humorously recounts the perils of selling up in the nosebleeds, only for fans to demand hot dogs instead of programs.

8. Final Reflections (20:06–20:52)

• Jeff Zito thanks Albom, noting his journey from sports journalism to bestselling author.
• Albom ties back the theme of not being able to redo love in his novel: “That's right ... I’m sure you learned something from that experience with your ex-wife that informed you and your relationships going forward. So think of it that way.” (20:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On finding journalism by accident:

  “I just majored in Maury, basically. And then I figured when I graduated, I would become a musician, which is exactly what happened.” — Mitch Albom (04:52)

• On the power of having your byline:

  “I got a little tingle inside and said, wow, you know, I wrote something, I created it. There it is.” — Mitch Albom (07:54)

• On ‘Tuesdays with Maury’ changing his life:

  “That happened when I was 37 and that was probably the real bend in my bifurcated life.” — Mitch Albom (09:54)

• On whether he would do anything over:

  “If you told me that by correcting them, I would have to lose the scars that I suffered from having made them ... then I would probably say, no, thank you, because that's how I've evolved.” — Mitch Albom (14:57)

• On Philly sports fans:

  “They booed Santa Claus, they throw snowballs at people. They’re tough ... I grew up in it, so I guess I have to take responsibility for it.” — Mitch Albom (19:06)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Mitch’s first aspirations, family, and music background: 02:49–06:17
• How Mitch stumbled into journalism: 07:01–08:16
• The ‘Tuesdays with Maury’ turning point: 08:29–10:04
• Writing process, fiction vs. nonfiction, and synopsis of 'Twice': 11:39–14:42
• Reflections on regret and personal growth: 14:42–15:34
• First job at Veterans Stadium & anecdotes: 17:46–19:00
• On Philadelphia sports fans: 19:00–20:06
• Final reflections on mistakes and growth in love: 20:06–20:52

Tone & Style

The conversation is warm and humorous, blending nostalgia with candid insights into ambition, regret, and the unpredictable turns of life and career. Albom speaks with humility and reflectiveness, while Zito’s questions are informed and enthusiastic.

Summary

Mitch Albom’s episode on Celebrity Jobber is a genuine, insightful discussion on the detours of a remarkable career: from an 11-year-old hawking programs in Philadelphia, to chasing a dream in music, to stumbling into journalism, and finally, finding global fame as the author of one of the world’s best-selling memoirs. Through stories of luck, choice, and life-altering connections, Albom illustrates the show’s core question—what makes someone a "jobber," and what separates those who become something more?