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When being physically unable to work feels like a relief after 22 years of practicing law, that's not burnout, that's a breaking point. Misty Leon knew she wanted something different, she just thought it would take ten years to get there. She was wrong. Ten years took twelve months and in this episode you're going to learn: How Misty launched a 10-year business plan in less than twelve months and what finally made that possible after years of putting it off Why a career experiment that looked like it failed on paper turned out to be the exact thing that unlocked her next move How a counterintuitive productivity practice created more space in her workday and made her more valuable to everyone around her What autonomy actually looks like as a career non-negotiable and why most people don't realize how much it matters until they've spent years without it The one question every person in a good-enough job should be asking themselves right now Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Christine Dold | Owner of The Bakery on the Corner | Craftsmanship, Community, and the Joy of Meaningful Work Christine Dold is the owner of The Bakery on the Corner in Hart, Michigan, a beloved small-town bakery that has been serving the community for generations. After an unexpected career path led her into the baking industry, Christine and her husband, Greg, purchased the historic bakery in 2017 and have continued its nearly century-long tradition of handcrafted donuts, fresh-baked bread, and exceptional customer service. Through countless overnight shifts, unwavering consistency, and a deep commitment to quality, Christine has become a cornerstone of the Hart community. Christine joins me today to share how an accounting degree and a love of horses unexpectedly led her into the bakery business, why preserving the legacy of a 90-year-old business is both an honor and a responsibility, and what it takes to produce fresh donuts while the rest of the world sleeps. We discuss the discipline behind mastering a craft, the importance of consistency in serving a community, the value of hard work, why small businesses thrive through authenticity, and how finding work you truly enjoy can lead to a fulfilling life. "Donuts are good for your mental health." – Christine Dold "If you don't love what you're doing, find something that you do love." – Christine Dold "I love handling the dough. I love making them. If you don't love it, find something that you love to do." – Christine Dold This Week on The Wow Factor: How an unexpected career change led Christine from accounting and horse management to owning a historic bakery What it takes to preserve and operate a nearly 90-year-old family bakery while maintaining its reputation for quality Why the overnight baking schedule requires precision, discipline, and a true passion for the craft The importance of consistency, authenticity, and community in building a successful small business Why Christine believes hard work, gratitude, and personal responsibility are still essential ingredients for success How finding work you genuinely enjoy can transform even the hardest days into meaningful ones Christine Dold's Words of Wisdom: Success starts with finding work you genuinely enjoy. When you're passionate about what you do, even the difficult days become worthwhile because you're creating something meaningful for others and taking pride in doing it well. Connect with Christine Dold: The Bakery On the Corner Connect With Brad Formsma: WOW Factor Website Brad Formsma on LinkedIn Brad Formsma on Instagram Brad Formsma on Facebook
Most career change advice assumes something went wrong, but what if success itself is the problem? Dan spent 27 years being promoted away from meaningful work, earning a six-figure salary in a role that looked perfect on paper and felt completely wrong on the inside. If you're a high performer stuck in a successful career that doesn't fit, this episode breaks down the exact framework that helped Dan find fulfilling, well-paid work without starting over and how you can do the same. What You'll Learn: Why high performers are the most likely to end up in roles that don't fit and why being rewarded for the wrong work is the hidden obstacle nobody warns you about The difference between being good at something and it being a Signature Strength and why confusing the two is what keeps most successful people stuck How the Ideal Career Profile works as a decision-making filter not just for finding a new role, but for knowing exactly which offer to say yes to Why Dan took a title that looked like a step down on paper and ended up making nearly three times his previous salary doing work he loves The one question to ask yourself that cuts through the noise when you're weighing whether to stay or go Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
If you're job searching in 2026 and following every resume rule you've been told, one page only, match every keyword, avoid two-column layouts, optimize for the ATS, this episode is going to change how you think about your resume and your entire job search strategy. Sam Wright runs the data side at Huntr, and he's analyzed over 1.7 million job applications, more than 240,000 resumes, and over a million job postings to find out which resume rules actually get people hired, and which ones are just guesses everyone kept repeating. The results are surprising. Two-page resumes outperform one-page resumes across the board. Resume tailoring is 2X more effective at driving interviews. Referrals convert at a massively higher rate than cold applications. And most of what you've been told about the ATS is a myth. Scott and Sam break down the resume myths costing you interviews, the tailoring strategy that actually works, why your target job title matters more than your resume format, and the data-backed job search moves that separate the top 10% of applicants from everyone else. What you'll learn: Why the one-page resume rule was never actually tested (and what the data shows about two-page resumes) The 5-step resume tailoring process that doubles your interview rate Why "optimizing for the ATS" is a myth (and what actually gets your resume seen) How to write a resume summary that stands out (without sounding AI-generated) Why referrals convert at a massively higher rate than cold applications, and how to build them The exact application strategy Sam recommends: how many jobs per week, how fast to apply, and how to target the right roles Connect with Sam Wright: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-b-wright/ Try Huntr: https://huntr.co Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Discover Your Strengths to Find Your Ideal Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
What if the secret isn't chasing the next trend... but following what lights you up? Inspired by a simple note from the Vancouver International Publishing Conference, this episode explores the powerful reminder that passion sets trends—don't chase them- let passion guide you. In a world that constantly encourages people to keep up with what's popular, this conversation invites listeners to slow down and reconnect with what genuinely excites and inspires them. Whether creating a business, writing a book, offering a service, or simply living more authentically, passion carries an energy that can't be manufactured or copied. Candace reflects on letting go of grand expectations of what success is supposed to look like and instead trusting the quiet guidance of the heart. When creativity flows from authenticity rather than comparison, it naturally creates something meaningful—and often becomes the very thing that inspires others. This episode is a gentle reminder that passion isn't something to chase. It's something to trust. And when it's allowed to lead, it has a beautiful way of creating its own path. If you've been waiting for permission to stop following trends and start following your heart, perhaps this is the sign you've been looking for.
David is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and organisational productivity. He is the creator of Getting Things Done, widely known as GTD, and the bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Ready for Anything and Making It All Work. His work has helped millions of people manage commitments, reduce mental overload and create greater clarity in their work and lives. David is the founder and chairman of the David Allen Company, which delivers GTD training and coaching around the world. More recently, he co-authored Team: Getting Things Done with Others, extending the principles of GTD into collaboration, leadership and shared work. This is the second time I have had the privilege of speaking with David. In our first conversation, we explored the foundations and practical application of GTD. This time, we look back at the origins and evolution of his work, consider how we sustain clarity in an increasingly complex world, and reflect on meaningful goals, attention, direction and what matters most now.
Summary In this episode, Andy sits down with Tom Rath, one of the most respected researchers on wellbeing and human potential, author of What's the Point? Turning Your Purpose Into a Superpower. Tom argues that we can be incredibly busy while slowly drifting away from what matters most, optimizing our schedules while our lives quietly leak away. Andy and Tom explore why "follow your passion" can be harmful advice, how status seeking becomes career quicksand, and why our smartphones may be one of the greatest threats to purposeful living. They also discuss how many of us inherit ambitions from our parents that we never consciously chose, and how an honest awareness of mortality can sharpen our clarity, intentionality, and sense of purpose. Rather than treating purpose as one grand calling, Tom reframes it as something we create in small moments throughout the day. If you're looking for a practical, and honestly a little uncomfortable, guide to leading and living with more purpose, this episode is for you! Sound Bites "Here's what I know with absolute certainty: you're wasting most of your day. Not because you're lazy, but because you've never asked the right question. You're so busy being busy that you've forgotten to ask why. You're optimizing your schedule while your life leaks away, hour by hour in meetings that don't matter and tasks that won't be remembered next week, let alone next year." "If you fail to do those things in a day and take that initiative and have those meaningful and purposeful conversations, and you put those off until tomorrow, tomorrow never really comes because we get into that responsive mode." "Passion by definition starts with you, and it's a little self-oriented, whereas I would argue purpose by definition has an other orientation to it, which is a much better idea for anchoring your energy in a day." "If you're not connecting back with the impact that it made on one person that day, it fails to kind of count in the way we motivate ourselves and think about our work on a daily basis." "I would argue that 90% of the purpose in life is built in those moments, not in some epiphany on a sunny day." "I would estimate that at least 80% of people, maybe 90%, make it all the way to the very end of their career in their life without ever seeing what they could have been best at in life." "Even as managers and leaders, if we don't take care of our own health and wellbeing first, we just have no shot at even being our best for other people that we manage." "There's always someone making twice as much as you or 10 times as much as you, and there's always somebody with more followers or more listeners or more readers or whatever it might be." "The eulogy virtues are about what am I doing today so I'll be a better dad, a better husband, a better friend, to help readers, to help people with the products I'm working on." "I would argue that 80% of people I see out in public today, out in the wild, are essentially working for their smartphone." "Their smartphone's running their life, and they're the ones salivating like one of Pavlov's dogs every time the darn thing blinks or buzzes or vibrates, right?" "Having your phone out sends an implicit message to the other person that the little black box on the table matters more than the other person, and it degrades the quality of the conversation." "The one thing we've all got in common is we have today to try and do some things that serve a purpose and help another person, and if you miss that opportunity, it's gone." "None of them, none of the headstones say anything about those kind of resume virtues that we were talking about." Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Start of Interview 02:08 Busy, Yet Drifting from What Matters 05:50 Rethinking the "One True Calling" 07:38 Why "Follow Your Passion" Can Backfire 09:26 From "What Do I Do?" to "Who Do I Help?" 11:20 How Our Parents' Paths Shape Us 12:11 When Admirable Influence Becomes a Limiting Script 15:01 Unlearning the "Always the Hardest Worker" Mindset 16:55 Are We Nudging Our Kids Into Our Dreams? 19:23 Status Seeking as Career Quicksand 22:02 Choosing Your Own Scoreboard 23:38 Smartphones and the Threat to Purpose 26:28 Making Technology Work for You 28:05 How Mortality Sharpens Purpose 30:52 What the Headstones Don't Say 32:33 Helping Kids Build Lives That Matter 35:21 End of Interview 35:48 Andy Comments After the Interview 40:20 Outtakes Learn More You can learn more about Tom and his new book at tomrath.org/whats-the-point. For more learning on this topic, check out: Episode 132 with Tom Rath. An earlier conversation with Tom, digging into his story and his research on wellbeing. Episode 140 with Tom Rath. Another previous discussion with Tom on wellness and living with strengths. Episode 31 with Adam Grant. Adam's first-ever podcast interview, where he shares insights on how to lead with meaning. Episode 261 with David Epstein. A conversation about his book Range, a helpful complement on career decisions for kids and for us. Chat with PMeLa You can chat directly with PMeLa—the podcast's AI persona—to get episode recommendations and answers to your project management and leadership questions. Visit PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/PMeLa to chat with her. Join Us for LEAD52 I know you want to be a more confident leader–that's why you listen to this podcast. LEAD52 is a global community of people like you who are committed to transforming their ability to lead and deliver. It's 52 weeks of leadership learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Learn more and sign up at GetLEAD52.com. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Business Acumen Topics: Purpose, Leadership, Career Development, Passion, Wellbeing, Intentionality, Status, Comparison, Digital Distraction, Mortality, Parenting, Meaningful Work, Project Management The following music was used for this episode: Music: Summer Awakening by Frank Schroeter License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Tuesday by Sascha Ende License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The median job search time in 2026 is now 108 days — a 30% jump from just one quarter ago. But if you're trying to make an intentional career transition into meaningful, well-paid work, that number is only half the story. Here's what the data doesn't tell you, and what actually determines how long your career change will take. What You'll Learn: The critical difference between a conventional job search and an intentional career transition — and why confusing the two is what keeps most people stuck The two variables that determine your career change timeline more than anything else: clarity and validation How Linnea used an Ideal Career Profile to land a role four levels above where she started — without applying to hundreds of postings How Kara went from a 13-year federal career with a 5-month runway to a Chief of Staff role she loves — in exactly 5 months What the first four months of an intentional career transition actually look like, month by month, before you ever send a single application Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode Six different types of Career Experiments (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Most people who've been fired walk into their next interview dreading one question above all others: "So why did you leave your last position?" I've been on both sides of that question. As a former HR leader, where I've fired hundreds of people, and also as an employee who was fired during my career. I even made the mistake of telling interviewers I was laid off instead and it almost cost me everything. In this episode, we break down exactly how to answer the fired question honestly, without setting off alarm bells or tanking your chances. We'll cover the specific language to use, the psychology behind why it works, a simple three-part story framework that turns a potential disaster into a demonstration of self-awareness, and when to bring in expert help before it costs you an offer. If you've been fired and have interviews coming up, this episode is the prep you actually need. What you'll learn Why lying about being fired (even just saying "laid off") is a risk that can end a job offer after it's already been made The three-part story framework I used after being fired that led to multiple job offers without misleading anyone How to present the circumstances of being fired so the interviewer draws their own logical conclusion without you having to over-explain or assign blame Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
In this episode, Andrew Soren is joined by executive coach and humour ambassador Bea Bincze for a conversation about why humor, playfulness, and what she calls “fun framing” deserve a bigger place in how we think about meaningful work.Meaningful work often carries a lot of weight. It matters to us, and it asks a lot of us. In many cases, it pulls people toward seriousness, perfectionism, and a sense that if the work is important, it must also feel heavy. Drawing on her own journey from finance and executive leadership into coaching and humor-based facilitation, Bea argues that humor is more than a distraction from meaningful work. It can be one of the things that makes meaningful work more sustainable, creative, relational, and human.Together, Andrew and Bea explore how humor can reduce stress, soften perfectionism, strengthen psychological safety, and help people working in high-stakes environments cope more skillfully with challenge, failure, and suffering. They also talk about humergy, the energizing force humor brings into a room, and how leaders can create the kind of small, safe “micro experiments” that make more playfulness possible at work.Key TakeawaysHumor is not just about being a comedian. It is about creating moments of lightness, connection, perspective, and relief.Meaningful work can become heavy, and humor can help make it more sustainable without making it less serious.Bea's concept of fun framing offers a way to reframe stressful or perfectionistic situations with more playfulness and flexibility.Humor can increase trust, creativity, team connection, and psychological safety.Leaders can create safer conditions for people to experiment with more warmth, levity, and human energy.In care work, education, coaching, and other purpose-driven settings, humor can be a powerful way to cope with stress and stay connected to others.Why This Episode MattersA lot of conversations about meaningful work focus on purpose, contribution, and impact. Those conversations matter, but they can also become heavy. This episode introduces a different ingredient: humor.Bea Bincze helps reframe humor as a practical leadership and wellbeing skill rather than something extra or trivial. For listeners doing serious, values-driven work, this conversation offers a reminder that joy, lightness, and laughter do not undermine meaning. They can help us carry it better.About Our GuestBea Bincze is an executive coach, trainer, speaker, and humor ambassador who helps leaders and teams use humor more intentionally to reduce stress, improve connection, and support healthier, more effective workplaces. Before moving into coaching, she worked in senior finance leadership roles, including as a CFO, and now brings that organizational experience into her work with leaders and teams. She is also the author of Perfectly Imperfect: Fun-Framing Playbook, a practical guide to reframing perfectionism, reducing stress, and laughing more in everyday life and work.
Leaving a toxic workplace should feel like relief, but for most high performers, it doesn't. It leaves behind a residue of self-doubt, distorted confidence, and a voice in your head that sounds exactly like the environment you just escaped, and if you don't address it before your next job search, it follows you into every interview, every conversation, and every opportunity that matters. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why leaving a toxic workplace doesn't automatically fix the damage it caused, and what confidence distortion actually looks like in a job search for high performers How to use the signature strengths framework to reclaim the qualities a toxic environment convinced you were liabilities, and why this reset has to happen before you start your career change The Ideal Career Profile method for building toward something real after a toxic job, and why launching straight into a job search without it almost always leads back to the same kind of environment How to answer "why did you leave?" in an interview after a toxic work environment, using a 3-part framework that's honest and forward-looking without badmouthing anyone Emily's story: how a 15-year professional who hesitated to apply for roles two levels below her own rebuilt her confidence, returned to the field she swore she'd never go back to, and got promoted in her new role Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Resource: Happen To Your Career Audiobook
Most companies recruit interns to take work off someone's plate. Your Health does the opposite — and it's why several of its current executives, including a Chief Information Officer, first walked in the door as interns. In this episode, Jamie sits down with Heather Bower, Director of Experiential Learning, who has taken the reins of Your Health's internship, mentorship, preceptorship, and apprenticeship programs. Heather shares how a long-standing program is being rebuilt with structure, data, and intention — organized into semester cohorts, anchored by a four-day all-company orientation, and designed so every intern owns a project with genuine stakes. In this conversation, you'll hear: Why "get interns because they're cheap" is exactly the wrong spirit — and what replaces it How one MBA intern's shadowing experience redirected him toward nursing school The "spreadsheet whisperer" intern who taught regional leadership to pull data faster What surprises interns most once they're inside healthcare: the human complexity How Your Health uses feedback loops to move interns toward roles where they'll actually shine If you're early in your career and unsure where you fit, this episode is a map to possibilities you may not know exist. Press play and rethink what an internship can really be. www.YourHealth.Org
In this episode, I sit down with workplace well-being expert and author Jen Fisher to talk about her book, Hope Is the Strategy, and why hope matters so much in a world where so many people are burned out, languishing, and struggling to feel like they matter.Jen shares her own story of severe burnout and how achievement-based identity, constant performance pressure, and external definitions of success can slowly disconnect us from our well-being. This conversation felt especially meaningful to me because so many of us, athletes, high achievers, leaders, parents, professionals, know what it feels like to keep pushing, even when something inside us is saying, “This is not sustainable.”We talk about the difference between hope and optimism, and Jen breaks down hope as an evidence-based framework: having a goal, seeing pathways forward, and believing we have agency. We also explore how hope is connected to mattering, why feeling valued is essential for well-being, and what individuals, teams, and organizations can do to create environments where people can actually thrive.We also get into rest, recovery, human connection, and the role of AI in the future of work. If AI is going to change how we work, how can we use it to make work more human instead of less?This conversation is for anyone who has ever tied their worth to achievement, felt stuck in a system that was eroding their well-being, or wondered how to keep moving forward with more hope, courage, and connection.Top 5 TakeawaysHope is active, not passive: Hope includes a clear goal, pathways to move forward, and the agency to take action.Achievement-based identity can fuel burnout: When our worth depends on performance, success can become unsustainable.Languishing gives language to the in-between: You may not be in crisis, but you may not be flourishing either.Mattering and hope are deeply connected: Feeling valued and knowing your contributions matter can help create the conditions for hope.Work needs to become more human, not less: Rest, recovery, connection, and thoughtful AI use all matter in the future of well-being.LINKSLearn more about Jen FisherRead Jen Fisher's new book Hope is the StrategyFinding Meaning and Mattering at Work with Andrew SorenFinding Meaningful Work with Wes Adams and Tamara Myles--------------The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.
Every year, millions of professionals send out hundreds of applications, get almost nowhere, and decide the problem is their resume. It's not. Referrals make up just 7% of applicants but account for 40% of hires, and the gap between those two numbers comes down to one thing: conversations. In this episode, two professionals who had no plan, no clear direction, and no obvious path forward used test drive conversations to find meaningful work and career change success when nothing else was moving. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why test drive conversations work when job applications don't, and the data behind why referrals account for 40% of hires while most people trying to change careers never tap into them How Shreya used informational interviews to go from stuck in the wrong career to landing a role she loves, and what her career change success story teaches anyone who doesn't know what they want yet The Social Goldilocks Method for career networking that Travis used to break into the toys and games industry from a completely unrelated background, and how to use the same approach to find meaningful work in any field What test drive conversations are actually teaching you about yourself, the career clarity and signature strengths you can only uncover by talking to real people, and why no amount of job searching online can replicate it Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Five years in, PeopleForward Network is celebrating the wins, the partners, the mission, and the hard lessons that come with building something meaningful. Nikki reflects on PFN's fifth birthday with the honesty only a founder can bring: the joy of creating a people-first culture, the emotion of serving partners deeply, and the sting of losing a major client right before a milestone moment. Nikki shares how PFN lives its mission from the inside out, from rituals of celebration and strengths-based leadership to work-life integration that protects real life moments. She opens up about entrepreneurship as a rollercoaster, reminding leaders that setbacks are not the end of the story. They are part of learning how to ride better. This episode is a heartfelt invitation for founders, executives, and team leaders to celebrate loudly, lead with purpose, and keep the gas pedal down on meaningful work. Additional Resources: Subscribe to the PFN YouTube Channel for daily leadership insights! Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network Key Takeaways: Celebrate wins before setbacks demand resilience. Partnership is a mindset, not a transaction. Meaningful work must be lived internally first. Work-life integration protects what matters most. Setbacks teach leaders to ride better.
Scott Ingham spent 18 years in pharmaceutical sales before deciding to make a career change after 50. When he told people, the response was almost uniform: "You're crazy." That pushback wasn't useful advice. It was projection of other people's fears dressed up as concern. It's also one of five beliefs that keep professionals over 50 stuck in roles they've already outgrown. According to data, 85% of employers now hire based on skills, not credentials. 53% have dropped degree requirements entirely. The average new hire today is 42 years old. And 80% of career changers report they're glad they made the move with the most common regret being how long they waited. If one of these five beliefs has been running quietly in the background of a decision you haven't made yet, this episode is worth your time. What you'll learn Why the pushback you get from people around you when considering a career change after 50 isn't advice — and what it actually is What skills-based hiring really means for professionals with 20+ years of experience and why the market timing right now may be better than it's ever been The hidden cost of staying in a role that no longer fits and why the financial math of not changing rarely holds up Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts)
Hayley Lowe had a textbook career pivot from her communications degree and agency life to a senior leadership role at a company like Expedia. Everything was going according to plan until burnout, infertility, a pandemic, and one very wrong Fortune 500 job forced her to rebuild from scratch. What she found on the other side wasn't a posted role. It was one she designed herself. Through coaching, she built an Ideal Career Profile that made it obvious why her last job had been wrong and exactly what right would look like. In this episode, Hayley shares what it took to trust her gut sooner, how she negotiated a role that didn't exist yet, and what work finally feels like when it's built around who you actually are. What you'll learn What happens when you take a job that looks right on paper and know it's wrong on Day 1 and what to do about it fast How Hayley used her Ideal Career Profile to reverse-engineer a Chief of Staff role at a company she already trusted Why the best career opportunities are rarely posted — and how to position yourself to co-create the role you actually want Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
If you've taken time away from your career and you're wondering how to come back without explaining the gap or apologizing for your time off, this episode is for you. Caroline spent 17 years at one of the Big Four firms before hitting full-on burnout. After years of being passed over for promotions and navigating a system that forced competition over collaboration, she woke up one day and thought, "I can't do this anymore." She resigned. Took two years away. Moved countries. Completely reset her life. Then she had to figure out how to come back. This wasn't a standard return-to-work story. Caroline used a strengths assessment to identify her transferable value, named exactly what she wanted instead of apologizing for the gap, turned down the first offer that didn't fit, and ended up with a role at a mid-size entrepreneurial company working three days a week, 24 hours split across her schedule. This episode unpacks how to return to work after burnout and a career break, why your transferable skills matter more than your job titles, and how Caroline negotiated her way into flexible part-time work that fit both her home life and her work life. What you'll learn: How to translate years of corporate experience into a compelling value proposition after a career break Why year 8, 13, or 18 at the same company often becomes a breaking point (and how to spot it before you hit it) How to use a strengths assessment to rebuild confidence and articulate your transferable skills Why stating exactly what you want works better than apologizing for your time away How to negotiate flexible part-time work even when the first offer doesn't fit Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Discover Your Strengths to Find Your Ideal Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
If your career looks successful on paper but feels off inside, you're not alone. Many mid-career professionals reach a point where the work that used to fit no longer does. Breanne Gjurich-Wozniak's story is one path forward: a portfolio career that combined her biotech expertise with her animal welfare interests. Breanne had a career that looked solid from the outside. Biotech R&D, then regulatory work submitting new technologies to the FDA. Director-level. Real success. Inside, the fit was changing. The work was drifting.She started looking at R&D and regulatory roles she was qualified for. Nothing gave her any excitement. That's when she found HTYC's free 8-day mini course and joined the Career Change Bootcamp. She built one 5-year career plan with her manager and a separate one with her career coach. The two plans were so different. The energy in each was so different. She knew it was time to leave. What followed wasn't a traditional job search. It was 20 conversations with strangers, a series of career experiments, and surprising feedback from people who'd only met her for an hour. Her coach introduced the idea of a portfolio career: multiple types of work, multiple interests, all under one umbrella. Breanne built a consulting business that combined her biotech expertise with the animal welfare work she'd always wanted to do. What you'll learn: The 5-year career plan exercise that reveals when your current path no longer fits How to use Social Goldilocks conversations to get strangers to see what you can't about yourself What a portfolio career actually looks like (and why one full-time job isn't always the right structure) How to translate decades of industry experience into consulting work Why "successful on paper" is the hardest career trap to leave Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Twenty years ago, Abraham Burickson and his collaborators asked a simple question: what if a work of art were designed for just one person? Instead of creating experiences for the masses, they spent months crafting deeply personal journeys for an audience of one. That experiment grew into a new way of thinking about design, participation, and transformation. In this revisited episode, Dart and Abraham discuss what those lessons can teach us about management, why experience cannot be fully designed, and how organizations can become platforms for people to create meaning together.Abraham Burickson is an author, speaker, and experience designer who has spent more than two decades exploring how designed experiences can transform people. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Works and the author of Experience Design: A Participatory Manifesto.In this episode, Dart and Abraham discuss:- How to create a transformative experience for a single individual- Can managers be experience designers?- Why experience is not designable- How to implement experience design at work- Baking experiences within static products- Designing for transformation- Work as a shared experience- The origin story and myths of organizations- And other topics…Abraham Burickson is an author, experience designer, and artist who has spent more than two decades exploring how design shapes human experience. He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Works, where he creates immersive performances for audiences of one, and co-directs the Experience Design Certificate Program. Trained in architecture at Cornell University, his work spans art, design, education, and consulting. He is the author of Experience Design: A Participatory Manifesto and co-author of Odyssey Works: Transformative Experiences for an Audience of One.Resources mentioned:Experience Design, by Abraham Burickson: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Design-Participatory-Abraham-Burickson/dp/0300269471Odyssey Works, by Abraham Burickson: https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Works-Transformative-Experiences-Audience/dp/1616895152The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227Connect with Abraham:https://www.abrahamburickson.com/https://www.owprograms.com/Work with Dart:Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what's most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.
If your job search isn't working and you're sending more applications hoping something sticks, you're not alone. Mass applying is the most common job search mistake, and the mindset shift and targeted strategy that fix it took Stephanie Drumright from silence to two offers in 8 days. Stephanie had sent 145 applications in 6 months. Five got her into interviews. None turned into an offer. She had a visa clock ticking, and her instinct was to apply to more jobs, broader roles, anything that might stick. So she changed her approach completely. She narrowed her criteria to Head of Operations or similar roles, companies under 250 people, a hybrid setup, and a specific values fit. Instead of applying like someone trying to earn her way in, she searched like someone with standards. 8 days later, she had 2 offers. This episode unpacks the job search psychology behind why mass applying fails, the cognitive load that drains your interview performance, and how the shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset turns a targeted job search into real interviews and offers. What you'll learn: Why sending more applications when you're scared often makes your job search harder, not easier The cognitive load cost that's draining your interview performance behind the scenes How to shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset in your job search Stephanie's exact criteria framework that took her from 145 applications to 2 offers in 8 days The identity shift from applicant trying to earn a yes to candidate with standards Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: Episode 612 - Stephanie Drumright (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Starting is hard when it requires taking a step into a future that's so unpredictable. For young people entering the workforce today, that challenge is even greater. First the pandemic disrupted their education and early careers, and now artificial intelligence is reshaping industries almost as fast as they can enter them. When Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor was invited to deliver a commencement speech at her alma mater, Columbia University, she knew graduates weren't looking for easy answers or inspirational clichés. Best known for breaking the Harvey Weinstein story, Kantor has spent years reporting on power, work, technology and social change. That speech became a book about finding meaningful work and building a life shaped by your own choices and ambitions. It's called How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work.
Welcome back to the Outdoor Adventure Series! In this episode, Howard sits down with Melissa Pierick, Director of Marketing and Community Relations for the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Melissa shares her personal journey of discovering the Ice Age National Scenic Trail—an incredible 1,200-mile adventure that winds through Wisconsin, right past the state capital of Madison. Melissa offers insight into the trail's all-season appeal, the vibrant community of “thousand milers,” and the surprising beauty waiting around every corner. We'll also learn about the Alliance's dedicated volunteers, the communities supporting the trail, and how you can get involved— Plus, we'll get a sneak peek at upcoming events, including a unique, behind-the-scenes opportunity for attendees of the OWAA's annual conference in Madison this August to explore future trail segments and enjoy Wisconsin's unrivaled hospitality. Get ready to be inspired to get outside and start your own adventure on the Ice Age Trail!DISCUSSIONIntroduction and WelcomeIntroduction of Melissa Pierick, her role, and a fun fact about Madison 00:34, 00:49Melissa Background and Trail DiscoveryHoward asks about her connection to the Madison area and the Ice Age Trail 01:01Melissa describes living in Wisconsin and not discovering the trail until 2019 01:16Reflections on discovering new places through the trail 03:49, 04:49Ice Age Trail Details and "Thousand Miler" JourneyThe 1200-mile span of the trail 05:36"Thousand miler" achievement and culture 06:00Contrast with thru-hiking culture on other trails 06:06Trail as an All-Season ExperienceDiscussion about hiking in various seasons 07:55Community Involvement and Support Along the TrailLocal community engagement 09:10Overview of the Ice Age Trail's passage through over 130 communities 10:09Description of official Ice Age Trail communities and their partnership with the Alliance 10:43Local business involvement and hospitality 11:15Trail Use and Permitted ActivitiesPermitted trail activities beyond hiking 12:50Trail is designated as a footpath (hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, running, backpacking, walking) 13:08Exceptions for biking on certain segments (urban paths, rails-to-trails) 13:27Rules for “thousand miler” qualification (must be on foot) 13:46Trail Geography and Hiker DemographicsMap overview and curiosity about hiker origins 14:14Explanation of trail route across Wisconsin and locations connected 14:31Hiker demographics: Wisconsin, nearby states (Illinois, Minnesota), international visitors 14:51, 15:29Trail History and Organizational StructureNational Scenic Trail designation in 1980 16:37Historical background: conservationist origins, failed national park effort, scientific reserve units 16:52Organization of the alliance, dating back to the 1950s 18:27Volunteerism on the Ice Age TrailVolunteer numbers (around 2,000 annually) 19:12Wide range of volunteer activities 20:15Website Tour and Online ResourcesGuided walk-through of the Alliance website 23:24Highlights of the interactive trail map and how it's updated 24:21Explanation of key map features 25:37Exploration of specific trail features (Devil's Lake, ferry crossing, local ice cream shops) 28:43Elevation range and features 29:562Upcoming OWAA Conference and Post-TourDetails about the August OWAA conference in Madison 38:17Description of the post-conference tour with the Ice Age Trail Alliance 34:36Reflections on Meaningful Work and Community Impact“aha moments” and meaningful experiences 39:06Melissa discusses gratitude, the supportive hiker community, and the fulfilling impact of her work 39:21"Obituary Builder" InsightMeaningful, memorable life activities over career achievements 43:00LEARN MOREWebsite: To learn more about the Ice Age Trail Alliance, visit their website at https://IceAgeTrail.org or their social sites:Facebook 1: https://www.facebook.com/iceagetrail Facebook 2: https://www.facebook.com/groups/525543867532782/ Instagram: http://instagram/iceagetrailorgDestination Madison: https://www.visitmadison.com/NEXT STEPSVisit us at https://outdooradventureseries.com to like, comment, and share our episodes.KEYWORDSIce Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age Trail, Thousand Miler, Monty the Mammoth, Destination Madison, Madison Wisconsin, National Scenic Trail, National Park Service, Outdoor Adventure Series, Podcast Interview, OWAA#IceAgeTrailAlliance #IceAgeTrail #ThousandMiler #MontytheMammoth #DestinationMadison #MadisonWisconsin #NationalScenicTrail #NationalParkService #OutdoorAdventureSeries #PodcastInterview #OWAA #OWAA2026My Favorite Podcast Tools: Production by DescriptHosting BuzzsproutShow Notes by CastmagicWebsite powered by PodpageBe a Podcast Guest by PodMatchBanner Customization by Nano Banana & Canva
You started this course with a question that's been hard to answer for years: what kind of work actually fits me? By the end of today, you've done what most high performers spend years circling without ever doing. You've looked at your past honestly, named what you want, and held real opportunities up against real criteria. In Day 8, the final day of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, Scott walks you through what comes after the clarity. Whether you've made a decision or you're still working it out, this is the conversation about what happens next. Clarity is the start, not the finish line. What you'll learn: Why getting clear is the beginning of the work, not the end of it The two situations almost everyone lands in after finishing this course, and what to do in each Why most people don't make their next move immediately after completing the course, and why that's normal The free resources we share with clients in your position How to know if having a team walk this with you would speed up your next step Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 1 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 2 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 3 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 4 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 5 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 6 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 7 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Making the decision is the hard part. Most of us never actually do it. We deliberate, analyze, talk ourselves in and out of it, and at the last possible second we cave and pick the safest option on the menu. Then we wonder why nothing's changing. In Day 7 of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, we're addressing the actual move you've been avoiding for the last six days. By the end, you'll know how to make a decision that opens momentum, not one that creates more pressure to be perfect. You don't have to decide the rest of your life. You just have to decide the next step. What you'll learn: Why making the decision is harder than knowing what the right one is How not deciding is still deciding, and what it costs you The Emerson and Tony Robbins reframes that make career decisions feel less like cliffs Why an imperfect decision still beats the perfect one you never make The specific size of decision you should be focused on right now, and how to make it Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 1 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 2 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 3 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 4 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 5 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 6 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Most career professionals stay stuck not because they don't have options, but because they're evaluating them against the wrong thing. They compare role to role, company to company, path to path. And because none of the options is obviously better than the others, they keep circling without ever moving. The problem isn't the options. It's the comparison point. In Day 6 of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, you'll use everything you've built across Days 1-5 as the only criteria that actually matters. By the end of today, you'll have a clear shortlist of three opportunities that actually fit you, and a much smaller list of the ones you can stop pursuing. You don't evaluate a career opportunity against other career opportunities. You evaluate it against what you know about yourself. What you'll learn: Why comparing one career opportunity to another keeps high performers stuck for years The 3-step framework that turns five days of self-discovery into a real decision criteria How to eliminate wrong-fit opportunities so you stop wasting time pursuing them The specific signs that an opportunity matches your Signature Strengths, your Five Areas, and what your 5 Whys revealed Why eliminating what doesn't fit isn't giving up, it's how you make room for what does Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 1 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 2 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 3 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 4 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 5 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Have you ever wondered whether your biggest dreams are truly yours—or shaped by fear, validation, and old conditioning? Jessica sits down with bestselling author and TBMer Tara Mohr to explore the powerful distinction between your inner critic and inner mentor. Together, they unpack how we hide from visibility, delay our purpose through perfectionism, and unknowingly play small in pursuit of safety. Tara shares the framework that has helped thousands of women reconnect with their authentic voice and step into greater self-expression, impact, and fulfillment. From the nervous system's role in self-doubt to reframing feedback and confidence, this episode offers practical tools for anyone ready to be seen—in work, creativity, relationships, and life. Whether you're launching a business, sharing your story, or simply feeling the pull toward a more authentic version of yourself, this conversation is a reminder: your wisdom already lives within you. Ready to step into your power? The Be Seen Challenge is live — drop into the TBM app to take the kickoff quiz and begin. Find the complete show notes here → https://tobemagnetic.com/expanded-podcast Resources: The Be Seen Challenge Stop playing small in your career, relationships, and life and manifest your next level. Now live inside The Pathway. Summer Sale: $23/Month Start your manifestation journey at our lowest price of the season: $23/month! Join now and step into the Be Seen Challenge with us before this offer ends. Free Masterclass: Step Into Your F*ck It Energy If you missed our live masterclass with Lacy and Jessica — don't worry, you can still watch the replay! Learn how to step into your f*ck it energy and feel genuinely safe being seen. Join the Pathway Membership Use code EXPANDED for 20% off your first month! The Pathway Membership gives you unlimited access to all of our manifestation workshops—including How to Manifest, Unblocking Your Inner Child, Shadow, Love, Money, Rock Bottoms, Ruts, and Energetic Updates —plus 70+ self-hypnosis tracks designed to unlock your full potential. LEARN MORE HERE Get the latest from TBM Join the Pathway now - Return to Magic Challenge, Money Challenge, and Nervous System Reset available now! New to TBM? Free Offerings to Get You Started Learn the Process! Expanded Podcast - How to Manifest Anything You Desire Get Expanded! The Motivation - Testimonial Library Ready to find out what's holding you back? Try our Free Clarity Exercise Be an EXPANDER! Share Your Manifestation Story Submit to Be a Process Guest What did you manifest during the Return to Magic Challenge? Share a voice note of your question, block, or Process to be featured in an episode! This Episode Is Brought to You By: ARMRA - Get 30% off your first subscription order with code TBM Colostrum: Immune Revival - Immune barrier superfood Fatty15 - go to fatty15.com/TBM use code TBM at checkout to get an additional 15% off your 90-day subscription Starter Kit PIQUE - Get 20% off any Pique products at piquelife.com/tbm, and use code TBM at checkout. Sun Goddess Matcha In this episode we talk about: The concept of the Inner Mentor and how to access it Distinguishing intuition from fear-based thinking Understanding the true role of the inner critic Why visibility activates the nervous system Playing big versus playing small The hidden ways women avoid being seen Perfectionism and its connection to self-worth Designing at the whiteboard versus taking action Finding confidence through values instead of validation Why feedback reflects the giver as much as the receiver The relationship between curiosity and fear Language patterns that diminish personal authority Reclaiming your authentic voice and self-expression Sharing your story versus hiding behind expertise The joy and fulfillment that emerge from living authentically Mentioned In the Episode: Take the Be Seen Quiz in the TBM app Playing Big book available here: https://www.taramohr.com/the-playing-big-book/ Find our Be Seen Challenge plus all our workshops and all workshops mentioned inside our Pathway Membership! (Including the Inner Child Workshop, Safe to Be Seen DI, and the Be Seen Challenge Challenge) Connect with Tara Mohr! Playing Big book available here: https://www.taramohr.com/the-playing-big-book/ Meet Your Inner Mentor (guided visualization): https://www.taramohr.com/book/inner-mentor-signup/ Free Inner Critic chapter from the Playing Big book: https://www.taramohr.com/the-playing-big-book/free-chapter/ HOW TO MANIFEST by Lacy Phillips (with exercises by Jessica Gill)Available now! The Expanded Podcast, from To Be Magnetic™ (TBM), is the leading manifestation podcast rooted in neuroscience, psychology, and energetics. Hosted by TBM's Chief Content Officer Jessica Gill, with monthly appearances from founder Lacy Phillips, Expanded is where science and the mystical meet to help you manifest in the most grounded, practical, and life-changing way.At TBM, we've redefined manifestation through Neural Manifestation™—our proven, science-backed method developed with neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart. This process helps you reprogram limiting beliefs at the subconscious level so you can create the life most aligned with your authenticity.Each week, we take you inside the TBM practice to help you expand your subconscious to believe what you desire is possible. Through expert interviews, thought leader conversations, TBM teachings, and real member success stories, you'll learn how to: – Rewire your subconscious mind and step into your worth – Heal your inner child and integrate shadow work – Set boundaries, strengthen intuition, and reclaim self-worth – Manifest relationships, careers, abundance, and experiences that align with your true selfWith over than 40 million downloads and a global community in over 100 countries, Expanded has become the gold standard in manifestation content. Think of it as your weekly practice for expanding your mind, believing what you want is possible, and manifesting the life you're meant to live.Past guests include leading voices such as Mel Robbins, Lewis Howes, Jenna Zoe, Martha Beck, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Gabor Maté, Mark Groves, and Brianna Wiest. Where To Find Us!@tobemagnetic (IG)@LacyannephillipsLacy Launched a Substack! - By Candlelight - Join Here@Jessicaashleygill@tobemagnetic (youtube)@expandedpodcast
There's a voice in your head that's been running for twenty-plus years, and it's been deciding what's possible for you before you've had a chance to consider it. "That's not realistic." "That seems unreasonable." "Someone like me doesn't do that." Most high performers have never noticed the filter is even there. They've just lived inside its conclusions. In Day 5 of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, we name the filter, get around it, and walk you through the one exercise that's surfaced more achievable career possibilities than any self-assessment tool we've used. After almost 100,000 people through this course, here's what we know: the things you keep dismissing as "wildly unrealistic" are almost never unrealistic. They're just unfamiliar. What you'll learn: Why your brain has been ruling out the best career possibilities before you've had the chance to consider them The specific cognitive bias that runs harder the longer you've been a high performer The 3 Wildly Unrealistic Things exercise, how to do it, and why almost every answer is more achievable than it sounds What we found after collecting tens of thousands of responses to this exercise, and why it stopped us in our tracks How what you write down today becomes the foundation for the rest of this course Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 1 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 2 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 3 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 4 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
What began as a simple experiment during the early months of the pandemic has evolved into a global conversation about sustainable success, intentional productivity, regenerative leadership, creativity, wellbeing, and the future of work. In this special centenary episode, Mich Bondesio reflects on the journey of creating the Creating Cadence Podcast, the themes that have shaped it, the lessons learned along the way, and the impact this community has had over the past six years.This is both a celebration of community and a reflection on what it takes to demonstrate creating cadence in action.A look back at what we've explored together. and a reminder that meaningful things are often built one small, consistent step at a time.In episode 100 of the Creating Cadence podcast:The story behind how Creating Cadence began during the pandemicThe surprising growth of a global audience across 60 countriesWhy podcasting became a catalyst for personal and professional growthThe six major themes that have shaped the show over six yearsThe lessons learned from producing 100 episodesThe importance of seasonal pauses and sustainable creative practiceEpisode 100 Timestamps[00:01:33] Introduction & Celebrating 100 Episodes[00:07:59] Thematic Review of Six Years of Creating Cadence[00:08:50] Theme 1: Reimagining Success & Sustainable Leadership[00:09:25] Theme 2: Intentional Productivity, Human Energy & Wellbeing[00:09:57] Theme 3: Creativity, Identity & Meaningful Work[00:10:25] Theme 4: Building Better Work Cultures & Communities[00:10:55] Theme 5: Technology, Innovation & The Future of Work[00:11:28] Theme 6: Nature, Systems & Regenerative Thinking[00:12:15] Lessons Learned from Building a Podcast[00:15:05] Looking Ahead & Seasonal PauseKey insight: 100 episodes. 6 years. 42 guests. Listeners in 60 countries.Meaningful things are rarely built overnight. They grow through consistency, curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to keep showing up — even when you're not entirely sure who's listening.Whether you've been listening since Episode 1 or discovered the podcast today, thank you for being part of this journey.Here's to the next chapter, Mich
Almost every high performer we work with has spent years making career decisions without ever stopping to ask what kind of life those decisions were building toward. Not because they didn't care about their life outside work, but because their career had its own momentum. Each next step made sense. Each promotion was a logical move. And somewhere along the way, the career started making the life decisions instead of the other way around. In Day 4 of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, you'll work through the five areas of your life your career is either supporting or working against, using the same framework our team walks clients through to build their Ideal Career Profile. Fit isn't just about the work. It's about the whole picture. What you'll learn: Why career decisions made on autopilot end up shaping every other area of your life The 5 categories most high performers have let their career make decisions about by default: Environment, Financial, Family/Social, Personal Development/Growth, and Physical Health What specific questions to ask in each area to surface what you actually want versus what you've been making peace with Why income becomes both the reason to stay somewhere that doesn't fit and the thing that makes every other area harder to prioritize How the Ideal Career Profile becomes the foundation for evaluating real opportunities in the next stage of the course Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 1 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 2 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 3 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
We're celebrating PFN's birthday by shining a light on the partners who have been part of our journey toward people-first leadership, meaningful work, and purpose-driven impact. This special feature from Vibecast with Kristi Skutvik captures the heart of their work and the shared mission that brings us together. Enjoy! — Some of the most powerful culture work starts in the smallest moments. Kristi sits down with Steve Perkins, CEO and founder of Greenhouse Coaching, to explore how team norms shape the everyday vibe of work. Steve shares how his journey from a toxic workplace to a purpose-driven coaching business helped him see the deep connection between individual purpose, leadership, and organizational culture. Together, Kristi and Steve unpack simple but transformational practices like weekly sprint planning, intentional calendar blocks, and one-on-one meetings built around feedback, delegation, and development. This conversation is a reminder that great work vibes do not happen by accident. They are nurtured through rhythm, intention, and the courage to make the invisible visible.
Show Notes What does it take to walk into a room full of suffering and keep showing up? In this episode of Real Women's Work, I revisit a conversation with Carolyn Flynn, a registered nurse who spent ten years caring for critically ill children in a pediatric burn unit. What I remembered as a conversation about nursing turns out to be something much deeper: a conversation about purpose, resilience, teamwork, and what it means to help people through the hardest moments of their lives. Carolyn shares what it's really like to work in an environment where every day can bring life-and-death decisions, heartbreaking stories, unexpected joy, and extraordinary acts of compassion. She talks about the unique culture of nursing, where independence and teamwork coexist, and where help arrives without needing to be asked for. One of the most powerful moments in our conversation comes when Carolyn describes her very first day in a pediatric burn unit—a day she thought might prove she wasn't capable of doing the work. Instead, it revealed exactly where she belonged. This episode is ultimately about something bigger than healthcare. It's about finding meaning in service, showing up when outcomes are uncertain, and discovering that success isn't always measured by what you can fix. In This Episode Why nursing requires both fierce independence and deep teamwork The reality of working in a pediatric burn unit How medical teams support one another during crises What Carolyn learned on her first day as a nurse The role of compassion when you can't change the outcome Finding joy and connection in difficult circumstances Why Carolyn believes her purpose is to make people as comfortable as possible The moments that reminded her she was exactly where she needed to be Memorable Quote "My purpose is to make other people as comfortable as I possibly can. I can't control the outcome, but I can fight for my patients and do everything in my power to make them comfortable." Why Listen? This conversation offers a rare glimpse into a profession most of us only see from the outside. But even more than that, it's a reminder that meaningful work isn't always about achievement. Sometimes it's about presence, compassion, and being willing to stand beside people during the hardest moments of their lives.
"What do you want?" sounds like a simple question. Try answering it about your career right now and you'll probably find it's harder than it sounds. Most people don't draw a blank, they tell you everything they don't want with precision and freeze the moment the question gets flipped forward. That's not because the answer doesn't exist. It's because nobody has ever given you the right tool to find it. In Day 3 of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, you'll learn The 5 Whys exercise, the same problem-solving framework we've adapted for career change and used with thousands of clients to surface what you actually want underneath what you don't. Every "don't want" is pointing at something. The 5 Whys helps you see what. What you'll learn: Why naming what you don't want feels easy but naming what you do want feels impossible How what you want shifts over time, and why the dream role of your 30s often isn't the right fit by your 40s or 50s The 5 Whys exercise, how it works, why it cuts through complaint to clarity, and exactly how to use it on your biggest career frustration The real reason high performers stay stuck even after years of self-reflection How Jerrad went from "I don't want technical work" to "I want work that helps me be a better parent" in five questions Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 1 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 2 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
You could spend the next decade reflecting on your career and still end up exactly where you are right now. Not because reflection doesn't work, but because directionless reflection won't get you to the forward question. You can probably name what you don't want with real precision, but you still can't tell anyone what you actually do want. That gap is where most career changes stall for years. Sometimes decades. In Day 2 of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, you'll work through 10 specific reflection questions designed to use your past intentionally, the same questions our team uses with clients to surface the patterns and themes that point to what actually fits. The work that genuinely fits you almost always feels familiar, like coming home after a long time away. The pieces are usually already in your history. You just need a framework to see them clearly. What you'll learn: Why reflection alone leaves most high performers exactly where they started The forward question most people can't answer, and how to actually answer it Why careers that fit feel familiar, not foreign, and what that means for where to look The 10 specific reflection questions our team uses with clients to surface what actually energizes you The bonus question that often surfaces what every other question missed Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) What Fits You - Day 1 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Episode 222 - (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
In this episode, Andrew is joined by psychology and philosophy researcher Joffrey Fuhrer to explore the critical role of self-transcendence and positive impact in experiencing meaningful work.Drawing on his empirical research into well-being and morality, Joffrey challenges the modern, highly individualized pursuit of happiness, arguing instead that true meaning requires an outward focus and a tangible contribution to others.Together, Andrew and Joffrey examine how the historical drift from collective well-being to self-centeredness has impoverished our experience of work, and how reintroducing pro-sociality and service can act as an antidote to existential burnout.Key TakeawaysMeaning in life and work is incomplete without actually having a positive impact. This is called self-transcendence, and it is often missing when we define or measure meaning in life.When we experience existential crises or meaningless work, we often collapse inward into a self-centred "black hole"; engaging in service forces an outward focus that restores our sense of mattering.The psychological feeling of meaning is distinct from an objectively meaningful life, which research shows is deeply tied to morality and pro-social behaviour rather than selfish pursuits.Self-transcendence at work doesn't require massive, consequential impact; it can be found in everyday moments of "flow" and small, intrinsically motivated acts of helping others.Why This Episode MattersModern workplace culture often treats well-being and meaning as purely individual pursuits—finding your personal "why" or optimizing your own happiness. This conversation challenges that isolation, revealing how our intense focus on the self might actually be what keeps us from feeling that our work matters. By distinguishing between simply feeling valuable and tangibly contributing to a collective, this episode reframes meaning as a deeply pro-social act, offering a pathway out of the self-centered exhaustion of modern work.About Our GuestJoffrey Fuhrer is a researcher in psychology and philosophy whose work explores the nature of the good life, meaning, well-being, and morality. Drawing on both empirical research and philosophical inquiry, he examines how self-transcendence, prosocial behavior, and positive impact shape our experience of meaning in life and work.He is currently leading a research project funded by the Young Universities for the Future of Europe initiative. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
The thing that's exceptional about you is probably the thing you've stopped noticing. After enough years of high performance, the things you do better than almost anyone get filed away as "obvious" or "easy" or "everyone can do that." Even when they're genuinely rare. That's the Signature Strengths problem most high performers walk into a career change with. They're great at things they don't even count as strengths, and they can't tell you what they're truly built for because they've never named it. In Day 1 of the What Fits You 8-Day Mini Course, you'll start separating what you're great at from what you actually want to keep doing. Because being excellent at something isn't the same as it being a fit, and the gap between those two is where most career changes go wrong. What you'll learn: Why "I'm a good leader" and "I'm great with people" aren't actually Signature Strengths The specific definition of a Signature Strength, and why it's the foundation for every career change that actually fits Why the things that come most naturally to you are usually the things you've stopped noticing The Strengths Reflection Exercise that surfaces patterns years of self-assessment tools missed Why even high performers who've done this work for years often don't know their Signature Strengths until someone helps them dig deeper Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Discover Your Strengths to Find Your Ideal Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episode: What Fits You - Introduction (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
The people who find this course usually aren't here because something obvious is broken. They're here because their career looks fine from the outside and still doesn't feel right from the inside. They can name what they don't want with precision but freeze when asked what they actually do want. That gap is what this course was built to close. Over the next eight days, you'll walk through the same process Scott built from scratch after his own career fell apart. The same process that's now taken nearly 100,000 people from "I know something's off" to "I know what fits me." In this Introduction, you'll hear what each day delivers, why finding the right career isn't usually about reinvention, and how to set yourself up to get the most out of the next eight days. What you'll learn: Why most career advice falls short for high performers who've already done years of self-reflection The reason nobody has ever taught you how to find work that actually fits, and what to do about it What Signature Strengths are and why they're the foundation of every career change that works What each of the 8 days covers and the simple exercise that pairs with each episode How to get the most out of the course whether you finish with a decision or a clearer next step Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Most executives never run the math on what it really costs to stay in a career that no longer fits. They calculate what leaving would cost them, the income, the title, the security they've spent fifteen or twenty years building, but they almost never run the numbers on what staying is already taking from them. In Part 3 of our Executive Career Change series, you'll see what the math actually looks like, including the four real costs of staying that compound year after year, the data on what really happens to income after a structured executive career change, and the three questions that surface the truth for almost every executive we've worked with. The salary you've been protecting becomes something you've been paying for. And once you see what staying actually costs you, the math of leaving looks completely different. What you'll learn: The four real costs of staying in a career that no longer fits, including the identity loss that almost no executive sees coming until it's too late What the Wharton data actually shows about income recovery after an executive career change, and why "leaving will cost you forever" is almost always wrong Why the income math of staying isn't safe, it's a slow leak most people never count The three questions our team uses to surface what's actually going on for executives stuck in the trap Why the first real move isn't the resignation or the announcement, it's something simpler and more important Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episodes: Executive Career Change Series Part 1 of 3 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Executive Career Change Series Part 2 of 3 (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Katie's Career Transition Story (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Most executives know something is wrong years before they do anything about it. They have the title, the income, the team, and still feel stuck inside the corporate burnout and golden handcuffs that come with high-performing careers. Drained, distracted, and quietly miserable for 40 to 60 hours a week. In Part 2 of our Executive Career Change series, you'll hear from two real executives, Hayley and Katie, who finally made the move they'd been putting off for years, without blowing up their income or their lives. The question isn't whether to leave. It's how to stop rationalizing your way into roles that look great on paper but feel wrong in practice. What you'll learn: Why high-performing executives tolerate the wrong situation longer than everyone else, and what finally forces the breaking point The hidden cost of staying that most people never see until they're already on the other side of it Why generating activity like updating your resume, calling recruiters, and jumping into interviews is not the same as making progress How Hayley co-created a role built around her strengths instead of just finding the next available job What Katie had to figure out before she could move forward, and why it changed everything about how she searched Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Mentioned Episodes What Executive Career Change Actually Looks Like at $200K–$500K: Beyond Draining and Unfulfilling Work (Executive Series Part 1) (Spotify /Apple Podcasts)
If you're earning between $200K and $500K and quietly wondering why every career change strategy you've tried hasn't worked, the answer probably isn't more effort. It's that almost none of the advice you've been given was built for executives at your level. The trap is different. The math is different. The way out is different. And almost every executive in this income range falls into the same hidden patterns without ever recognizing what they are. This is Part 1 of our three-part Executive Career Change series. We walk through the five specific reasons career change is fundamentally different at the $200K to $500K level, the trap most executives sit inside without naming, and the three lies that keep high performers stuck for years longer than they should be. Clips from Katie Hyskell, Paul Ichilcik, and Hayley Lowe — three real executives who lived this exact pattern — anchor the diagnosis. In this episode: Why most career change advice was never built for executives earning $200K to $500K The five specific things that make career change fundamentally different at the executive level The expertise trap and why the better you are at work you don't love, the harder it becomes to leave The three lies almost every high earner tells themselves on a loop ("I feel like I should just be grateful," "I just need a better solution," "I'll do it after one more year") Why your income, your title, and your network all quietly work against you when you try to change careers at this level Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts)
Lisa Marchiano is an author, podcaster, and certified Jungian analyst who has dedicated her career to helping people better understand themselves through dreams, psychology, and personal growth. As the co-creator of Dream School and co-host of the popular podcast This Jungian Life, Lisa combines the wisdom of Carl Jung with practical insights for modern life. In this conversation, she shares her unconventional career journey, her philosophy on money and meaning, and how creativity, purpose, and self-discovery can lead to both fulfillment and financial success. On this episode we talk about: How following your curiosity and energy can guide your career path The principles of Jungian psychology and why Carl Jung's work remains relevant today The role of the unconscious mind in creativity, intuition, and personal growth Building a mission-driven business without initially intending to become an entrepreneur Developing a healthy relationship with money, abundance, and personal values Top 3 Takeaways Follow the energy in your life. Paying attention to what naturally excites and energizes you can reveal unexpected career opportunities and lead to meaningful work. Creativity often comes from the unconscious mind. Many of our best ideas emerge when we learn to listen to intuition, dreams, and inner signals rather than relying solely on conscious analysis. Money is most fulfilling when it supports a mission. Financial success becomes more meaningful when it's aligned with helping others, expressing your values, and creating positive impact. Notable Quotes "Follow the energy. Notice what gives you energy and get curious about that." "If it helps, it's true." "It doesn't feel like greed. It feels like abundance." Connect with Lisa Marchiano: Services: https://www.lisamarchianotherapy.com/ Instagram: @lisamarchiano Other: https://lisamarchiano.com Podcast: https://thisjungianlife.com A Word from Our Sponsors: - Are you ready to start your own creatorjourney and make it big? Visitwww.fanvue.com today and launch yourcareer! - To learn more about Mode Mobile and its investor community, go to https://invest.modemobile.com/travismakesmoney-Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Most people plan for retirement because it's what you're supposed to do. But the real question almost no one asks first is whether the work they're doing right now is even built around their strengths in the first place. Because if it isn't, retirement won't actually fix the problem. The restlessness most retirees describe inside the first year is the same friction they had been ignoring in the years before they left. This episode walks through why retirement is a relatively new concept, what the Gallup research from Jim Harter actually shows about strengths and engagement at work, and the reframe that turns "when can I retire" into a more useful question about meaningful work and career fulfillment. It also draws on the stories of Dan Ruley, who realized fifteen years of chasing the next promotion had taken him away from the work that actually energized him, and Edna, who left a 19-year career in consumer packaged goods, joined a new organization expecting it to be better, then walked away inside a year because the role couldn't give her the autonomy she needed to do meaningful work. In this episode, we'll unpack: Why retirement is a recent invention and what that reveals about how most people think about modern work The difference between a skill and a strength, and why being exceptional at the wrong thing will still deplete you The Gallup engagement finding that people who use their strengths daily are six times more likely to be engaged at work Three questions that surface your strengths profile based on the patterns your own career has already left you Why high performers feel the strengths gap most acutely, and what designing a career around your strengths actually looks like at any stage Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts)
After twenty-four years in law enforcement as a Captain, Tavis made a mid-career change into tech that translated his public sector experience into a $35K pay increase. The story of how he made the jump from a long-tenure law enforcement role into a Sales Engineer position is the kind of executive career change most people in his position assume isn't possible. He had to work through the fear that his background would be a strike against him, the doubt about whether his transferable skills would carry into the private sector, and the years of quietly considering the move before he actually did it. What he found on the other side was that the skills he'd spent two decades building were exactly what tech hiring managers were looking for, once he knew how to talk about them. In this episode: What Tavis was telling himself to stay in law enforcement, and when he stopped believing it The Clifton Strengths work that gave him clarity on what he actually wanted next The negotiation that landed a $35K pay increase on top of an already-strong offer Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
After 10+ years at the same company, a specific kind of doubt creeps in. You start to wonder if you're still marketable, whether the skills you've spent the last decade building are still relevant to anyone outside the building you've been showing up to, and whether anyone would actually want to hire you if you had to leave tomorrow. In this special Q&A episode, we walk through a specific framework for testing your marketability without putting your current job at risk. You'll hear why the same expertise that built your career is also what's keeping you from seeing your real options, how to use career experiments and test-drive conversations to gather real data on your skills, and the often-overlooked difference between marketable skills and signature strengths. You'll learn: Why the longer you stay in one place, the harder it gets to honestly assess your marketability The concept of "systematic exposure" and why it's the missing piece for most people in your situation How to use career experiments and test-drive conversations to gather real data on your transferable skills The difference between marketable skills and signature strengths, and why most people are looking at the wrong layer How to start running small, low-risk experiments today that build your career clarity over time Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
You've thought about quitting your job more than once. But every time, the same things pull you back: the salary, the benefits, the 401k match, the job security, the predictability of a paycheck that shows up every month no matter what. On paper, staying in a career you've outgrown sounds like the safe call. But the real math of staying tells a different story. In this episode, we break down the three hidden costs of staying in a job that no longer fits, and why the financial case for staying is built on incomplete math. What you'll learn: Why staying for the benefits and job security often costs more than leaving ever would The three hidden costs of staying in a career you've outgrown that never show up on a pay stub How "opportunity cost" quietly erodes your career trajectory while you stay in a role that doesn't fit Why staying in a draining job makes you a worse negotiator in every future job offer (and how that costs you in real dollars) The "compounding drain tax" you pay every month you stay in work that drains you, and how it shows up in your sleep, your relationships, and your future earning potential Real stories from Dan, Kristen, and Charity about what actually changed when they finally made the move Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes An Overthinker's Guide To Making Better Career Decisions (Spotify /Apple Podcasts) Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Most people trying to figure out how to change careers think they're stuck because of the job market, the timing, or not knowing what they want. But after thousands of conversations with people who've made successful career changes, we've found the real reason and it has nothing to do with any of those things. In this episode, we're sharing six real career change success stories from people who found meaningful work, discovered their ideal career, and made the move without starting over from scratch. What you'll learn Why most career changers stay stuck and the critical mindset shift that finally gets them moving toward something instead of just away from something How a VP of Marketing discovered her ideal career was in a field she didn't even know existed and why your next role might be the same Why the people closest to you aren't always the best support system during a career change and how to protect your momentum How knowing your core values becomes a decision-making system when you're facing multiple offers or competing opportunities Why saying no is one of the most powerful career change tools high achievers consistently underuse Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Making a career change in your 40s can feel like a midlife crisis. After two decades in a career that no longer fits, the temptation is to assume something is wrong with you. What looks like a midlife crisis from the inside is often something different. It's the start of a successful midlife career change, the moment of clarity that comes from twenty years of doing the work and finally knowing what you want next. This episode breaks down how to make a career change at 40 without starting over, what's quietly keeping high performers stuck for another decade, and how to use your twenty years of experience as the asset it actually is. What you'll learn: Why most career change advice for people in their 40s misses the actual obstacles entirely The Identity Trap that makes midlife career change feel impossible after twenty years in one industry The Responsibility Myth that keeps high performers stuck in their 40s for another decade Why your twenty years of experience makes career change at 40 an asset, not an obstacle Real stories from four people who made successful career changes in their 40s and what it actually took The three-step framework for making a career change in your 40s without starting over or throwing away what you've already built Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Susan came to us with one goal: find something she could tolerate for the next seven years before she could finally retire and start living. Two weeks later, she wasn't retiring anymore, because she had finally found work that fit. In this episode, we break down why so many high performers in their 40s, 50s, and 60s mistake "I want to retire" for "I want to stop doing this." There's a specific psychological reason it happens, and there's a way to fix it that doesn't require waiting for retirement at all. What you'll learn: Why most people counting down to retirement aren't done with work, they just can't picture what else is possible The availability heuristic and how it traps high performers in jobs they've outgrown Three "systematic exposure" experiments that rewire what feels possible: the Goldilocks Conversation, the small side experiment, and the targeted course immersion Why being over 40 is the best time to change careers, and how the experience you've built becomes the asset that makes it work How Susan went from planning to retire in seven years to finding work she didn't want to retire from at all Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Discover Your Strengths to Find Your Ideal Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Between a job that demands 10+ hours a day, a family that needs you the moment you walk through the door, and a never-ending list of obligations, finding the space to even think about what you want next feels impossible. But it doesn't have to be. You asked, and we're answering. In this special Q&A episode, we're tackling one of the most common questions we hear from people all over the world: how do you make a career change when you have zero time and energy left to give? We'll break down exactly how real people, just like you, have made meaningful career progress without overhauling their entire schedule or waiting for the perfect moment that never seems to come. What you'll learn Why meaningful career change happens in the margins — and how to find those hidden pockets of time in your day How one engineer working 10–11 hour days used a single lunch hour to land a new role Why knowing when you do your best work is the secret to making faster progress with less effort The two questions you need to ask yourself before taking any other step toward a career change How to stop waiting for the "perfect" amount of time and start building real momentum today Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)
Switching industries doesn't mean starting over. The skills you've built over 20+ years are transferable, and learning to translate them is the difference between feeling stuck and landing a better job in a completely new field. This episode walks through why your industry isn't where your value actually lives, how to reposition transferable skills for any new field, and the 3-step framework high performers use to make a career pivot without losing the seniority, salary, or recognition they've already earned. What you'll learn Why most high performers stay stuck in their current industry, and the belief that's keeping them there The functional vs. industry-specific way to think about your skills (and why this shift is the unlock for any career pivot) The 3-step framework for making a career pivot without starting over: taking inventory of your transferable skills, finding functional overlap in your target industry, and building your bridge story Glenn's story: how a 20-year healthcare sales veteran pivoted into a Regional Director role at a values-aligned company after a life-changing diagnosis Taj's story: how multiple pivots across athletics, music, and coaching prove the through-line isn't the industry — it's how you want to live The reframe that changes everything about how hiring managers in a new industry see your background Our book, Happen To Your Career: An Unconventional Approach To Career Change and Meaningful Work, is now available on audiobook! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/audible to order it now! Visit happentoyourcareer.com/book for more information or buy the print or ebook here! Want to chat with our team about your unique situation? Schedule a conversation Free Resources What career fits you? Join our free 8 Day Mini Course to figure it out! Career Change Guide - Learn how high-performers discover their ideal career and find meaningful, well-paid work without starting over. Related Episodes Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)