Podcasts about meaningful work

Two identical candidates walk into the same interview with the same resume. One gets the job. The other doesn't. It has nothing to do with how well they prepared or what they know. It has everything to do with how well they leveraged human psychology. This episode breaks down the five most common interview question types that trip people up, what most candidates get wrong, and the specific frameworks that change the outcome for anyone in a career transition or senior-level search. What You'll Learn: The Past-Present-Future framework for answering "tell me about yourself" in a way that is immediately relevant and builds a bridge from your experience to exactly why you are here. How to tell the productive truth when asked why you are leaving without oversharing, lying, or giving an answer that costs you the offer Why answering "what are your strengths?" with skills is the wrong move and what to say instead to make the interviewer feel like they already know you. How the SBO storytelling method works, why behavioral questions are actually the easiest to own once you have 15 to 20 stories ready, and how to build that inventory from scratch. What changes about interviews at the senior and executive level and why clarity about what you want matters more than any answer you could give. 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)

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) - Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com Episode 2160: Joe Wilner explains what meaningful work actually requires, starting with the question of what someone would pay to do if money were irrelevant. He argues that respected colleagues, an honest inventory of talents and values, and a self-written job description matter more to career fulfillment than salary, and that hitting an impasse is a signal for professional growth rather than a failure. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://digtofly.com/how-to-find-career-fulfillment/ Quotes to ponder: "Recognize that money does not provide enduring career satisfaction." "Enjoy the process more than the proceeds." "Working with people we respect and appreciate is essential for career fulfillment." Optimal Work Daily is a daily career advice podcast where we narrate the best articles on productivity, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance, read to you by a professional narrator so you can grow your career a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amelia spent eight years as a media communications director before a layoff sent her straight into panic-applying for whatever came up. Natalie knew networking was her next move and then sat frozen for two months because it felt transactional. Laura had the numbers: referrals converted to interviews at eight times the rate of cold applications, and one of those referrals is now her boss. The split between a job search that lands a job and one that lands a career you love isn't luck, connections, or the resume, but the mindset behind it. What You'll Learn: The one mindset mistake that sets everything else in motion and why most job seekers are making it before they ever hit send on their first application What avoidance motivation is, why a layoff triggers it automatically, and how it causes smart people to land in a worse version of the same situation with a different company name Why two months of networking paralysis is more common than anyone admits and how one reframe completely changes the results you get from the people you already know Why referrals convert to interviews at more than eight times the rate of cold applications and what that means for where you should be spending your job search energy The difference between a search that lands you a job and a search that lands you a career you actually love and why the tactics are completely different 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) Stuck in a Career You're Unhappy With? Fear Of Taking Risks Could Be Keeping You There (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)  

One woman spent seven years in a role that everyone told her she should be grateful for while she was slowly falling apart inside it. Another quit fast, convinced that leaving the job would fix everything, and then spent the next two years finding out why it didn't. Neither outcome was what either of them expected. And what finally worked for both of them isn't what you would guess either. If you've been asking yourself whether you should quit your job, this episode is going to change the question entirely.   What You'll Learn: Why "should I stay or should I go?" is the wrong question and what to ask yourself instead before making any career change decision What boreout is, how it differs from burnout, and why the absence of a dramatic reason to leave is not proof that you don't have a real one What quitting reactively actually costs you and why removing the job doesn't automatically remove the problem that made you want to leave What a bridge role is, how Amanda used one to create breathing room while doing the real work of figuring out what she actually wanted, and how to build one for yourself How to have the conversation with your partner about wanting to quit in a way that builds support instead of fear and what to do if you've been skipping that conversation entirely   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) Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)   Mentioned Episode What Career Burnout in 2026 Actually Looks Like (How To Fix It And Find Career Satisfaction) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Staying in the job you've outgrown feels like the safe choice. It feels steady. It feels comfortable. It feels like the responsible thing to do until you're ready to make a move. But what if staying wasn't safe at all? What if it was costing you more than leaving ever would and you just hadn't calculated it yet? This episode introduces the Cost of Staying Formula and the three hidden costs most high performers never factor into the decision. What You'll Learn: Why the cost of leaving a job feels real while the cost of staying stays invisible and how to calculate what staying is actually costing you over 2, 5, and 15 years What opportunity cost looks like in a career context and why high performers in misaligned roles stay flat while those in aligned roles compound How staying in a non-fit role makes you a worse negotiator, changes how you interview, and directly impacts the salary you are willing to accept in your next role What the compounding drain tax is, why the energy lost to draining work never stays at the office, and how it depletes exactly the resources you need to make a strong exit Why "can I afford to leave?" is the wrong question and what to ask instead when you're ready to get honest about the real cost of staying   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)  

This episode highlights two conversations had in the process of making "Finding Meaningful Work: Navigating Pressures Around Chosen Career Paths and Finding Joy in the Process," with Rei and Ricky, sisters who work in the environmental science and policy field and Hannah Testa, a youth activist who started a nonprofit in high school called Hannah for Change. This episode explores topics of cultivating hope in the face of the climate crisis, being empowered in finding a career path that suits you, and not letting your age define who you are or the work that you do. 

Two years after his first visit, Justin Jones-Fosu is back, and this time he's rewritten a story we all thought we knew. His new fable, Stop Chasing, Start Creating, reimagines the Tortoise and the Hare and asks a question most of us never stop to consider: what if the tortoise was never slow, just wise, strategic, and intentional?In a conversation that moves from absent fathers to morning routines to a live run through the Core Emotion Wheel, Justin and the Hills dig into the quiet exhaustion of chasing worth from the outside in and what it actually takes to start creating meaning from the inside out.In this episode:•Why "information fatigue," not just overwork, is driving so much of our burnout•The Tortoise and the Hare, retold: proving your worth vs. simply being your worth•Phyllis on Identity, and 20 years of chasing her siblings' approval•"Getting on the wrong train" why running fast doesn't help if you're headed the wrong way•Why meaning doesn't mean happy •The Meaningful 67 Challenge and the seven small habits behind it•"Create before you consume" — protecting the first 10 minutes of your day. About Justin Jones-Fosu: Justin is a meaningful-work researcher, keynote speaker, and author of six books, including his newest fable Stop Chasing, Start Creating: A Timeless Fable on Mindset, Resilience, and Meaningful Work His work is grounded in a national study on meaningful work in America, and the foundation he built funds schools and technology labs in Ghana. This is his second time on the Connection Codes podcast.Resources mentioned:Get the Core Emotion Wheel (free) → https://connectioncodes.co/cewJustin's last book "Stop Chasing, Start Creating: A Timeless Fable on Mindset, Resilience, and Meaningful Work" → https://a.co/d/09sVKYQOJustin's "number 67" tool → https://workmeaningful.com/this-is-my-67/Join The Connection Codes Community: https://connectioncodes.co/community

AI tools are flooding inboxes with hundreds of applications a day and almost everyone is running the same playbook. Recruiters are overwhelmed, the pile is massive, and the people getting lost in it are not the least qualified. They are the ones who sound the most like everyone else. This episode is about the one thing that actually cuts through in a job market like this one and why almost nobody is doing it.   What You'll Learn: Why the most polished and professional-sounding applications are often the ones that get ignored first and what to write instead How to use AI as a drafting tool in your 2026 job search without letting it strip out the one thing that actually makes people respond to you The psychology principle behind why specificity works when generic language never does and how to apply it across every application, message, and interview answer What the real difference looks like between an application that disappears into a pile and one that makes a hiring manager feel like they are already in a conversation Why the bar to stand out in a 2026 job search has never been lower and the specific, practical steps to clear 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 Figuring Out Your Perfect Career Match (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Changing Careers (When You Don't Know Your Next Job Title) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)   Mentioned Episode AI Job Displacement: 4 Skills That Build Real Job Security and Future-Proof Your Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

There are two things that people consistently find most meaningful in their work and they have almost nothing to do with the job title, the industry, or how much the work pays. The first is adaptive leadership: the ability to guide others through change they didn't choose and can't fully control. The second is work that is who you are, not work that feels good, but work that is built around the things you can't stop doing, the way you naturally think, and what you bring to a problem that nobody else taught you. This episode is about why both of these things matter more right now than they ever have and how to start building them before the market forces the question. What You'll Learn: Why adaptive leadership is the most transferable and meaningful career asset available and how to know if you already have it without realizing it The critical difference between finding work you love and finding work that is who you are and why only one of them makes you consistently more valuable over time What signature strengths actually are, how they differ from skills, and why aligning your work with them changes not just how meaningful work feels but what you're capable of contributing Why credentials are declining while character and demonstrated capability are rising and what that means for how you position yourself right now The five-year look-back exercise that surfaces where your strengths and adaptive capacity actually live and why the clues are already there   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) Six Career Experiments To Help You Discover Your Ideal New Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Eileen Crossin had built the kind of career many people aspire to—leadership roles in advertising, a stint at TikTok, and eventually a seat in the C-suite. But during an industry conference in Las Vegas, she found herself thinking, I can't have these conversations anymore. Days later, she resigned.In this conversation, Eileen and Bradley talk about what happens when a successful career no longer feels like your own. They explore nonlinear careers, the tension between effort and surrender, why major changes can affect the people closest to us, and Eileen's belief that finding purpose may be less about becoming someone new than remembering who you were before the world told you who to be.Eileen also shares how meditation, mindset, spirituality, and entrepreneurship have shaped the life she is building now—and what she has learned about trusting yourself when the next step isn't obvious.Eileen is the CEO and founder of Quantum Potential, a mind-training and L&D company that helps B2B sales teams think differently to accelerate performance. Drawing on 20+ years of C-suite revenue and growth leadership at companies including TikTok, she blends executive rigor with contemplative practice through her proprietary Momentum Method™. She is also a founder at Meet the Possible You, a purpose and transition program for women. Outside of work, she's a vintage fashion lover and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher currently writing her first book, Unrealized—a memoir about breaking the rules to become who you were all along.  She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son. Website: getquantumpotential.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileen-crossin-3327043/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eileenlcrossin/

What happens when life doesn't go according to plan?You adapt. You redefine success. You find what matters. You keep going. And you remember: this is only a season.In this episode, Dream Makers host Claire Byrt sits down with speaker, entrepreneur, mentor and podcast host Carlo Cirillo for the first podcast conversation he's said yes to in two years.And a lot has happened in those two years.Carlo talks openly about becoming a father while simultaneously moving through one of the hardest seasons of his life — grief, loss, a relationship ending, a business falling apart, debt, returning to a job, moving back home and, for a period, sleeping in his van.But this isn't an episode about everything that went wrong.It's about what you do next.Claire and Carlo explore what it means to stay in the arena when the original plan falls apart, why sometimes moving forward looks like going backwards, and how to know when it's time to stop chasing an old version of success and ask yourself what you actually want now.They talk about ambition without self-punishment, purpose beyond job titles, the difference between measurable success and meaningful impact, Carlo's return to faith and God, fatherhood, rebuilding a business, and learning to trust that whatever happens next, you'll figure it out.Because your purpose might not look the way you thought it would.Your definition of success might change.The path might take you somewhere you never planned to go.And you can still build a beautiful fucking life.This is only a season. Keep going.In this episode: starting again, entrepreneurship, resilience, redefining success, purpose, meaningful work, fatherhood, faith, God, ambition, pressure, self-trust, gratitude, goals, vision and building a life by design.Connect with Carlo: https://www.instagram.com/carlo_cirilloGET YOUR COPY HERE. Let Your Vision Be Bigger Than Your Bullsh*t. Get brave, stop doubting, make the dream real. GET STARTED TODAY Seven days DREAM to DONE. On-demand. Self-paced. Seven days of powerful recordings and worksheets to help you lay down the fear, resistance and overthinking - and start building your dream in just 7 days.

On a Friday afternoon, Monika got a call from her supervisor: telework is done, be in the office Monday. After 30 years building a career around flexibility and autonomy, it was gone in a single phone call. When a return-to-office mandate hits, most people do one of two things: comply and resent it, or quit without a plan. This episode is about the third option: a specific, step-by-step process for turning your RTO mandate into career leverage without burning a single bridge. What You'll Learn: Why an RTO mandate is one of the most powerful career values-clarity tools available and how to use the discomfort as structured data instead of just reacting to it The three questions that determine whether your RTO situation is a dealbreaker, a negotiation, or a strategic starting point for an intentional job search How to ask for a remote work exception in a way that actually works, including the one conversation move most people skip that changes the outcome The step-by-step job search playbook for searching intentionally while still fully showing up at your current role, without burning a single bridge How Monika turned a Friday afternoon RTO mandate into a strategic hire at a new organization without ever submitting 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 Should I Quit My Job? How to Know It's Time (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Executive Burnout: Making A Midlife Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)   Other Related Episodes: Creating A Path To Your Ideal Career (And The Tool You Need To Make It Happen) (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) How To Define Your Ideal Career When Making A Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) How to Get a Raise When You Negotiate Your Next Role (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Laura liked her company. She just hated what she was doing every day. So instead of updating her resume and hitting the job boards, she did something most people never think to try, she proposed a role that didn't exist yet, got it approved, and moved into it. Four years later, she did it again. If you think you have to leave your company to find work that actually fits, this episode will make you reconsider.   What You'll Learn: Why the internal job board is not the universe of available options and where the real opportunities inside your organization actually live The three-part framework for proposing an internal move that gets a yes including the psychological reason most internal moves fail before they ever reach a decision-maker How to use test drive conversations inside your own organization to surface invisible roles and build the relationships that make an internal move possible How to know whether an internal move is the right answer for your situation or just a delay of the inevitable Why Laura had to do this process twice and why that's not a failure but exactly how intentional career design is supposed to work   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) Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)   Other Related Episodes How To Define Your Ideal Career When Making A Career Change (Spotify / Apple Podcasts) Finding Your Ideal Career Path: Uncovering Roles You Didn't Know Existed (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

In this episode: financial independence, life design, envisioning, mini experiments, asking what you actually want with Adam CoelhoEpisode SummaryAdam explores the deeper question that comes after building financial freedom: what do you want that freedom to make possible? Through three anonymized stories, he shows how FI can create options, but clarity comes from envisioning, experimenting, and choosing a new story before life defaults into “one more year syndrome”Resources & Books MentionedFree FI Life Jumpstart ExerciseAsk What's Possible Workshop“The Predicting Brain” by Regina Pally

Finding meaningful work at 50 or 60 isn't about starting over, it's about admitting something has been off for a while and finally doing something about it. Scott Ingham spent 18 years in pharmaceutical sales watching the challenge slowly disappear from work he used to love. Glenn spent 20 years in healthcare sales hitting every external marker of success while quietly knowing something essential was missing. Both of them found meaningful work after 50 and this episode explains exactly how they did it. What You'll Learn: What meaningful work actually means after 50, the research-backed definition that goes beyond passion and gives you something concrete to build toward Why the "I'm too old to change careers" belief keeps more high performers over 50 in the wrong role than anything else and the science that dismantles it directly How the Ideal Career Profile turns decades of accumulated self-knowledge into a precision tool for finding purposeful, well-paid work after 50 Why starting with job boards is one of the worst first moves in a career change over 50 and what to do instead What both Scott and Glenn found on the other side, not just a better job, but a fundamentally different relationship with work   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) Discover Your Strengths to Find Your Ideal Career (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)

Episode Description:This is a From the Archive episode with Ray Dalio. Ray Dalio built Bridgewater Associates into one of the most influential investment firms in the world. But in this archive conversation, James is less interested in the headline version of success and more interested in the painful turning point that made Ray rethink everything.At 34, Ray's business nearly failed. He had been confident—by his own description, arrogant—and a wrong market call left him broke, humbled, and forced to decide whether to quit or rebuild.That failure became the origin story behind many of his principles.Ray explains that the experience taught him to fear being wrong in a useful way. Instead of retreating, he began seeking out the smartest people who disagreed with him. He learned to triangulate among independent thinkers, write down his decision criteria, study how similar events had happened in history, and build systems that reduced risk without giving up upside.The conversation then moves into the central ideas of Principles: pain plus reflection equals progress; failure equals success if you turn it into learning; and every person should write down the principles they use to deal with reality.James and Ray discuss the five-step process for success: set audacious goals, identify the problems blocking those goals, diagnose root causes, design ways around them, and execute. Ray emphasizes that no one is good at all five steps, which is why people need others who can supply the strengths they lack.A large part of the episode focuses on Bridgewater's culture. Ray explains idea meritocracy, radical truth, radical transparency, thoughtful disagreement, and believability-weighted decision-making. In his view, the goal is not democracy or autocracy. The goal is to get the best ideas on the table, stress test them, and make better decisions.James pushes on the human side of this: what happens when disagreement feels like a fight? Ray answers by describing the “two yous”—the thoughtful, logical self and the emotional, reactive self—and why writing down principles can clarify which values bring people together and which values separate them.The conversation closes with habits, meditation, creativity, the economy, debt cycles, wealth inequality, cryptocurrencies, and Ray's formula for a successful life: dreams plus reality plus determination.Editorial Note:This is a From the Archive episode. References to Bridgewater's assets, Ray's Forbes net worth, the economic cycle, cryptocurrencies, interest rates, central-bank policy, and current market conditions reflect the original recording period.This episode discusses investing, markets, debt cycles, and cryptocurrencies, but it should not be treated as financial advice.What You'll Learn;Why Ray Dalio sees his early career failure as one of the most important events of his life.How being wrong pushed him toward radical open-mindedness.Why Ray believes pain plus reflection equals progress.How to turn mistakes into principles you can use next time.Why failure can become success if it produces learning.The five-step process Ray uses for achieving goals.Why no one is good at every step of success.How thoughtful disagreement can improve decision-making.What an idea meritocracy is and why Bridgewater built around it.How believability-weighted decision-making differs from democracy or hierarchy.Why Ray believes meaningful work and meaningful relationships must go together.How writing down principles clarifies relationships, teams, and personal choices.Why habits control so much of life—and how they can be changed.How meditation helps Ray access calm, creativity, and clearer thinking.How Ray thinks about debt cycles, economic risk, wealth inequality, and cryptocurrencies.Timestamped Chapters:[03:00] The Failure That Changed EverythingJames asks about the early mistake that left Ray's business nearly finished at age 34.[04:06] Humility Balancing AudacityRay explains how going broke forced him to calm down, rethink risk, and become more open-minded.[05:46] Finding Smart People Who DisagreeHow Ray learned to triangulate among independent thinkers and raise the probability of being right.[06:59] Understanding the Mechanics of RealityRay revisits the Mexico debt crisis, the dollar, deflationary forces, and what he missed.[09:06] Radical Open-Mindedness and Idea MeritocracyThe failure led Ray to build a company around thoughtful disagreement and independent thinking.[11:00] Write Down Your Decision CriteriaRay urges listeners to write down the principles they use to make decisions.[14:21] Money Has No Intrinsic ValueRay explains why money only matters as a tool for getting what you actually value.[15:30] Learning to Fail WellRay criticizes the education system for rewarding right answers instead of teaching people how to learn from failure.[18:02] Pain Plus Reflection Equals ProgressRay explains why pain is a signal and why reflection turns it into usable knowledge.[20:23] The Five-Step Process for SuccessGoals, problems, diagnosis, design, and execution become Ray's loop for improving life and work.[23:38] Diagnosing the Root CauseJames asks Ray to identify the root cause of his early failure, and Ray names his own arrogance.[24:55] Joseph Campbell and Returning the BoonRay connects The Hero with a Thousand Faces to his decision to pass along the principles he had learned.[28:06] Failure Equals SuccessRay explains how he trained himself to see failures as puzzles that produce “gems.”[31:25] When Principles ChangeJames asks when Ray has failed at his own principles, and Ray discusses the challenge of leadership transition and governance.[34:20] Can People Really Disagree With the Boss?Ray pushes back on the idea that hierarchy prevents honest disagreement at Bridgewater.[35:41] Meaningful Work and Meaningful RelationshipsRay explains why radical truth and radical transparency are designed to support both work quality and human connection.[37:19] Believability-Weighted Decision-MakingRay describes how disagreements can be resolved by weighing the judgment of people with relevant expertise.[42:12] How to Handle Dysfunctional OrganizationsRay advises people to define the terms of their relationships and ask how disagreements should be handled.[48:11] Would Everyone End Up With the Same Principles?James asks whether writing down principles would eventually lead people toward similar truths.[49:10] The Two YousRay explains the conflict between the logical self and the emotional self, especially when disagreement triggers fight-or-flight.[51:10] Changing Direction at Any AgeJames asks how people stuck in old patterns can find the courage to start again.[52:46] Habits, Failure, and Reprogramming YourselfRay describes his most valuable habit: treating problems and failures as puzzles to solve.[56:03] Health, Meditation, and CreativityRay discusses where he has and has not built strong habits, and why meditation has been so important to him.[59:07] Meditation as a State of Calm ControlRay explains how meditation quiets the racing mind and helps create equanimity and creativity.[01:00:52] Finding the PullJames asks how a young person can identify goals, and Ray recommends self-discovery, experimentation, and reflection.[01:04:06] How the Economic Machine WorksRay outlines productivity, short-term debt cycles, long-term debt cycles, central-bank policy, and where the economy sat at the time.[01:07:29] Two Economies and Wealth InequalityRay explains why averages can hide the economic reality of the bottom 60% versus the top 40%.[01:11:00] Cryptocurrencies and BlockchainRay distinguishes blockchain technology from individual crypto assets and compares the space to the early internet.[01:14:26] Dreams + Reality + DeterminationRay closes with his formula for a successful life and why reality must be understood, not avoided.Additional Resources:Ray Dalio's official Principles site — Ray's home for Principles, How the Economic Machine Works, TED2017, Principles for Success, and related tools.Principles: Life and Work — Simon & Schuster — Official publisher page for the book discussed throughout the episode.Bridgewater: Our Founder — Bridgewater's official biography of Ray Dalio and his career at the firm.TED: “How to build a company where the best ideas win” — Ray's TED2017 talk on radical transparency, algorithmic decision-making, and idea meritocracy.How the Economic Machine Works — Ray's 30-minute explainer video is available through the official Principles site.Principles for Success — Simon & Schuster — A shorter illustrated adaptation of Ray's principles.The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell — The book Ray mentions when discussing the hero's journey and “returning the boon.”The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg — The habit book Ray and James reference while discussing how behavior can be reprogrammed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Meaning is about being mindful of the effect you have on other people."What makes a life meaningful? We often think purpose and meaning are the same thing, but according to Stanford professor Brian Lowery, they're fundamentally different. Purpose is what drives us. Meaning comes from the impact we have on others. In this live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart from Stanford's LEAD Me2We event, Lowery and Matt Abrahams examine how our relationships shape who we become, why sincerity matters more than authenticity, and how leaders influence others through every interaction. Along the way, they share practical insights on giving better feedback, building stronger connections, and creating workplaces where people can thrive.Key Takeaways:Meaning comes from your impact on others. Purpose is what drives your actions, but meaning grows when your work positively influences the people around you and continues beyond your own involvement.The way you show up shapes the people around you. Leaders create better teams by practicing self-awareness, communicating with sincerity, and giving feedback that recognizes people's intentions while helping them grow.Activity:Notice your influence. At the end of each workday, write down one interaction that may have shaped someone else's experience—positively or negatively. Reflect on what you communicated beyond your words and what you want to do differently tomorrow.Episode Reference Links:Brian LoweryEp.23 Look Within: How to Lead with Self Awareness and VulnerabilityEp.84 Quick Thinks: How Others Define Us  Ep.142 Power and Persuasion: Live Insights from Stanford Experts Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn Chapters:(00:00) - Introduction (00:39) - Purpose vs. Meaning (02:12) - The Ripple Effect of Meaning (04:06) - How Others Shape Who We Are (05:20) - The Leader's Role in Shaping Others (08:58) - Self-Awareness & Psychological Safety (11:48) - Sincerity vs. "True Self" (12:53) - Feedback For Grow (17:13) - Becoming Better Humans (18:46) - Conclusion ********Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.With LinkedIn Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence, knowing you're getting the best talent for your needs. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com/fast

One of the biggest reasons smart, capable people stay in careers that don't fit is contributed to a well-documented quirk of human psychology called the availability heuristic. It states, if the only version of work you've ever known is the one you've been living, your brain literally cannot picture anything different. In this episode, we'll unpack three ways to change that without making a dramatic career shift. You'll also learn: Why thinking harder about your career options never works and what rewires your beliefs faster than any amount of reflection alone How a single 15-minute test drive conversation can expand what feels possible more than months of research or planning Why career change over 40 isn't starting over, it's the moment you finally have enough experience to do work entirely on your own terms What work can actually look like when you stop assuming it has to look like what you've always known.   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) Designing Career Experiments and Testing New Careers (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)  

The life you're dreaming about begins the moment you stop toning yourself down!! Dream Makers host Claire Byrt sits down with business coach and Pilates instructor Shanti Wilby for one of the most honest conversations ever shared on the podcast.Together they explore what it really takes to reinvent yourself, trust your own voice and build a life that's true to who you are... even when it feels uncomfortable.Shanti shares the extraordinary story of rebuilding her life after leaving a cult, unpacking years of people pleasing, questioning everything she believed about herself, and choosing - day by day - to become the woman she actually wanted to be.Together, Claire and Shanti explore why so many of us tone ourselves down, how we lose trust in ourselves, and why freedom isn't something we find... it's something we create through radical honesty, courageous choices and a willingness to walk into the unknown.They also dive into relationships, marriage, business, money, creativity, AI, self-worth and why protecting your own voice matters now more than ever.If you've been feeling like something isn't quite right...If you're standing at the edge of a change...Or if you're ready to stop living for everyone else and start listening to yourself......this conversation is for you.In this episode we explore:Why the truth really does set you freeRecovering from people pleasing and learning to trust yourself againReinvention, identity and becoming who you're meant to beNavigating change in marriage, friendships and businessChoosing the discomfort of growth over the discomfort of staying stuckBuilding self-trust one courageous decision at a timeWhy more women need more moneyCreativity, AI and protecting your authentic voiceThe freedom that comes from living in alignment with yourselfBecause at the end of the day...Every road leads back to the same place.Truth → Self-Trust → Freedom.❤️ If this episode resonates, I'd love you to take a screenshot, share it to your Instagram Stories and tag @cb_dream_maker and @shantiwilby_coaching. Every share helps more Dreamers find these conversations and reminds someone else that they're not alone.Connect with Shanti: https://www.instagram.com/shantiwilby_coaching/GET YOUR COPY HERE. GET STARTED TODAY Seven days DREAM to DONE. On-demand. Self-paced. Seven days of powerful recordings and worksheets to help you lay down the fear, resistance and overthinking - and start building your dream in just 7 days.

Most people assume the work that drains them is just part of the job, something to push through, optimize around, or get faster at. But the real reason certain tasks deplete you has nothing to do with how skilled you are. It comes down to a distinction between your skills and strengths and how often your work is in alignment. What You'll Learn: The critical difference between skills and strengths and why confusing the two is what keeps most high performers trapped in work that slowly drains them Why getting better at draining work never actually solves the problem and what a strengths-based approach does instead How to use your natural wiring to build the right skills and clear tedious tasks off your plate in a way that actually sticks Why routines aren't just time management tools, they're acts of intentional career design that compound over time into a work life you want to show up for How clearing draining work and protecting your energy is one of the most effective ways to prevent burnout before it starts   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) How to Figure Out What You Really Want (Spotify / Apple Podcasts)  

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       

Have you ever had that feeling where your life is... good?You genuinely love so much of what you've created.But there's still a little voice inside whispering...What else?What if there's more, something you can't quite see yet?What if the dream is bigger than you can currently imagine?Not because you're ungrateful.Not because you need to burn your life down.But because something inside you keeps nudging you towards more freedom. More creativity. More possibility. More of you.Dream Makers host Claire Byrt talks with Juliet Lever-Eliseo, author of Relaunch Your Life and Author Rising, about trusting yourself, embracing reinvention, following the nudges, and having the courage to let go of what's familiar so you can move towards possibility.Together, Claire and Juliet explore why sometimes the dream only becomes visible after you let go of what's right in front of you, how following your intuition builds deep trust in yourself, why freedom isn't something you find but something you create, and how one courageous step can change the direction of your life.Along the way, Juliet shares one of the ideas that has shaped her own life:"Your parents gave you the ticket to this life. What you do with it is now your responsibility."In this episode:• Why sometimes you don't know your dream until you let go of what's right in front of you.• How following your nudges builds deep trust in yourself.• Why freedom isn't something you find. It's something you create.• Why one tiny courageous step can change everything.• How creating internal safety helps you move through fear and uncertainty.• Why the people you surround yourself with expand what's possible.• How asking, "What if the dream is bigger than I can currently imagine?" can open the door to an entirely new chapter.Learn more about Juliet, her books, and her work at julietlever.com and https://www.instagram.com/julietlever/Connect with Claire at cbdreammaker.com or on Instagram and TikTok @cb_dream_maker.If you're enjoying Dream Makers, follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who's ready to build the dream that's calling them.GET YOUR COPY HERE. GET STARTED TODAY Seven days DREAM to DONE. On-demand. Self-paced. Seven days of powerful recordings and worksheets to help you lay down the fear, resistance and overthinking - and start building your dream in just 7 days.

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)

Your career looks great on paper. Your business is doing well. And yet, in your journal or a conversation with your best friend, you know something's off. You just can't tell whether to leave, pivot, rebuild, or stay and change how you're working.In this episode I'm taking you behind the scenes of a framework that I've been working on around what actually makes work meaningful. Turns out purpose is only one piece of it. I break down all four:→ It matters to you→ It uses your gifts→ It feels good to do→ It fits the life you want nowI also get honest about burning out of my own business, the moment I realized I'd been chasing someone else's definition of success, and why I no longer believe we have to blow it all up to build the work we actually want.If even one of those four feels off right now, this one's for you.P.S. I'm officially opening Crossroads Sessions: 90-minute private deep-dives for the woman standing at exactly this kind of fork. Five founder spots at 50% off, and a couple are already gone. Apply for a spot here--it takes under 2 minutes.

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)

Send us Fan MailA spouse looks you in the eye and says, “You're not on vacation.” That line can sting, but it can also save you. Mark Boutin joins us to talk about what happens when a high-achieving dad realizes work has quietly taken over the moments that matter most, and what it actually looks like to change course without blowing up your values or your family.Mark shares his path from a long career in accounting and finance to entrepreneurship, including the pressure of building multiple businesses at once and the chaos that followed. We get into the real-life fatherhood side too: raising four kids with a big age gap, keeping family dinner as a daily anchor, and learning patience when the “machine gun of requests” starts the second the little ones wake up. Along the way, we talk sports, resilience, and why kids copy what we do more than what we say.Then we break down Mark's practical coaching tool, the BOOM Morning framework: Body, Others First, Orientation, Meaningful Work. It's a simple morning routine for busy dads and entrepreneurs who want better focus, better health, and better leadership at home, plus realistic baby steps if you feel overwhelmed. If you're chasing “work-life balance,” fighting comparison, or trying to start over at 40 with confidence, this conversation will give you a clearer next move.Subscribe for more honest dad-to-dad conversations, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review to help more parents find the Quarterback Dadcast.@markboutin@The_Legacy_LabSupport the showPlease don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts!  Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes! 

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)  

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)

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)

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)

"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)