I learned a lot from speaking with Benin about having the courage to think big about careers and plot my own course.

As the host of this podcast, I'd like to remind us that the west coast tech ecosystem is NOT the ONLY place leaders are born and developed!

There's a lot we can learn by expanding our view.

[Leaders] are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here.”

-Invent and Simplify, Amazon Leadership Principles

5 Takeaways:

Self-leadership and continuous self-improvement are essential for leading others
Long-term planning and preparation facilitate successful career change
Mentorship and support can significantly ease the transition process
Articulating transferable skills to is crucial
Being approachable as a leader fosters a supportive team environment

Follow Benin's journey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benin-allen-608782252/

Are you an armed forces service member considering the private sector? Here are key resources Benin mentioned:

https://www.amazon.com/PCS-Corporate-America-Military-Interviewing/dp/0940672855

Can you imagine leaving a Senior Director role at Google to embrace parenting three rambunctious boys full-time? 🤠

In this episode, I speak with Jeana Jorgensen about promoting herself to Full-Time Mom 💪

The twist: Jeana's decision to live her values and honor her three boys actually attracted her dream job as Corporate VP, Worldwide Learning at Microsoft in the age of AI.

Jeana continues living her values as Executive Director at the Pepper Foundation, supporting foster kids to have their best possible holiday season.

Learn more and give directly here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7135361935520235521/

Special thanks Women in Cloud and Chaitra Vedullapalli for featuring Jeana's leadership story onstage, and Clara Schroeder for bringing me along!

#lifedesign #intentionaldecisions #nonlinearcareer

Join us for a special year end wrap-up! My guests are big tech heavyweights, Ugur "Mik" Catmak (Founder, Lean High Performance Academy) and Ümit Uludag (expert on lifelong learning).

We talk creating and claiming value in career conversations, self-paced learning, and why we can't forget to decompress!

Takeaways:
Value Creation: how to create and claim value from your work
Personal Branding: strategies for building and leveraging an authentic, meaningful personal brand
Developing through disruption: how lifelong learners adapt with AI

Follow Mik and Ümit:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ugur-mikail-catmak-mik-123226b0/
https://www.instagram.com/ugur_mikail_catmak/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/uemit-uludag/