2024 was a year of immense challenges, transformation, and growth. In this deeply personal episode of Build Your Brave Career, I reflect on the losses, lessons, and connections that defined my year—and how they’re shaping my approach to 2025.

I also share two key updates for 2025:

1. I am pausing new episodes temporarily to allow space for reflection and recalibration. I promise new episodes are coming.
2. I will not be onboarding new coaching clients in early 2025. Join my email list to stay up-to-date.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• A candid reflection on the highs and lows of 2024, including lessons learned from loss and transformation.
• My choice to focus on an intention over traditional goals, with “allow” as the guiding word for 2025.
• Two important updates for 2025.

Questions to Reflect On:

• What was your most significant experience in 2024?
• What is your intention for 2025?

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn

Do you ever feel stuck while pursuing your career goals? In this episode, I dive into a common lie we face as women in tech: the implicit or explicit responsibility to make your growth easy for everyone else.

Many ambitious women in tech find themselves at a crossroads—a point where pursuing their career goals seems daunting and when met with resistance, often leads to a withdrawal from growth.

Through a representative client story about asking the tough questions, facing discomfort head-on, and making powerful decisions for her career trajectory, you'll learn:

• The importance of prioritizing your growth
• The reality that transformation always impacts others
• One approach to navigating important but uncomfortable conversations
• Steps to stop making it easy for everyone else and start focusing on you

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn

You are always on the job market. Always. Understanding and practicing is a cornerstone of building a brave career. Whether you’re thriving in your current role, facing uncertainty, or anything in between, this episode will equip you with the mindset and strategies to stay ready for any opportunity or challenge.

Drawing from listener feedback on episode 126, we’re revisiting this topic with a clearer structure and actionable insights, including:

• Why being "on the market" doesn’t mean a full-time job hunt.
• How to navigate today’s dynamic tech landscape, from layoffs to AI-driven transformations.
• Five actionable steps to stay job-ready without burnout, including mindset shifts, keeping your collateral updated, and building authentic relationships.

Tune in to discover how small, steady actions can make a big impact on your career resilience, growth, and joy.

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode 126: The Mindset Shift: Understanding That You’re Always on the Job Market
• Schedule your free consultation

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn

What would change if you chose to see adversities not as tests, but as confirmation of your decisions, values, and goals? This episode will help you explore an option for shifting your perception so that you stress less, work less, and then earn more as a woman in tech.

I share two specific stories and one call to action to help you challenge the idea of adversity as a "test" so that you can decide if you want to shift towards perceiving adversity as an opportunity to be confirmed.

1. A personal story
2. A client’s story

Key Takeaways:

• Shift from "test" to "confirmation" to transform how you view adversity.
• Bravery isn't about being perfect—it's about being human and learning from the process.
• Mindset shifts can lead to better boundaries, more energy, and greater career alignment.
• Reframing challenges can help you stress less and create opportunities for growth.

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn

Mahua Chakuvati, Sales & HR Tech Leader, dives deep into her unique definition of bravery, sharing how core values like acceptance, humility, gratitude, and honesty have propelled her forward in a remarkable career spanning sales, business applications, operations, and people management.

Listen in for unique value definitions and how Mahua puts them into action:

• choose radical acceptance of reality
• practice daily humility
• show gratitude in every situation, also adversity
• consistently act with honesty.

Ignoring the call to define your own values, your unique definition, and how you put them into action can lead to a growing cycles of stress, dissatisfaction, and overwork. Particularly in situations that increase your risk of adopting negative behaviors that don't align with who you want to be in your career and life.

Connect with Mahua Chakuvati on LinkedIn.

Related podcast episodes:

• Accountability: Circles of Control
• Career Tip: Stop Making What Other People Do & Say About You
• Clarity: Self-Concept
• Who Do I Need to Become to Enjoy My Career?

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn

We're diving into a brave, empowering topic: the strength and freedom that come with choosing to allow others to disliked you. Yes, you heard that right! As women in tech, we're often conditioned to seek approval and avoid conflict, but embracing the reality that not everyone will like us is a powerful step for our careers.

In this episode, I share examples, including a personal story, to illustrate how being disliked can actually be a sign you're on the right career grwoth track. This episode is designed to challenge you and inspire self-reflection on your values and the company you keep.

Take a few minutes after listening to identify who you wouldn't want to praise you because their values don't align with yours. Write it down and keep it handy for those moments of self-doubt.

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn

Kim Bennett, CEO of AtlasGuru.com joins to share a range of powerful insights relevant to those who aim to build a strengths-based career.

Kim shares her journey from a comfortable corporate job in digital marketing to becoming an entrepreneur. We discuss the long road to entrepreneurship, the challenges of leaving a secure position, and the rewarding experiences of leading a strengths-focused, tech-driven business. Kim emphasizes the importance of understanding and leveraging one's strengths to make impactful career choices.

We also delve into the value of tools like the Strengths Finder, the power of clarity, momentum, and accountability, and how brave decisions can shape a fulfilling career. Plus, Kim reveals her remarkable brave role model – Martha Stewart – and the profound influence Martha has had on her professional path.

Learn more about Atlasguru.com
Connect with Kim Bennett, CEO of Atlasguru.com

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn

Can you love your colleagues enough to let them experience the consequences of their behavior?

Women in tech are great at solving problems. But sometimes we leap in to protect others from their errors and shoulder burdens that aren’t ours. It slows down our careers and increases our stress.

This episode unpacks how stepping back, setting boundaries, and trusting others to handle their responsibilities empowers not just your colleagues but also yourself. You’ll hear real-world strategies to navigate these situations with courage, kindness, and clarity.

Key Takeaways:

• How societal conditioning impacts women in tech.
• Why rescuing others is not the same as being a team player or leader.
• The power of discomfort as a catalyst for growth.
• How respecting others’ growth creates space for your own.

To submit your question for me to answer on an upcoming episode, send me an email at Nicole@TrickSteinbach.com

You can be a woman in tech and enjoy your career. When you build the skill of bravery, you will stress less, work less, and then earn more. Check out the following resources designed to help you thrive in your career:

Check out my website

Join my mailing list for more insights, opportunities, and inspiration

Connection with me on LinkedIn