Engineer Your Success

How Having a Coach in Her Corner Changed Her Career and Life

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Guest: Hitisha “Tish” Sharma, P.E. | Host: Dr. James Bryant, P.E. | Episode 246

What does it look like when a podcast becomes a coaching relationship before you ever meet the host? Hitisha “Tish” Sharma, P.E. — Associate Principal and Head of Electrical at a Bay Area engineering firm — has been part of the Engineer Your Success community for a long time, and in this episode she traces the full arc of that journey.

From the specific episode that changed how she showed up to a career-defining interview, to her evolution from Lead Electrical Engineer to department head to Associate Principal, Tish walks through what it actually looks like to design a career intentionally — and what you have to be willing to do to get there.

This is not a typical guest interview. It’s a listener’s honest account of what growth costs, what it produces, and why having a coach in your corner — even through a podcast — can change the trajectory of your career and your life.

Key Takeaways
  • The EYS Podcast stands out for MEP engineering professionals because it combines engineering-specific relevance with life and career wisdom — a combination that almost doesn’t exist anywhere else.
  • When you can’t believe in yourself, borrow the belief of the people who do — your tribe is a resource, not just support.
  • Career questions evolve as you grow: from “Am I qualified?” to “What are the right opportunities for me?” — discernment becomes more important than ambition.
  • Work-life balance is less about balance and more about building your life around your priorities and designing how everything else fits in.
  • The people in your personal life can either fuel you or drain you — curating that circle is just as strategic as any career move.
  • When your work becomes mission, the energy equation changes — you stop asking how to recover from work and start finding that work itself restores you.
  • Communicating openly with your inner circle about your season of focus is what keeps relationships alive through growth — not asking for permission, but keeping people engaged.
  • You’re not leaving people behind when your growth diverges — you are giving them freedom to stay where they are while you keep moving forward.
    • Timestamps
    • 00:01 — Introduction — Welcome and overview of Tish’s long-time listener journey
    • 01:04 — What makes EYS uniquely valuable for MEP engineering professionals
    • 05:20 — The episode that changed everything: borrowed belief and Tish’s first career pivot
    • 12:43 — Tish’s career arc: from Lead Electrical Engineer to Associate Principal
    • 15:56 — Priorities over balance: Tish’s evolved approach to winning at work and at home
    • 19:18 — When work becomes mission, not just a job
    • 23:41 — Curating your inner circle: multipliers vs. friction
    • 28:39 — Mic Flip — Tish asks James: What impact do you want your book to have?
      • About the Guest

      Hitisha “Tish” Sharma, P.E. is an Associate Principal and Head of the Electrical Department at a mid-sized engineering firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she also leads business development efforts. A long-time listener of the Engineer Your Success podcast, Tish has navigated significant career transitions — from Lead Electrical Engineer to department head — while building a clear, priorities-driven approach to career growth.

      She is a returning EYS guest, previously featured in Episode 158: Crafting a Holistic Career: Engineering, Leadership and Personal Growth. She has also collaborated with Dr. Bryant on leadership development programming for the transportation sector.

      Connect with Tish on LinkedIn: Hitisha Sharma PE, PMP | LinkedIn

      About the Host

      Dr. James Bryant is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and host of the Engineer Your Success podcast. His mission is to help professionals win at work and at home by developing the leadership skills and presence that technical training alone does not provide.

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      Engineer Your SuccessBy Dr. James Bryant
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