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No One Is Coming to Give You Permission
What if the thing holding you back isn’t fear, skill, or timing but waiting for permission that’s never coming?
In this episode, Candice Mitchell sits down with Jenny Wood, former Google executive and author of Wild Courage, for a wide-ranging conversation about career growth, confidence, and taking bold action before you feel ready.
Jenny shares the now-famous subway story that sparked her concept of “wild courage,” along with lessons from her 18-year career at Google, her transition into entrepreneurship, and the mindset shifts that help people stop waiting and start moving.
This conversation is honest, funny, and deeply practical. It’s about what it really takes to build a career (and life) you’re proud of without waiting for approval from anyone else.
What you’ll get from this episode
- Why no one gives you permission—and why that’s actually freeing
- How courage shows up in small, everyday decisions
- Lessons from Google on influence, promotion, and leadership
- Why bold action creates clarity (not the other way around)
- What it really takes to build a career you love over time
If you’ve been hesitating on a next step, this episode might be the nudge you didn’t know you needed.
Get to know Jenny:
Jenny Wood a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, former Google executive, and former Harvard Business School researcher who knows that real success isn’t about following the rules or waiting your turn. She is also the founder of Own Your Career, one of Google's largest career programs. In her new book Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It , Jenny breaks down 9 bold traits that defy conventional career advice: Obsessed, Weird, Selfish, Shameless, Nosy, Manipulative, Brutal, Reckless, and Bossy.
Her practical, no-nonsense approach empowers ambitious people to break the mold, be better leaders, build influence, and reach their full potential. Jenny has been featured in NBC, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Business Insider. She lives in Boulder with her husband and two children and is in constant pursuit of the perfect zucchini bread recipe.
Connect with Jenny:
Instagram: @itsjennywood
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jennyilles
Website: http://itsjennywood.com
Meet your host, Candice Mitchell
Candice Mitchell is a Talent Development Strategist, CEO of Talent Collective, and USA Today bestselling author of Choose You: For the People Who Refuse to Disappear. With nearly two decades of experience building and leading capability functions inside global and Fortune 500 organizations, she founded Talent Collective, a premium capability-building firm for L&D, HR, Change, and People leaders in high-growth companies.
Your host, Candice Mitchell, can be found online at:Website: https://talentcollective.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicemitchelltc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candice_mitchell_msc/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candice_mitchell_msc
Talent Development Academy: https://courses.talentcollective.org/bundles/talent-development-academy
Choose You book: https://chooseyoubook.com/
Original music composed by: Paul DeHaven
pauldehavenmusic.com
View all episodes
By Candice MitchellWhat if the thing holding you back isn’t fear, skill, or timing but waiting for permission that’s never coming?
In this episode, Candice Mitchell sits down with Jenny Wood, former Google executive and author of Wild Courage, for a wide-ranging conversation about career growth, confidence, and taking bold action before you feel ready.
Jenny shares the now-famous subway story that sparked her concept of “wild courage,” along with lessons from her 18-year career at Google, her transition into entrepreneurship, and the mindset shifts that help people stop waiting and start moving.
This conversation is honest, funny, and deeply practical. It’s about what it really takes to build a career (and life) you’re proud of without waiting for approval from anyone else.
What you’ll get from this episode
- Why no one gives you permission—and why that’s actually freeing
- How courage shows up in small, everyday decisions
- Lessons from Google on influence, promotion, and leadership
- Why bold action creates clarity (not the other way around)
- What it really takes to build a career you love over time
If you’ve been hesitating on a next step, this episode might be the nudge you didn’t know you needed.
Get to know Jenny:
Jenny Wood a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, former Google executive, and former Harvard Business School researcher who knows that real success isn’t about following the rules or waiting your turn. She is also the founder of Own Your Career, one of Google's largest career programs. In her new book Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It , Jenny breaks down 9 bold traits that defy conventional career advice: Obsessed, Weird, Selfish, Shameless, Nosy, Manipulative, Brutal, Reckless, and Bossy.
Her practical, no-nonsense approach empowers ambitious people to break the mold, be better leaders, build influence, and reach their full potential. Jenny has been featured in NBC, Bloomberg, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Business Insider. She lives in Boulder with her husband and two children and is in constant pursuit of the perfect zucchini bread recipe.
Connect with Jenny:
Instagram: @itsjennywood
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jennyilles
Website: http://itsjennywood.com
Meet your host, Candice Mitchell
Candice Mitchell is a Talent Development Strategist, CEO of Talent Collective, and USA Today bestselling author of Choose You: For the People Who Refuse to Disappear. With nearly two decades of experience building and leading capability functions inside global and Fortune 500 organizations, she founded Talent Collective, a premium capability-building firm for L&D, HR, Change, and People leaders in high-growth companies.
Your host, Candice Mitchell, can be found online at:Website: https://talentcollective.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicemitchelltc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candice_mitchell_msc/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candice_mitchell_msc
Talent Development Academy: https://courses.talentcollective.org/bundles/talent-development-academy
Choose You book: https://chooseyoubook.com/
Original music composed by: Paul DeHaven
pauldehavenmusic.com