I've seen a pattern of senior ICs deciding to quit to bet on themselves, but we rarely get to see what it took to get there.

Julia Fei, Sr. Data Scientist at Notion (and my dear creator friend), just made her decision to leave her dream job to pursue something she's always been curious about. But it was a calculated, deliberate decision that she spent years preparing for.

In this week's episode of Office Drama, we reveal the inner drama of Julia's thought process and the conversations she's had navigating the transition.

In this ep, we talk about:

→ why Julia quit Notion when she genuinely loved her team, her manager, and her job

→ how to know if you're actually growing or just getting comfortable

→ why "stability" is a scam

→ the double life of being a creator in tech

→ how to build a financial runway for the leap before you're ready to take it

→ and how to know when it's finally time to take a risk on yourself

This episode is for anyone who has done everything right and still felt like they were playing it too safe. Julia is one of the most calculated, self-aware people I know and watching her finally bet on herself after years of preparation is exactly the kind of story I started this show to tell.

→ Find Julia:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliafei/

https://www.youtube.com/@juliafei

https://www.instagram.com/julia.fei/

https://www.tiktok.com/@julia.fei

Submit your Coworker Confessions 👇

https://bit.ly/coworker-confessions

If you like what you hear please follow, rate 5 stars on Spotify and Apple Podcasts ⭐️ and leave a comment! 🫶 It's free~

Special shoutout to Drama Llama Emily Huang for supporting Office Drama on Patreon!

🦙𝙎𝙊𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇𝙎 🌸

instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chloe.shih/

OD instagram → https://www.instagram.com/officedrama.pod/

tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chloeshih

threads → https://www.threads.net/@chloe.shih

linkedin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-shih/

patreon→ https://patreon.com/OfficeDrama?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=copyLink

✹ business inquiries:[email protected]

My old Discord work bestie just got promoted *twice* in one year and I needed to know how he did it without losing himself in the process. Tobi Bisiriyu is a Product Design Manager at Discord and he's one of those rare people who is genuinely great at his job, actually likes it, and still makes work the least interesting thing about him. He cosplays, he goes to anime conventions, he walks one hour every day without exception, and he has a philosophy about life that I think more people in tech need to hear.

In this ep, we talk about:

→ Why looking competent is actually what's holding junior designers back

→ the "contract you write for yourself" and how to know if you're breaching it

→ why middle management is actually a "death" trap

→ say yes to the scary thing...before you talk yourself out of it.

→ being greedy "with integrity" and why it's good to want it all

→ and why getting a four in life matters more than getting one at work

This episode is for anyone who is good at their job but wonders if there's a version of success that doesn't require you to give everything else up. Tobi is one of the most intentional people I've ever worked with and somehow he got even more thoughtful since we last worked together.

→ Find Tobi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobibisiriyu

Submit your Coworker Confessions 👇

https://bit.ly/coworker-confessions

If you like what you hear please follow, rate 5 stars on Spotify and Apple Podcasts ⭐️ and leave a comment! 🫶 It's free~

𝙎𝙊𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇𝙎 🌸

instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chloe.shih/

OD instagram → https://www.instagram.com/officedrama.pod/

tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chloeshih

threads → https://www.threads.net/@chloe.shih

linkedin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-shih/

patreon → https://patreon.com/OfficeDrama

✹ business inquiries: [email protected]

It's been about 2 years and 3 mo since I was infamously laid off from my dream product manager job at Discord. And today, I finally sit with my old manager to talk about life after layoffs.

Derek Yang is now a Principal Product Manager at Roblox, and before that he was at YouTube, Twitch, Yik Yak, Facebook, and Discord where he was also my last ever corporate manager.

In this ep, we talk about:

→ What it actually means to "make it" in tech (spoiler: he still doesn't think he has)

→ the performance review that humbled him and forever changed

→ how he approaches his career

→ why working hard is not enough and what actually gets you recognized

→ what he gave up becoming a new dad

→ and why sustainability is his whole era right now

This episode is for anyone who has ever put their whole heart into their work and still felt like it wasn't enough. Derek is one of the most thoughtful people I know and I learned something new about him even after years of friendship.

→ Find Derek on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dereklyang

Submit your Coworker Confessions 👇

https://bit.ly/coworker-confessions

If you like what you hear please follow, rate 5 stars ⭐️ and leave a comment! 🫶

business inquiries: [email protected]

𝙎𝙊𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇𝙎 🌸

instagram → https://www.instagram.com/chloe.shih/

tiktok → https://www.tiktok.com/@chloeshih

threads → https://www.threads.net/@chloe.shih

linkedin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-shih/

Welcome to my new show, Office Drama, where we sit with people obsessed with what they do, learn about the lessons they wish they knew earlier, and reveal the drama within.

We interview people across tech, media, and entertainment. We also have a monthly(ish) advice segment called "Coworker Confessions" where you can anonymously submit your work drama, stories, and situations for a second opinion.

➔ Submit here: https://bit.ly/coworker-confessions

Check out Office Drama every Monday at 8am PT on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts!

If you like what you see and want to support the show, follow, comment, and rate 5 stars!! ⭐️

hii jomies!

this is our ill-fated "fail episode." last year eric and i spent literally five hours on a sunday trying to film an episode about work resentment and burnout and every single take just sucked. we tried THREE times and failed every single time.

but we had some really good nuggets in there so we chopped it up and pulled out the best parts for you guys. it's kind of a hodgepodge of segments but honestly some of my fave convos came out of it! we talk about someone reaching out to me asking for advice on whistleblowing, dealing with power tripping managers, the weird guilt of going independent, and why we push ourselves so damn hard when we could actually just chill.

this episode is proof that not every recording session is a banger and sometimes you just gotta take the L and move on. but also!! the conversations were still valuable and i didn't want them to just... rot.

thank u for listening and for being part of this community, it means everything to us

love,chlo & eric

today, we're taking you for a ride through season 2! this season had some of our favorite moments ever, some really fun guests, reflective moments, and a whole lot of chaos we didn't see coming.

here are all our favorite moments in one place. thank you for being here for all of it, jomies... we love you!

– chloe & eric 💌

today, we're taking you back to season 1, where it all started!

season 1 gave us SO much. here are all our favorite moments in one place. thank you for being there from the beginning jomies, we love you!

– chloe & eric 💌

today, jomo is coming to an end. we get into what jomo has meant to us, why we're closing this chapter, and what's coming next. what a ride it's been! jomies, thank you sincerely for your support through the years... we couldn't have done it without ya! love, chloe & eric 💌

today is all about failure. what it actually means, how to handle it, and why your relationship with it will determine how far you go.we get into the difference between failing in your 20s vs. your 30s, what it means to keep swinging for the home run every single time, and why AI is making hard work feel suddenly very fragile.if you catch L's and never know what to do with them... this one's for you.love, chloe & eric 💌p.s. we're so sorry about the wide cam being out of focus this episode!

today is all about family. the kind you're born into, the kind you build, and what it actually looks like to grow up, work, and create alongside the people who know you best. we sit down with RJ and Jalin Siu to talk about sibling dynamics, their content journey, creative dreams, and what it takes to turn your family into your team. if you've ever wondered what it would be like to do life with your siblings by your side... this one's for you. love, chloe & eric 💌