In part two of this week's Pull Up Your Chair, Cicely continues her career-empowering chat with award-winning coach Octavia Goredema. They dive into the second phase of Octavia's acclaimed three-step career strategy: PUSH. After detailing the importance of preparation in part one, Octavia now expands on the motivational PUSH phase. She discusses her approach of actively assisting individuals in their career journeys by setting bold goals, pursuing new opportunities, and stepping outside comfort zones. Octavia explains her reasoning behind making push the vital second step after preparing. She provides advice on pushing yourself in strategic ways and shares how to leverage coaches and mentors during this transitional career phase. Octavia also reveals the final phase of her career strategy - PIVOT - and equips listeners with empowering wisdom to transform their professional paths.

This week on Pull Up Your Chair, Cicely welcomes award-winning career coach Octavia Goredema. Octavia is an acclaimed mentor who has empowered professionals at top companies like Google and Dow Jones. She is the author of the popular book PREP, PUSH, PIVOT and host of the hit Audible podcast How to Change Careers. An award-winning coach, Octavia guides professionals to unlock their full potential in the workplace. As founder of Twenty Ten Agency, she has coached leaders at renowned companies including Google, American Airlines, Tinder, General Motors, Nike and Dow Jones. An acclaimed career expert, Octavia wrote the essential career guide PREP, PUSH, PIVOT: Essential Career Strategies for Underrepresented Women and hosts the new Audible Original series, How to Change Careers with Octavia Goredema. Tune in as Octavia shares her inspirational career journey and empowering advice to help listeners unlock their full potential.

After discussing the prevalence of imposter syndrome and Dr. Stoddard's personal experiences, the conversation shifts to practical strategies for growth and change. Dr. Stoddard provides research-backed techniques to help quiet negative self-talk and build self-confidence. As she explains, learning to silence your inner critic is key to overcoming feelings of fraudulence. She introduces the acronym PAVE to help listeners remember four powerful skills of psychological flexibility. Tune in as Dr. Stoddard outlines simple yet profound ways we can all incorporate PAVE into our daily lives to conquer self-doubt, act authentically, and bring our best selves forward. This inspiring discussion provides takeaway tools to help listeners cultivate self-compassion on their journeys from imposter thinking to empowerment.

On the latest episode of Pull Up Your Chair, Cicely sits down with Dr. Jill Stoddard to discuss her new book Imposter No More. In this insightful conversation, Dr. Stoddard opens up about her own struggles with imposter syndrome and provides research-backed strategies to help listeners overcome feelings of self-doubt. As an award-winning teacher, TEDx speaker, and co-host of the popular Psychologists Off the Clock podcast, Dr. Stoddard has a talent for making complex psychological concepts accessible. Tune in as she shares practical advice for building confidence, overcoming perfectionism, and silencing your inner critic. Whether you struggle with imposter syndrome or simply want to cultivate a healthier self-image, this empowering episode will leave you feeling inspired and equipped to become your most authentic self.

In the second half of Cicely's conversation with Kemi Nekvapil, they dive deeper into the challenges professional women face in trying to balance work and family. Kemi shares advice for women who struggle with feeling they must be in service to others and that it's a zero-sum game between their career and personal life. Kemi also talks about the importance of women seeing themselves as equals and partners both at home and in the workplace, rather than subservient caretakers. She provides insights on how to advocate for your needs and values while also caring for others with compassion. Tune in for Kemi's wisdom on embracing your power as a woman to thrive in both your career and personal life.

Pulling up a chair this week is Kemi Nekvapil, a highly sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and executive coach dedicated to helping leaders reach their full potential. With over 28 years of studying purpose, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, Kemi brings deep wisdom to her work. As a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator who has worked directly with Dr. Brené Brown, Kemi is a powerful advocate for a connected, values-based life. Her new bestseller, "POWER: A Woman's Guide to Living and Leading Without Apology," shares her insights on helping women lead authentically. Tune in as Kemi pulls up a chair to discuss finding your voice as a leader, leading with compassion, and cultivating team diversity and belonging. Don't miss this inspiring conversation with a transformative teacher guiding others to lead without apology.

Cicely Simpson wraps up the second part of her conversation with Bruce Feiler, the author of The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World. Bruce is a life transitions expert who has spent decades studying how people cope with change and find their purpose in their work. In this episode, they dive deeper into some of the challenges and opportunities that come with finding meaningful work in a post-career world. He’ll share some of the lessons he learned from interviewing hundreds of people who have gone through their own transitions. And he’ll give us some practical tips and tools that we can use to start or continue our own search. So pull up your chair and get ready for another amazing talk with Bruce Feiler.

This week Cicely welcomes bestselling author, TED speaker, and life transitions expert, Bruce Feiler! He is here to talk about his latest book, THE SEARCH: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World, a bold new roadmap for finding joy and fulfillment in what you do. We’re going to learn how to dig into our past, identify our core values, and trust ourselves to make the best decisions for our future. Bruce has spent decades studying the stories of individuals and communities who have faced major challenges and changes in their lives. He has discovered that the key to navigating these transitions is to embrace them as opportunities for growth and discovery. Bruce calls this process “the search”, and he has developed a practical framework to help anyone find their purpose and passion in their work. Whether you’re looking for a new job, a career change, or a way to make your current work more meaningful, this episode is for you. So pull up your chair and get ready for an amazing conversation with Bruce Feiler. Let’s go! 🎧

Pull Up Your Chair with host Cicely Simpson concludes with the second part of David A. Specht Jr.'s amazing story of career change. Cicely revisits a key moment in David’s life, when he realized that his fear of failure was holding him back from taking care of his physical health, as he wrote in his book, Old Dogs New Tricks Version 2.0. This leads to a fascinating question: did David overcome his fear or use it to fuel his pivot to becoming a health coach? David, who went from being a newspaperman to a health coach, reveals his personal reasons for making this change and the insights he shares with his clients. Listen as he explains how facing fear, showing vulnerability, and developing a growth mindset can help anyone transform their lives. David’s journey inspires us to examine our own fears and challenges us to turn them into opportunities for growth. Don’t miss this inspiring finale, as we discover the power of human resilience and the endless possibilities that lie within us. Pull Up Your Chair invites you to this incredible story of transformation and the conviction that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.

Are you ready to transform your life and unleash your full potential? If so, you won’t want to miss this episode of Pull Up Your Chair, where Cicely Simpson chats with David A. Specht Jr., a media mogul, a health coach, and a motivational speaker. David shares his inspiring story of how he went from being overweight and unhappy to losing 125 pounds and finding his purpose in helping others achieve their health and wellness goals. He also reveals his secrets to creating a successful mindset, overcoming challenges, and staying motivated. Whether you want to lose weight, improve your health, or start a new career, David has some valuable insights and tips for you. Tune in and discover how you can become the best version of yourself with David A. Specht Jr. on Pull Up Your Chair.