Most of us give our boss way too much credit — for the raise we didn’t get, the promotion we hoped for, or the recognition we thought was overdue. Kendall Berg pulls back the curtain to reveal the truth: your career outcomes are rarely decided by one person. Promotions, raises, and opportunities happen by committee, and your boss can’t advocate for you if they don’t even know what you’re doing.

This episode digs into the four pillars of career growth: education, self-advocacy, networking, and communication. Kendall explains why reframing self-advocacy as “educating leadership” changes everything, how high performers accidentally sabotage themselves by saying yes to everything, and why building relationships with directors and VPs is just as critical as doing the work itself. With sharp insights and practical stories (including her own three-year promotion delay), Kendall shows how to communicate impact, manage expectations, and protect your career trajectory.

In this episode of Secrets of the Career Game, we discuss:

• How do you educate your boss and leadership team about your impact without sounding pushy?

• Why do high performers often burn out before reaching senior leadership?

• What’s the role of networking with directors and VPs in career advancement?

• How do you communicate trade-offs and risks in a positive, strategic way?

• Why can’t you rely on your boss alone for promotions and raises?

⭐️Get our FREE Accomplishments Tracker: https://fabulous-butterfly-83716.myflodesk.com/n8yzvrtw9v 

Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?

Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_

Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Build out the tools you need to navigate the corporate game: — Self Driven Mastermind

Your calendar doesn’t cause burnout. It’s caused by your nervous system.

After building multiple seven-figure businesses in her twenties, Dr. Nona Djavid found herself sobbing on the closet floor—exhausted, overwhelmed, and completely burned out. That breakdown became a breakthrough. She didn’t just change her habits—she rewired her subconscious and trained her nervous system to feel safe with rest, freedom, and abundance.

Now, she helps high-achieving professionals do the same without quitting their jobs or blowing up their lives.

In this episode, Kendall and Nona unpack the invisible addiction to stress, how subconscious safety patterns sabotage growth, and why visualizing your future isn’t just spiritual fluff—it’s brain science. Nona also breaks down her One Week/Month Lifestyle and how anyone—from entrepreneurs to corporate leaders—can adopt it in a way that works for them.

Dr. Nona Djavid is the founder of eLIVate Club and creator of the One Week/Month Lifestyle. Her work helps high performers rewire the subconscious patterns keeping them stuck in cycles of burnout, stress, and overachieving.

Want more from Nona? DM her @nonadjavid on Instagram and mention this episode to access her free 90-minute training: Four Steps to Quantum Leaps

In this episode, we discuss: What is nervous system dysregulation and how does it show up at work? How do I know if I’m addicted to stress without realizing it? Can visualization rewire the brain for success? Why does my nervous system sabotage my goals? How can I create more time freedom without quitting my job?

⭐️Get our FREE Accomplishments Tracker: https://fabulous-butterfly-83716.myflodesk.com/n8yzvrtw9v 

Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?

Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_

Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Build out the tools you need to navigate the corporate game: — Self Driven Mastermind

“Just work hard and you’ll get promoted.” If you’ve heard this before and it still hasn’t worked out… Kendall’s here to tell you why.

In this 100th episode of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall calls BS on the most common career clichés that keep high-performers stuck and overlooked. From toxic loyalty traps to the myth of passion-driven success, this episode breaks down the 8 most mediocre pieces of advice—and replaces them with strategies that actually get you promoted, noticed, and respected.

This is not a motivational pep talk. It’s your playbook for making smarter, more strategic moves inside corporate systems that were never built to reward quiet hard work. Plus: Kendall launches a Name Our Listeners contest and issues a two-week networking challenge that could literally change your career trajectory.

Let’s celebrate 100 episodes by rewriting the rules.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What’s the worst career advice you’ve ever received?

• Why doesn’t hard work alone get you promoted?

• How do you build influence without playing dirty office politics?

• Who should you really be networking with?

• When does “loyalty” become career sabotage?

Don’t wait to get noticed—use this guide to make your next promotion a planned event, not a lucky break. https://thatcareercoach.myflodesk.com/promotion-guide/checkout  

Most people say they're “too busy” before they’ve even checked their calendar. Michelle Niemeyer wants to change that.

After burning out as a high-performing attorney (and landing in the hospital because of it), Michelle realized the problem wasn’t her productivity. It was her lifestyle. Her nervous system. Her goals. And the way she defined success.

In this episode, she breaks down The Art of Bending Time, her framework that helps professionals stop spinning in circles and start building a life they want. Kendall and Michelle talk about everything from “goal clutter” to internal time sucks to why losing 5 pounds might not really be your priority (and that’s okay).

This is the episode you send to every friend who keeps saying “I don’t have time” while they’re scrolling Instagram and ignoring their actual dream.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What if your goal isn’t really your goal?

• How do you avoid burnout when you have no time?

• What are “internal time sucks” and how do you stop them?

• Can work-life balance exist or is integration the real solution?

⭐️Get our FREE Accomplishments Tracker: https://fabulous-butterfly-83716.myflodesk.com/n8yzvrtw9v 

Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?

Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_

Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Most people aren’t lazy—they’re just scared of being seen. Kendall Berg sits down with digital strategist and Slay the Gatekeeper founder Courtney Johnson to unravel the truth about personal branding in the age of LinkedIn, TikTok, and trolls. Spoiler alert: it’s not about going viral—it’s about getting honest.

Courtney breaks down the emotional blocks that keep high achievers hiding their brilliance. From troll comments to visibility shame spirals, she gives us the cheat codes to show up online without losing our voice. Whether you’re in corporate or freelance, you’ll walk away rethinking what it means to be seen, trusted, and remembered.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What’s the simplest way to grow on LinkedIn in 2025?

• How do I build a personal brand without sounding fake?

• Should I worry about negative comments on my content?

• How honest should I be when posting online?

• Do I need a personal brand if I’m not a creator?

Kendall Berg reveals the 5 planning habits that keep her from losing it—while balancing a corporate tech role, coaching business, content creation, pageant prep, and parenting two kids.

If your to-do list never ends but your energy does, these five systems will shift how you manage your time, reduce mental load, and finally build a week that works. Kendall breaks down how to simplify your goals, design a weekly routine that honors your brain, and make space for what actually matters—without burning out or dropping the ball.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What are the 5 planning habits every working professional needs?

• How do you build a weekly system that saves you time and stress?

• What’s the best way to reduce mental load without dropping priorities?

• How can I balance work, family, and personal growth goals?

• What’s the difference between time blocking and day blocking?

👉 Grab the reMarkable Essentials Bundle on Amazon  https://amzn.to/4eY07r4 

Berg interviews Milam Miller, the former AS Roma exec known as the real-life Ted Lasso, about the leadership superpower most people misunderstand: charisma.

Milam breaks down his modern framework for connection, communication, and rizz—the kind that helps you lead across cultures, industries, and personalities. Drawing from his new book, The Charisma Craft – A Modern Leadership Guide to Enhance Your “Rizz”, he shares the six leadership archetypes you’ll want to know, plus the acronym that will help you end workplace gossip like a pro.

Whether you’re a rising leader, a high performer who keeps getting passed over, or someone trying to stay relevant in an AI-powered workplace—this conversation will change the way you think about presence, persuasion, and power.

🎯 In this episode, we discuss:

• What is charisma in leadership—and how do you build it authentically?

• What does “rizz” actually look like in the workplace?

• Can AI teach you how to be charismatic—or just what to say?

• How do you stop gossip without making it awkward?

• What are the six archetypes in The Charisma Craft?

⭐️Get our FREE Accomplishments Tracker: https://fabulous-butterfly-83716.myflodesk.com/n8yzvrtw9v 

Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?

Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_

Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Build out the tools you need to navigate the corporate game: — Self Driven Mastermind

During his 15-year career in Sports & Entertainment, Milam Miller negotiated more than $100MM in commercial revenue. What was once a private mantra – “Be Confident and Kind” – is now a public movement to positively transform the way we lead in the future of work. 

Following his love for professional training and human potential, Milam launched a sales reskilling  & upskilling practice called, Be Confident & Kind–a movement to build a human-powered future of work. His mission is to help leaders reduce internal team conflicts and increase external sales.

He is advancing this mission through the release of his first book, The Charisma Craft–A Modern Leadership Guide to Enhance Your “Rizz” 

Get Milam’s book The Charisma Craft: https://www.amazon.com/Charisma-Craft-Modern-Leadership-Enhance/dp/B0FF4YRM2F/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Website: https://beconfidentandkind.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milam-miller-bck/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milam.miller/

What do you do when someone makes a condescending remark in front of your team—or worse, during a board meeting? In this episode, career coach Kendall Berg breaks down the exact language to use when you're belittled, talked over, or insulted at work. This non-confrontational tactic forces aggressors to repeat their words and publicly own their behavior—without you losing your composure or professional credibility.

Using a real-life story from her early career, Kendall reveals how a VP’s inappropriate comment triggered swift organizational response—and how a different reaction could’ve changed everything. You’ll walk away with practical language to disarm toxic coworkers, shift the power in the room, and maintain your dignity in high-pressure corporate environments.

Whether you’re dealing with credit thieves, snide remarks, or subtle digs, this video gives you a tactical play that actually works.

⭐️Get our FREE Accomplishments Tracker: https://fabulous-butterfly-83716.myflodesk.com/n8yzvrtw9v 

Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?

Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_

Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Build out the tools you need to navigate the corporate game: — Self Driven Mastermind

Hilary Hartling doesn’t believe in branding fluff—and after 15 years at Disney working on global campaigns for Pixar, Marvel, and DreamWorks, she’s earned the right to say so. In this episode, Kendall Berg sits down with Hilary to unpack what a personal brand really is (hint: it’s not your color palette). From corporate burnout to building an executive brand agency, Hilary’s story is a masterclass in career reinvention, thought leadership, and waking up excited.

She breaks down the actual steps to brand clarity—from strengths mapping to using human design—and offers sharp advice for executives, entrepreneurs, and high performers stuck in a career that no longer fits. Whether you’re building a business or simply want more visibility at work, Hilary’s strategy-driven, slightly rebellious take on branding is the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed.

🔍 In this episode, we discuss:

• What is a personal brand and how do I build one?

• How do I know when it’s time to leave my job?

• What are the first steps to start a business after burnout?

• How can executives build a thought leadership brand?

• Why do most entrepreneurs waste time on the wrong branding?

⭐️ Get our FREE Accomplishments Tracker: https://fabulous-butterfly-83716.myflodesk.com/n8yzvrtw9v 

Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?

Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_

Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

Hilary Hartling is a Brand & Messaging Strategist who helps entrepreneurs turn their brilliance into captivating brands that connect and convert. Known for blending intuitive insight with strategic clarity, she’s also the Chief Brand Officer at Growth Mode, a thought leadership agency for executives and founders. Before launching her business, Hilary spent 15 years leading integrated marketing campaigns for global entertainment brands film releases at Disney, Pixar & Marvel.

Website: https://hilaryhartling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilaryhartling/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaryhartling/

Toxic bosses are more common than you think—and Kendall Berg isn’t afraid to name names and break down the real strategies you need to survive them. From micromanagers who hover over every move to credit-stealers who take your wins and make them theirs, this episode of Secrets of the Career Game reveals what actually works when your manager is the biggest obstacle to your career growth.

Kendall explains why emotional distance is the key to survival, how to proactively manage up, and what to do when your boss starts playing games with your reputation. Whether you're dealing with power-hungry leadership or just an insecure manager who’s in over their head, this episode gives you the insider blueprint for managing up, protecting your peace, and reclaiming your progress.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What are the 4 toxic boss types and how do you spot them?

• How do you deal with a micromanager without losing your mind?

• What’s the best way to protect yourself from a credit-stealing manager?

• Can you really get promoted under a defensive boss?

• What should you say when your boss makes a derogatory comment?

  ⭐️Get our FREE Accomplishments Tracker: https://fabulous-butterfly-83716.myflodesk.com/n8yzvrtw9v 

  That Career Coach

  Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?

  Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_

  Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/

  Build out the tools you need to navigate the corporate game: — Self Driven Mastermind