The Career Evangelist

What happens when the formula that made you successful no longer works?

After three decades in technology leadership, including serving as a Field CTO at Dell Technologies, Tony Dina reached a point many accomplished professionals eventually encounter: everything looked successful from the outside, but something no longer felt right.

In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with Tony, now an executive and depth coach, to explore what happens when achievement, title, and compensation are no longer enough.

Tony shares why career reinvention often begins not with another certification, promotion, or productivity tool, but with deeper questions about meaning, identity, curiosity, and the person you want to become.

The conversation also explores how AI is changing the skills professionals need to remain relevant. Tony challenges the traditional focus on productivity and argues that the real competitive advantage will increasingly come from human capabilities such as judgment, intuition, curiosity, learning quickly, connecting ideas, and becoming comfortable with uncertainty.

You'll hear insights on:

• Recognizing when your old success formula has stopped working
• Separating your identity from your job title
• Navigating a mid-career pivot without ignoring financial realities
• Why AI makes human judgment more—not less—important
• The difference between productivity and capacity
• Why successful leaders must learn to sit with uncertainty
• What executive coaching can—and cannot—do
• Redefining success around meaning, impact, and legacy
• Why you may be far more capable than you're willing to admit

If you've built a successful career but find yourself wondering, "What's next?", this conversation may help you think differently about the answer.

What if becoming a better leader isn't about becoming more impressive—but becoming more yourself?

In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with leadership coach Ruth Andermatt, founder of Ace Inc., who brings nearly three decades of experience helping senior leaders and executives reconnect with their authentic power.

Ruth shares her unconventional career journey—from working in a mental health institution to Xerox sales, corporate leadership, and eventually building her own coaching practice. Along the way, she learned an important lesson: sustainable success doesn't come from constantly trying to fit someone else's model of leadership.

The conversation explores what Ruth calls "coming home to your power"—understanding how you operate, trusting yourself, being intentional about how you show up, and resisting the temptation to perform success.

Ruth also discusses her experience as the only woman in Canada in a senior operations role, the challenges facing introverted leaders, and why genuine presence may be one of the most underrated leadership skills.

You'll discover:

• Why authentic leadership begins with knowing yourself
• Why introverts shouldn't imitate extroverted leadership
• How Ruth navigated being a woman in a male-dominated leadership environment
• Why listening can create more impact than trying to impress people
• How career detours can lead to unexpected opportunities
• Why presence is becoming increasingly valuable in a distracted world
• How to become more intentional about the impact you have on others

If you've ever felt pressure to shrink, perform, or become someone else to succeed professionally, this conversation offers a different approach:

Know your power. Be present. Show up intentionally.

What happens when the career you've built is no longer the career you want?

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Marty Snyder, author of The Pinball Theory of Business and Life, to explore career reinvention, leadership, risk, crisis management, and the unpredictable nature of life and business.

Marty shares the story of leaving a successful 20+ year legal career to pursue international business, despite the uncertainty and responsibilities that came with starting over. We discuss why enthusiasm alone isn't enough when making a major career move, and why you should learn to look at your own plans through the eyes of an investor.

Marty also explains his “Pinball Theory”, the idea that while we can control some of the decisions and actions that shape our careers, there are always forces beyond our control that can change the direction of the game.

From surviving a devastating business flood to navigating insurance challenges and unexpected international risks, Marty shares hard-earned lessons about preparing for crises and managing the “bounce.”

We also explore his philosophy of collaborative, service-driven leadership, the mistakes leaders make, the hidden problems CEOs bring to advisors, and why some of the biggest business problems are actually people problems.

And Marty leaves listeners with a powerful philosophy:

“Good people, good projects, good faith.”

If you're thinking about changing careers, building a business, leading an organization, or simply navigating an unpredictable world, this conversation offers practical wisdom you can apply immediately.

Get Marty's Book on Amazon: The Pinball Theory of Business and Life by Marty Snyder

In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, host I sat down with author, entrepreneur, and business strategist Glenn Poulos. Glenn shares hard-won lessons from 40+ years in sales and business, including why every impression after the first one still counts, how consistency beats flashy charisma, and why sales remains one of the fastest ways to accelerate both income and career trajectory.

He breaks down practical skills every professional (and salesperson) needs, active listening, the three pillars of kindness (empathy, sympathy, and compassion), product passion, and presentation techniques that keep people engaged. Glenn also discusses his book Never Sit in the Lobby: 57 Tips on Building a Career in Business and Sales and offers actionable advice for showing up daily, seeking feedback, and steadily advancing whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder or building a business.

A practical, no-fluff conversation for anyone serious about intentional career growth.

Most career advice tells you to "just be authentic." Dr. Andrea Wojnicki, executive communication coach, Harvard Business School doctorate, and author of one of HBR's most downloaded articles ever, says that's not enough. In this episode, Andrea shares her practical Present-Past-Future framework for introducing yourself with confidence in interviews, networking, and negotiations, plus how to overcome imposter syndrome and build a personal brand that's true to you, on purpose. Andrea has coached executives at Deloitte, JPMorgan, MasterCard, EY, and PwC, and teaches executive education at the University of Toronto. If you've ever fumbled "tell me about yourself," this episode is your fix.

Find out more about Andrea on her website: https://www.talkabouttalk.com

Most professionals accept the first offer they receive.

That mistake could cost them tens—or even hundreds—of thousands of dollars over the course of their careers.

In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, I sit down with John Gates, executive salary negotiation coach and former Fortune 500 recruiting executive, to uncover what really happens behind closed doors during compensation negotiations.

John shares how he went from earning just $16,000 a year to negotiating multi-million-dollar executive compensation packages. More importantly, he explains the negotiation strategies recruiters wish candidates never knew.

You'll learn:

• Why 80% of people never negotiate their salary
• The biggest mistakes candidates make during salary discussions
• How to answer the dreaded "What's your salary expectation?" question
• Why giving a salary range is better than giving a single number
• How to negotiate signing bonuses, equity, incentives, and promotions
• What to do when a company says, "This is our final offer"
• Practical negotiation strategies that can immediately increase your earning potential

Whether you're interviewing for your first leadership role or negotiating an executive compensation package, this conversation will help you negotiate with confidence and maximize your value.

If you've ever wondered whether you're leaving money on the table, this episode is for you.

Millions of experienced professionals are being overlooked, not because they lack talent, but because the hiring system wasn't designed for today's workforce.

In this episode, I sit down with psychologist, workplace researcher, and Age Against the Machine co-author Lucy Standing to discuss one of the biggest yet least talked about challenges in today's job market: ageism.

Lucy shares why experienced professionals often struggle to get interviews, how outdated hiring practices hurt both individuals and businesses, and why organizations are leaving enormous value on the table by overlooking workers over 50.

We also discuss practical strategies professionals can use immediately to remain competitive, build career resilience, and successfully transition into new opportunities.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why age discrimination is often built into hiring systems
• How AI and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can unintentionally filter out experienced talent
• The connection between ageism and declining productivity
• Three practical steps to successfully navigate a career transition
• Why networking and community matter more than sending hundreds of applications
• Why traditional resumes may no longer be the best way to evaluate talent
• How hiring managers can identify potential instead of simply matching experience

Whether you're considering a career change, searching for your next opportunity, or simply want to future-proof your career, this conversation is packed with valuable insights.

After nearly 30 years building a powerhouse career in communications — including serving as a Chief Communications Officer — Geoff Curtis lost the professional identity that had defined much of his life when his role became redundant following an acquisition. In this candid conversation, Geoff joins host Bola Alabi to unpack what he calls "professional identity purgatory": the uncomfortable, disorienting space between who you were and who you're becoming after burnout, career disruption, or major life transition. Together they explore why high achievers often struggle most after layoffs, the hidden emotional cost of hustle culture, how success can mask insecurity, and why rushing into your next job title can actually delay real healing. Geoff is the author of Embracing Your Own Purgatory, and he's not speaking from the "I've got it all figured out" side of the story — he's speaking from inside the uncertainty itself. If you've ever felt lost when work stopped defining you, this episode is your permission slip to slow down and rebuild on your own terms. Practical, honest, and packed with strategies you can use starting today.

What happens after you finally get the promotion?

Many professionals spend years preparing to get the opportunity but fail to prepare for the leadership expectations that come with it.

In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola sits down with Navid Nazemian, executive transition coach, bestselling author of Mastering Executive Transitions, and former multinational executive with 26 years of global leadership experience.

Navid shares practical strategies on:

• How to succeed in the first 120 days of a new role
• How to build executive presence
• Why talented professionals struggle after promotion
• How leaders create trust and influence quickly
• The skills professionals need to future-proof their careers

Whether you are preparing for your next promotion, entering leadership, or navigating a career transition, this episode provides actionable strategies you can apply immediately.

Your career growth requires more than hard work. It requires strategy.

How do you become a better leader when every person, challenge, and situation is different?

In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with Sam Schriver, Executive Vice President at the Center for Leadership Studies, for a powerful conversation on the principles of situational leadership.

With more than 45 years of experience studying and teaching leadership, Sam shares why effective leadership is not about using one approach with everyone — it is about understanding the situation, the person, and what they need to succeed.

They discuss:

• Why leadership is about influence, not position
• The difference between empowerment and abandonment
• How great leaders adapt their style
• Why trust is built through consistent leadership actions
• The four-step situational leadership framework
• How anyone can develop leadership skills through practice

Whether you are a new professional, manager, executive, parent, or someone looking to increase your influence, this episode will give you practical tools to become a more thoughtful and effective leader.