Courage at work rarely looks like the big, dramatic career move. In this episode, Cindy Solomon shares what she’s learned after 25 years researching, teaching, and building a business around courage. We talk about the fear of being perceived the wrong way, how to build your courage muscle, why we overestimate the risk of making a move, and how small acts of courage can change the direction of your career. She also shares how one unexpected speaking opportunity led to a TED Talk, and how she turned an idea about courage into a global business.

Cindy Solomon is a leadership expert, bestselling author, keynote speaker, recovering corporate executive, and Founder and CEO of the Courageous Leadership Institute®. For more than two decades, she has helped leaders and organizations build courage as a practical leadership skill. Her work has reached more than 350,000 leaders worldwide, with clients including Google, Oracle, UPS, Wells Fargo, and the Gates Foundation. Cindy’s TED Talks have been viewed by over 3 million people.

Learn more about Cindy and her keynote programs: cindysolomon.com/keynote-speaker

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When a corporate title disappears, it exposes a reality few senior leaders are prepared for: navigating the quiet space between what was and what’s next. In this episode, Vivian Chang shares the reality of an executive transition. We talk about why talent isn't immune to downsizing, the trap of over-scheduling free time, and how to uncouple your self-worth from a corporate title. Vivian also reflects on dropping the corporate polish and building a portfolio career on her own terms.

Vivian Chang is an E-Commerce executive with 20 years of experience leading digital commerce and marketing across CPG, retail, and startups. As GM of E-Commerce at GNC, she managed a 9-figure P&L, following years driving digital transformation and DTC growth at Clorox, Plated, and RetailMeNot. She holds a BA from UT Austin and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and is a featured speaker at Shoptalk, AdWeek, and NRF.

Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivianchang/

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Most careers don’t unfold in a straight line, and Fabian Geyrhalter has built his around embracing that. In this episode, Fabian shares how a career rooted in branding and strategy has evolved across creative direction, entrepreneurship, books, podcasting, and product design, seemingly disparate pursuits that, when you look closer, are all connected by the same thread. We talk about what it actually takes to veer off the traditional path, how to build the confidence to follow your curiosity, and why commitment and focus matter even when your career looks anything but linear. Fabian also shares the mental models he uses to make decisions, balance multiple projects and passions, and stay in motion without losing sight of where he’s headed.

Fabian Geyrhalter is an acclaimed Brand Strategist and Creative Executive with more than 20 years of experience across industries and borders. He has guided brand transformations for companies including Marriott, Warner Bros., Match, Honeywell, and Randstad, and his creative direction has earned more than 50 international awards. He is also the author of four international Amazon Bestselling books on branding and entrepreneurship. In 2021, he founded Toneoptic, a product design firm focused on creating exceptional listening experiences for music enthusiasts.

For more from Fabian, connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiangeyrhalter/

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Getting what you thought you wanted doesn’t always mean finding the fulfillment you expected. In this episode, Sweta Govani shares her journey from corporate high-achiever to entrepreneur after being unexpectedly terminated from what she believed was her dream job. We talk about the heartbreak of unmet expectations, why so many ambitious people feel guilty for wanting more, the impact of cultural expectations on career choices, and what happens when the path you worked toward no longer feels aligned. Sweta also introduces the concept of building a “Wealth Garden” and how giving yourself permission to explore new possibilities can lead to more intentional work, entrepreneurship, and fulfillment.

Sweta Govani is a corporate-dropout-turned-entrepreneur and the founder of the Happy Paying Customers™ System, where she has helped 110+ first-time founders turn their ideas into businesses with paying customers. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she spent 15 years building technology and social impact startups from pre-revenue stages through IPO, generating $85 million in revenue throughout her career. Today, she is building her own “Wealth Garden” — a mix of active and passive income streams, including real estate, designed to create more flexibility and opportunity beyond the traditional career path.

For more from Sweta and to learn about her Wealth Garden movement, visit: https://www.yourwealthgarden.com/

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Functioning at work often requires people to separate who they are from how they’re expected to show up. In this episode, I sit down with retail executive Shannon Flanagan to explore what that separation looks like in practice when you’re navigating Bipolar Type II. We talk about the day-to-day reality — the pressure to perform consistently, the experience of self-editing in the workplace, and the tradeoffs that come with deciding how much of yourself to disclose at work. Shannon also shares how these dynamics have shaped her leadership journey, including moments where being open about her diagnosis led at work came with both connection and consequence.

Shannon is the founder of Retail Women in Tech (RWIT), a global nonprofit focused on increasing access, representation, and leadership pathways for women across retail and technology. Prior to RWIT, she spent her career in leadership roles at Gap Inc., Macy’s, Accenture, and Slalom, where she has led large-scale transformation and organizational change. She is also a mental health advocate and serves on the Global Mental Health Taskforce, working to reduce stigma and expand access to care across industries.

Read Shannon’s new book here: https://a.co/d/024f1jG1

Building a personal brand online rarely happens the way people think it does. In this episode, Tamara Jacko shares what it actually looks like to create content while maintaining a full-time marketing career. We talk about the slow reality of building an audience from scratch — learning your voice, the grind of reaching your first 5K followers, turning a hobby into a business, and staying consistent long enough for things to start clicking. Tamara also challenges common myths around content creation and monetization, including why virality isn’t always the goal and why community matters more than follower count.

Tamara Lashae is a content creator and marketing professional based in San Diego. Known online as the "overdressed bestie," she has spent the last five years building a fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brand that has grown to more than 21,000 followers across social media. Alongside her work as a creator, she has built her career in marketing across real estate organizations including CBRE and Wannebo Real Estate Group, giving her a unique perspective on both corporate and creator-driven approaches to building audiences and brands.

For more from Tamara, follow her on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/tamara_lashae/

What if the way you’ve been describing yourself at work isn’t fixed at all, but just one interpretation of what’s going on underneath? In this episode, Rob Gotlieb shares what it looks like to rethink the labels we use at work and what changes when those same traits are reframed through the lens of a late ADHD and autism diagnosis. He takes us inside the lived experience of masking in professional environments, the internal tension between structure and restlessness, and the moment those patterns start to make sense in a new way. What emerges is less about fitting into a category, and more about understanding how much of what we call “personality” is shaped by context, pressure, and perception.

Rob is a growth marketing leader and consultant with experience across subscription, entertainment, and digital businesses. Prior to going out his own, he held senior roles at companies including Harry Potter, Napster, and Bossa Games.

For more on Rob’s work, connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgotlieb

And for brands and retailers listening, you can access free tickets to The Lead Summit here: https://thelead2026-registration.personatech.com/form/initiate?fId=NzRmMzk0N2ItZmFh

Breaking into your first board role rarely happens the way people expect it to. In this episode, Renee Hartmann pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to get, and why most of the conventional advice misses the mark. We unpack the real path in, from why board roles almost never come from job listings, to how early advisory work often starts informally (and sometimes unpaid), to the role your network actually plays in opening doors. Renee also breaks down the differences between boards, and shares what founders get wrong when building boards.

Renee is a top retail expert, consultant, and advisor working with startups and growth-stage companies. As an advisor, she serves as a non-executive director and board member across public, private, and nonprofit organizations spanning retail, technology, and consumer businesses. She previously founded and ran her own company and held early roles at Ogilvy and Putnam Investments. She holds an MBA from Duke University, a BBA from Emory University, and is a CFA Charterholder.

For more on Renee’s work, connect with her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/reneehartmann/

Building something from 0 to 1 inside a company rarely looks the way people think it will. In this episode, Jennifer Brown shares what it took to build influencer marketing from the ground up at SHEIN. She breaks down how to build from day one — from creating structure out of ambiguity, to proving and scaling ideas before you have resources, to turning early wins into repeatable systems and teams. We also get into her shift from agency to in-house, what it actually looks like to operate inside SHEIN’s fast-moving, culture-first model, how creator marketing is evolving, and the OG creator who first shaped how she saw influence.

Jennifer Brown is the Head of U.S. Influencer Marketing and Talent Partnerships at SHEIN. There, she's worked with some of the most influential social media creators and celebrities in the world including Cardi B, Lele Pons, GloRilla, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, and Normani. Prior to SHEIN, she spent nearly a decade across influencer and talent agencies in Los Angeles including Mediakix, All Def Media, theAmplify, and Addition, leading social and influencer campaigns for brands such as Sony Pictures, Blue Apron, RetailMeNot, and Facebook’s Portal.

For more on Jennifer’s work, connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-brown10/

Building companies the traditional way can look right on paper—and still feel completely wrong in practice. In this episode, Freddie Laker shares how a failed company, burnout, and frustration with corporate bureaucracy pushed him to rethink everything, ultimately leading him to build something entirely different: a collective. We get into what a true collective actually is (and what most people get wrong), why communities are having such a moment right now, and what it really takes to build one that people don’t just join—but stay in. From governance and shared ownership to attracting the right people and avoiding hidden hierarchy, Freddie breaks down the hard-earned lessons behind building Chameleon Collective and why he believes this model could redefine how we work.

Freddie Laker is the Founder and Partner at Chameleon Collective and Co-Founder of Collective OS. A former CEO and CMO, he has built and scaled companies across consumer tech, aviation, and DTC, and is known for pioneering the fractional leadership model. Under his leadership, Chameleon Collective has grown to a global network of hundreds of experts, supporting companies across industries while operating on a shared, non-hierarchical model.

To learn more about his upcoming book Collective Capitalism, visit: http://collectivecapitalism.org/