The Curious Middle

Imagine that you are in a room in Silicon Valley. You think of your electrical engineering degree from Stanford, but you also think of the time you immigrated to the United States with only $43 to your name. Everywhere you look there's men, but you're a woman. And although setbacks are the norm for females in your industry, you're proving yourself to be a force in venture capital. After all, you're on the inside helping Marc Benioff build Salesforce – from the ground up.

This is the story of Magdalena Yesil. Magdalena and three other extraordinarily strong, ambitious women share their stories in Alpha Girls, the latest book from acclaimed New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize nominee Julian Guthrie. In Alpha Girls, Julian takes the reader into the rooms where deals, risks and decisions shaped some of Silicon Valley's biggest industries.

The Alpha Girls story is so damn, jaw-dropping good that there was a bidding war for the film and TV rights that included the likes of Amazon, Universal and Brett Ratner, among others. The winner? Female-founded Welle Entertainment. And, with a TV series on the horizon, we can't wait to be taken into the girls' world in a completely new way. But, as always, we recommend you read the book first. It will help you truly savor and dive into the awe-inspiring lives of the Alpha Girls.

In episode 98 of I Want Her Job The Podcast, Host Polina Selyutin talks to Julian about her book. We discuss how the four women featured got on their respective paths and worked their way to becoming "the only" in their venture firms. We also discuss how Alpha Girls has opened a door into venture capital as a path of opportunity for other women. Although it is a highly intense, high-stakes, high-stress and super-competitive space, for those ready and prepared for the challenge, the women known as the Alpha Girls have offered four roadmaps to tremendous success and a chance to shape the future.

As the director of audience strategy and entertainment at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Julie Kosin oversees the news team, as well as topics ranging from movie and TV, to books, music and art. She’s been with the publication since graduating from Syracuse in 2014 as a magazine journalism major. Prior to her role at the publication she was an editor for College Fashionista.

When Julie was younger and growing up in Scranton, Pa. – home of yes, The Office – visiting New York City was a special treat. She would look forward to seeing shows on Broadway with her family and visiting the Empire State Building. Now, with NYC as her new home, Julie gets the opportunity to interview A-list celebrities in her office, watch popular TV shows like Game of Thrones (and call it work!), and also plan website content that goes up every half hour on the site for the legendary fashion publication. 

Julie always loved magazines and English classes and realized when she was a senior in high school that it could be a job for her. “I loved getting my ideas on paper, and something clicked for me when I realized I could potentially turn that into a career,” she shares. “Then I started actively researching what that would look like and how journalism could be an option.”

In today’s conversation we discuss how Julie got her start working in the industry, her advice for others who want her job, what it’s like to interview celebrities and more. We also talk about her ability to work across brands with other Hearst magazines like Elle and Marie Claire and talk about one of her favorite video projects she’s ever worked on for HarpersBAZAAR.com

Esther Wojcicki is asked about parenting advice – sometimes over 10 times a day! In How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results, Esther shares the guiding principles she has used to raise her wildly successful daughters, as well as in her teaching of journalism to students at Palo Alto High School who affectionately call her Woj. Her parenting philosophy can be distilled into a combination of values and practices within an acronym called TRICK, which stands for trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness. In her book, Esther drills into each area, explaining why she believes each component to TRICK is critical. She also offers ideas for utilizing her TRICK philosophy with your children, and shares dozens of memorable stories.

There is no doubt the book will be a best seller since Esther has had such tremendous success as a mother and teacher. Each of Esther's daughters have phenomenal career achievements. Daughter, Susan Wojcicki is the CEO of YouTube; Janet Wojcicki is a professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Francisco; and Anne Wojcicki, is the founder and CEO of genetic testing company 23andMe. At the center of Silicon Valley for her entire career as an influential teacher, Esther also is a dedicated community member. With Google famously beginning its empire in daughter Susan's garage, Esther has truly been surrounded by the tech revolution.

Hundreds of Esther's students still keep in touch with her, and as her daughters say in the book's foreword, they often meet former students who say, "You know, your mom really changed my life. She believed in me." Esther has been nominated for national awards for her teaching and thousands of students who went through her program often consider the experience life changing – both for the work they did, and for the respect, autonomy and the bar set by Esther.

In addition to sharing her philosophy for raising independent, kind and community-oriented children, Esther's book feels like a handbook for global citizenship. She firmly believes that kindness, finding ways to help others and the quality of our relationships are at the forefront of a happy life.

In our conversation, Esther shares how tragedy and other intense difficulties during her childhood influenced her parenting philosophy. We discuss why using TRICK with children and in schools leads to radical results and learn hands-on tactics for using TRICK in your family. Esther is a brilliant example of the impact one teacher can have, and the joy of living a life of purpose.

When Casey Clark's national tour of Les Misérables ended after nearly two years, and it was time to find a new job, Casey realized she tired of living the ups and downs that come with professional acting. As she shares in today's show, professional actors often face long stretches of unemployment – filling in gaps with survival jobs and temping in various roles to pay the bills, sometimes for months, or even years.

One fateful day, Casey went on an interview that she thought was about singing coaching, and ended up being asked to teach speaking voice instead. Casey quickly fell in love with voice coaching and the opportunity to help women amplify their own voices. This session eventually led her to co-found Vital Voice Training.

Around the same time Casey started voice coaching, she read a book called Half the Sky, which left her feeling angry at the depth and enormity of problems facing women in our world. The combination of entering the voice coaching world, and wanting to help women, convinced Casey her mission was to help amplify the voices of women who were helping other women. In the 95th episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Host and Podcast Co-Founder Polina Selyutin discusses with Casey how voice coaching works, tips for improving public speaking skills and much more.

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To contact the show reach out to: [email protected]

Elisabeth Leonard was living in New York City and had her dream job working at Rebecca Minkoff. She’d worked her way up the company, from a position as a receptionist, to a job in the PR department. Then her life changed dramatically. And for the better! If you think it can’t get better than what Elisabeth had going for her in New York then keep listening.

She moved to Santiago, Chile, a little over three years ago to be closer to her long-term boyfriend who had been living and working down there himself for a handful of years. Taking a leap from leaving the only city she had ever known, Elisabeth moved to Chile! And it gets better yet, because she still had the opportunity to work for Rebecca Minkoff, but this time on a remote basis leading special projects.

Last fall, one of those special projects involved helping Rebecca launch the Female Founder Collective– a network of businesses led by women, supporting women. Its mission is to enable and empower female-owned and led businesses to positively impact our community both socially and economically. Businesses that are part of the Collective have the opportunity to share a special FFC seal on their storefront or website that signifies by shopping there a consumer is supporting a female-founded business.

Today in episode 94 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Elisabeth joins I Want Her Job Founder Brianne, to discuss making major moves, the importance of kindness in career advancement and why working as a receptionist is a job with a lot of benefits. We also discuss her mindset working remotely, the importance of routine when working at home and why a dog named Ziggy was one of the greatest beings to ever come into her life.

At the age of 23 while serving in the Israeli army Adi Arezzini was feeling bloated, constipated and had a stomach that looked like she was carrying around a bowling ball inside. She was active and training soldiers, yet she had a very angry digestive system that left her feeling terrible with her own wellness and health. And eating the food the army provided wasn’t exactly helping …

So, Adi tried a new avenue and got a colonic. It helped her for a while, but served more as a band-aide approach. It wasn’t until she got back to the United States and moved to Florida that she was able to cook her own healthy foods and finally help her stomach heal. And though her healthy eating approach was helping, it still didn’t fix her problem 100 percent.

 At a fateful meeting at a friend’s house Adi met the person who would become her co-founder. With his background in coffee and tea, and her background in health and wellness, the two started to combine different loose leaf tea blends to find one that would help her stomach’s health and, as a perk, actually taste good at the same time. It was through this process that Teami Blends was born.

 Offering teas made of herbs and natural ingredients, Teami Blends strives to create a product that provides a truly effective plant-based solution. The company is now a multi-million dollar brand with a massive following and community of Teami loyalists. And, just last year, Teami’s line of tea-infused skincare made it to the shelves of more than 1,000 Ulta retail stores.

In today’s episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast we talk to Adi about how she grew Teami from a company built out of her mom’s house into the behemoth it is today. We also discuss her motivations, talk about that extremely uncomfortable time living in Israel with digestive issues and explore her mindset for success.

Fran Hauser's career history makes one thing very clear: She's a powerhouse. Having served as president of digital for the Style and Entertainment Group at Time Inc., Fran oversaw digital business for PEOPLE, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly and others. She also served in other senior roles at Time Inc., including as general manager of Time Inc. Interactive. And before that worked at AOL as vice president and general manager of AOL Movies and Moviefone.

Now, Fran serves as a startup investor and advisor for companies including HelloGiggles, Meditation Studio and The Wing. Impressively, 18 of the 20 companies in her portfolio are founded by women. Fran's passion for empowering female businesswomen can also be seen in her volunteer activities. She serves on the board of directors for GlobalGiving; as a special advisor to Girl Be Heard; and as an advisory board member of 92Y Women inPower and Rent the Runway's Project Entrepreneur.

Last year Fran published a book every modern career woman needs on her bookshelf, The Myth of the Nice Girl. In it, she guides females to believe and understand that it's possible to me ambitious and likeable; that you can make decisions firmly and collaboratively; and that you can give feedback directly and kindly. In short, it offers advice for getting the career you love, without becoming a person you hate.

"After years of self-discovery, building a successful career, and paying close attention to what worked – and most importantly – what felt right for me, I ultimately came to see that I didn't have to sacrifice my values or hide my authentic personality in the name of achieving success," Fran writes in her book.

In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Fran joins hosts Polina and Brianne to discuss the disease to please, her model for setting boundaries, strategies for speaking up more in meetings, and the importance of including men in your network. We also discuss ways to add fences around your time, some of her favorite sources for inspiration and exciting trends in the digital landscape. We hope this interview leaves you feeling empowered and emboldened to achieve the career you love, that also allows for you to be the truest version of yourself.

Sharon Coleman is on a mission to bring comfort to those going through cancer treatment. The inspiration for her business came through her own struggle with cancer. She endured extensive treatments when she was diagnosed, and two years later had undergone surgery, radiation and many, many hours of chemotherapy treatments.

The experience inspired her to create a curated care package gift box business called Lemon and Honey Gifts. Each box is made with love and an understanding of what people going through treatments need and want. If you've ever been in the position of not knowing what to do or say when a friend or family member is diagnosed, Sharon's packages packed with comfort are a place to start.

In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Sharon shares how she started her business and opened her Shopify store, without any previous technical e-commerce skills, as well as how she learned to navigate the dozens of new issues that would pop up each week. She also shares the resources that helped her start and grow her e-commerce business, which is helpful for anyone looking to launch her own business. Plus, Willow Older, a writer/editor and friend of the I Want Her Job team, joins Polina Selyutin as co-host on this very special show.

Advance warning, Lori Gottlieb's new book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, is very likely to send you to therapy to deal with issues that may be holding you back. The book combines Lori's own relationship crisis – a surprise break up, which sends her to a therapist– along with the lives of four of her clients who are also dealing with a range of personal issues. And while each person in her book has their own challenges, from dealing with a terminal cancer diagnosis to pursuing only toxic relationships, Lori emphasizes that we should not minimize our struggles just because we feel they don't compare. She suggests that we should not apply a hierarchy of pain. While not always immediately life-threatening, when layers of pain are revealed it likely connects to one of the four concerns we all must face at some point – death, isolation, freedom and feeling meaningless.

The way Lori threads together the stories of her clients and herself, will leave you fully absorbed as you turn each page. At times the book feels like a TV series, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering her career path began in film when she worked as a writer on ER. And now, bringing her career full circle, Eva Longoria recently optioned Maybe You Should Talk To Someone as a television series.

In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast it will become evident to you that Lori has found a profession that combines her clinical psychology degree, along with her knack for helping clients. Through her book and her writing, we hope you will find that Lori also can help you! And if you can't afford a therapist, or find the time to see one, we also discuss with Lori other ways to identify patterns and thoughts that could be holding you back.

For more on Lori Gottlieb, be sure to follow her "Dear Therapist" advice column for The Atlantic. In each piece she shares gripping stories of people dealing with difficult situations to drive home fundamentals of identifying negative patterns, as well as tips for how you can make life changes that stick. She expertly breaks down concepts in a way that can make it much easier to remember and apply her advice to your own life.

To contact the show reach out to: [email protected]

As the founder of LinkedIn Reboot and Reboot for Business, Katie Fogarty's work has helped people transform their LinkedIn profiles, personal brands and career opportunities. And with a background writing for morning TV news, working for a global PR firm and even for a U.S. Senator, Katie's experience in public relations and journalism has given her a perfect combination of skills to help others summarize their personal stories on their LinkedIn pages.

In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, Katie shares the benefits of making a LinkedIn profile page that displays the best of what you have to offer and explains why you should give your presence on the social network more attention.

Topics discussed:

• Easy ways to start engaging on LinkedIn
• Ideas to build stronger connections via the platform
• Ways to improve your visibility.
• Three mistakes people make on LinkedIn
• Future trends on the platform, why LinkedIn is "a conversation" and Katy's favorite tools for running her personal business.

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To contact the show reach out to: [email protected]