Fear has a sneaky way of keeping us stuck. It takes many shapes and forms, like going after a new opportunity, negotiating a raise, or speaking up for ourselves.

In this episode of Amplify with Jess Ekstrom, Jess sits down with author, speaker, and former Google exec Jenny Wood to talk about how to move through fear and unlock more success, joy, and courage in your career.

Jenny shares stories from her 18 years at Google and her new book Wild Courage, including how chasing a stranger off the New York City subway helped her rethink what it means to take bold action. Jess and Jenny also discuss negotiation tips, communication tricks, and the hidden power in words we’ve been taught to shy away from—like "obsessed" and "manipulative."

So, have you ever held yourself back with a “what if"? Or watered down your ask before you even sent it?

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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How to reframe fear and take bold action anyway
• Why women often pitch and then immediately pull back (and how to stop!)
• How to negotiate without negotiating against yourself
• The ping-pong strategy for pricing and salary conversations
• Communication swaps that instantly increase your confidence and clarity
• The importance of saying no to the “Baltics” so you can go after the “Boardwalks”

Resources & Links:

• Follow Jenny Wood: https://www.jennywood.com/
• Preorder Wild Courage: https://itsjennywood.com/book
• Learn more about Mic Drop Club: https://micdropworkshop.com/club/
• Watch the full LinkedIn Live: https://www.linkedin.com/events/linkedinlivewithjennywood7285395759791763456/comments/

Rate & Review: Enjoying Amplify with Jess? Rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and leave a review to help more people discover the show!

Follow Jess on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-ekstrom-speaker-author/ - to stay up to date with her LinkedIn Live series, where these episodes originate.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.