A topic that is often discussed here on The Winding Road is career pivots.

I've made several, each time it's been a little different.

I thought this one was going to be the smoothest yet. I was wrong.

Sometimes, life throws us a curveball and we have to be able to hit it.

I'm still working through my recent career pivot from being an employee to starting a business, but a rough part is finally behind me.

Episode Links:

- Winding Road Careers: Listen to this and past podcasts, read my blog, and take advantage of other resources. 

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Ever since I first heard Zig Ziglar say, "You can get everything you want in life if you help other people get what they want," it's been on my mind.

Over the past week, this 'theme' has popped up in different ways and it's finally time to be intentional about changing my behavior to align with this new value of mine.

The Third Law of Physics is something I heard Oprah Winfrey mention as a driving mantra toward this very thing.

Find out how it applies as well as the other 'signs' that showed up, letting me know now is the time to get intentional.

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Episode Resources:

• Book: The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann
• Winding Road Careers

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This is the audio version of my blog post The Trap of Seeking Perfection - The Story of Writing My Book.

Last year (2020), I wrote my first book - in only six months - as part of the Akimbo Writing in Community  workshop.

In my latest blog post, I tell the story of my struggle with perfectionism and how I eventually let go and shipped it. 

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David Nebinski is the host of The Portfolio Career Podcast and was an inaugural coach in the Akimbo Podcasting Workshop created by Seth Godin and Alex DiPalma. 

I had a great conversation with David about what a portfolio career is, different ways to look at the "career capital" and the diverse range of experience and skills you've built over time to stand out, as well as, how to create a unique value proposition that can take your career in a direction you may have never thought possible. 

We both shared examples from our own portfolio careers along with advice and tips we've learned along the way.

• The Portfolio Podcast
• Akimbo Podcasting Workshop
• Learn more about David

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In this episode, I interview Katrina Kibben, a professional copywriter with a passion for creating job descriptions that don't suck.

She's the CEO and Founder of Three Ears Media in Longmont, CO and we had a great conversation about why most job descriptions you see suck and how (actually why) they should be better.

We talked about copywriting and storytelling - two of the most important skills you can have as a marketer - shared some of our favorite books on the topic.

Katrina also did a 100-year study of job descriptions, comparing some of the first descriptions from the 1920s to now. The results may shock you.

We also talk about why a college degree shouldn't be a job requirement and riff on education.

You'll want to stick around until the end to find out the unbelievably crazy thing that happened to me the night before I took the GMAT exam. 

Oh, and Three Ears Media is hiring. 

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I sat down with Bethany Ellis to hear the story of how her current role, Chief People Officer at CreatorIQ, came to be.

You may be surprised that the job search for executives isn't much different, at its core level, than it is for most other professional roles.

Bethany talked about:

• The importance of her network and past mentors and how that played a role in her recent search.
• How her view of "treating candidates like they're already employees" was emphasized after her experience.
• What it felt like to step outside of her comfort zone in her new role

...and more.

It was a great conversation that you're not going to want to miss!

Oh, and CreatorIQ is hiring. You can find a list of their open roles here: https://creatoriq.com/careers/

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Janice Mandel is the President of String Communications, a boutique PR firm in Toronto.
 
 Throughout her career, she's worked for large consulting firms and a Fortune 500 consumer good company. 

Like most of us, she's experienced highs and lows throughout her career, and she shares some of those during our interview.

In this episode, she talks about four elements that make up her Career Roadmap, including:

1.     Have many mentors
2.     Know your goals
3.     Keep a "me file"
4.     Focus on results

As a bonus, we talk about how she landed her dream job with her dream company and didn't lead with a resume. 

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I sat down with TEDx speaker, Yuliya Salorenko from Tampere, Finland to discuss a wide range of topics, including personal branding, the power of networking, the future of retirement, Imposter Syndrome, and her personal story of being recruited for every professional role she's ever had despite being an immigrant in Finland.

Yuliya is a growth hacker by day and a public speaker by night. Currently, she manages digital marketing at a data-driven growth company, Catapult, and runs her own public speaking business. 

She is on a mission to facilitate growth in companies and humans and has been "hustling" in the startup scene for many years. She got her start as part of the team running a startup accelerator based in Tampere, Finland, and later coaching entrepreneurs. 

Yuliya's professional passions include running hands-on workshops on startup pitching, personal branding, networking, LinkedIn, and career growth. 

She also helps fellow international talents find jobs and integrate into Finnish society. 

As a published poet and TEDx Speaker, Yuliya advocates for diversity, entrepreneurship, active citizenship, sustainability and change, in Tampere and beyond.

Follow Winding Road Careers:

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This episode is full of information and a lot of laughs as I catch up with my former Microsoft co-worker, Amy Miller. 

Amy is now a Sr Recruiter on the Project Kuiper team at Amazon. 

We talk about what Project Kuiper is all about - and it's pretty fascinating. Especially, if you're a space geek like me.

We also bust the myth about companies slowing down their hiring during the holidays, why you're most likely to make a lateral move when switching companies, advice for those who want to make a career pivot, and what folks who are approaching retirement from the military can start doing to prepare for a successful transition to the private sector.

There are also some laughs to be had about our mutually-eclectic tastes in music.

This episode has it all!

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To do our best work we need to stop seeking reassurance. 

In a recent Zoom call I was on with Seth Godin he made the comment that "reassurance is futile." 

In this episode, I share my thoughts and perspective after I've had 24 hours to reflect on what reassurance really is and why we should never seek it out. 

Follow Winding Road Careers:

• Website: https://www.windingroadcareers.com/
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