About Vikki Espinosa: Vikki Espinosa is a career strategist, educator, and cancer survivor dedicated to helping others navigate transformation with clarity and purpose. After a 30+ year career in corporate tech leadership, she now supports professionals in aligning their careers with their values—especially during moments of reinvention. Vikki brings a powerful blend of lived experience, coaching insight, and instructional design expertise to her work, making her an empathetic and practical guide for anyone facing life or career transitions. Whether she’s teaching at Portland State, writing her upcoming book “One in Eight”, or coaching clients through personal breakthroughs, Vikki shows that strength can be quiet, resilience is built daily, and purpose is always within reach.

In this episode, Lisa and Vikki discuss:

• Shifted from a corporate tech career to purpose-driven entrepreneurship
• Faced a breast cancer diagnosis weeks after retiring
• Reclaimed identity and strength through illness and healing
• Challenged toxic positivity with real, compassionate support strategies
• Redefined success through aligned, meaningful career reinvention

Key Takeaways: 

• Rather than derailing her ambitions, cancer became a turning point that reshaped how Vikki approached her goals—with intention, adaptability, and grit.
• Through a mosaic of small, consistent actions, resilience is revealed not as a single act of bravery, but as the discipline to keep choosing growth each day.
• Vulnerability is reframed as a strength, with the power to foster connection and recovery when asking for help becomes part of the healing process.
• The roadmap for showing up meaningfully—emphasizing clarity, respect for boundaries, and the rejection of performative positivity.
• Vikki’s story redefines career legacy, highlighting the freedom to walk away from prestige in favor of doing purpose-driven work that reflects who you’ve become.

“Cancer did not take away my goals. It just changed how I chased them.”

- Vikki Espinosa

Connect with Vikki Espinosa: 

Website: https://www.vikkiespinosa.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikkimuellerespinosa/ 

Connect with Lisa Thee:

Website: https://lisathee.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisathee/ 

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/lisa.thee.polvi 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisa_thee 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisatheepolvi/ 

Lisa’s BOOK: Go!: Reboot Your Career in 90 Days 

Show notes by Podcastologist: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.