Your Career, Unscripted

In this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted, I spoke with Traci Saulsberry, Author of This Is How You Love Her.

Traci Saulsberry is a senior communications executive, leadership coach, and writer. At twenty-seven, she became one of the youngest Black executives at NBC, where she spent fourteen years shaping narratives at the highest levels of entertainment. She later built and led the communications team at Peacock, managing a team of more than thirty people during the platform’s launch and growth.

I was honored to have this conversation after reading her new book. I loved the depth of her thinking and stories and I was struck by the honesty with which she writes about having a career that looked incredibly successful from the outside while feeling very different internally.

We talked about what it means to be “successful on paper” while still feeling lost, the realities and hidden costs of career success, the tension between thriving professionally and struggling personally, and Traci’s intentional journey to finding her way back to herself.

We also talked about Traci’s experience of learning to spend time alone, “dating yourself,” journaling, and building a deeper sense of trust and connection with yourself.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was the idea that one of the most important parts of any career journey is how connected you feel to yourself along the way.

I’m so grateful to Traci for sharing so openly about her career, her experiences, and the lessons she’s learned - and I highly recommend this episode (and Traci’s book) to anyone who feels like they’re working on autopilot, overwhelmed by career stress, or looking to reconnect with who they really are.

Favorite quote "be a leader not a follower because your worth is not dependent on belonging to anyone other than yourself."

I interviewed Kimberly Hairston Hicks, CMO of Gold Bond Co., on this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted! I first heard Kimberly speak on a panel at The Female Quotient’s SXSW event this year. I was inspired by her ethos and drive to champion diverse beauty narratives.

I immediately asked her to be a guest on my show, and was so excited when she said yes. Listen to learn about

• Kimberly’s career story
• lessons from being both an entrepreneur and an intrapreneur
• the women who helped her get to where she is now
• the woman who tapped her on the shoulder to tell her to stop playing small - and that there was something bigger she could do
• her day to day life as a CMO
• how the pressure to be small in broadcast journalism led her to pursue a different path
• advice to young women on confidence and standing in your light.

Favorite quote: “Don’t say no before you show up. Don’t tell yourself no. Show up. Let someone else tell you. You are capable and you are enough.”

Thank you Kimberly for being so generous with your time. I am positive your words and advice will help many, they’ve already helped me!

This week on Your Career, Unscripted, I spoke with Gideon Spitzer-Williams, Global Experiential Marketing Lead, B2B at Canva, someone who gave me thoughtful advice years ago when I was trying to break into marketing.

What stayed with me most was Gideon’s overall honesty and his intentionality about building a career rooted in joy.

Gideon walks through his journey from Snapchat, Tinder, Archrival, Red Bull, and Canva and what each chapter taught him. We also get into the differences between product, brand, and experiential marketing, his ambition to become a CMO, how he spends his time in his role at Canva, and practical advice on standing out in the application and interview process.

I highly recommend this episode for anyone looking for inspiration on creative careers!

If there’s one idea that you leave with, it's to follow your own joy - wherever that authentically leads you.

How do you go from performing as Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway to becoming a web engineer at Spotify? And then what happens when you get all the things you wanted, but then you realize you still want more ? On this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted, Carla Stickler details her career pivot, the growing pains she experienced, what gave her courage to step outside of performing and into tech, and advice to artists on making career changes.

It was a joy to commiserate with another artist about the challenges of identifying with your art form, and the difficulties of even envisioning doing something new, let alone taking the steps to do so.

If you’re an artist with even an inkling of interest (or fear) of trying a different path or someone looking for an inspiring story about courage to make a big change, this episode is for you! Thanks Carla for the laughs, relatability, honesty, and vulnerability - it was such a joy to learn from you!

Follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay posted and subscribe to the show here to stay posted on future episodes! Did something about this episode inspire you? Send me a DM, I'd love to hear from you. janecortez.com

Isaac Sundsted took an unconventional path into tech and gaming. In this episode of Your Career, Unscripted, Isaac shares his journey from sign language interpreter in courtrooms and emergency rooms to strategy consulting at Accenture, business development at Xbox, and now leading gaming partnerships at Samsung. We talk about career pivots, learning to navigate corporate environments, building resilience in the face of rejection, clever job search strategies, and what it really means to do zero-to-one business development inside large organizations. Isaac also breaks down what business development actually looks like day to day, how to think about scale and impact, and why owning—and loving—your non-linear story is one of the most powerful career advantages you can have.

Follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram for more career stories and advice! janecortez.com

Sarah Bond is the President of Xbox, and I am beyond honored to have her as this week’s guest on Your Career, Unscripted!

For some context: when I was brainstorming dream guests, Sarah immediately came to mind. I had seen many of her talks on gaming, leadership, and empathy, and found them deeply impactful. Reaching out felt like a stretch, but I’ve learned it’s always worth pushing yourself to try to make a connection anyway.

Huge thanks to Shawn Layden for the intro—and to Sarah for graciously joining me to share her story.

Sarah discusses:

• How the only person you can ever beat in life is your younger self
• The lightbulb moment she had after her daughter was born—and how it drove her to impact the world her daughter was walking out into
• The importance of recognizing that every single day, you re-earn credibility with your team
• Her experience getting the Activision Blizzard King deal confirmed—how she led the team through the process, wrote them a note before the decision came out, and ensured the sentiment of their work would persist no matter the outcome
• A moment with Satya Nadella that influenced her leadership style
• Career advice on taking up space

I learned so much from Sarah before I ever met her—and had a lot of self reflection and sharing to do after we spoke. I highly recommend listening to this episode if you’re looking for career inspiration, advice on self-confidence, stories on leadership and negotiation, and insight into the different chapters of her career—alongside so much unique and helpful advice.

Sarah - thank you for the kindness, time, inspiration, and advice. It was an honor. Listen below and follow me @Jane Bernhard for more career stories!

Hamilton hits theaters this Friday! On this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted, I spoke with Broadway Producer Jill Furman, who was there from the very early days of Hamilton. She shared what it was like recognizing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius early on in 2003 when she saw an early version of In the Heights for the first time, to the beginning days of Hamilton, to the unforgettable White House moment with Chris Jackson as George Washington singing to President Obama in his final term in office.

This interview was a bit surreal for me. Hearing the personal stories behind the creation of my favorite shows—and getting advice on career uncertainty, confidence, and pushing beyond your comfort zone—from Jill - a person whose career I could not admire more - meant so much.

🎧 Listen to hear her story, the journeys behind In the Heights and Hamilton, and career wisdom from a truly generous, authentic, and compelling voice - who was in the room where it happened.

Suba Vasudevan is COO of Mozilla.org and SVP at Mozilla Corp - and I am honored to have interviewed her for Episode 16 of Your Career, Unscripted and to share her story and career advice!

With 22+ years of global leadership across technology, AI, trust & safety, and advertising, Suba Vasudevan is responsible for leading Mozilla’s operational strategy to bring better, more relevant products to new audiences.

Suba spent well over two decades leading small and large teams in strategy, operations, analytics, customer support and trust & safety. She has nurtured and expanded critical global organizations within Meta (formerly Facebook), driving innovation and trust. Prior, she advised clients across industries at KPMG’s Advisory Services and began her career as a journalist in India, exploring the intersection of technology and business.

She has a Master’s degree in Information Systems from Texas A&M, and a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from Mumbai University. For several years, Suba served as a Board Member for Mainspring Schools, a local non-profit in Austin, Texas for children from underprivileged families, leading their Strategic Planning Committee and demonstrating her commitment to community and inclusion-focused initiatives.

Listen to her talk about:

• why she used to think leadership meant having the answers, and how she now sees it as creating the conditions for others to ask better questions
• her work evolving Mozilla from a 25-year-old legacy organization into a future-ready company—while staying true to its open-source roots
• how to handle feedback you don’t like (or don’t agree with)
• what really gets people promoted
• the power of accountability, honesty, and proactively seeking feedback

Thank you Suba for the opportunity to learn from you and collaborate! Be sure to check out Suba’s Substack

If you'd like to support, please like, comment, and share this with your network! To set up a career consulting session with me, message me on LinkedIn @Jane Bernhard, MBA 

Chris Melissinos is the Principal Evangelist for Video Games and Immersive Technologies at AWS, where he helps influence the next generation of game technology and offerings from AWS while also acting as a developer advocate, ensuring that the needs of game developers are met. Prior to AWS, he was the Chief Gaming Officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc., creator of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s “The Art of Video Games” exhibition, Executive Director of Media and Entertainment for Verizon, and a founding board member of the Video Game History Foundation.

Honored to have interviewed Chris on this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted!

Listen to learn about…

• The different chapters of Chris’s career—from making copies for the sales team at Sun Microsystems, Inc., to leading games and immersive technology at AWS
• How he got his foot in the door being an assistant, and used his time to propel his career forward
• The bold moment early in his career when he brought an idea straight to the CEO, was told the company was going in another direction, and pushed back—explaining why they were making a mistake. A month later, he was called to corporate to be the games person at Sun Microsystems, Inc. He later exited the company after 16 years as the Chief Gaming Officer and Chief Evangelist
• How he’s learned to push to the limit—without overstepping it
• Why he believes video games are a reflection of society, artists, and ourselves
• A personal challenge in his career that has required real work to overcome
• His advice for breaking into the games industry today

What I appreciated most about this conversation was Chris’s commitment to learning, his drive to make the games industry better for artists, and the stories that shaped his path.

Thank you, Chris, for giving me the opportunity to share some of your story and wisdom!

Follow me @janebernhard for more career stories and advice! janebernhard.com

Very excited to share my interview with Yvoire S. Whittaker on this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted! Yvoire is a Brand Marketing Lead at Nike. I met Yvoire when we were classmates at Columbia Business School - and I have always been inspired by her authenticity, kindness, creativity, generosity, and drive to learn and connect.

Born in Plano, Texas, raised with the richness of her Ghanaian roots, and shaped by world-class institutions and elite boardrooms—our guest is a force. She’s a first-generation Ghanaian-American woman who carries both her heritage and ambition with equal grace.

She began her career solving complex problems as a human capital strategy consultant at Deloitte, then took a bold step—choosing to realign her path with her passions. That led her to Columbia Business School, where she pivoted into the world of brand marketing. And today, she’s not just in the room—she’s shaping the narrative. 

She's a Brand Marketing Manager at Nike—one of the most iconic brands in the world—where she gets to fuse creativity, culture, and strategy at the highest level. But beyond the titles, she is someone who inspires through intentionality, cultural insight, and an undeniable drive to build brands that move people.

Listen to learn about:

• How Yvoire let go of a path that didn’t feel true to her and reconnected with her passions
• Her journey pivoting to business school and brand marketing at Nike
• Her advice for finding your next steps when you’re unsure of where you want to go
• How and why she is building a career rooted in fashion, storytelling, and culture
• Her Ghanaian roots and her passion for creating opportunity and giving back
• What life looks like now at Nike — and what she’s excited for next
• How to take the moments that bring you joy and translate it to a career

Favorite quote from Yvoire

“My definition of success is listening to myself, trying new things unapologetically in the way that looks authentic to me, and chasing my own happiness - whatever that looks like.”

Thanks Yvoire for sharing your story, advice, and heart - I learned a lot - and I am sure others will too!

Follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram and subscribe to my Substack to support my work in sharing these stories
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-bernhard-mba/
https://www.instagram.com/janebernhard/
https://substack.com/@JANEBERNHARD