Overview

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Dr. Dawn Graham, a career switch coach and author of "Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers and Seize Success."

If you are contemplating a career switch, this episode is for you. What I appreciate about Dawn’s approach in her book is that she tells you the really reallys, because she doesn’t want you to be surprised. We’ll have more resilience to get through the process if we have realistic expectations of what it will take to move from this to that.

Yet, for that reason, I start with why we should be optimistic about the process. What makes it worth it to step into making a career switch? Then we delve into aspects of the book and core principles Dawn lays out that help you get confident in your switch so you can show that confidence to hiring managers, giving them the confidence to hire you.

We cover a lot of ground also discussing being market focused, putting aside ego, and forming relationships with people who can become personal ambassadors. And a parting word of wisdom from Dawn that we champion here at Sustainable Ambition: pay attention to your career with a yearly check-in. Don’t go on autopilot.

Thank you so much for being on, Dawn! You offer switchers a great roadmap to get confident in making a change that will put them on a more fulfilling path.

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Overview

In this episode, host Kathy Oneto talks about how age should not be viewed as a limiter. If we want to be ambitious in our second stage, “Go for it!” Despite what Arthur Brooks writes in his recent book, “From Strength to Strength,” decline is not inevitable. Sure, our intelligence may shift, as he claims, but there are more types of intelligence than he references, and there’s plenty of evidence that bucks the claim that older workers don’t perform as well as younger workers.

Frankly, this is what gets us fired up. These are the types of claims that don’t serve us and create a dangerous narrative that suggests that companies shouldn’t hire older workers when the evidence suggests otherwise.

A different book, “The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success,” by Albert-László Barabási suggests the opposite of what Brooks claims. The fifth law says, “With persistence, success can come at any time.”

Sustainable Ambition is possible. Find your ambition, then get to work. Be consistent and be persistent.

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Overview

Today I’m joined by Al Dea, the founder of Betterwork Labs, an organization focused on helping companies create cultures where their people can thrive. Al is an author, speaker, podcast host, and researcher on workplace trends and talent development.

In this conversation, we talk about key aspects of building a sustainable career. Both Al and I believe in paying attention, following your curiosities, and the power of community. Al shares more on the importance of being self-reflective while also getting into action, building your career operating system, and fostering a mindset for career growth. Al offers a lot of great wisdom bombs in here!

Al - I love what you champion and appreciate your ambition to create better work for all. Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights with us!

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Overview

In this Sustainable Ambition (SA) Quick Tip, host Kathy Oneto talks about career arcs with adventure, grace, and courage. Often when people are at a career inflection point, they can feel angst and guilt and be cautious. Why? Because there’s a lot of well-meaning, yet inaccurate, work and career advice out there that sets the wrong expectations. When we aren’t able to live up to those expectations, stress manifests. Instead, Kathy talks about reframing towards adventure, grace, and courage to help reduce the stress associated with such transitions and, most importantly, redirect our energy to help us enjoy and make positive progress on our career journeys.

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Overview

Today I’m joined by Leanne Hughes, an Australian businesswoman, entrepreneur, and high-performance business consultant who helps organizations lift performance through people. Leanne is also the host of two podcasts: First Time Facilitator and Leanne Hughes’ Work and Live Large.

In this conversation, we hear about Leanne’s own career journey, what led her to find her zone of genius, and what took her out on her own leaving Corporate. We learn about one of Leanne’s core philosophies around treating life like an experiment. Leanne is a prime example of someone who leans into taking action and learning by doing. For her, a paradox is that it isn’t confidence that gets her into action, but rather knowing that being in action is what actually breeds confidence.

What I loved in this conversation was hearing how Leanne is continuously moving towards how she operates best in the world and leans into what’s possible for herself, just as she is championing with Work and Live Large, through which she helps you imagine what's possible is possible for you.

This was such an energizing conversation, Leanne! Thank you for being on and sharing your journey and wisdom with us all.

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Overview

This Sustainable Ambition (SA) Quick Tip builds on the last Quick Tip in Episode 67: On Don’t Know? Get Into Action. Many of us often get caught off guard when our life and work algorithm shifts. How can we avoid being surprised, leaving us standing in the messy middle of a career transition not knowing what’s next? By being proactive and consistently exploring and investing in our next play. Thinking about what’s next as a practice can help us avoid feeling angst on the journey and being overly cautious along the way.

This concept is rooted in the Sustainable Ambition method, yet this episode was inspired by a talk I was able to hear back in May with Shane Battier, the basketball player who played for Duke in college and won two NBA championships with the Miami Heat. This core mantra of Duke’s former, legendary basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K), has relevance for all of us.

How are you exploring and investing in your next play?

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Overview

In this episode, I’m joined by my friend, Wade Brill, who was on the podcast with me early on in Episode 5. Wade is a Mindfulness Coach, Podcaster and Speaker.

Wade and I got together to discuss Pace, a topic we’re passionate about as it shows up in the work that we both do. If you’ve been listening to the podcast, you know that I’ve talked about pace on a few other episodes in the past year: Episode 52: On Setting Your Own Pace and Episode 39 on Rethinking & Shaping Your Time.

We thought it would be interesting to explore this topic further and share our own experiences working with and experiencing pace.

This is the second episode where we talk about ambitions, goals, and pace. How does pace show up when we consider ambitions and where that intersects with life and work? We hope through these two episodes that we raise your awareness of the power of thinking about and being intentional with pace both in your daily experiences and how you manage your personal and professional ambitions.

It’s been a pleasure, Wade! What thought-provoking conversations, and I was even a part of them! These discussions have further deepened my own consideration of pace in my life and my decision-making.

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Overview

In this episode, I’m joined by my friend, Wade Brill, who was on the podcast with me early on in Episode 5. Wade is a Mindfulness Coach, Podcaster and Speaker.

Wade and I got together to discuss Pace, a topic we’re passionate about as it shows up in the work that we both do. If you’ve been listening to the podcast, you know that I’ve talked about pace on a few other episodes in the past year: Episode 52: On Setting Your Own Pace and Episode 39 on Rethinking & Shaping Your Time.

We thought it would be interesting to explore this topic further and share our own experiences working with and experiencing pace.

This is the first episode where we talk about how we define pace and what works for each of us around a slow or fast pace and when it feels right. We close with some tips on what works for us in working with pace. Perhaps you’ll get inspired to try some of our practices and see what works best for you. We hope at minimum that we raise awareness for you of the power of thinking about pace and being intentional with pace both in your daily experiences and how you manage your personal and professional ambitions.

Wade - I always love being in conversation with you. 😊 And thank you for being one of my guides on my own journey of Sustainable Ambition, often reminding me to get centered and be thoughtful about my own pace.

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