90. On Ambition, Optimism, and Holiday Cheer with my Bestie Carol Best
Overview
Today I’m happy to be in conversation with one of my besties, Carol Best! Carol and I have known each other for almost 15 years, and I wanted to have an informative yet fun conversation about how Carol keeps herself engaged in her work, how she’s learned to both step into her ambitions and navigate them across both work and life, and why she prioritizing stepping into being an upbeat, passionate, and optimistic leader.
Carol is a champion of personal purpose and lives it. We hear about that in this episode and how she is someone who supports other women in the workplace. I can attest to that having benefited from her support.
Carol - Thank you for sharing your personal journey with us and all your sage counsel. I learn from you all the time and benefit from your positive energy and optimism. I’m so lucky we met so many years ago!
More About Our Guest
Carol Best is Vice President Brand Marketing at Albertson Companies and is a graduate of The Wharton School. She is also married, the mother of three beautiful girls, and supports the University of Pennsylvania women’s Division 1 volleyball team, serving on their board and mentoring their female athletes. She is a champion of women in the workplace, and Kathy can attest to that. Carol and Kathy have been friends for almost fifteen year, having first been co-workers. Kathy wrote a recommendation for Carol on LinkedIn and quoted the late Madeleine Albright who once said, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." And Kathy wrote, “Well, there's a special place in heaven for Carol given all the help she's given to other women.”
Topics Covered
Given that Carol and I are friends, we start by talking about the importance of relationships and community at work, which I talked about in Episode 83, and Carol offers her own tips on how to build friendships at work. A few—start small and be vulnerable and authentic.
Carol shares why she’s a champion of women at work and why it’s important to her to support other women and lift each other up.
Carol made the leap from a company she had been with for 15-years. She kindly shares what she learned making her career switch and coming out the other side. For her, it’s been truly freeing.
I ask Carol to share what she’s learned in managing through competing ambitions across work and life. Many of us experience this tension, and what Carol shares from her experience is that it’s not binary and that it is helpful to embrace that it is fluid. Carol also leans into asking for help and communicating, even with her kids and her boss.
I love how Carol says: “But it's a constant, and you have to be constantly thinking about balancing the two…. It becomes like a practice of making small daily steps to navigate that seesaw, if you will.”
Carol is a believer in crafting a personal purpose, which she uses to guide her decision in both career and life on a regular basis. She champions others doing the same.
I ask her to share her family’s mantra that guides how they behave and make decisions. Really powerful!
Carol is an upbeat, passionate, optimistic leader. I ask her what motivates her to show up with that energy for her team.
We close with a lightning round and Carol sharing some parting wisdom.
Resources Mentioned
Find Carol on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-best-3591041/
Episode 83 - On Hybrid or Remote Worker? Double-Down on Work Relationships with Kathy Oneto: https://sustainableambition.com/sapodcast/83
Bill George's book, “Discover Your True North”: https://www.billgeorge.org/book/discover-your-true-north
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90. On Ambition, Optimism, and Holiday Cheer with my Bestie Carol Best
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