Posts in 2021
41. On Closing Out the Year & Welcoming 2022 with Kathy Oneto
41. On Closing Out the Year & Welcoming 2022 with Kathy Oneto

Overview

In this solo episode, host Kathy Oneto asks you to give yourself permission to pause and reflect to honor the past year. Join her for nine questions to close out the year and welcome 2022.

You may want to listen while out on a walk, pausing to note observations, or sit down with your favorite beverage and a journal at hand. Or, check out the Google document provided (see the show notes) to capture your reflections and insights.

Here’s to acknowledging 2021 and starting fresh in 2022!

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Success, Right Aspiration, Right Effort
40. On A Strategic Job Search that Works with Claudia Miller
40. On A Strategic Job Search that Works with Claudia Miller

Overview

Today I’m joined by Claudia Miller, a career coach who helps clients land interviews and jobs with impressive pay raises. Claudia offers a strategic job search approach with easy steps that gets results. If you’re in the midst of searching for your next role or want to be prepared for the next time you do, listen to this episode.

In the conversation, Claudia shares some of her tips to set you up for a successful job search and have you stand out from other candidates. It starts with having the right mindset and then spending time “sharpening the axe,” as Claudia would say. Preparation and practice go a long way to help you show up confidently and know how to handle any potential objections. My take is that Claudia is a champion for reaching for what you want for yourself and career, trusting you have what it takes or actively securing the skill sets for that next dream role, and deploying the right job search and interview strategy to command the attention you deserve from employers.

Thanks so much for being on and sharing your insights and expertise with us, Claudia!

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Aspiration
39. On Rethinking & Shaping Your Time with Kathy Oneto
39. On Rethinking & Shaping Your Time with Kathy Oneto

Overview

In today’s modern world with its never-ending demands, we can be left feeling like time controls us more than we control our time.

But what if time is an illusion as Albert Einstein said? What if we can rethink our time to support us rather than control us? What if we shift our modern perspective of time and see it as simply a construct that can be reshaped? Because our current ways of working with time can often shackle us to unproductive ways of being and living our lives.

That’s what host and founder of Sustainable Ambition, Kathy Oneto, explores in this solo episode, offering three ways of thinking about time to shift it from something with negative associations and a sense of grasping for time towards one that’s more positive, playful, and powerful and puts you back in control.

Play with these concepts as we close out the year and start 2022, because your time is yours. How can you rethink and reshape it to make your life+work more sustainable?

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Effort
38. On Parenthood+Work & Mindful Returns with Lori Mihalich-Levin
38. On Parenthood+Work & Mindful Returns with Lori Mihalich-Levin

Overview

I was thrilled to be joined by Lori Mihalich-Levin, founder and CEO of Mindful Return, to talk about parenthood+work and helping parents navigate this stage in life and career. Lori champions parents having a more mindful return back to the office after welcoming a baby and offers an e-course that supports parents through the transition. And, her research shows that it delivers results!

In the conversation, we talk about the role of work during this stage in life, how work and life enrich each other, and how being a parent makes us better professionals. Lori shares narratives that need to change, how this stage brings up challenges with professional and personal identity, and the importance of community to support building resilience. Lori offers her own practices that have helped her in making working parenthood more sustainable, encourages parents to avoid comparison, and counsels to not worry about missing out and instead trust in the abundance of opportunities in the world.

There are a lot of great tips in this episode for expecting parents and employers who want to better support and retain working parents. Look also for a new program in the coming year from Mindful Return that will be for any working parent struggling with juggling it all. And even if you aren’t a parent, I think this episode still holds insights that can be considered as part of building a more sustainable life+work.

Thank you for the great work you are doing in the world, Lori, and for sharing your wisdom with us!

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Effort, Right Aspiration
37. On A Challenge to Grant Yourself Permission with Kathy Oneto
37. On A Challenge to Grant Yourself Permission with Kathy Oneto

Overview

In this short episode, Kathy Oneto, host and founder of Sustainable Ambition, talks about the concept of permission and how it has been showing up a lot for her of late. It inspired her to jump on and share a challenge with you for the coming week and/or holiday months.

That challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to ask yourself and act on: What permission do you want to grant yourself? And: What permission might you grant yourself to stretch yourself? What permission might you grant yourself to sustain yourself?

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Effort, Right Success
36. On Embracing the Messiness & Success of Career Journeys with Will Schafer
36. On Embracing the Messiness & Success of Career Journeys with Will Schafer

Overview

It was so wonderful to be in conversation with Will Schafer, VP of International Marketing at Beyond Meat, where he's been for 7 years through the company’s early growth and IPO. While you might assume in seeing Will’s current title that his career had a straight line, it’s instead been a journey mixed with corporate stints, sabbaticals, business school, consulting, and intentionally putting himself on a path that aligned with his values and would give his work meaning.

There are a lot of nuggets of wisdom in Will’s journey, including accepting the messiness of career paths, embracing a growth mindset, and proactively managing the jumping from lily pad to lily pad to get you where you want to be. I also love the final quote he mentions from Martin Luther King Jr.: “You don't have to see the full staircase, just take the first step.” It’s a great reminder from Will: change only happens step by step.

Thanks so much for being on, Will, and being open with your journey. It’s an inspiration!

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Effort, Right Success
35. On Good Risk, Lifestyle Design, & Courage to Step Off the Path with Mike Murgatroyd
35. On Good Risk, Lifestyle Design, & Courage to Step Off the Path with Mike Murgatroyd

Overview

In this episode, I’m joined by my good friend, Mike Murgatroyd. Mike is one of the people I talk to and love to seek wisdom from when making decisions about my own life and career. He’s supported me in finding my way towards more Sustainable Ambition. So, I wanted to have him on to hear more about his own journey and how he makes decisions about his career and life.

It’s not been an easy journey for Mike to find fulfilling work, continually fighting the need to be responsible and have security balanced with his desire to grow and learn. Mike is an early entrepreneur who has over time learned to dance with risk and define “good risk” to finally become an entrepreneur later in his career. Beyond career, Mike shares his philosophies and approach to lifestyle design and how for him work and personal life aren’t separate. He sees life as a “series of projects” and the integration of both being what allows him to sustain himself.

In Mike being open and sharing his story, I hope you find inspiration to get to know yourself and build the courage (as Mike shares in his final piece of advice) to consider taking a divergent path if that “path less taken” is calling you. As Mike said: “Have the courage to go out there and create an extraordinary life for yourself and those that you love, whatever that is to you.” And: “That’s the goal—it is to spend our time and not pass it.”

I knew I’d love this conversation, and I did! Thank you for being on and sharing your journey with us, Mike!

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Aspiration, Right Effort, Right Success
34. On Flourishing at Work in Community & with Experimentation with Amy Bonsall
34. On Flourishing at Work in Community & with Experimentation with Amy Bonsall

Overview

In this episode, I’m joined by Amy Bonsall, founder and CEO of Nau, a business designed to support teams and individuals in flourishing at work.

And in this conversation that’s exactly what we delve into—what does it take to flourish at work? Amy shares three areas she focuses on in her work with organizations and groups around connection, adaptability, and fair potential, pointing out what we as individuals can work on and what needs to be supported by organizations. We talk about the impact of the pandemic and the need to build back boundaries, routines, and rituals into our work norms. Hailing from IDEO, it’s not surprising to hear Amy champion experimentation and prototyping as we step into this new hybrid work environment, its benefit being to de-risk trying solutions and always being open to adapt to what’s not working. And in support of Sustainable Ambition, Amy speaks to the need to build rest and recovery into every day, not just waiting for a vacation.

I love how Amy shares great stories in this episode, pulling from her work experiences, as well as research that supports her counsel and the work she does.

I so enjoyed this conversation with you, Amy! Thank you for the wonderful work you are doing in the world to support people flourishing at work at a time when we all desperately need it.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Effort
33. On Get Done What You Want to Get Done (AKA GSD!) with Kathy Oneto
33. On Get Done What You Want to Get Done (AKA GSD!) with Kathy Oneto

Overview

Are you an ambitious person who gets inspired to do a lot? You have multiple ideas, get excited about a lot of projects, and can’t help yourself but take them on? It can easily happen when you’re engaged and motivated. But often in those situations, you might start to feel frustrated when you find yourself not making as much progress as you’d like, because your plate is so full.

So in that situation, how do you Get Done What You Want to Get Done?

Join Kathy Oneto, host and founder of Sustainable Ambition, to explore this topic, or as she jokingly talks about how do you Get Shit Done! (Listen in to find out!) She offers 10 tips on how we can get into action on the things we really want to do.

She closes by answering a listener question, “How do you stay motivated?”

As you dig into this last quarter of the year, find inspiration to get done what you want to get done. And then if you’re lacking motivation, perhaps Kathy’s tips can help inspire you to find renewed motivation, as well.

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32. On Building Endurance for Work+Life & Effective Leadership with Katie Ceccarini
32. On Building Endurance for Work+Life & Effective Leadership with Katie Ceccarini

Overview

I’m thrilled to be joined in this episode by Katie Ceccarini, founder of Endurance Management Coaching. She is an executive coach and trainer who works with leaders to empower their vision and unleash their strengths. She is also an endurance athlete and mom.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground. Katie first shares her own career journey and her career transition to becoming a business owner, trainer, and coach. She shares what prompted her to leave Corporate, lean into what was drawing her next, and how a shift in life stage coupled with the pandemic led her to think differently about the work+life she wanted to craft for herself.

We delve into leadership and the work that Katie does as a coach. She shares tips on improving leader effectiveness and shares one of her pet peeves, the focus on “fake it till you make it.” She’d say it’s much more powerful to be vulnerable, be genuinely curious, and find footing in purpose and making it matter.

We close with some wise tips on how Katie leads a full life while staying in sync with her life vision and keeping herself sustained and whole.

Thanks so much for being on with me, Katie! SO many good, clear tenets you share in this episode for people to take forward and apply in their lives, careers, and as leaders.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Aspiration, Right Effort, Right Success
31. On Playing the Long Game with Dorie Clark
31. On Playing the Long Game with Dorie Clark

Overview

On this episode, I was honored to be joined by Dorie Clark to discuss her latest book, The Long Game, that was released on September 21, 2021. If you are seeking to build a sustainable, enduring, fulfilling career from decade to decade, The Long Game is a must on your reading list! And in this conversation, we delve into why Dorie’s concepts have such application to building Sustainable Ambition.

In the book, Dorie demonstrates how doing away with short term thinking and instead taking the long view can help us achieve any goal we set out for ourselves. Anything is possible if you have the courage and strategic patience, as Dorie says, to play the long game. Dorie shows us the way from making the time to put against the goals that will fulfill you to the strategies to win at playing the long game to tips to keep the faith.

In our conversation here, we talk about being realistic about the length of time it takes to reach our goals, how the long game can take courage yet also be freeing, the importance of setting a vision, how long-term thinking and the strategies Dorie lays out apply to any stage in one’s career, and much more.

Thanks so much for your incredible work and being on to share your insights with us, Dorie! I loved the conversation.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Aspiration, Right Effort, Right Success
30. On Work + Life as a Breadwinning Woman with Bethanie Baynes
30. On Work + Life as a Breadwinning Woman with Bethanie Baynes

Overview

Today I’m joined by Bethanie Baynes, a tireless women’s advocate and recognized leader on the topic of breadwinning women and host of the podcast, “Working Wife, Happy Life.” A proud breadwinning woman herself, Bethanie has created awareness, built community, and provided resources for women who are the sole or primary earners for their households.

In this conversation, we dive into what it means to be a breadwinner and how societal constructs limit women in not seeing themselves in this role. We explore the question of “how to manage it all” (or not!), and Bethanie passes on some great advice on how to set boundaries and signal to people how we can best be utilized both at work and at home. Importantly, she reminds us of the power in giving ourselves and others grace. And given Bethanie’s own experience and leading a community of 3,000 breadwinning women at Google, she offers tips on how to navigate bucking societal norms in taking on different roles within a household and encourages us to lean into resistance and difficult conversations.

I loved having you on, Bethanie! Such great wisdom to share with all of us. And thank you for all you do to break down societal constructs to help women AND men step into the roles that are most powerful for them and support them in building fulfilling lives on their terms.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Aspiration, Right Effort, Right Success
29. On Permission to Glow & Epic Leadership with Kristoffer Carter
29. On Permission to Glow & Epic Leadership with Kristoffer Carter

Overview

In this episode, I’m speaking with Kristoffer Carter (“KC”) who is a spiritual teacher at the intersection of consciousness and business. He is the founder of This Epic Life, a website and podcast devoted to conscious living, which has created a daily meditation practice for thousands. We discuss KC’s new book, “Permission to Glow: A Spiritual Guide to Epic Leadership.” The book is available for pre-order on September 7 and comes out on October 5.

Don’t get scared off by this episode if you aren’t a spiritual person! I suggest you be open to the power of what KC is “preaching.” This is all about ways to open ourselves up to truly lead in all aspects of our lives and do so in a way that is sustainable. KC might say this is “soul level work,” and it’s about being able to show up in your life as your true, unapologetic self and to allow others to do the same.

So if you’re looking to up your leadership game in any area of your life and to find more capacity for what life is throwing at you, then KC’s 4 Permissions™ framework can help unlock new potential and give you insight into building more Sustainable Ambition.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Success, Right Effort
28. On Where Did My Ambition Go? with Kathy Oneto (A Solo Episode)
28. On Where Did My Ambition Go? with Kathy Oneto (A Solo Episode)

Overview

Are you like me and wondering this summer, “Where did my ambition go?!” Ugh. Perhaps we are still in the pandemic’s “languishing” fog, as Adam Grant brought to our attention earlier this year. Some of us may simply be exhausted and need to restore ourselves. Or, maybe life is rightly pulling your attention towards other pressing personal matters.

And yet, there can be other reasons why our ambition might wane. In this solo episode, host Kathy Oneto offers tips on ways to help find your way back to your ambition and flourishing.

This might be a perfect way to focus a bit of attention at the end of summer to help you find renewed energy as you enter the Fall season.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Aspiration
27. On Finding Joy as a Digital Entrepreneur at 55+ with Anne LaFollette
27. On Finding Joy as a Digital Entrepreneur at 55+ with Anne LaFollette

Overview

In this episode, I’m joined by Anne LaFollette, the founder of Anne LaFollette Art, a thriving digital business centered around surface pattern design. Anne found her way to this work after a 25+ year career in corporate with retailers such as Esprit, The Gap, and Old Navy.

Anne’s story is one of Sustainable Ambition, as she forged a new path for herself and opened a new door building a creative business when the corporate door closed in her 50’s. Having an unexpressed love of art that manifested in a collection of art supplies purchased over the years and with a nudge from her husband and mother, Anne found her way towards a creative business that is both successful and brings her a tremendous amount of joy.

Listen in to hear about Anne’s journey and her counsel to achieve Sustainable Ambition both in managing through a career transition and in the day-to-day, finding a more sustainable work-life while still being ambitious.

Thank you so much for being on, Anne! It was wonderful to speak with you!

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Aspiration, Right Effort, Right Success
26. On Re-Writing Your Work Re-Entry with Kathy Oneto (A Solo Episode)
26. On Re-Writing Your Work Re-Entry with Kathy Oneto (A Solo Episode)

Overview

As we start to look out past the end of this month and think about heading back-to-work (as kids head back-to-school, too), Kathy Oneto, Founder of Sustainable Ambition, wanted to provide some thoughts on how to step into this “new normal,” when it comes to going back to the office. Of course, the Delta variant is throwing some kinks into our re-entry plans, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be thinking about how you want to structure your work-life going forward.

In this episode, Kathy offers tips to help you re-write your re-entry on your terms and help you ask for what you need and want to build a more sustainable work-life.

A consideration if you usually listen to these episodes driving or walking… This might be an episode that you actually want to listen to as part of a quiet mini-strategy session for yourself. Consider listening and going through the prompts, pausing to capture your notes as you go along. Or, if you prefer, listen and take what you want from the episode and apply Kathy’s suggestions in whatever way best serves you.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Effort, Right Success
25. On Burnout, Focus, & Gaining Confidence in Networks with Philip VanDusen
25. On Burnout, Focus, & Gaining Confidence in Networks with Philip VanDusen

Overview

Today I’m joined again by friend, mentor, and business colleague Philip VanDusen for Part 2 of our conversation. Philip was one of my first guests in Episode #6, and I ran out of time with him. As I mentioned then, he is one of my favorite people to talk to, and I seek him out often for his wisdom, so I wanted to have him back.

In this episode, I wanted to explore Philip’s thoughts on burnout, the issue with confidence that many, especially creative people, are experiencing during the pandemic, which he’s been witnessing amongst his community, and how he has sustained his own ambition over time. We also touch on how to maintain focus and discern between intentional use of time and procrastination. Philip would say, "Stop puttering!"

Philip has held esteemed roles in his creative career, such as VP Design at Old Navy and Pepsico, as well as serving as an Executive Creative Director on the agency side. After Corporate life, Philip went out on his own and now runs his own branding agency, as well as fosters a creative community. Philip offers a lot of free content to creatives and entrepreneurs, has a community to help reduce isolation and build confidence, and offers courses, which I encourage you to check out.

Philip—thanks for all you do in sharing your learning with all of us and showing us the way towards building sustainable, rewarding careers and businesses!

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Success, Right Effort, Right Aspiration
24. On Cutting Back on Demands & Expectations with Kathy Oneto (A Summer Solo Episode)
24. On Cutting Back on Demands & Expectations with Kathy Oneto (A Summer Solo Episode)

Overview

In this solo episode, I offer 3 challenges to help you cut back on demands and expectations so you can create more space in your life for summer and going forward.

I read an article on burnout from The Economist’s 1843 magazine by Josh Cohen who is a psychoanalyst, academic, and writer. And he had this to say at the end, “Burnout is not simply a symptom of working too hard. It is also the body and mind crying out for an essential human need: a space free from the incessant demands and expectations of the world…. The amelioration of burnout begins in finding your own pool of tranquility where you can cool off.”

So, the intent of this episode is to help us find that pool of tranquility Cohen describes, which is perfect for this overly hot summer. How do we allow ourselves to cool off, as he notes? How do we cut down on all the demands and expectations of the world?

Try these challenges to help.

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23. On Well-Being & Taking Back Control of your Day with Liz Koehler & Clare Davenport
23. On Well-Being & Taking Back Control of your Day with Liz Koehler & Clare Davenport

Overview

In this episode, I’m joined by Liz Koehler and Clare Davenport, both who are experts in positive psychology and well-being. They conducted research around addressing well-being amid constant choice and change rooted in positive psychology. This topic is so important right now in the age of the pandemic and post-pandemic. According to a 2020 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends study, well-being was the top-ranked trend that year even before the pandemic fully hit us, and in a more recent study individual workers rank “improving worker well-being” in the top 3 of initiatives for work transformation efforts over the next 1-3 years.

What’s great about what Liz and Clare share is how we can take small actions to take back control of our days and improve our well-being. They also share how doing this for oneself can have ripple effects to those around you, both through how you are able to then operate better but also through one’s own modeling of behaviors that prioritize and improve well-being.

Thank you so much for sharing your learning and counsel, Liz and Clare! There are insights here for all of us to get into action with small changes that can make a big impact for our individual and collective well-being.

If you want to get in touch, find Liz on LinkedIn (Elizabeth Koehler) and Clare at her company, Designing4Better: designing4better.com.

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22. On Ditching Imposter Syndrome with Clare Josa
22. On Ditching Imposter Syndrome with Clare Josa

Overview

Join me for this brilliant and action-packed episode with Clare Josa, an expert on and author of, “Ditching Imposter Syndrome.” We talk about the definition of imposter syndrome and why so many of us, especially high performers, suffer from it, why it’s helpful to distinguish between imposter syndrome and self doubt, and why we need to shift from judging to evaluating. Clare also offers some great tips on how we as leaders can support employees with imposter syndrome and how we as individuals can start to gain back our personal power. And as Clare passionately rallies at the end of our conversation: “Do something. Please, I implore you! Take one action in the next 24 hours to move you towards setting yourself free from imposter syndrome.” You can do something about imposter syndrome, and thankfully Clare shows us the way.

I loved this conversation, Clare, and your book! Thank you for doing this work and helping us all find a path to being the powerful leaders we can all be.

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2021Kathy OnetoRight Success, Right Effort