Claim OwnershipThe Corporate Cleanse
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Hi, I’m Jen, and I sold my soul to corporate ladder climbing, a big salary, the fancy exec title, and corporate gold stars (which, as it turns out, are mostly company t-shirts and crisp high fives). Where did I find myself? Flat on my ass—needing a serious detox from corporate life. Join me as we discuss rebuilding your soul after the corporate charm has worn off (and maybe how to navigate corporate climbing while keeping some of your soul). We’ll also discuss rebuilding your identity, resetting your relationship with money, speaking up without being an asshole, and finding and keeping your calm—and, ultimately, finding success and self-love through it all.
28 Episodes
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We're back! Season 2 starting off talking about something I've encountered in every job I've had. I've perpetuated it, I've been a victim of it, I've witnessed it. But yet, we never talk about it. Today we dive deep into female competition in the workplace. From subtle micro-aggressions to internal battles, we explore why women often find themselves competing instead of collaborating. This isn't just about pointing fingers, we break down the systemic pressures creating this dynamic and ...
First, a little announcement: your girl is headed back to corporate life As I prepare to go back, I want to be really intentional about holding this peace and space that I've created during my sabbatical. Most of my corporate days can follow a pretty repeatable structure so they can become a little monotone - I can easily slip into auto-pilot. Anything I can do to interrupt auto-pilot, anything I can do to bring me present - has directly increased my life satisfaction, directly i...
Looking back, I don't think I've ever been "ready" for anything in my career. What does ready even mean? So often, this idea of ready holds us back and makes us think that if we just do XYZ, then we'll ask for the promotion or then we'll ask for a raise or then we'll raise our hand for the next big project. What if you are ready right now? What if the experience you DO have is enough to start? Today, we explore that "ready" might just be a myth, that we all learn by doing, how t...
Double dipping podcast episodes today with Abby Orchard from The Deep + Unhinged Podcast. Ready to dive into the depths of our daily lives? This episode nudges you to find joy in the comfortable, the cozy, and the organized - yes, we're talking about everything from sweatshorts to silverware organizers! But it doesn't stop there. We also delve into the gritty aspects of mental health, navigating big commitments, and the value of friendships across generations. Ever thought about...
Short answer, yes, ha. I go through my thought process of whether to make crocheted bags and pick up a couple of shifts at Trader Joe's vs. going back to corporate life. I also share some of the best lessons I've learned during the break, including the importance of regulating our nervous systems, practicing contentedness versus the need for more, and the benefits of giving your mind time and space.
I'm mostly just catching up with Madi today. I met Madi on my first day of a new job and has been one of those people you just want to be close to; to be in their orbit. Madi and I chat about building a personal brand within a corporate gig, how to find your voice, how to value and price your services, and how the mom from Santa Claus is a seriously underrated woman. Madi has been a hugely successful corporate girly, the marketing genius behind some really cool brands and media ...
Welcome to the first official guest episode where I interview Kortney Osborne (full disclosure she's my best friend). We've had oddly parallel career paths all culminating in the fancy tip top executive position and we both—about a year apart—had to separate who we are and what we do. We talk about switching from "this is what I do" to "this is what I'm trying", letting go of fear of failure and imposter syndrome, weird massage perks at our first tech job, and how to loosen your grip o...
Money doesn’t have to be weird or awkward—it’s a normal thing. Isn’t that we’re all doing?? We’re working to get paid. None of us are working just because we altruistically love the company mission and getting paid is a bonus. And that does not make you greedy. It can be an and conversation. It can be both. It can be that you care about the company, but you also care about the compensation you receive for your impact, for your contributions, for your work, for your skills, for your experience...
*BONUS* episode this week This week, I sat down with Meikel Reece from The Art of Transformation podcast to talk about self-esteem vs. self-love, our own transformation stories, and navigating career and personal growth. Meikel is a transformation coach, emotional alchemist, inner child/trauma healing guide and the host of The Art of Transformation podcast. You can find her on instagram @meikelreece and The Art of Transformation podcast
Oh ... Is iT HaRd bEiNg aN eXeCuTiVe? I understand reaching the executive level is a privileged place to be and reaching that level was really great. I’ve never learned so much in my life. I’ve never learned so much about business, about myself as a human, about communication, about human dynamics, about group dynamics, about leadership, about empathy and inclusion. I am really grateful for the opportunity I got to enter the ranks that I always felt out of reach. The driving forces to want t...
Reflecting on my career now, I realize that none of my steps and career changes were perfectly planned out, none were super intentional beyond wanting to make more money - and none were completely life-altering that set me on a completely different course. But yet I still have stress sweated my way through frantically calling everyone in my contacts list to get opinions and to try and get someone to make my decision for me. Let’s list out and dissect all the things that manicall...
I have a complicated relationship with my anxiety. Anxiety has pushed me and has gotten me far in life. Moderate anxiety has kept me on my toes, driven me to tend to the things that I care about, and nudged me toward my best self. But anxiety plays dirty — oh it plays dirty. Anxiety has also driven me to take on more than I can handle, to dress rehearse tragedy and every bad scenario possible, to be stuck in flight/fight/freeze instead of healthily moving through the stress cycle. And ...
Reorgs, "let's take this offline", Year of Transformation, executive departures, new CFO? There is definitely tea behind the "so and so is leaving the company to focus on family". Why do companies speak the way they do? Corporate speak is this weirdly formal language, ridiculous amount of buzzwords, and a focus on spinning positive messaging—all to put on a guise of professionalism and intellect, to lend credibility and worthiness to our jobs, to mitigate consequences. Corporate...
Do you ever get this feeling of not getting a shot because of who you are or who you are not, or whether or not you’re in the “in crowd”? Corporate life is often just a clique game where there are “in crowds” and favorites and social hierarchy. There is nepotism, there are groups that spend more time together because of their similarities, their sameness, their shared life experience, their prior relationships, their interests, their upbringing, their beliefs. Surrounding yourself with...
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been called “organized” in my career, I would def own a boat by now. But you know what? It’s never felt like a compliment. We use labels in work for many reasons: to get an upper hand on someone, to put that person down or on a lower playing field (again power dynamics), to put someone in a box that we feel more comfortable with. None of the reasons are great. Perception is really all we have in business - who is perceived as the best leader, who is perce...
Chances are, you have encountered or will encounter toxic leadership in your career. If you're experiencing this, let me remind you: you are not crazy. Toxic leadership isn’t benign and you aren't just “overreacting" or "being too sensitive”. Toxic leadership creates environments of fear and low morale and that is traumatic. Spending 40+ hours in an environment like that is traumatic. Toxic leadership is so incredibly tough, but.... kind of unavoidable. I do think there is some freedom ...
Yes, I understand the irony. Me, someone who was fired most recently, giving you advice on getting ahead in your career. But I haven't been fired from a job since I worked at Abercrombie & Fitch, okay? I went from manager level to C-suite executive in 3 years and have a whole bunch of accolades and traumas to go with it... as well as some practical, real-talk advice on getting ahead in your career.
How many companies do you come across that claim "we're making the world a better place" or "we take care of xyz so you can focus on what matters in life"? It’s also a question almost all of us are asked in the interview process “why do you want to work for xyz company” and this is usually a test on whether you’ve done your research by looking up the company website, consumed what they say is their mission/vision and whether that resonates enough for you to work there — whether that re...
My career gave (gives) me many things, chief among them: money. Money to improve my life satisfaction. But what happens when we get stuck in the the cycle of working → buying things → feels good → work more → don’t have time for happiness anymore → buy more things → need to keep working to afford happiness? Let's step a couple of toes out of this cycle before we feel completely powerless. Today I want to remind you that you have the power to control your life and how you want to live it and ...
ChatGPT says I might be going through a "millennial mid life crisis". The biggest question on my mind has been if and when I'm going back into corporate life. For right now, it's been a problem for future Jen, but as I've been thinking about how I want to show up for my hypothetical new corporate life era, I've been reflecting on the things I would have done differently in my career. From Dominos Pizza to tech executive (just kidding, we really only talk about my tech career) — in toda...
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