Career Blast in a Half

Do you believe that to be a badass, you also have to be the "B-word"—that you cannot be effective and liked at the same time? Many leaders chase power, thinking it comes from controlling resources—like holding the "car keys" to get what they want. But power and status are not the same thing; power is what you control, but status is how much you are respected. And in the long run, resources follow respect.   Why this matters If your audience doesn't value or respect you, it is nearly impossible to be influential, regardless of your title. Most professionals treat influence as a transaction, only focusing on their network when they need a job or a favor. But human judgments are not random; people instantly categorize you as "friend or foe" based on your warmth and competence. If you aren't intentionally building your "status bank" when you don't need anything, you won't have the leverage when the stakes are high.   In this episode, we unpack: The Power vs. Status Split: Why power controls valued resources, while status is respected and valued by others. The "Car Keys" Trap: How holding resources (like budgets or authority) creates temporary influence but fails to build lasting respect. The Podium Coaching Gap: Why women consistently ask different questions about negotiation and promotion than their male counterparts. The Friend or Foe Radar: The two distinct dimensions—Warmth (intent) and Competence (ability)—that our brains use to judge every leader. The "Latte" Rule: Why the absolute best time to build your network is when you are content and simply ordering a coffee. Navigating Hotspots: How to execute tough decisions, like layoffs, with both assertiveness and warmth to protect your professional reputation. Authenticity vs. Strategy: Why being "likable" isn't about faking a personality—it's about strategically demonstrating that you care about others' outcomes.   Timestamps (0:00) — Intro (1:47) — The differentiator between Influence, Power, and Status (3:00) — Guest Intro: Alison Fragale and the Likable Badass framework (5:00) — The "Podium Coaching" moments: What women ask that men don't (11:11) — Power is holding the car keys: Controlling resources vs. earning respect (14:45) — Status defined: Why resources follow respect (16:40) — Friend or Foe: The science of Warmth and Competence (24:00) — The "Latte" Metaphor: Networking when you don't need a favor (28:00) — How to handle "bad guy" moments (layoffs, tough calls) while keeping status (34:10) — The Authenticity Trap: Can you "fake" likability?   The takeaway Power is controlling resources. Status is being the resource.   Resources follow respect.   Stop choosing between being liked and being effective. Be both.   About Alison Fragale Alison Fragale, PhD, is an organizational psychologist and a professor who specializes in behavioral science to help women excel. She is the author of Likable Badass, a book dedicated to helping women get the success they deserve by mastering the science of status.   Connect with Alison Fragale Website: alisonfragale.com Book: Likable Badass Newsletter: The Upper Hand (Substack) LinkedIn: Alison Fragale, PhD Instagram: @alisonfragale   Subscribe to Career Blast in a Half Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3b3kSamj8RbTNNgOg5E5oi?si=5fea15335a744e73 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/   About Career Blast in a Half A third of our lives is spent working. Career Blast in a Half is your 30 minutes of weekly simple, powerful, and actionable career fuel to keep your success track no matter where you are in your career or what's to come next. Hosted by career strategist Loren Greiff.   Work with Loren Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs   Connect with Loren Website: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/   Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know what career topics you'd like us to cover!  

Forget preparing better answers. The fastest way to stand out in interviews, networking, and executive conversations isn’t what you say — it’s what you ask. Most professionals rely on generic questions. And then wonder why they’re forgettable. In this episode, Brenden Kumarasamy — founder of MasterTalk — breaks down the 100, 200, and 300-level question framework and explains why the quality of your questions is one of the clearest predictors of how you’ll perform before you’re ever hired. This isn’t about sounding impressive. It’s about signaling judgment, preparation, and future value. Why this matters Every interview ends the same way: “What questions do you have for me?” Most candidates waste that moment. And that moment is often the only part of the conversation that actually differentiates you. Weak questions don’t just stall momentum — they quietly tell decision-makers how you think. In this episode, we unpack: Why 100-level questions instantly put you in the “everyone else” category How 200-level questions create rarity and make people lean in What makes a 300-level question so powerful it changes how you’re evaluated Why hiring decisions are made on future contribution, not past experience How great questions act as a proxy for judgment, preparation, and leadership The moment Brenden realized time mattered more than money — and how that shifted his career How to build leverage whether you stay corporate or move into entrepreneurship   Timestamps (0:00) – Intro (2:43) — How competitive case competitions became a communication business (6:08) – Why the quality of your questions shapes your career (10:29) – 100-level vs 200-level questions and why most people blend in (13:07) – 300-level questions and how they change how you’re evaluated (19:27) – Why questions predict performance better than résumés (21:25) – The moment time became more valuable than money (26:30) – Building leverage whether you stay corporate or leave   The real takeaway Your résumé explains where you’ve been. Your questions forecast who you’ll be inside the company. And executives know exactly how to read the difference.   Connect with Brenden LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendenkumarasamy/ Website: https://www.mastertalk.ca/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MasterTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masteryourtalk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mastertalkyt/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/masteryourtalks Free Communication Workshop: https://www.rockstarcommunicator.com/ Connect with Loren Website: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Work with Loren Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs

Most C-suite executives resist group coaching. They think it's beneath them. That they need one-on-one attention. That the cool kids don't do groups. But here's what they're missing: The executives landing fastest aren't going it alone - they're in rooms with other sharp leaders who push them, connect them, and amplify their momentum. Group coaching isn't about splitting attention. It's about multiplying force. The hidden math of going solo One coach. One perspective. One set of connections. Versus: One coach + 10-15 C-suite peers from different industries + guest experts + cross-pollinated networks + collective negotiation intel + real-time market intelligence. That's not diluted support. That's exponential leverage. In this episode: Why the job market playbook from 10 years ago (or even last year) is obsolete The real reason networking doesn't work - and what to do instead How LinkedIn went from "nice to have" to non-negotiable visibility engine Why referrals make up less than 10% of applications but 40% of hires The hidden talent economy: roles created for people before they're ever posted What separates executives who land in 60 days from those still searching at month 9 The power of micro-networks (clusters) over massive, generic connections How to build your own digital power circle in 3 steps Who should NOT be in a group program (and why that matters) A real transformation Before: A 20-year healthcare executive. Over a decade at one company. LinkedIn follower count: under 1,000. No active presence. Outdated job search strategies. No idea how to navigate the new hiring landscape. Then: Joined Portfolio Rocket's group coaching program. Learned to build a voice on LinkedIn. Showed up authentically. Shared vulnerable stories (like iPhone rules for her daughter). Connected with peers across industries - education, design, marketing, advertising. After: 14,000+ LinkedIn followers. A viral post picked up by Angela Duckworth. Global reach. Podcast invitations. A negotiation expert from the cohort coached her through her package. Introductions to Oprah's network within 24 hours. And a career ecosystem that breathes, responds, and remembers. That's not luck. That's the compounding power of being in the room where it happens. Timestamps (0:00) - Intro (1:17) - Why Cece joined group coaching after 10+ years out of the job market (5:00) - The first piece of armor to drop: building a voice on LinkedIn (8:11) - Why job searching today is fundamentally different than even a year ago (10:50) - The hidden job market and roles created before posting (14:30) - Networking is dead. Clustering is alive. (16:40) - Times Square vs. the Sahara Desert: where do you want to be? (19:03) - How to tap into micro-networks and digital power circles (21:28) - The exponential effect: classmates become colleagues, friends, connectors (22:00) - The intangibles: mindset, structure, guardrails, and optimism (25:08) - Who should NOT be in a group program (26:30) - October: 5 people landed. November: still counting. The takeaway Your next role isn't waiting in a job posting. It's being shaped in a conversation you're not part of yet - with people who don't know your name. Unless you're in the room where it happens. Group coaching isn't a compromise. It's a catalyst. Stop going solo. Start going exponential. About Cecilia Aviles Cecilia Aviles (Ceci) is a healthcare executive and nurse leader with over 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership roles - from nurse to manager, director, VP, COO, and CEO - at large health systems and federally qualified health centers. She holds an MBA and is passionate about patient experience, quality care, and developing the next generation of healthcare leaders. Cecilia is a fierce advocate for authenticity, transparency, and lifelong learning. Connect with Cecilia: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliaaviles/ Subscribe to Career Blast in a Half 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3b3kSamj8RbTNNgOg5E5oi?si=a66a3ec936ca4e0c 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/ About Career Blast in a Half A third of our lives is spent working. Career Blast, In a Half is your 30 minutes of weekly simple, powerful and actionable career fuel to keep your success track no matter where you are in your career or what's to come next. Hosted by Loren Greiff. Work with Loren Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs Connect with Loren: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ 💬 Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know what career topics you'd like us to cover!

The old idea of “networking” is collecting connections, going wide, showing up everywhere is dead. Everyone is visible. Everyone is accessible. And when everyone blends in, no one stands out. What the market rewards now isn’t reach. It’s resonance. The tight, intentional circles where trust moves faster than volume and where opportunity spreads long before the job posting ever appears. If you’ve been trying to meet more people instead of the right people, you’re playing the wrong game. The real problem with traditional networking Your network might be huge… but it’s flat. People know you, but they don’t think of you. You’re a name in a feed, not a person in their mental roster. Clusters flip that completely. Clusters are purposely small, high-trust groups where your story doesn’t need a 15-minute explanation. People understand you, advocate for you, and amplify you ...  organically. In this episode: • Why traditional networking is losing power in the digital age • The rise of micro-communities and why they outperform a huge network • What sociologists discovered decades ago about “weak ties” and why it matters more today • The difference between visibility and resonance (and why resonance wins) • The hidden math: why referrals drive almost 40% of hires with less than 10% of the volume • A step-by-step process to build your own cluster from scratch • Why generosity is your strongest currency in a curated network A real before/after transformation Before: An executive with thousands of connections but no traction. Their visibility was high, but their resonance was low. No one truly understood their value. Then: They shifted focus from audience size to relationship depth — identifying 8–10 people who shared goals, challenged their thinking, and naturally advocated for them. After: Their “network” became a power circle. Referrals increased, opportunities accelerated, and they moved from pushing their story out to having opportunities pulled toward them. That’s the compounding force of a cluster: Small, intentional, and exponentially more effective than a wide but disconnected network. Timestamps (0:00) – The truth about job security (0:56) – Why most executives stay too long (1:20) – The myth that “visibility is enough” (2:00) – The death of the generic network (3:05) – What a cluster actually is (4:06) – “Weak ties” and how opportunity really spreads (5:16) – Why the 30-Day Blast exists (6:13) – How micro-communities create built-in trust (7:07) – How to identify your future cluster (8:02) – The referral math that changes everything (9:07) – Final takeaways: Small is big The takeaway Stop collecting contacts. Start collecting believers. Your next opportunity won’t come from a crowded feed — it’ll come from a curated circle that sees your potential long before the rest of the world catches on. Small is big. Clusters beat networks. Build the group that amplifies you next. Connect with Loren LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Subscribe to Career Blast in a Half Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3b3kSamj8RbTNNgOg5E5oi YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/ About Career Blast in a Half A third of your life is spent working. Career Blast in a Half is your weekly 30-minute hit of simple, powerful, and practical career acceleration — built for executives over 40 who want smarter moves, faster wins, and work that finally feels aligned. Work with Loren Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs  

Forget the old playbook. The linear career ladder — degree, loyalty, promotions, retirement — is gone for good. Today’s market doesn’t reward tenure, job titles, or waiting your turn. It rewards adaptability, strategic width, and leaders who can go deep without staying narrow. If you’re still measuring success by promotions instead of progress, you’re playing a game that no longer exists.   The real cost of staying ladder-minded Three years. That’s the average tenure of a C-Suite leader today. The skills that got you hired five years ago? Already trending obsolete. And in a market moving this fast, the only real job security is the kind you build yourself — through range and relevance.   In this episode: • Why the old equation “progress = promotion” is keeping leaders stuck • The rise of the T-Shaped leader — and why depth alone is now a liability • How adaptability replaced tenure as the top hiring metric • The difference between strategic width and being a generalist • Why projects, not positions, drive credibility in a skills-based market • How to communicate your value on LinkedIn in seconds — the new résumé reality   A real before/after transformation Before: A seasoned executive with deep expertise and a standout vertical — but no visible width. Their experience ran deep, but it looked narrow from the outside. Then: They reframed their story around strategic width, showcasing cross-functional experience, adjacent skills, and project-based wins. After: They moved from being overlooked as “too specialized” to being the standout candidate who could bridge data, strategy, tech, and communication. Their search accelerated — and so did their offers. That’s the power of becoming T-Shaped: not more skills, but the right adjacent ones.   Timestamps (0:00) – Intro (1:13) – Why skills-based hiring is a different market entirely (3:37) – What killed the traditional career ladder (5:20) – Ladder vs. lattice: why upward-only thinking no longer works (8:09) – Depth + breadth: the new definition of progress (10:02) – What a T-Shaped leader actually looks like (14:01) – Strategic width vs. generalist thinking (19:18) – How to show your T-Shape on LinkedIn (21:52) – Projects that signal adaptability (26:41) – The 3-question audit for staying relevant (28:48) – How to strengthen and deepen your T-Shape   The takeaway The market doesn’t reward ladder climbers anymore. It rewards leaders who stay sharp, multidimensional, and adaptable. The ladder is dead. The lattice won. Build the shape that gets you hired next.   Connect with Today's Guest, Raina Gandhi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainagandhi/ Website: https://www.rainagandhi.com/   Subscribe to Career Blast in a Half Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528?i=1000735380994 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3b3kSamj8RbTNNgOg5E5oi?si=6d74e695780f4780 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/   About Career Blast in a Half A third of our lives is spent working. Career Blast, In a Half is your 30 minutes of weekly simple, powerful and actionable career fuel to keep your success track no matter where you are in your career or what's to come next. Hosted by career strategist Loren Greiff.   Work with Loren Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs Connect with Loren: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/   Leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and let us know what career topics you'd like us to cover!

Forget the idea that your résumé is doing the talking. It isn’t. And in 2025, the market isn’t hiring the most qualified — it’s hiring the most inevitable. Everyone is polished. Everyone is credible. Everyone is strategic. But only a fraction are legible — and that’s who gets fast-tracked.   Cost of invisibility: Six to twelve months of lost compensation, stalled opportunities, and being quietly passed over by decision-makers who can’t feel your momentum. This solo episode exposes the new hiring reality: readiness isn’t declared — it’s signaled. Your posts, your comments, your learning velocity, your digital trail… they’re all breadcrumbs executives are using to assess whether you’re moving with the market or fossilizing in place. In this episode: Why inevitability — not experience — is the new competitive advantage The specific signals decision-makers decode before ever reading your résumé How AI platforms like SeekOut, Eightfold, and EasyHire amplify (or expose) your influence and career velocity The difference between hot signals (momentum, learning, collaboration) and cold signals (silence, outdated optics, dormant profiles) Why motion — not volume — is now the primary indicator of executive readiness How to build a signaling system that makes your relevance unmistakable The hidden places recruiters back-channel to validate your reputation and leadership DNA Timestamps (0:00) – Intro (1:12) – Why signaling has overtaken résumés (2:53) – Experience is assumed — inevitability is what gets hired (4:10) – How decision-makers evaluate your digital breadcrumbs (5:49) – Hot signals: publishing ideas, learning in public, collaboration (7:02) – Cold signals: outdated headshots, dormant profiles, silence (8:45) – Momentum as the new credibility (9:58) – Your next opportunity isn’t searching for your résumé — it’s searching for your signal Mic-Drop: Your next opportunity isn’t looking for your past. It’s looking for your motion.   Loved the episode? Join Loren’s 30-Day Blast — the program executives use to gain traction, clarity, and confidence in 30 days. Apply for the next 30-Day Blast here   Follow Loren Greiff LinkedIn Instagram Watch on YouTube

Forget “closing the gap.” It’s widening — for the first time since the 1960s. And if you’re waiting for the system to fix it, you’ll be waiting forever. Because as Cindy Gallop says: no one’s coming to save us.   Cost of waiting: Every underpaid year compounds the gap — not just in salary, but in wealth, opportunity, and ownership. This episode isn’t about leaning in. It’s about taking over. Cindy Gallop — entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of MakeLoveNotPorn.tv — joins Loren to dismantle outdated rules and lay out a new playbook for women who are done asking for permission.   In this episode: Why women must unapologetically set out to make a “god-fcking-sht-ton of money” — and why that’s a good thing The mindset shift from “safe jobs” to self-ownership and wealth creation How to spot (and escape) the workplaces that quietly drain your confidence A simple rule for asking for your true value — and getting it Why starting your own business is the fastest path to power and equality The They Got Acquired mindset: why anything you build has value — and how to cash in on it How women can build their own financial ecosystems by funding, supporting, and hiring each other   Timestamps (0:00) – Intro: Why this pay gap is different (1:05) – Meet Cindy Gallop: The unapologetic truth-teller on money and power (3:00) – Patriarchy, pay, and why she’s done explaining the “why” (5:20) – Make a god-fcking-sht-ton of money — and help other women do it (9:45) – Start your own business: the fastest path to equality (13:10) – The corporate dilemma: how to ask for your worth and when to walk (18:30) – Radical simplicity for confidence and negotiation (23:50) – How to network like a pro (Cindy’s Dear Cindy method) (27:45) – Reinventing after layoffs and ageism — your next move starts now (31:30) – Final takeaways + Loren’s 30-Day Blast invitation   Mic-Drop: No one’s coming to save you. So stop waiting for equity — start creating it.   Loved the episode? Support Cindy’s work: Dear Cindy Substack Cindy Gallop on LinkedIn MakeLoveNotPorn.tv   Ready to own your next career move? Join Loren’s 30-Day Blast — the fast-track program that helps executives land roles and raise compensation by 40%–100%. Book your free 30-minute clarity call: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/contact   Follow Loren Greiff LinkedIn Instagram Watch on YouTube

Let’s be honest — the call hits harder than you think it will. One moment, you’re leading teams and driving outcomes. The next, your screen goes blank, and so does your sense of identity. But here’s the truth no one tells you: the hardest part of a layoff isn’t the job loss. It’s the identity freefall that follows.   And if you don’t pause long enough to process it, you’ll start reacting — applying, rewriting résumés, chasing anything that feels like control — instead of rebuilding with purpose.   This solo episode is about what happens after the call. The silence. The confusion. And the quiet chance to begin again — on your own terms.   In this episode, you’ll hear: Why “apply harder” keeps you stuck in survival mode. How to stop the spiral and regain your footing fast. The 10-minute reset that rebuilds calm and clarity. What the 30-Day Blast really is — and why it works. How a no-pitch, 30-minute clarity call can change everything.   The Mic Drop This isn’t the end. It’s a reset. And what you rebuild from here will be stronger — because it’ll be built on purpose.   Timestamps (0:00) – Intro (0:58) – The silence and the identity freefall (2:15) – Rebuilding with intention, not reaction (3:55) – The clarity call that resets your footing (4:45) – The 30-Day Blast: clarity, confidence, results   Follow Loren & watch the show: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff Instagram – @portfoliorocket YouTube – Portfolio Rocket Book your free 30-minute clarity call: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/contact

Let’s get one thing straight: happiness isn’t the “perk” at the end of success. It’s the precondition for it. Jessica Weiss — Happiness Expert, corporate strategist, and author of Happiness Works: The Science of Thriving at Work — dismantles the myth that happiness is soft, fluffy, or found in a corner office. Spoiler: it’s measurable, trainable, and completely within your control.Jessica spent 15 years advising the world’s biggest brands — Coca-Cola, J&J, AmEx — before realizing something startling: she’d hit every career benchmark and still wasn’t happy. That revelation sparked a decade of research into what truly makes people thrive at work. What she discovered is not another feel-good formula. It’s science. It’s structure. And it’s a radical call to rewire how we define success. In this episode, you’ll find out Why the “dream job” is a myth — and how to create happiness, not wait for it. The five pillars shared by people who flourish instead of flounder: connection, resilience, optimism, progress, and trust. The neuroscience behind joy — how writing down three good things literally rewires your brain for happiness. How psychological safety (not ping-pong tables) predicts performance and innovation. Why progress is more powerful than promotion — and what that means for your team. How to spot (and stop) burnout using the “antidote” Jessica calls strategic optimism. The Mic Drop Happiness isn’t a mood. It’s infrastructure. It’s not about balance — it’s about design. And it’s not waiting somewhere outside of you. You build it — one relationship, one mindset shift, one meaningful moment of progress at a time. (edited) Timestamps (0:00) – Intro: Why job security is outdated (1:25) – When success doesn’t equal happiness (4:22) – The 5 levers of real workplace happiness (7:08) – Strategic optimism over toxic positivity (9:25) – Building your dream job from where you are (11:52) – Return-to-office without losing joy (17:29) – Two metrics that predict thriving at work (21:38) – The neuroscience of happiness & burnout Pre-order Jessica’s book: Happiness Works: The Science of Thriving at Work — out 11/11 Connect with Jessica: jessicaweiss.com | LinkedIn Follow Loren & watch the show: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/ 30-Day Blast — the fast, focused system for today’s market.

Forget being the unshakeable parent. Your kids don’t need perfection — they need to see recovery in real time. Because when layoffs hit, routines collapse, or rejection stings… your response becomes their blueprint for resilience. Every career setback is a parenting masterclass — if you let it be. Cost of silence: a generation that confuses failure with danger. Cost of honesty: courage passed down in motion. In this episode, parenting coach and educator Alyssa Smith joins Loren Greiff to talk about what happens when career chaos collides with home life — and how to turn breakdowns into the best lessons your kids will ever see. You’ll take away: Why protecting your kids from every hard moment teaches fear, not safety How to “name the hard, model the hope” when life hits sideways The one line every parent crosses — and how to replace guilt with ownership What happens when your kids see courage in motion The quiet power of modeling self-care, boundaries, and bounce-back From breakdown to breakthrough: Alyssa shares how years in Montessori classrooms — and a string of personal losses — reshaped her idea of what real strength looks like. Today, she helps parents trade chaos for calm and power struggles for connection, even when life (and work) don’t go as planned. Because what your child remembers isn’t your job title. It’s how you rise when things fall apart. Mic Drop: Courage isn’t static — it moves. Show them how. Loved the episode? Learn more about Alyssa’s upcoming masterclass, The Pushback Paradox, and The Parent Reset: Love Your Kid Louder and follow her on LinkedIn Follow Loren on LinkedIn Watch Career Blast in a Half on YouTube

2025 was the year of playing not to lose. 2026 belongs to the ones willing to break the system.   Safe is the new stuck. If you’re still polishing your résumé, chasing recruiters, or applying like it’s 2015, you’re invisible.   This isn’t motivation—it’s a warning. The market no longer rewards experience; it rewards relevance.   Inside:   The lies you’re still buying: “Keep applying.” “Keep tweaking.” Stop. The Wisdom Dividend: scars and judgment beat jargon and polish. Keyword karaoke is dead. 2026 hires storytellers with proof, not buzzwords. AI isn’t your threat—it’s your amplifier. Use it to think faster and prove value before you walk in the door. Remote work is a privilege. Presence is power.   Stop waiting to be found. Get in their ear, and their circle.   You don’t wait for the next wave. You are the wave. Play it safe, and you’ll drown. Disrupt—and you’ll own the tide.   Loved the episode? Subscribe! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Watch my podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/

Loyalty used to earn you a pension. Now it earns you a pink slip. Nick Passarelli has protected billion-dollar companies from risk—and realized the biggest one was believing loyalty still mattered. From Wall Street to crypto to fintech, he’s watched good people blindsided for playing by outdated rules. This isn’t about layoffs. It’s about liberation. Stop renting your security from a company that can revoke it overnight. You need to listen if you’ve ever said: “I’ve been here forever.” “They’d never let me go.” “I’ll just ride it out.” Because: If you’re “just holding on,” you’re already replaceable. Loyalty = Liability. Hard Work ≠ job security and doing your job won’t protect it. Just because you made the loyalty deal. The company didn’t. Reciprocity Is a Myth. So how do you trade false loyalty for real leverage. It’s all in here. Loved the episode? Subscribe! Follow Nick here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-passarelli-9777454/ Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Watch my podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/  

Executives over 40 are polishing themselves into irrelevance. New résumé formats. AI-ing to death, noodling over every tweak and keyword hack. Titles that don’t matter.  All distractions. And none of it wins interview momentum or the offer Here’s the only question that does knowing this: “What urgent and expensive problem do you have the unfair advantage to solve?” That’s not theory—it’s survival math. Not urgent? You’ll wait months. Not expensive? They’ll nickel-and-dime you or label you as overqualified No unfair advantage? You’re one of too many, and the offer goes to someone else.  But when urgency, expense, and unfair advantage collide—you’re the bullseye. That’s where hiring budgets unlock. That’s how offers land. In this episode you’ll hear: Why companies don’t pay for passion or polish—they pay to stop bleeding. The 3 filters every executive must pass before they’re taken seriously. How to flip the script from “what job do I want?” to “where’s the fire, who’s paying, and why am I holding the hose?” My own urgent + expensive + unfair advantage—and how it changes the game. If your search feels like quicksand, if your severance is dwindling, if you’re sick of being overlooked—this is your pivot point. Because polish is dead weight. The bullseye is the only target that matters.   Loved the episode? Subscribe to it! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Watch my podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/

Being “Qualified” Won’t Get You Hired I Gina Riley This week, Gina Riley isn’t pulling any punches – teasing out the highlights of her new book,  Qualified Isn’t Enough. We leave nothing behind, cracking open with the truths most executives don’t want to hear—but need to: Why résumés are an illusion – receipts, not strategies. The blind spots that sabotage even the best pedigrees. Why thought leadership, not passion, is the new differentiator. Why the final round is where most leaders fail. Gina has sat inside the boardroom, trained execs, and built a system to move you from overlooked to undeniable. If being “qualified” was enough, you’d be hired. This episode explains why you’re not—and how to address it.   Connect with Gina: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginariley/ Book: https://amzn.to/3Kih0Bt   Loved the episode? Subscribe to it! Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Watch my podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/

My Severance Is Running Out. Now What? Three Moves That Matter. Most people treat severance like a parachute. Safe. Cushioned. Time to drift. Wrong. Severance isn’t a parachute—it’s a timer. And when it hits zero, panic sets in, options shrink, and desperation takes over. This episode is about flipping that script. Turning panic into power with three moves that matter: Stop polishing, start positioning. Resumés don’t win offers. Urgency does. Companies hire to stop the bleeding—find the problems only you can solve. Treat networking like oxygen. 70–80% of hires happen in the hidden job market. That’s not a throwaway stat—a survival law. Block time daily, lead with curiosity, and end every conversation with “Who else should I talk to?” Future-proof while you hunt. Smart execs don’t just chase the next paycheck. They build their next platform. Learn, share, and be seen—or fade into irrelevance. Inside, you’ll also hear how to: Spot neon signs of company pain—layoffs, compliance fines, churn, failed integrations. Turn Glassdoor complaints from gossip into gold. Use your unfair advantage to filter out noise and zero in on where you’re needed most. If your severance clock is ticking, this episode gives you a sharper aim, stronger network, and a strategy that turns countdown into launchpad.

The Truth About PE Jobs: High Stakes, Hidden Rules, and Hard Lessons I Kit Lisle Private equity looks glamorous—fast money, big titles, big exits. But the glossy promise hides a brutal truth: most execs flame out before they ever cash out. Step into a PE-backed role and three things hit you at once: Culture shock. The rules change overnight. Acronyms fly. Resources vanish. The stamp. Survive a deal and you’re branded a pro athlete of business—faster, sharper, battle-tested. The clock. From day one, it’s ticking. No 90-day ramp. Deliver value now. In this episode, Kit Lisle—Army intelligence officer turned M&A strategist and founder of TheOperators.pe—pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to get hired into PE: The myths that kill execs in interviews. The red flags that get you crossed off instantly. Why EQ matters more than spreadsheets. And why job boards are useless when real opportunities live in relationships. PE isn’t just another job. It’s a sprint, a test, and for those who make it, a career-defining badge of honor. Thinking about a private equity role? Listen now. Because the truth isn’t in the job description—it’s in the hidden rules Kit Lisle reveals.

Why Say Thank You Anyway? I Steve Dalton,  Author of The Job Closer & 2 Hour Job Search   Most thank-you notes are nothing more than polite spam. They’re sent on autopilot, on reflex. That’s why they’re forgettable. But what if your thank you’s worked as a strategy not a formality… Even better, as he fastest way to turn a stranger into an advocate, to be referred, and re-invited? Steve Dalton—is the author of The 2-Hour Job Search and The Job Closer (translated into 7 languages) —joins me to dismantle the myth of thank yous.    Together we expose why: Generic thank yous commoditize you. They disappear into inbox purgatory. Bespoke gratitude compounds trust. It shows you heard, acted, and evolved. Follow-through is the differentiator. Not words, but proof. Gratitude is career capital. The cheapest, fastest way to turn strangers into advocates. This isn’t about manners. It’s about leverage. If you’re still treating thank you’s like a box to tick, you’re missing the single most underutilized tool in your job search arsenal. Listen in—and start saying thank you in a way that actually counts.   Connect with Steve Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daltonsteve/ Books https://2hourjobsearch.com/ https://www.thejobcloser.com/ Loved the episode? Get a copy of my ebook Turn Age Into Your Advantage Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Watch my podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/  

Networking for Introverts Who’d Rather Get a Root Canal I Greg Roche Networking advice was built for extroverts. Go to events. Make small talk. Collect business cards. For introverts, it feels like punishment. Exhausting. Fake. Pointless. Greg Roche—known as The Introverted Networker—disagrees. He’s living proof you can grow a powerful network without awkward icebreakers, or pretending to be someone you’re not. In this conversation, we expose the myths keeping executives stuck—and the truths that set introverts free: Why “I don’t have time to network” is a myth How 15 minutes a day beats every networking event How to be “easy to help” so people actually follow through The mic drop: The more connected we get through technology, the less connected we are as humans—because we’ve outsourced our humanness to tech Plus, a simple, immediate action to restart your network today This isn’t about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about using what makes you different to your advantage—and reclaiming the kind of human connection technology will never replace. Whether you’re an introvert who dreads networking—or an extrovert who’s been doing it wrong—you’ll walk away with a playbook that actually works. Connect with Greg Roche: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregsroche/ Get his book “The Fast and Easy Guide To Networking For Introverts” here If this episode hit home, do us a solid: leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps the show grow, and it helps more executives discover how to thrive in the hidden job market.

Skip The Interview Prep, Lose the Job. Here’s How To Fix It I Varun Puri I CEO of Yoodli Most people treat interviews like pop quizzes. They wing it. Then wonder why they keep coming in second. Here’s the thing: If  you don’t rise to the occasion. You sink to the level of your practice. And even for most execs? That level can be none. Varun Puri—ex-Google, debate shark, and co-founder of Yoodli—is done watching smart people blow it because they never practiced the one thing that matters: how they sound when it counts. Yoodli isn’t a coach. And, It’s not “content.” It’s your AI interview  sparring partner— built to catch every “um,” dodge every ramble, and turn your half-baked answers into mic-drop moments. That’s why Korn Ferry, Google, Snowflake, Databricks, and use it—because nothing kills a deal faster than a boring, muddled interview.   In this episode: The painful reason brilliant execs still tank interviews The three invisible habits that scream “don’t hire me” How to stack 15,000 practice reps without begging for anyone’s time Why public speaking fear beats fear of death (and what to do about it) What actually changes when feedback is instant and can’t be ignored Listen now. Or keep losing to the person who did.

The Future of Less Work—And the Executive Edge AI Can’t Replace | Nirit Cohen You’ve been told: “Work smarter, not harder.” But Executives are waking up to a harsh reality: AI is cheap. Fast. Scalable. And it’s replacing parts of your job that made your title impressive. Nirit Cohen saw this coming. As a former Intel exec, Forbes columnist, and Future of Work Strategist, she’s been tracking the trends most leaders are just waking up to. Her take is clear: The future isn’t more hustle. It’s more human. “Less work” isn’t about layoffs. It’s about leadership finally getting redefined. And efficiency isn’t the goal; it’s differentiation. Here is what we break down: Why RTO “return to office” isn’t about collaboration but about control How AI is replacing tasks but NOT talent The real reason voice will replace keyboards (and why it matters for execs) What the new career path looks like when ladders are dead and rock walls rule How to find your “unfair advantage” and make it non-negotiable AI will do the busywork. But only you can bring the lens, insight, that human touch.   This episode is your guide to owning the work only you can do. The future isn’t less valuable. It’s less vanilla. Connect with Nirit Cohen: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niritcohen/ Website: https://niritcohen.com/en/home-en/?lang=en  Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/niritcohen/2025/07/27/when-work-talks-back-and-voice-becomes-the-new-keyboard/ The Future of Less Work Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/eg/podcast/the-future-of-less-work/id1788026485    Loved the episode? Get a copy of my ebook Turn Age Into Your Advantage Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/ Watch my podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/