Female Tech Exec

For the mid-career female executive in technology looking to reach the VP level and beyond. Join Lisa Kostova, a former Product VP and mountaineer, and guests for honest and real tips, strategies and conversation to accelerate, and most importantly ENJOY, your career climb TODAY! Based on the Career CLIMB™ framework. For more resources, see www.careerclimb.co

The 4-Day Workweek Is A Lie - 4 Strategies To Finally Enjoy Time Off While Being A Superhuman at Work

In the podcast episode, I show you what needs to happen for you to be able to fully unplug AND be a productivity superhuman at work. I give you 4 strategies to take control of your time, whether you're at work or on vacation. You'll learn: The surprising reason why Henry Ford invented the 5-day work week and the impact of the industrial era on how companies work today,How face-time is still a big thing at companies, even when they don't acknowledge it, and most importantly, how y...

06-29
35:14

When Loyalty Holds You Back In Your Career And How To Take The Leap To The Next Level - A Conversation With an Amazon Exec

In this episode, I interview Tanya Bonamico, a Senior Product Manager at Amazon, leading a team of 50+ for seller risk management and a CareerClimb® client. We discuss her career journey and the challenges she faced while working in a long-term role. Tanya shares her insights on the price of loyalty, the struggle for career advancement, and the importance of seeking support and making bold decisions. Her story sheds light on the need to prioritize personal growth and recognize when it'...

05-25
39:02

What Gabby Bernstein's Coach Taught Me - an Intimate Conversation With Rha Goddess On Female Power and The Relationship With Our Authentic Self

I dive into a juicy conversation with Gabby Bernstein's coach and author of the book "The Calling: 3 Fundamental Shifts to Stay True, Get Paid and Do Good" - Rha Goddess. We explore topics ranging from the practical to the spiritual. We discuss the importance of women connecting with themselves, the transformational power of community, and the need for conducive environments that foster growth and success. Especially at a highly chaotic and uncertain time when women need more supp...

04-27
41:36

This Bowling Champion Will Teach You How To Strike a Director Promotion

Today I interview one of my favorite clients ever - Lori Edwards, a Director at Niche - an ed-tech leader in school search. If you’re in the first decade of your career and looking to break through the Director level, this conversation can give you the mindset shift that will help you replicate her success, even if you feel stuck and frustrated at the moment. Lori had spent seven years as a Product Manager when she joined her current startup as a Senior PM. That’s when things got compl...

03-09
34:12

Working for Steve Jobs Almost Broke This Female Exec - and Walking Away Built her Character

Today I interview Alessandra Ghini, my very first executive coach and a partner at Go Partners. We talk about what it was like working with Steve Jobs at Apple and how Alessandra survived the most difficult working environment for years before walking away at the peak of the company's rise. Following her tenure at Apple, Alessandra worked with Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks on relaunching the Starbucks brand. Alessandra and I discuss: 1) What was Steve Jobs like as a boss a...

01-19
40:14

Advanced Strategies for Leveling Up Your Networking in the New Year - Formula and Templates for a High Response Rates

In this episode, I go through advanced networking strategies, especially for those who are looking for a job. Strategic networking beats transactional networking every time in terms of quality and quantity of results, hands down. Plus, it spares you from getting the reputation of a spammer. In this episode, I cover: - The biggest prerequisite you need before you start networking (it's not what you think) - The precise formula and template for the reach-out message to your networ...

01-05
37:59

Stop Turning People Off on LinkedIn - How to Get Results through Strategic Networking

In this episode, I talk about the two types of networking - transactional and strategic. I then offer you a 5 step approach to kickstart your strategic networking if you've been doing transactional networking up until now. I also give you a framework for reaching out to your connections.

12-22
35:47

5 Resilience Strategies I Learned from this CPO who Fought for Her Daughter's Adoption as a Single Mom

Nivedita Ojha has broken quite a few norms in her life. But none more significant than the decision she made to adopt an older child from an Indian orphanage as a single mom. It was the spring of 2020 and as the world came to a halt at the onset of COVID, Nivedita was unable to travel to India to bring her new daughter home. What followed was 9 months of a forced wait as Nivedita's boss transitioned out and a new executive came in - one who felt threatened by the independence of a...

12-15
43:53

Finding Wisdom and Purpose In a Challenge Many Women are Afraid to Discuss - Conversation with Evelyn Chou

Today I interview Evelyn Chou who currently works in Product at Coursera (ex-Uber) and whose passions include creating great articles and content on Medium and LinkedIn, working with data and analytics, traveling and launching products in different cities, as well as offering her advice and mentorship to up and coming PMs. Evelyn is also one of the hardest-working, kindest and bravest people I've had the honor to know and coach. In our conversation, Evelyn opens up about a chall...

12-08
28:48

The Secret Key to Powerful Career Transformation - No Career Goals can be Accomplished without It

In this episode, I introduce you to the mechanism responsible for accomplishing goals, including career goals. And I show you what so many psychologists, behavior change experts and best-selling authors agree is the KEY to not falling off the bandwagon but being successful in achieving your goals, even the most stretchy ones. This podcast episode is accompanied by a guided visualization (the prior podcast track) that will support you in using this powerful change strategy. ...

12-01
19:55

Visualization - Trying on a New Identity to Create Change

This episode is intentionally missing the podcast intro music. It's intended as a guided visualization for you to use to create powerful change in your career and life by feeling into the identity you're trying to become - whether an executive, a CEO or an entrepreneur. The guided visualization starts with you picking a role model you'd like to emulate and practicing intentionally becoming them for a moment, in order to pick up how this person thinks.

12-01
10:27

From Foster Care to a Rising Star in Tech - Conversation with Infectuously Optimistic Sabrina Ruelle

I couldn't think of a more uplifting story and episode to share with you before this Thanksgiving Holiday (and at an economically challenging time for many when it's easy to feel down) than this conversation with Sabrina Ruelle. I met Sabrina on a LinkedIn text message thread where she struck me with her thoughtful, well-articulated and insightful answers to my simple question: "What is the biggest challenge facing you in your career now?". She sounded way wiser than her years a...

11-17
41:58

Beware the Sneaky PIP - How Companies Use Aggressive "Performance Management" to Conceal Layoffs In a Downturn And How to Protect Yourself

In this episode, I break down the trend that we're starting to see in tech - companies using creative "performance management" strategies to cut costs and people in order to avoid labeling them as layoffs and avoid paying severance. These strategies also help companies shift the blame for a downward trend and buy time with investors, while you're left holding the blame bag. Tune in to this episode to find out: 1) How to recognize a "sneaky PIP (Performance Improvement Plan)" is ...

11-03
26:03

Cultivating a Calm and Clear Mind - Your Secret Career Advantage

In this episode, I review the lessons learned from my most recent trip to Japan, where the environment is so calm and peaceful, it's easy to feel grounded and centered. In our more hectic reality in tech in the Western world, I offer you three simple strategies for cultivating a calm and peaceful attitude - the most important advantage you can have in your career. Tune in to learn how to: 1) Cultivate a presence practice, 2) Cultivate a straight spine, 3) Adopt the Rule of One

10-26
40:16

How to Find Work in Tech that Makes You Happy To Work until You're 96, like the Queen of England

In this episode, I challenge an often-held belief that success is working hard at a job you hate in order to retire early and not work anymore. I talk about the example of the late Queen Elizabeth who was working into her mid-90s until 2 days before her death at 96. We examine the path of finding work you enjoy doing forever and how to use the little-used and little-understood concept of VALUES to accomplish the seemingly impossible feat.

09-22
24:28

This ONE THING Can Ruin Even the Best Career Plan - Don't Overlook It

In this episode, I discuss something that a lot of us tend to overlook but can destroy even the best thought-out career plans and roadmaps, and I show you how to effectively manage it.

09-01
22:24

Secrets to Successfully Producing Content on LinkedIn - Conversation with Shyvee Shi, LinkedIn PM and Content Creator with 50K Followers

Join me for a conversation with Shyvee Shi, a PM at LinkedIn and a LinkedIn creator with over 50,000 followers, to understand how to create content successfully and grow your LinkedIn follow-ship while holding a full time job. Join us in an information-packed interview to learn: What type of content should you create and how often,How to choose your topics and audience based on your career goals and objectives,Tools and strategies to sustain the pace of your content creation,Why daily o...

08-17
56:50

Recipes for Success for Women in Tech - Conversation with Alana Karen and What She Learned from 80 Women in Tech

My conversation today is with the author of Adventures of Women in Tech: How We Got Here and Why We Stay - Alana Karen, a tech leader in Google and an articulate and successful woman in tech. In her book, she interviews 80 women and traces their triumphs, challenges, fears and misconceptions about tech and what it takes to be successful in the field. In my conversation with Alana, learn: 1) What she learned from talking to 80 women about whether the myth of "it's hard for women to be ...

07-28
43:37

Lessons from the Latina who Builds Cars for Formula 1

Dalia Ramos Guerra is the Head of Build and Test for the BWT Alpine Formula 1 team, one of the most successful teams in Formula 1. She's also one of only 11% of females in the space and one of even fewer women in a management position. In her role, she is responsible for the last part of the process before the championship cars are delivered to the track every weekend race. Dalia radiates a high degree of professionalism, combined with a refreshing curiosity and seeming fear...

07-07
40:08

Are you addicted to overwhelm? Why and how to break this habit that is ruining your career

In this episode I explore the hidden costs to overwhelm - both for you if you are relying on overwhelm to get help from your manager or colleagues, and for you as a manager who may be tempted to rescue people out of overwhelm. I also show you how to handle overwhelm in a constructive way that helps you rise in your career and cultivate self-sufficient teams.

06-16
16:08

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