Secrets of the Career Game
Do you want to know a secret? The corporate world is a game: one laden with cleverly hidden and unspoken rules that most employees don’t know they are playing. On this show, we help you peek behind the curtain to understand the corporate game and set yourself up for accelerate growth and progression.
Episodes
Most people say they're “too busy” before they’ve even checked their calendar. Michelle Niemeyer wants to change that.
After burning out as a high-performing attorney (and landing in the hospital because of it), Michelle realized the problem wasn’t her productivity. It was her lifestyle. Her nervous system. Her goals. And the way she defined success.
In this episode, she breaks down The Art of...
Most people aren’t lazy—they’re just scared of being seen. Kendall Berg sits down with digital strategist and Slay the Gatekeeper founder Courtney Johnson to unravel the truth about personal branding in the age of LinkedIn, TikTok, and trolls. Spoiler alert: it’s not about going viral—it’s about getting honest.
Courtney breaks down the emotional blocks that keep high achievers hiding their brilliance. From...
Kendall Berg reveals the 5 planning habits that keep her from losing it—while balancing a corporate tech role, coaching business, content creation, pageant prep, and parenting two kids.
If your to-do list never ends but your energy does, these five systems will shift how you manage your time, reduce mental load, and finally build a week that works. Kendall breaks down how to simplify your goals, design a w...
Berg interviews Milam Miller, the former AS Roma exec known as the real-life Ted Lasso, about the leadership superpower most people misunderstand: charisma.
Milam breaks down his modern framework for connection, communication, and rizz—the kind that helps you lead across cultures, industries, and personalities. Drawing from his new book, The Charisma Craft – A Modern Leadership Guide to Enhance Your “Rizz”...
What do you do when someone makes a condescending remark in front of your team—or worse, during a board meeting? In this episode, career coach Kendall Berg breaks down the exact language to use when you're belittled, talked over, or insulted at work. This non-confrontational tactic forces aggressors to repeat their words and publicly own their behavior—witho...
Hilary Hartling doesn’t believe in branding fluff—and after 15 years at Disney working on global campaigns for Pixar, Marvel, and DreamWorks, she’s earned the right to say so. In this episode, Kendall Berg sits down with Hilary to unpack what a personal brand really is (hint: it’s not your color palette). From corporate burnout to building an executive brand agency, Hilary’s story is a masterclass in career reinvention...
Toxic bosses are more common than you think—and Kendall Berg isn’t afraid to name names and break down the real strategies you need to survive them. From micromanagers who hover over every move to credit-stealers who take your wins and make them theirs, this episode of Secrets of the Career Game reveals what actually wor...
Amanda Wolfe built a 300K+ community from her bedroom—but that’s not where her story starts. Growing up in poverty, with parents addicted to drugs, Amanda moved 12 times before sixth grade. She became the first person in her family to graduate college, only to discover that a salary alone wasn’t enough to build financial security.
In this candid conversation,...
Your words at work matter more than you think.
If you’ve ever been told to "work on your communication" or felt unsure how to respond to vague feedback about being "too assertive"—this episode is for you.
I’m breaking down 10 common workplace phra...
Kendall Berg pulls no punches in this conversation with certified life coach and communication expert Amy Green Smith. From the outside, high achievers seem like they have it all together—but beneath the promotions and packed calendars is a brewing identity crisis. Amy unpacks why burnout hits the most accomplished professionals the hardest—and how tying your self-worth to your performance is the fastest way to lose yo...
The smallest move in your career could change everything. That’s the power of the butterfly effect—and it’s already at work whether you realize it or not.
In this episode of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall Berg unpacks how one tiny shift (a certification, a networking event, even a pause after a layoff) can ripple into massive career transformation. Drawing from real client stories and her own experien...
Kendall Berg doesn’t just coach careers—she rewrites the rules of corporate success. At her Tattered Cover book signing and live Q&A, she breaks down the unwritten rules no one teaches you: what leaders really say behind closed doors, how promotions actually happen, and why your job isn’t responsible for your growth—you are.
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The game is real—and most people are losing.
In this final secret of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall Berg breaks down the ultimate truth of corporate life: if you don’t understand how leadership shapes culture, you will keep getting blindsided.
The real culture isn’t in the handbook—it’s in your manager’s behavior.
This is the sixth and final episode in our special podcast mini-series. And the book? It...
Natasha Cornstein didn’t set out to become a CEO—but when opportunity knocked, she was ready with a curious mind, a humble heart, and a killer red lip. In this episode, Kendall Berg sits down with the powerhouse behind Blushington to unpack how Natasha went from skeptic customer to transformational CEO of a brand redefining beauty for all.
With zero experience in the beauty industry and no prior CEO role, ...
Here’s the truth: managing and leading are not the same.
And if you’re only doing one—you’re not getting promoted.
In Secret #5 of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall Berg breaks down the critical difference between management and leadership, and why so many professionals get stuck in middle management because they’ve mastered task execution but never learned how to create vision. Or vice versa.
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Burnout is everywhere—and I get why. We’ve wrapped our entire identity around our job titles, performance reviews, and LinkedIn headlines. I’ve been there. In this episode, I’m breaking down why so many of us are teetering on the edge of burnout and how I’ve learned (the hard way) to separate who I am from what I do.
This isn’t your average car...
This might be the most misunderstood feedback in the workplace.
You’re not too direct. You’re not too opinionated.
You’re just communicating disagreement the wrong way.
In Secret #4 of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall Berg unpacks the career-limiting communication habits that hold people back from promotions, leadership roles, and real influence. If you’ve ever been told to “work on your to...
Kendall Berg sits down with viral career coach and former Google recruiter Farah Sharghi, and the conversation is a corporate culture reality check. From bad résumés to bad advice, Farah calls out what most job seekers are doing wrong—and what actually works if you're trying to stand out in today’s messy job market.
With firsthand experience at companies like TikTok, Uber, Lyft, and The New York Times, Far...
This one stings—but it’s the truth.
Without a network, you will fail.
You can be a high performer, great at your job, and still get passed over—because no one outside your manager even knows who you are. That’s the career cliff Kendall tackles in Secret #3 of Secrets of the Career Game.
In this episode, Kendall shares the harsh realities of performance reviews, cross-calibrations, and how inte...
Some bosses are great. Others… force you into a game you never asked to play.
In this episode, Kendall Berg unpacks the real rules of surviving the workplace when you're dealing with toxic leadership—micromanagers, credit thieves, and internal gossip machines. Whether you're trying to manage up, navigate internal politics, or just stay sane in a dysfunctional team, Kendall gives you the scripts, mindset sh...
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