Fail Forward, Lead Boldly with Noel Kreidler

ABOUT OUR GUEST:  

Noël Kreidler, a recovering perfectionist, is known for passionately supporting college students in finding and succeeding in careers they love.  She is an Associate Director of Career Development at the Santa Clara University Career Center and has 30+ years of work experience in talent acquisition, human resources, and career services. As a person with a lifelong physical disability, she champions the inclusion of people with disabilities at work and in the community. 

 

Noel has a MEd with a counseling emphasis from Northern Arizona University and a BA in Economics from The University of Arizona. She is excited about her latest 3-year venture - being a co-author of Faceplant: FREE Yourself from Failure’s Funk, coming out in November 2025. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her sweetie, friends and family, swimming, art, reading, writing, interior design, and avoiding sleep to try to fit it all in!

 

CONNECT WITH NOEL

Social Media: LinkedIn  

 

EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS

Faceplant:  Free Yourself from Failure's Funk

Empowering Women in Industry Membership

National Event - Registration Link!!

Empowering Women in Industry Magazine

Empowering Women in Industry Website

Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events

 

QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS

“One of the things I’ve gotten really good at is problem solving—because I have to be. The world isn’t built for me, so I figure it out.”

"I am living my life powerfully with a disability, not in spite of having one."

“"There isn’t one right way to do anything. We all have different abilities and different ways of doing things."

“It’s a privilege to work with students.  They really move me.  They give me the perspective of trying and taking risks.”

"Helping students discover careers they love is a privilege. I get to live a billion different dreams through them."

"Universal design doesn’t just help people with disabilities—it makes life easier for everyone."

On failure:  “My mode is to just power through and prove that I can.  I didn't really see how it impacted me from a failure perspective. I had no idea that it had crept into that part of my life.”

Dealing with your faceplant moment:  “Deal with whatever's going on. Deal with yourself.  But have self-compassion. You're human. You're going to make a mistake.”