The Growth League

After working at and then leaving several jobs, Kenya Williams was feeling undervalued  in the corporate world. She tried a short stint as an entrepreneur before realizing that she liked the corporate world– she just needed to make some adjustments. On this week’s episode, Kenya shares the importance of managing expectations, asking for what you need, setting boundaries, and not taking things too personally. 

1:19 Kenya’s ambidexter...

From music major to stock picker to CEO - Whitney Johnson has had quite the unconventional career path. But with a combination of self-advocacy and fearlessness, Whitney has become a successful author, business leader, and executive coach. In this week’s episode, she explains her method for starting new projects and how to approach those uncomfortable moments in your career.

• 1:24 - Whitney’s transition from music major to stock ...

When she was growing up, Jayshree Seth wasn’t sure science was for her - now, with 70+ patents under her belt, she’s more certain. Over the course of her career, Jayshree climbed the ranks at 3M to become a Corporate Scientist, and in 2018 became the company’s Chief Science Advocate. In today’s episode, Jayshree talks about why she loves science, and how she solves big problems by finding the context.

1:30 - Jayshree’s forray into m...

At the beginning of her career, Michele Promaulayko’s plan was to climb the ranks of the magazine industry and secure a corner office. But as the industry shifted, so did her plans. Now, Michele is a multi-hyphenate - author, podcast host, and editorial director - who has found the value in building her own brand. This episode, she shares advice on how we can all work to build our brands, along with other lessons she’s learned alon...

Jen Dudeck didn’t set her sights on being the Chief People Officer of a global software company when she first started her career. But when an opportunity presented itself, Jen took a leap of faith and didn’t look back. In this week’s episode, Jen details how following her instincts, recognizing the need for balance in her life, and most importantly leaning into what makes her unique led to her success today. 

• 1:40 - How Jen fin...

In this week’s episode, Diana talks with Kate Robinson about the importance of not only knowing the value you offer but also tracking it. Kate has incorporated this practice of documenting her value into her professional habits for growth, and she explains how it’s benefitted her professionally and personally. This practice in addition to her fearless approach to life has undoubtedly contributed to her success.

• 1:15 - Why Kate g...

Noelle Kim has worked in a variety of industries - from food to tech. But no matter where she's worked, she’s gotten ahead by delivering an incredible first impression. This episode, she gives her advice on how we can all get better at first impressions, how to build trust with your team, and what her various career pivots have taught her. 

1:15 - How Noelle got a meat exporters license 

2:25 - How Noelle started her career 

4:30 - No...

When Francoise Brougher took the job as the first COO of Pinterest, she never could’ve guessed that it would end in termination and a gender discrimination lawsuit.  This week, Francoise shares the details of her time at Pinterest, how she climbed the corporate ladder at Google, and what intentional reflection can do for your career. 

2:45 - Francoise’s termination from Pinterest

4:34 - How to operate in toxic work environments

8:11 -...

This week, we’re joined by Melanie Bell-Mayeda, the Head of Strategy and Operations, Insights and Innovation at Google.  Melanie shares how zooming out and thinking about the bigger picture has helped her maneuver through challenges, how she approaches ‘designing’ her career, and how returning to dance has improved her professional life. 

1:14 - How Melanie’s love of dancing translates to her professional life

2:36 - How Melanie hand...

To conclude our Women’s History Month series, we are joined by Jane Garvey, the first woman to serve as the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Jane is no stranger to being the first and because of that, she has never shied away from an opportunity. In this episode, Jane discusses the power of curiosity and flexibility and what that tragic day of September 11, 2001, looked like from the inside.

3:10 - Transition fr...

This Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting who were the first to do something big in their organization. This week, we’re joined by Sunayna Tuteja - the first ever Chief Innovation Officer at the Federal Reserve. Sunayna talks about how she handles setbacks, her approach to innovation, and her love of flying.

2:16 - Sunayna’s pivot from pilot to banker

5:27 - How she mastered public speaking

7:32 - Sunayna’s ‘recover with flair’ p...

To continue our Women’s History Month series, this week we’re joined by Marie Watkins, the first female infantry commander in Missouri. Unlike many of us, Marie has always known what her dream job is. But the role didn’t exist for her. In this episode, Marie walks us through her rise to infantry commander despite many roadblocks and how important it is to use your voice to be an advocate for yourself. 

2:50 - How Marie reconnected w...

Happy Women’s History Month! This month, we’re spotlighting women who were the first to do something big in their organization. This week’s guest, Gillian Power, was the first person in her law firm to come out as a transgender woman. 

In this episode, Gillian shares the lessons she’s learnt while climbing the corporate ladder - including the importance of building an ‘army’ of supportive people, how she positions herself as an inno...

As a former collegiate athlete and consultant, Lexi Bohonnon hasn’t always valued the importance of sleep. Now at the executive level, Lexi emphasizes sleep as a crucial part of professional growth. But growth doesn’t come easy when you don’t have a plan. With a degree in philosophy and sociology, Lexi's career track wasn’t so clear cut. So how did she become the Executive Vice President at a global AI search company? In this conve...

Alicia LeBeouf’s career trajectory looks a little bit different than most. Why? She takes risks, thinks strategically, and jumps on the hard assignments. Whether it’s moving from North Carolina to Minnesota in the middle of winter to work at Target, moving laterally from corporate to retail, or switching things up again and working at Meta, she has learned what moves will bring her the skills she’s looking for. This episode, Diana ...

Nicole Presperin always thought she was destined to be a CFO. But after not getting a big promotion, she reevaluated, and ended up pivoting into a business-facing role. In this episode, Nicole shares what she’s learned along the way - like the importance of taking stock of what matters in your life, and her realization that everyone has power, regardless of their title.

• 02:22 - Nicole’s experience switching career trajectories -...

Lisa Kolodny Johnson’s career has had its ups and downs. She was laid off during her maternity leave at one company. At another, she realized her workplace was abusive. These experiences helped her learn what feedback and experiences to take to heart, and what to leave behind. This episode, Diana and Lisa talk about how to figure out when feedback is useful and why women should start seeing themselves as the breadwinners.

• 02:10 ...

Vicki Lin doesn’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions, because she doesn’t believe that tactical goals - like saying you’ll run five times a week, or have an empty inbox by the end of each day - actually lead to transformative change. Instead, she runs experiments. In this episode, Vicki and Diana discuss what that looks like - plus, her tips on how to be a stellar manager, and the importance of separating your worth from your job ti...

We’ve heard about the antibodies in our body, but what about the antibodies in our lives - like the people who don’t think our ideas are worth following? Or old habits that hold us back from our goals? This week, Marie Rosecrans breaks down how she prepares for the detractors in her own life, how a bad case of stress-induced shingles caused her to reevaluate her priorities, and what being a working mom means to her. It’s an episode...