"The best case scenario of bravely leaning in is when you make empowered, conscious, and unique decisions for your one glorious career and life." - Nicole Trick Steinbach Listen in for a nuanced conversation about the combination of the “Lean In” concept and the skill of bravery to how you can make choices to build your brave career.  First, I discuss what the “Lean In” concept is, exploring both the positive and negative aspects of the approach. Then I dive into three specific, anonymous...

“Be yourself and own your strength unapologetically.” - Nupur Aggarwal Balancing the courage to pursue your ambitious career goals, in balance with your values and relationships, is a powerful but unexpected pathway to your brave career.  Our guest this week is Nupur Aggarwal, an established and global product strategist, joins me for a candid discussion about self-confidence, authenticity, taking risks, and choosing to be true to your inner voice. Nupur shares her story of building a life...

"Your resistance could be your worst enemy, but it could also be your friend. Where you feel the resistance is where you can answer: what do I really want?" — Nicole Trick Steinbach I share my career transformation story, using my Build Your Brave Framework, to answer the question, “What do I really want?”  I walk you through how I redefined success and the struggle I faced in finding clarity, taking action that was based on my actual desires, and making a brave career decision that balanced...

“I had very much been raised with the mindset that the single career was the way that you define success. You pick a job, you stay in that field… [but] I found a bunch of different stuff that I enjoyed. And at one point, in December maybe, you said to me, “Rebecca, you know, you're self-employed now.” And I was like, “Oh, yeah, I guess I am.” - Rebecca Walter Rebecca Walter joined us to share her brave career story of redefining career goals, career growth, and skill-building phases can be...

“Your functional skills are important, but they won't create career growth. Career growth is created via your network. The more time you spend networking, the more your career will grow.” Nicole Trick Steinbach Human connection, also called networking, is the most important strategic approach to career growth, so this episode covers the foundations for networking: mindset, approach, and implementation details.  Most importantly, if you feel scammy while networking, you are doing it wrong....

Your willingness, your bravery to imagine who you will be in 30 years is indicative of how willing you are to do the work to become her. - Nicole Trick Steinbach This week we discuss the importance of imagining and becoming your future self in the context of career growth and transformation. With thought-provoking questions about who you will be in three years, 10 years, and even 30 years, I dive into the significance of bravery and imagination in shaping your career and life. Drawing from my...

"I wanted to cultivate some happiness in my life because my mind was so stuck in perfectionism and performance, and I didn't do well enough. So I was like, I need some optimism and positivity. So the question is, where did I smile today?" - Melissa Rauen This week we dive into perfectionism and performance anxiety with guest Melissa Rauen. In one year Melissa changed almost every aspect of her life: she got married, bought a house, shifted her career, and transformed her approach to work and...

Stressed out. Overworked. Underpaid. Passed over (again… and again… and again). That’s just how it is as a woman in and around the tech industry, right? Nope. Not around here. Around here we build the skill of bravery so that we can stress less, work less, and then earn more.  Because this is the Build Your Brave Career podcast.  This podcast is just for you, an experienced woman in the tech industry who is ready to flip the script on the tired sterotype that women like us have to be stressed...

"There are two ways that specific feedback matters to your career. First, where you need to grow your skills for career growth. Second, insight into the person giving you feedback.” - Nicole Trick Steinbach  Let’s delve into the crucial role of specific feedback in skill development and career growth. With statistics, my personal experience, and testimonials from my clients, I reveal the profound impact that specific, concrete, trackable feedback can have on your professional growth.  I...

"Before I decide that I'm the problem, I'm going to make sure I'm not surrounded by broken situations." - Nicole Trick Steinbach  One powerful quote can help you quickly clear up a stressful, unrewarding career situations: “Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.” ― William Gibson I share personal and client experiences to help you reflect on current career situations that are burning you out and...

"Always have your sense of intrinsic worth separated from whatever is happening to you so that even in a storm, you can be a steady ship." -Mariana Pavia  Mariana Pavia, Product Marketing Expert, shares her experience of reclaiming her career self-confidence to embrace her intrinsic worth during a difficult career phase, which took place during a difficult, bizarre phase of the job market.  First Mariana shares her biggest lessons that began with her courageous leap into an Ivy League...

Do you know who the most powerful person is in your stress cycle? It is you. You are the most important, most powerful person. - Nicole Trick Steinbach  Radical responsibility is a concept about moving from blame and criticism, towards actual responsibility for the results that you are not just experiencing, but you're also co-creating. It's about making that shift from being the victim. It is about placing yourself into a position of empowerment and choice.  In this episode, I delve into the...

"If I were to think of one thing that has changed the trajectory of my life, but also my career, it would be that it would be taking responsibility for the results in my life,” - Christine Kern Christine Kern discusses the importance of carving out your career path with intention, courage, and a deep life perspective. She shares the intimate details of her journey, from running high-powered teams across the EMEA region to her bold decision to leave a dream job in pursuit of creating...

So you just found out you're underpaid. What do you do now? This episode is going to answer that question. - Nicole Trick Steinbach  Being underpaid is an all too common dilemma for many professional women, especially women in tech. This episode will show you how to address being underpaid and how to fix it. I outline an eight-step process, crafted from my own experience as well as those of my clients.  This episode starts with the emotional journey of discovering and managing your feelings...

"I am really proud of myself for everything that I've done. And looking back, seeing that and what it's done just reminds me that I can continue to do more." — Jennie Block, Sustainable Product Development Manager expert and digital nomad.  Jennie works with small and medium-sized companies to understand and reduce their impact on our environment. Jennie is also my client. We delve into the strategies and emotions behind Jennie's bold career moves, including how she specifically confronted...

“How do I actually use the build your brave framework? In this episode, I answer the most common question I receive, and also share a concrete, recent example from my own career.”  - Nicole Trick Steinbach Listen for a specific example of how to utilize the Build  Your Brave framework to stress less, work less, and earn more. I share a specific example of how I continue to use the framework in my own career and business growth: renaming this podcast from “Celebrate Brave” to “Build Your...

“I've read somewhere that a small dream is a crime. I think you’ve got to push yourself constantly forward. Even when things are fine. Then that means there can be a problem: you are getting too comfortable, and you don't want to be there. You got to change it.” - Sita Lakshmi Our guest, Sita Lakshmi Sangameswaran, is a developer relations expert. In this episode, she shares her wisdom on embracing resilience, the power of self-definition, and the importance of staying curious.  We also dive...

"Until you can acknowledge and then begin to deconstruct your internalized misogyny, you are not only holding back your own career, you're holding back...all of the other people." - Nicole Trick Steinbach We dive into the crucial topic of internalized misogyny and its impact on women's perception of leadership, particularly in the tech industry. Through a thought-provoking conversation, I challenge the discomfort and resistance towards female leadership, with concrete data that highlights the...

"You can stay solid in this in your personal brand, who you say you are, not who this company says you are or what they're saying about you in your performance evaluations. You are more than that. And I would shout that from the rooftops: we are more than our jobs." - Yo Canny  Your personal brand can make or break your career growth. Yet, too many women in tech and corporate careers don’t kow how to craft a personal brand that is simple, impactful, and reflect who you really are. That...

"It is brave to set a clear goal. It is also brave to set that clear goal and know when it's time to leave that goal behind and quit." -Nicole Trick Steinbach This week we discuss the importance of knowing when to shift or quit a goal, especially when it comes to our careers. I first share what a SMART goal, why they are important, and then I encourage you to consider the "unless statement" so that you can understand when it might be time to pivot, transform, or let go of a career goal.  I...

“Authenticity is a privilege. Looking back, younger Sarah did not have the right or the choice to be her most authentic self, not if she wanted to get ahead. It's like you have to play by somebody else's rules to get to a place where then you're in a position to make the rules.” - Sarah Charles Sarah Charles is our guest this week and together we explore the intertwining journey of authenticity and career transformation, highlighting Sarah's shift from a conservative corporate environment to...

“We need to talk about this major misunderstanding that the standard for human performance is the same as functional performance. It is not.” - Nicole Trick Steinbach This week I address the misconception that many high-achieving individuals hold themselves to a standard of perfection based on a major misunderstanding of career growth: that functional standards are the same as human and growth standards.  This episode is particularly for high-achieving women who work in fields, like coding,...

"This episode is specifically designed around answering the question, how did I know it was time to get my career coaching? Hear successful women share their unique answers." - Nicole Trick Steinbach Women must recognize the symptoms that indicate the need for professional development and investment in their career growth goals, so this episode answers the question "How did I know it was time for me to get career coaching?" from 10 different women.  I start with a common misconception that...

Do I need a career coach? What the hell is a career coach? Is my career going in the right direction? Should I be asking for more money? Am I doing too much? Am I not doing enough? It's a cycle of panic." — Nicole Vafadari  In this episode of the Celebrate Brave Podcast, I am sharing a conversation from a related podcast, This Could Have Been An Email to dive deep into the world of career coaching and explore whether or not it's something you need.  I joined hosts Nicole Vafadari and...

"The Yes-No Spiral can be a chaotic, painful, out of control, overlapping, up, down, all wacky spiral. That's what we want to say no to. Or it can be a life-affirming, curiosity-driven, uneven spiral of growth and change. I recommend the latter" - Nicole Trick Steinbach Many of us have experienced the process of identifying our "no's" and "yeses" only to discover a significant gap between the two. It can be disheartening and confusing, so this episode walks you through how you can close the...