The Career Change Maker Podcast
#283: Intentional Career Management with Olya Yakzhina
🎙️ Episode Overview
HR is evolving — and with it, the roles of managers, employees, and People leaders.
In this episode, I sit down with Olya Yakzhina, People Director at Switchee, who shares her unique journey from psychology to leadership in HR.
Olya dives deep into how internal mobility, feedback, and community-building are shaping the future of work. We explore how personal growth, even through discomfort, can lead to transformation — and why supporting managers is a non-negotiable for a thriving workplace culture.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Resilience in the HR Journey: How Olya’s career path and love for startups shaped her people-first leadership style.
âś… Internal Mobility & Value Exchange: Why empowering employees to grow from within starts with trust, clarity, and mutual value.
âś… Supporting Managers to Strengthen Culture: How mentorship, feedback, and community-building help create more engaged, empowered teams.
Action Steps:
đź’ˇ Reflect on how internal mobility and feedback show up in your current role or team.
💡 Explore ways to support managers in your organisation — mentorship, training, or community can go a long way.
đź’ˇ Consider how value exchange applies to your career growth and workplace relationships.
Resources:
- Work with Janine
- Career Change Maker Website
- Join the Career Navigator weekly email series
- Follow Janine Esbrand on Instagram
- Connect with Janine Esbrand on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to Janine Esbrand's YouTube Channel
- Olya Yakzhina’s LinkedIn
- Learn more about the Supercharge Your Career Course (Olya’s LinkedIn Post)
- Supercharge Your Career (free course)
- The Modern Employer Podcast
👉 Subscribe, Share, and Leave a Review
If you’re on a journey to elevate your leadership and make a greater impact, hit subscribe to the Career Change Maker Podcast. Share this episode with your network, and leave a review to help more professionals discover the show and achieve their leadership goals.
