Join former Google executive and author Jenny Wood as she shakes up the traditional career playbook with her bold insights. Jenny reveals how unconventional traits, like assertiveness and a dash of selfishness, can become your superpowers. She stresses the importance of risk-taking over waiting for permission, and how mastering the art of saying 'no' can reshape your life. With tales from her tech career and practical tips, this conversation is all about stepping out of your comfort zone to truly get what you want.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Challenge Conventional Thinking
Challenge conventional career advice.
Embrace traits like selfishness and obsession for advancement.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Subway Story
Jenny Wood shared how she overcame self-doubt on a subway.
This led her to meet her now-husband, proving the power of taking risks.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Be Proactive
Be proactive in dating and career; don't wait for opportunities.
Kim Scott found her husband by actively searching profiles, highlighting the importance of taking charge.
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Radical Candor by Kim Scott offers a practical approach to management by emphasizing the importance of caring personally and challenging directly. The book argues that effective managers must find a balance between being empathetic and providing clear, honest feedback. Scott draws from her experiences at Google and Apple to provide actionable lessons on building strong relationships, giving feedback, and creating a collaborative work environment. The book introduces the concept of 'radical candor' as the sweet spot between obnoxious aggression and ruinous empathy, and provides tools and strategies for managers to implement this approach in their daily work[1][2][5].
Atonement
Ian McEwan
The novel centers around Briony Tallis, a thirteen-year-old girl who, in 1935, witnesses a flirtation between her older sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. Briony's incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination lead her to make a false accusation that changes all their lives. The story follows the repercussions of this event through World War II and into the late 20th century, as Briony spends her life trying to make amends for her mistake. The novel is a complex exploration of guilt, atonement, and the nature of writing and memory.
Wild Courage
None
Jenny Wood
Stop playing it safe—embrace the bold, unexpected traits that actually get you ahead.
Success doesn’t come to those who wait—it comes to those who take it. For years, you’ve been told to be humble, play nice, and wait your turn. Jenny Wood says that’s exactly why so many talented people stay stuck. As a former Google executive turned author of Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It, she’s here to expose the real traits that drive success—ones that might make you uncomfortable. Forget the polite career playbook, being selfish, obsessed, even a little manipulative (the right way) can actually be your biggest advantage. Jenny gets radically candid with Kim and Amy on why risk-taking beats waiting for permission, why saying “no” is a career superpower, and how to self-promote without sounding like a jerk. If you’re sick of playing it safe and watching others pass you by, this episode is your permission slip to take bigger swings and get what you want.
Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Kim and Amy welcome Jenny Wood, author of Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It. (00:1:02) The Nine Traits That Will Get You Ahead Nine controversial traits that are actually career superpowers. (00:4:26) The Subway Story That Changed Everything Jenny shares a story on ignoring self-doubt and taking action. (00:10:16) Calculated Risks vs. Playing It Safe Why taking smart risks is essential for personal and professional success. (00:13:04) The Google Factor: How It Shaped Wild Courage How Google built confidence, encouraged risks, and sparked creativity. (00:17:09) Owning Your Weird Advice for staying authentic in workplaces that don’t naturally foster it. (00:21:38) Identifying Your Power Assets Identifying your power assets to make self-promotion feel natural. (00:25:22) Managing Up, Higher, and Diagonally A tactical guide to workplace influence through strategic senior connections. (00:31:54) Overcoming Bias in the Workplace Strategies to counter workplace biases in recognition and self-promotion. (00:36:56) Why Saying No is a Superpower How learning to say no without guilt protects your time and energy. (00:42:40) Get in Front of the Right People The importance of standing out and getting noticed by leadership. (00:44:57) Pull It and Bullet It The “Pull It and Bullet It” method for impactful, time-saving emails. (00:48:05) Where to Find Jenny Wood Where to get Wild Courage and find Jenny for keynotes and workshops. (00:49:41) Conclusion
Radical Candor: Communication at Work 
