LEAVE YOUR MARK: Freshly Brewed Career Advice with Aliza Licht

In this episode of Leave Your Mark, I speak with the CEO at Fire Memos, career coach, and author Octavia Gorodema, who shares her expert insights on navigating career transitions and overcoming obstacles. Octavia, who founded the Twenty Ten Agency and has worked with major corporations like Google and Nike, discusses her mission to help professionals thrive in their chosen fields. Known for her impactful career development work and Audible original series 'How to Change Careers,' Octavia shares invaluable insights on navigating career transitions, defining personal success, and actioning immediate career strategies. Highlighting her initial conversation with her clients about what success means to them, she emphasizes the importance of understanding individual career goals and the subjective nature of success. We discuss the challenges of career advancement, the necessity of recognizing one's worth, the concept of a 'portfolio career,' and the implications of workplace dynamics, especially in relation to management. Octavia provides: A six-step plan for preparing for career setbacks. Advocating for self-documentation of achievements. Recognizing the common mistake of underestimating one's worth. The power of energizing and motivating others to leave a lasting mark in their careers. Octavia also talks about her book 'Prep, Push, Pivot,' which offers career strategies for underrepresented women, dealing with changes at work, handling difficult bosses, and the mistake many make of underestimating their worth. The episode is packed with practical tips for career advancement, the value of tracking accomplishments, and the power of energizing others through one's work.

Leave Your Mark is like The Devil Wears Prada meets career advice. That's what I thought of when I wrote my book in 2015. And this podcast is a continuation of everything I started back then. I'm your host, Aliza Licht. I'm an award-winning marketer, two-time author, and personal branding expert, and I am your trusted guide every week, bringing you career advice and stories that you really don't hear anywhere else. Because here's the difference: my podcast is keeping it real. And I want to make sure when you listen to these episodes, you walk away feeling like, I can do that. I can literally take that advice and employ it tomorrow. Because we don't need fluffy advice and we don't need to hear people just bragging about their careers.We need to hear real information that we can use. So join me this season, Season 14. I am so excited to be back. We have a stellar lineup of guests and this season I'm going to be doing something new. I am going to start some solo episodes based on my new book, On Brand, on specific topics. And I think it'll be really fun to have those episodes too.So subscribe to the show. I can't wait to have you listen. And please remember that whatever you're going through right now, if change doesn't hurt a little, it's not change. Keep on rocking. Aliza x

How many journalists do you know who can simultaneously report a story and inadvertently become the story? Taylor Lorenz sits in a class by herself. As a technology journalist for The Washington Post, she doesn't just report on the latest trend but writes about topics with more significant meaning and what they say about the state of technology, media, and culture. But as a creator and internet personality, Taylor has often become the story herself and a target by many. The backlash comes swiftly, frequently, and usually from right-wing media. Tucker Carlson's favorite pastime is bashing her every move. Fox has held entire segments around Taylor, and #TaylorLorenz is often a trending hashtag on Twitter (now X). Elon Musk has gone after her many times. The minute she publishes a story, she'll start trending, and the trolling begins. None of it is slowing Taylor down.Taylor Lorenz has been the authority on internet culture for over a decade, documenting its far-reaching effects on all corners of our lives. In her first book, Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet, debuts this week, she presents a groundbreaking social history of the internet—revealing how online influence and the creators who amass it have reshaped our world, online and off."It's important to set the record straight on where the "creator economy" emerged from because, in 2021, when Silicon Valley finally woke up and was forced to take internet culture seriously because of the pandemic, there was just so much revisionist history. They were talking about how MrBeast founded the notion of productizing himself — that's just not true. Beauty vloggers were doing that back in 2012. Mommy bloggers pioneered a lot of these revenue streams, so I wanted to also talk about that. No one has written that history. I want to tell the stories that have been written out of history by Silicon Valley," says Taylor. In this episode, Taylor and I map her journey from former aspiring fashion publicist to globally renowned journalist. We cover the state of the creator economy, how she follows trends and the future of tech, where she sees social media heading, and most importantly, setting the record straight on its birth and evolution. I am honored to be included in her book for my work as the former DKNY PR GIRL social media personality I created and was the voice of from 2009-2015.I have loved watching Taylor's career. Fun fact: her first work experience was as a PR intern at DKNY in my department! She has an exceptional finger on the pulse of the internet and the ability to see patterns others don't. I truly admire her strength and resistance to her haters. In her new book, Extremely Online, she shares "the inside, untold story of what we have done to the internet and what it has done to us."

You don't need to invent something new to be a wildly successful entrepreneur. According to Liz Elting, one of Forbes's "Richest Self-Made Women in America," you only need to identify something you can do differently and better. Her new book, DREAM BIG AND WIN: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion Dollar Business, captures all her learnings.After living, studying, and working in five countries across the globe, Liz Co-founded TransPerfect out of an NYU Stern dorm room in 1992. At the time, there were already 10,000 language solutions companies in existence. In fact, she was working at the biggest one. However, Liz saw flaws in their service offerings and set out to do it better. She succeeded and built the largest language-solutions company in the world. She served as Co-CEO until 2018. Following her departure, Liz founded the Elizabeth Elting Foundation to break down systemic barriers, bridge gaps, and foster systemic change for women and other underserved communities so that people of every stripe can succeed, thrive, and reach their potential. In 2020, the Elizabeth Elting Foundation launched the Halo Fund, a comprehensive multimillion-dollar pandemic relief initiative to directly support medical needs, hunger relief, health equity, and on-the-ground efforts in underserved communities. When Liz was at NYU, she tried to find books on starting a business, but none resonated with her, and she read many. In DREAM BIG AND WIN, Liz reveals a counterintuitive approach to success and divulges practical and inspiring tips you can implement immediately. Her refreshingly frank and humorous recollections of lessons in life and entrepreneurship serve as a guide for anyone who seeks to fulfill their highest potential.DREAM BIG AND WIN is for anyone who has ever dreamed of translating their passion into purpose and creating something bigger than themselves—from one of the most successful women in America.This episode is full of tactical and sometimes surprising advice. Liz shares everything from why your goal should be to replace yourself, the shocking question she asks every candidate she interviews, why you should never be a 50/50 partner, and so much more. 

In this special edition of LEAVE YOUR MARK, I sit down with Catherine Fisher, Vice President of Integrated Data and Consumer Communications for LinkedIn. Because who's better than Catherine to share the information we need right now to ensure we navigate our careers strategically?Catherine is an established marketing and communications leader and has worked for some of the most notable consumer brands, including Netflix and eBay, with more than 20 years of experience. Currently, she leads the consumer communications strategy for LinkedIn and serves as the company spokeswoman educating and inspiring people on how to think about and grow their careers. 

After decades in marketing and communications and a new role as an operating partner at Traub, Kate Doerge never anticipated that she would also become a CEO. This new job, however, is the one her whole career has prepared her for and the one she was meant to do. When Kate's daughter Penny rolled off the bed at four months old, what seemed like a typical tibia fracture uncovered a diagnosis called Neurofibromatosis, also known as NF. One out of 300,000 kids is diagnosed with NF. This genetic disorder causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways anywhere in the body. At the time, doctors encouraged them to focus on healing the leg and not google NF. As parents, they were determined to make sure Penny lived a big, beautiful life. Even though she had her first surgery at 15 months old and was in a body cast for four months, she would commando crawl across the room in her bright pink cast bedazzled with gemstones. Nothing stopped Penny.Throughout her life, Penny was never defined by her ailments. She also didn't hide from them. She knew she was different from most people but never referred to it. Over her short years, Penny endured seven orthopedic surgeries and 11 brain surgeries. She never felt sorry for herself. Penny lived as a typical social and funny teenage girl with a beautiful smile and someone who was always the life of the party. Sadly, NF took Penny at 16. Within days of Penny's passing, Penny's Flight was launched in celebration of the extraordinary life of Penny Doerge and the qualities she personified — joy, artistic expression, and humor — while bravely living with Neurofibromatosis (NF) since infancy. The Foundation's mission is to make much-needed advances in medical research on Neurofibromatosis and related disorders — with a lasting impact on altering the course of this disease. There is no cure for NF, and research around the disease remains underfunded despite being one of the most common genetic disorders in the United States. Through Penny's story and bright light, the Foundation aims to expand knowledge around NF while inspiring others to find beauty in imperfection, positivity in the face of challenge, and faith over fear. In less than a year, they have raised over $3 million for Penny's Flight, and this is just the beginning. There is no greater tragedy than losing a child. Still, Kate Doerge and her husband, Chad Doerge, made a choice: to choose joy and positivity and focus on spreading their daughter Penny's light because living life with joy and optimism came naturally for Penny.In this episode, Kate shares how she and Chad handle adversity and how their mentality of choosing joy and positivity has led them. Kate shares the steps they took to build this Foundation in a few days and how anyone can model this mindset to push through even the most tragic times. As Kate says, it's not about your lifespan but your wingspan. Penny always spread her wings and shined her light. This episode is about strength, resilience, and the power of positivity, everything Penny embodied. Penny lived her life's purpose and will continue to inspire others. 

Although Lisa Niver has traveled in far-off locales from Vanuatu to Nepal, received numerous accolades as an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries and six continents, and is the founder of the website WeSaidGoTravel, what people don’t realize is that this began fromthe wreckage of a rotten romance. As a newlywed, Lisa was on the adventure of a lifetime. She had quit her job, rented her condo, and traveled around Asia. To the outside world, Lisa was a woman living out her dreams of exploring ancient ruins in Cambodia and seeing orangutans in Borneo. She kept a dark secret in private: an abusive relationship. But, when she found herself lying on a sidewalk in Thailand, looking up at the sky in severe pain, she knew things had to change. At age forty- seven, Niver found the courage to set course on a new life. Feeling like a failure, pushing fifty, and moving home to her parents' house to start again from scratch, Lisa began taking one tiny "brave-ish" step at a time to take her life far away from the old one and into the adventurous world of travel writing. These small hurdles led to the challenge of trying fifty new things before turning fifty. From diving into shipwrecks, swimming with sharks, bobsledding at 3Gs, indulging in wild escapades, Lisa found herself traversing the worldon a journey of reinvention, personal growth, and discovering what it actually means to be "brave." Her new book Brave-ish chronicles Lisa’s inspiring expeditions to distant corners of the world, including Myanmar, Cuba, Morocco, Kenya, and Mongolia, but this is more than a travelogue. Brave-ish inspires readers to dream big, take risks, and embrace the unknown to create a life filled with wonder and excitement, even when courage seems elusive. In this episode, Lisa shares how she saved herself, took risks, embraced the unknown, and pressed the reset button when she fell off track. She also shares how she taught herself to rest, not quit. Lisa's story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of perseverance.  

Amanda Baldwin, CEO of Supergoop!, shares her journey to becoming an entrepreneur and the importance of finding the right fit and inspiring employees. They also discuss the challenges brands face when adding new platforms and the value of mentors and continuous learning. Lastly, they emphasize the significance of a supportive community and making a positive impact on others' careers.

Stacy Igel took the plunge from corporate to launching her fashion brand in 2001. As the founder and creative director of BOY MEETS GIRL®, she set out to launch her first trunk show the week of September 11th. What she could have never anticipated is what happened instead. The catastrophic attack solidified her mission to create a brand that leads with impact. She has given back to causes important to her and the world ever since.BOY MEETS GIRL® is known for its iconic double-silhouette logo and purposeful, edgy, contemporary athleisure wear. Stacy and BOY MEETS GIRL® seeks to promote the message that confidence and courage are trends that never go out of style. She has partnered with everyone from Bergdorf Goodman and Target to the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, to name just a few. She collaborates with musical artists, athletes, and activists, making an impact, as well as organizations including the Young Survival Coalition, BullyBust, Human Rights Watch, GLAM4GOOD, Youth Over Guns, and many others. Her new book Embracing The Calm In the Chaos: How to Find Success in Business and Life Through Perseverance, Connection, and Collaboration is one of Barnes & Noble's Top 20 Best in Business Books where she shares her entrepreneurial journey and provides practical tips and takeaways for others to use in life and business. In this episode, Stacy takes us on her journey of fashion disruption, embracing the calm in the chaos, how she thinks about partnerships, licensing, gaming, the Metaverse, and most of all, how she spends her time. As a working mom and someone who has her hands in everything, Stacy has been able to build a global brand while still managing to have fun.

When we talk about career changes, we don't normally talk about someone going from a media role to becoming the founder of a beauty brand, but that's exactly what Sophia Chabbott did as the founder of Testament Beauty, a skincare line known for being the Mediterranean diet for your face. Testament Beauty is centered around the simple and stunningly beautiful garden-grown ingredients core to her family heritage and traditions. How did she come up with her tagline of being the Mediterranean diet for your face? She was tired of opening her medicine cabinet and being bombarded with messaging like prevent, correct, and repair. Before founding Testament Beauty, Sophia was a journalist, and we worked together during her years at Women's Wear Daily and Glamour. I remember when Sophia told me she would launch a brand over dinner. Six years in the making, most notably because of her imposter syndrome, Sophia finally got out of her way and made her dream possible at the pivotal age of 40. "I was telling my brother somebody should do a skincare line that is, you know, sort of like how we grew up, like the Mediterranean diet but for your face, and he was like, why not you?"In this episode, Sophia shares her story and experience rising in her career to become a top-tier journalist and then saying goodbye to her media life to embrace the hustle life of being a start-up founder. She shares her fears, obstacles, and, ultimately, what made her move past her self-doubt to create something uniquely her own.