CareerCast by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

In a world that is strewn with obstacles of every imaginable kind, is it possible to achieve your goals and aspirations? As the daughter of a Puerto Rican mother and Yugoslavian immigrant father, Elisa Schmitz knows what it means to be an “outsider” learning to use her “differentness” to make a difference and succeed on her own terms as an Entrepreneur. Elisa believes you can do the same. She says, “Become the (Entrepreneurial) Fire” and not allow yourself to be in the fire, and get burned, but instead use the fire to ignite your motivation, passion, and grit. It means leveraging what you do have and can do. Remember, pure gold comes out of fire. In this CareerCast, Elisa shows how to transform obstacles that can block the progress of each of us into the unstoppable fuel of fulfillment and success. 

Is it possible to apply the principles of self-care and still have a robust career? While the two may seem like in direct opposition to one another, Minda Zetlin, the author of Career Self-Care, The Geek Gap and highly popular “Laid-Back Leader” column for Inc.com, would say that putting self-care into your career is essential now more than ever. In this CareerCast, Minda shares her research-backed advice and practical strategies to help you get the most out of your career and life – on your own terms.

“Should I stay or should I go?” is a question many people ask themselves, now more than ever. Perhaps this sounds like you: do you stay in a role you know and where you like the team or do you explore a new opportunity? When you contemplate a move: are you seeking to escape a not-so-great situation, or is the new job something you really want? This is a question Pete Devenyi, author of the Decoding Your STEM Career and technical executive leader, faced himself and advised others who were at a crossroads in their careers and lives. In this CareerCast, Pete shares how to make the stay-or-go decision with a focused, strategic, and heart-felt perspective, enabling you to advance with courage, confidence, and success.

What is the role of your career story as you look to change careers, get promoted, or gain funding for a project or venture? Esther Choy, President and Chief Story Facilitator at Leadership Story Lab, would tell you your story should do the heavy lifting. With the proper story, you can gain credibility, open doors, and increase support for your goals and dreams. Yet, many people miss the mark – but don’t have to. In this CareerCast, Esther shares her strong and powerful perspective, wisdom, and practical and actionable ways to help you create influential career stories that can positively accelerate your growth, success, and happiness.

What are the benefits of working on a hybrid team? Some people believe they could do the work from home and save money on parking, gas, and more. Yet Cali Williams Yost, Founder and CEO of the Flex+Strategy, believes you can create a real and committed community with vision, focus, and an open mind. As author of Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day, and the critically-acclaimed, Work+Life: Finding the Fit That’s Right for You, Cali helps organizations around the world create high performance teams with flexibility, empathy, and appreciation. In this CareerCast, Cali shares her insights, extensive experience, and wisdom to help you build hybrid teams (or really any type of team) where people want to work and stay.

In today’s world, can trust really be created, extended, and received? Stephen M. R. Covey, Global Practice Leader, Global Speed of Trust Practice, former President and CEO of Covey Leadership Center, and bestselling author of The SPEED of Trust—The One Thing That Changes Everything would say, “Absolutely YES”. While it’s not easy, it is essential for greater effectiveness, competitive advantage, and profitability. In this CareerCast, Stephen shares how individuals in organizations – from entrepreneurial to global entities – create trust one-on-one, within teams, and more broadly. 

Leadership can be challenging in the best of times, so what about in an age of uncertainty? Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President, National Transformation Partnerships at Microsoft, believes that this is the moment to lead with hope, empathy, and a positive perspective, vision, and action. In this CareerCast, Jean-Philippe shares his insights, strategies, and empowering spirit from nearly four decades as a leader at Microsoft with a grounding in positive psychology, neuroscience and mindfulness.

Change comes in many forms and today it is happening at lightning speed. While change is inevitable, fighting against it or making it your ally is the difference between defeat and victory. Just ask Roger Crawford, who Sports Illustrated named as "One of the most accomplished physically challenged athletes in the world." For him, change is has been a catalyst for many major accomplishment in his career and life. In this CareerCast, Roger shares his wisdom and practical strategies for making change your ally and using it for greater success, happiness, and self-empowerment.

Career challenges can come from many places – some expected and others surprising. Sergeant Major Matthew R. Drayton is no exception. He faced more than a few obstacles during his 20+ years in the US Army (16 of those years working with elite Special Operations forces) and in his business experience in government and commercial commerce. His two books, Leading While Black and Succeeding While Black – chronicle both the adversity and ways to positively transform it. In this CareerCast, Matthew brings his insights from experiences with challenge and victory to help you build personal strength and power for greater ability, contribution, and meaningful success.

Loneliness is an epidemic across the globe for individuals of different backgrounds, ages, and professions. So what is the answer? For Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen, advisors, corporate consultants, and authors of Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In, the answer is creating genuine belonging. In this CareerCast, Ryan and Steven, share their insights, extensive experience, and wisdom to help you move from loneliness to belonging for greater success and happiness – for yourself, your team, and your company.