The People Stack Podcast
Jen Bunk
We explore the intersection of Tech Leadership & Dream careers. We do this by creating inspiring podcasts - including interviews with amazing individuals in the tech leadership space.
Dr. Jen Bunk earned her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology (a.k.a. The Science of Work). She is a retired Associate Professor and an accomplished speaker & researcher. As the CEO of the People Stack, she’s used her decades of experience to coach hundreds of tech leaders to create their dream careers - and the dream lives that go with them.
Rob Allen (Jen’s husband) is a 20+ year software industry veteran who moved from IC to Leadership in 2010, where the focus has always been on helping the technical folks who worked for him live their best lives. In 2019, he broadened that to the tech community as a whole by joining Jen full-time at The People Stack as her Co-CEO.
Dr. Jen Bunk earned her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology (a.k.a. The Science of Work). She is a retired Associate Professor and an accomplished speaker & researcher. As the CEO of the People Stack, she’s used her decades of experience to coach hundreds of tech leaders to create their dream careers - and the dream lives that go with them.
Rob Allen (Jen’s husband) is a 20+ year software industry veteran who moved from IC to Leadership in 2010, where the focus has always been on helping the technical folks who worked for him live their best lives. In 2019, he broadened that to the tech community as a whole by joining Jen full-time at The People Stack as her Co-CEO.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 17, 2020 • 23min
Episode 101: Are workplace politics getting in the way of your tech career growth?
Do you want to grow in your tech career, but workplace politics are getting in the way?
You feel like you could make more of an impact, and get recognized more for your wins, but the climate at work is so hostile and toxic (or both), that there’s no way you can make that happen with taking drastic actions.
Here’s the truth: If you don’t learn how to navigate workplace politics, you’re never going to upgrade your tech career. Because there will always be this invisible yet very real barrier to your growth.
How do you approach thorny workplace politics with confidence and integrity (without coming off like a whiny 2-year-old)?
Check out this episode!
Feb 12, 2020 • 23min
Episode 100: Feeling overwhelmed because of your tech career? It’s selfish to not fix it! Here’s why.
Feeling stressed or overwhelmed can be a very private experience. We all feel it in different ways and it can be hard for others to relate.
But the reality is, if you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed because of your job or your career…
I guarantee it’s affecting others in your life!
So it’s selfish not to address it.
Ready to gain the tools and strategies so you can manage your sense of overwhelm, upgrade your tech career, and build loving relationships in your life?
Tune in for this episode!
Feb 10, 2020 • 28min
Episode 99: Stress, Burnout, Overwhelm: The Silent Killers of Your Tech Career
We don’t see stress, burnout, or overwhelm.
But oh boy do we FEEL them.
But what are they exactly and how do you know when it’s the usual “I can deal with this” stress of being a leader vs. TOO much.
Are you TOO overwhelmed and you don’t even know it? And - is it silently killing your tech career?
Do not miss this episode!
Feb 5, 2020 • 19min
Episode 98: When you run away from fear, you’re running away from more money, impact, balance, joy, and freedom
When most people feel fear, they run away.
This is true in all areas of life - including in your work and career.
Scared about asking for a raise? So you don’t ask for it.
Scared about firing that team member? So you don’t fire him.
Scared about leaving your job so you can have a better one? So you don’t leave.
When you run away from fear, what’s it costing YOU in terms of money, impact, balance, joy, and freedom?
In this episode, I reveal the TRUTHS about fear that most tech managers never realize.
Turn on your listening ears for this one!
Feb 3, 2020 • 20min
Episode 97: What Fear REALLY Means (and why it’s keeping you from building your dream tech career)
What does fear mean to you?
When you feel fear, what do you do?
In this episode, I’m going to talk about fear b/c it’s the #1 emotion that our clients feel. It’s also the #1 factor that was keeping them from building their dream careers.
Wanna find out how they re-framed fear so they could use it to their advantage - at work and in the rest of their lives?
Don’t miss this episode!
Jan 29, 2020 • 17min
Episode 96: You’re a tech manager who wants more out of your career. Do you have trouble describing the pain this creates?
What’s not working in your tech career right now?
Can you describe the pain you’re feeling? Is it frustration, anger, guilt, shame, stress...or something - more?
It’s okay if you have trouble finding the words. For a long time, we couldn’t describe it either.
But because we’ve had in-depth conversations with close to 1,000 tech managers, we know how to describe it.
And even better than that, we can help you out of it.
If you’re looking for clarity on exactly what’s not working in your tech career right now, please watch this episode!
Jan 27, 2020 • 23min
Episode 95: The Silent, Insidious Diseases That Plague Tech Managers
Deep down, does work feel like death by 1,000 paper cuts?
Are you secretly terrified that you’ll vanish into irrelevance?
Are you suffering from lack of recognition and loss of self-respect?
Are you worried that you’re settling for a comfortable, tolerable, unfulfilling existence?
If so, you’re not alone.
These are the silent, insidious diseases that plague so many of the tech managers that we speak with.
Want to cure yourself once and for all?
Do not miss this episode!
Jan 22, 2020 • 19min
Episode 94: The Busyness Trap and How to Escape It
Are you addicted to checking email, checking Slack, reading a bunch of articles, checking in on your team (when they really don’t need to be checked on)...and in general doing the small, weedy, tactical things that don’t really make an impact?
If you finally want to upgrade your tech career and command a premium salary (while you make a huge impact as an effective leader), you have to escape this busyness trap and focus on the BIG stuff!
I’ll talk about how in this episode!
Jan 20, 2020 • 22min
Episode 93: Being Busy is Not Going to Help You Upgrade Your Tech Career
When someone asks you how things are going at work, is your immediate response often:
“Yeah, great! Really busy!”
Is being busy a good thing? Do you want to be busy - or - do you want to be productive?
Not understanding the difference could cost you your ability to upgrade your tech career.
Do not miss this episode!
Jan 15, 2020 • 24min
Episode 92: The truth about getting more letters after your name (MBA, Phd, etc.)
MBA, Ph.D, M.A./M.S.
Then there’s all the certifications as well: PMP, CAPM, PMI-ACP
ABCDEFG
Why work so hard getting advanced degrees and certifications? Will they guarantee you’ll be a better technical leader and advance in your career?
