Forever Employable Stories

As the season comes to an end, Jeff Gothelf recalls the thought-provoking and inspirational conversations he shared with his prolific guests. Successful individuals from a variety of industries pulled back the curtains on their experiences and exposed secrets to success that elevated them personally and professionally. Tune in for more insights and road maps to becoming forever employable when Jeff Gothelf returns in Season 3!

Rita McGrath is a prolific author, speaker, and strategic advisor. In addition to being Strategy Professor at Columbia Business School, she is also the founder of Valize, an organization dedicated to helping other organizations build lasting innovation capability as the basis for long-term shared prosperity. Rita’s work centers at the intersection of strategy and innovation.Rita joins Jeff Gothelf to discuss how to turn career success into an opportunity-generating platform. She shares insights on honing your craft, networking, and publishing that made her forever employable. You’ll hear Rita and Jeff Gothelf talk about: The typical business school path in academia.  How writing for practitioners differs from writing for academia. The relationship between consistency and credibility. Self-publishing a book vs. publishing through another party. Forming good partnerships. What Rita draws inspiration from. Why working from an abundance mindset is good for everyone. ResourcesJeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | TwitterJeffGothelf.comRita McGrath on LinkedIn | TwitterRitaMcGrath.com

Codie Sanchez, a journalist turned entrepreneur, is the founder of Contrarian Thinking and cofounder of Unconventional Investors. In finding contrarian ways to invest, she has worked at the intersection of marketing and money throughout her career. She is an advisory board member at Entourage Effect Capital, and invests in women-led startups in Plum Alley, WAVE, and The Vinetta Project.Codie joins Jeff Gothelf to share stories about the twists, turns, and lessons she experienced along her professional journey. She discusses the challenges of content creation, sharing platforms, and how she equipped herself after leaving her first profession to be forever employable.You’ll hear Codie and Jeff Gothelf talk about: Why people sometimes leave a great job. The signal that points to taking the next step. The benefits of building in public. How Codie started sharing content, and the tools she used. Owned content versus rented content, and why people should have the former. Codie’s process of monetizing content. Setting boundaries after success. ResourcesJeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | TwitterJeffGothelf.comCodie Sanchez on LinkedIn | TwitterCodieSanchez.comContrarianThinking.co

Laurie Ruettimann, a former corporate HR executive turned entrepreneur and podcaster, shares her journey of pursuing fulfillment outside the 9-5 grind. She discusses the importance of self-leadership, the decline of corporate loyalty, and how recognition can boost performance. Laurie emphasizes finding your medium and growing your audience, along with the benefits of coaching. She reflects on her pivotal moment of self-discovery during a layoff and advocates for adaptability in the ever-changing work landscape.

Enrique Rubio, the founder of Hacking HR and co-founder of Cotopaxi, shares his journey of creating a global HR community. He discusses how to pivot from fear to confidence, emphasizing authenticity and unique appeal in attracting members. Enrique reveals strategies for monetizing community services while bridging HR with technology. He provides invaluable tips for aspiring community builders, stressing the importance of starting small, creating meaningful content, and nurturing connections. Tune in for inspiring insights on community growth and the future of people operations!

Dorie Clark has twice been named one of Thinkers50’s Top 50 Business Thinkers in the World and is ranked the world’s best communication coach. She is an executive member of various organizations. Dorie is a contributor at Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur Media, and Fast Company, as well as an instructor at LinkedIn. She is also host of Better, a weekly LinkedIn Live interview show for Newsweek.Dorie joins Jeff Gothelf to talk about building a personal brand with your recognized expertise. She shares stories of her professional journey and gives insights from what she has learned along the way that made her forever employable.You’ll hear Dorie and Jeff Gothelf discuss: Dorie’s forced transition out of journalism, and the evolution of the world of work. How Dorie got her first book deal. Dorie’s experience of how sustained effort and commitment gets your foot in the door. What success looks like as an author. The pros and cons of getting a publisher versus self-publishing. How to tell when your expertise has been recognized. Creating the outcomes we want by putting thought behind our decisions. ResourcesJeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | TwitterJeffGothelf.comDorie Clark on LinkedIn | TwitterDorieClark.comThe Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World

Julia Lemberskiy is co-founder and Managing Director at JJ Studio Agency, and Principal at Frontier Values. Ex-Uber executive turned investor and startup consultant, Julia helps startups of all sizes launch new products & markets, scale their operations, and acquire new users through world-class marketing & sales. Julia joins Jeff Gothelf to talk about her rapid rise to success. She shares her experience with building her personal brand and thought leadership, and her hopes for expanding even further, making her forever employable.You’ll hear Julia and Jeff Gothelf discuss: Julia’s high school introduction to the world of startups. How Julia decided where to focus her personal brand. The invaluable benefits of having a coach or mentor. Being laid off, and how Julia bounced back. Turning the negatives of unemployment into an opportunity to create something new. Why it’s important to develop a target persona for your desired audience. Julia’s prediction for thought leadership and brand and community building in the next 5-10 years. ResourcesJeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | TwitterJeffGothelf.comJulia Lemberskiy on LinkedIn 

John Cutler is a product evangelist, coach, and Head of Product Education at Amplitude. As an accomplished writer, John has an amazing ability to create, record, and produce content at an incredible rate. He is passionate about wrangling complex problems and answering the why with qualitative and quantitative data.John joins Jeff Gothelf to share how he uses all the knowledge he’s obtained to build a bigger and broader following, all in service of staying forever employable. He talks about his professional journey and discusses tips for creating content.You’ll hear John and Jeff Gothelf talk about: John’s journey from dropping out of college and attempting a video game company to product evangelism. How John started writing about product management. Advice for creators interested in monetizing their content. What John draws inspiration from, and why you don’t need to be massively inspired to create. Laying the foundations to give yourself options. Asking your employer for adjustments or accommodations, rather than leaving your job. The coolest stage John has ever been on, between his stint as a musician and his job as a speaker. ResourcesJeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | TwitterJeffGothelf.comJohn Cutler on LinkedIn

Jas Leverette is a Bay Area dog trainer and dog behavior expert at California K9 Solutions, also known as Cali K9. With 20 years of experience working with hundreds of K9s, he can recognize drive, temperament, and disposition in most breeds and truly optimize a dog’s potential. Jas is also the star of his own Netflix show, Canine Inventions.Jas joins Jeff Gothelf to share how he developed his love of dogs and passion for training them. He talks about how he grew his business, and why he decided to elevate it to a personal brand, which ended up with him having his own show and becoming forever employable.You’ll hear Jas and Jeff Gothelf discuss: Jas’ childhood experiences with dogs, his exposure to dog training, and his transfer from medical cannabis to pursuing dog training as a profession. The importance of using tools correctly.  How Jas built his reputation to the point where he started working for celebrities.  The innocent encounter that inspired Jas to scale up from just being a dog training business. The best parts of making a TV show. Jas’ advice for people who are interested in turning their passion and expertise into a personal brand. Educating people about dog behavior. ResourcesJeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | TwitterJeffGothelf.comJas Leverette on LinkedIn | Twitter CaliK9.com

DanikaXIX is a YouTube personality and adult model known for her commentaries on comics, films, books, and television shows. She has been featured in Cosmopolitan, TEDx, and various other online outlets. Despite coming from an entire town of engineers, Danika’s passions lay in art and media. She spread her wings when she was just 18 years old, to pursue an artistic career.Danika joins Jeff Gothelf to share her story, and motivate others to follow their dreams. She talks about her journey into YouTube and content creation, and connecting with her audience. She also shares tips on how to maintain good relationships.You’ll hear Danika and Jeff Gothelf discuss: How Danika found her passion in art, despite coming from a family (and town) of rocket scientists. Danika’s foray into YouTube, and how she made it sustainable. Creating a job on the internet. Using Patreon to build a deeper relationship with your audience. The importance of consistency when publishing content. Danika’s rebrand, and what inspired the change. How Danika stays relevant and connects with her audience. ResourcesJeff Gothelf on LinkedIn | TwitterJeffGothelf.comDanikaXIX on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Twitch