"Should I leave my corporate career to start my own business?"   I get this question quite a bit.   In this episode, I share my perspective.    FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com)    WORK WITH US Join the Catapult Your Career Program  (http://cycprogram.com)   GET IN TOUCH Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stellaodogwu/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_intelle/ Email: [email protected]

We're no doubt in a season of turbulence. Inflation. Layoffs.  Talk of recession... In today’s episode I discuss how you can take your focus off the news and navigate this time well.    FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com)    WORK WITH US Join the Catapult Your Career Program  (http://cycprogram.com)   GET IN TOUCH Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stellaodogwu/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_intelle/ Email: [email protected]

Think back to the very beginning of your career. Wanting to be approved of. Being the most obedient, compliant and reliable person were likely the most important traits. I call this Survival Mode. And it made sense. You wanted to prove yourself; put some points up on the board, gain expertise. And now you have! Now it's been 10, 15, 20 years And the unfortunate reality is that most are still in Survival Mode. How do we get to Thriving Mode? What does that even mean? Join me on today's episode where we define what it means to thrive in your corporate career. - Stella

Most ambitious people never actualize their ambitions. Not because they cannot. Often it's because "Life got in the way." Ever feel like you are going through an unbearably difficult season in your life... And wonder if it's time to throw in the towel? Downsize your goals? Delay your timeline? In this episode, I share with you openly some of the challenges I've had recently and how I have managed to still accomplish the biggest milestones in my career. I know you can too. To a gentler season for us all. - Stella

We've all been there. Your day is humming along nicely and predicatably. And then Bam! You open up your email and there it is. A huge mistake you made staring right back at you. A bad call. An oversight. An undeniable eff up. Maybe it was as simple as a typo on a presentation. Or you shut down a plant prematurely and 200 people are out of work. Or something in between. The higher up you go, the costlier your mistakes. Certainly staying at the same level and never growing isn't the answer. The key is to get better at navigating mistakes. So how do you handle them? In this episode, I share with you my own costly mistakes as well as a framework for navigating mistakes successfully. Take a listen and share your thoughts. - Stella

How frustrating is it to go through 16 interviews, meet 25 team members, and fly to each office... only to be told 3 months later, "we really enjoyed meeting you but we went with someone with more industry experience." If you have ever been through this, you know this can be very confusing. You may even wonder... Certainly, you saw my resume and knew what industry experience I had?"🤔 If you wonder if you are being fed a crock of you-know-what, I hear you. In this episode, I share my opinion on this occurrence. Why did it happen? What can you do to avoid this in the future?

Recently, I was catching up with a woman in our network who I haven't talked with in a while. She shared with me that she had left her previous company and taken a 6-month leave due to burnout. She had since returned, landed a new role, and was now 30 days at the new company. I asked her, "How are you feeling now? How is it going?" She admitted, "Honestly, I am feeling the same feelings creeping back up again." The burnout was looming again even at the new company. She was feeling a bit defeated because she thought if she could only take the time off and land something new... And yet, even with a change in environment and people, nothing had really changed. In this episode, I share with you why taking time off isn't the cure-all to burnout and discuss what is really at the root of burnout and how to address it.

In today's episode, I share 2 mindset challenges that need to be addressed to become an unstoppable female leader.

One of the questions we get asked quite frequently is: My company or team is really flat and lean. There are no open spots for me to move into Director or VP. My manager would need to leave before I can get promoted. How do I move up? In this short episode, I address this question. 

I know you have big goals for your life that require more money. You'd like to get to the $500K mark and beyond so you can create a lifestyle and legacy for yourself and others. You visualize it. Talk about it. Maybe even journal it. But let me ask you. Have you run the numbers? Most people receive a 0-3% increase in their income every year. Based on your merit and COLA increases over the last few years, have you crunched the numbers to see if this will happen? Tune in to this podcast episode, as I answer the question - How long will it take a person making $180K to get to $500K?

In this replay episode, we discuss Making The Transition To Senior Leadership. I know how daunting it can feel to translate your career goals into action and results. It can feel like there is so much outside your control and you may feel like you are at the mercy of others. But I also know just what is possible when you decide to do the work. This conversation with our very special guest - Cherise Adkins, SVP of Media at a Public Relations Firm, centered around her career journey so far and what it took for her to land rapid promotions in the midst of the pandemic. We also discussed the mindset and behavioral shifts of a senior leader.

In this episode, we discuss the 3 Mindset Shifts to Catapult Your Career this Year.

If I asked you to sound off on your company’s culture, what words would come to mind? Over the years, so many women have described their company culture in less than flattering ways. To name a few... - Toxic - Cutthroat - Slow - Set in their ways - Lack of focus on family / work-life balance - Induces impostor syndrome - Not conducive for introverts Listen to this replay episode to learn who precisely is responsible for the company’s culture.

Do you know anyone who makes $500K in her Corporate Career? I don't mean, literally. I mean do you know anyone intimately? In your inner circle. Someone you can actually observe closely. For many high-achieving women, the answer is NO. And so most women have no idea about how to actually go about this. No idea what kind of woman actually does this... Without ending up ill, Without sacrificing her relationship with her spouse and children, Without losing herself completely. In today's episode, we discussed what kind of woman gets to have this career and life.

Did you miss our latest event - The C-Suite Sprint? Over 3 days, we guided hundreds of women to a place of true clarity in their corporate careers and lives. Check out a short snippet from our conversation on - “Do I even want the C-Suite?” Ready to begin your journey to the C-Suite, book a 15 min call with us - 

Did you miss our latest event - The C-Suite Sprint? Over 3 days, we guided hundreds of women to a place of true clarity in their corporate careers and lives. Check out a short snippet from our conversation on - “Do I even want the C-Suite?” Ready to begin your journey to the C-Suite, book a 15 min call with us - 

Did you miss our latest event - The C-Suite Sprint? Over 3 days, we guided hundreds of women to a place of true clarity in their corporate careers and lives. Check out a short snippet from our conversation “Do I even want the C-Suite?” If you’re ready to begin your journey to the C-Suite, book a 15-min call with us.

Earlier in my career, within 3 months of joining a company, I delivered $1M in cost savings. This was the highest level of savings the company had ever had with one single project and in a very unlikely category. Needless to say, this brought with it a lot of attention and visibility. I essentially toured the company, presenting to the C-Suite and several other executive leaders. With all of this attention, the leader of my function sent an email to the Board and company-wide to introduce me. My heart sank when I read it. My last name had been butchered beyond recognition. I don't mean just one or two letters were out of place. This was the kind of email I would have framed! And instead, I felt unseen and irrelevant. This leader had countless conversations with me; we had had many working lunches to discuss the project. But he couldn't take 5 seconds to check for the correct spelling of my name. At that moment, I remember thinking... Shouldn't this be one of the basics? The foundation of leadership? A basic sense of respect for your team? This was one of the defining moments that shaped my leadership style. In this episode, I invite you to reflect on your unique experiences in your career and life so as to become the most authentic leader you can be.

Can you think of a single company that isn't undergoing massive restructuring right now? Changes in executive leadership, Significant amounts of new team members joining the organization, Divestitures, and Business Unit realignment, etc. And yet, if you think deeply about your career journey so far... You may realize that this is par for the course. Change has always been inevitable. Why then do many high-achieving women use change (both at work and home) as a reason to put their goals on pause? To derail or even extinguish their goals? Listen in on today's podcast episode for more.

When in doubt, go back to the simple things. In the last several days, I had coaching conversations with 4 different SVPs in 4 different companies. As we tackled some of their major business challenges, we uncovered some incredibly simple solutions that they had been neglecting. As we get older, and more seasoned, in our careers, we tend to ignore or overlook some simple practices that make such a big difference in our outlook and mindset. In today's podcast episode, I remind you of 4 simple practices that when done consistently, will create a big shift that inevitably leads to solving more complex business challenges.

Executive Presentations - most working professionals dread them.   The additional, often unpredicted workload that comes from... - Hours of research and data gathering from multiple team members - Creating and reviewing slide decks with 1000 slides and 30 different versions - Countless dry run - Not to mention the anxiety and nerves from actually delivering the presentation itself   Here's what I know... Every major growth spurt in my career came on the heels of one of these presentations.   Listen to today's podcast where I share 5 benefits of Executive Presentations and why you should seek them out diligently.

Check out this week’s podcast on cultivating strength, discipline and resilience. 

Recently, one of the ladies inside our Catapult Executive Coaching Program was asked to take on more in her organization. She was stretched thin already. Unprecedented levels of attrition at a rapid pace. Compressed deadlines. More demands. She was furious. Why were they doing this to her? Why were they trying to take advantage of her? Why was she being punished for staying and being loyal? How did we coach her through this? What was the ultimate result? In this week's episode, I share with a sliver of the conversation we had. If you have been a in a situation like this, take a listen.

Recently, I was on a flight and found myself in a conversation with the passenger next to me.   Now generally, I don't love these airplane conversations as I tend to prefer solitude and stillness to inauthentic small talk while flying.   He asked me what I did and that led to a whole conversation on how young I appeared to have done so much in my career.   As the conversation began to dwindle, I put on my headphone and began to reflect.   - How exactly did it happen? - How did I reach the pinnacle of my corporate career before age 30? - How did I go from Entry level to Director in 7 years? and Head of Supply in 10?   I realized that there had been quite a few "door opening moments" throughout my career that led to my catapult.   In this short yet punchy episode, I share with you 3 of such moments.   I hope it inspires you to go after exactly what you want in your career and life.   Take a listen.

In this replay episode, I share with you my perspective on Impostor Syndrome as a Senior Leader. An article about Impostor Syndrome in the Harvard Business Review expressed that companies are responsible for causing and therefore, eliminating impostor syndrome in their employees. An interesting perspective. What exactly is impostor syndrome? Where does it come from? What to do about it? Who is responsible for dealing with it? Let’s explore. At Intelle, our goal is to help women have the support and the strategies they need to make it all the way to the top in their careers.  Here’s 2 ways to connect with us. Book a 10 minute Connect Call with one of our team members here. Follow us on Instagram here. If you have a colleague or a friend who needs to hear this, please share this episode with them. And remember… You belong at the very top, and I cannot wait to see you there. 

Join me for this powerful Replay Epsiode. A while ago, we decided to enroll our daughter in private swim lessons. We did the research, identified a couple of options, and made a final selection. After a couple of months, however, we began to notice a few things that were less than ideal for us. Last-minute cancellations, double booking, a general sense of confusion each time we showed up, among other things. “We should probably find a new place”, I said to my husband after a particularly exasperating experience. He agreed. But neither of us pulled the trigger. Weeks went by. More of the same. We were settling for good enough. Because of the effort we assumed it would take to find something better. With a quick mindset adjustment, we took action and made the necessary changes. In reflecting on this, I was reminded of how powerful inertia can be. For good and bad. In this replay episode, we will discuss how to use this powerful energy to your advantage, so you can achieve more results faster than you thought possible. At Intelle, our goal is to help women have the support and the strategies they need to make it all the way to the top in their careers.  Here’s 2 ways to connect with us. Book a 10 minute Connect Call with one of our team members here. Follow us on Instagram here. If you have a colleague or a friend who needs to hear this, please share this episode with them. And remember… You belong at the very top, and I cannot wait to see you there. Stella

Have you ever wondered if the grass was greener in Entrepreneurship? Have you ever blamed your Corporate career for your level of dissatisfaction? Have you thought to yourself ... "If only I can leave my corporate job and start my business, I would make millions, call my own shots, work 10 hours and lay on the beach not needing to answer to anyone? This episode is for you. In this succinct episode, I share the real on entrepreneurship and how to make the best decision for your career; from a truly informed and well thought out place. Listen in!

Women Empowerment! A term you’ve no doubt heard. But what exactly does it mean? Like most cliche terms of its kind, it has long lost its meaning and has been relegated to IG memes and feel good posts. But no seriously... What does it mean to you? And who is responsible for it? And what does it look like in practice? In this episode, I share a conversation / survey with 15 executive leaders in which I pose difficult "women empowerment" situations and get their take. Give it a listen!

At the age of 16, I left Nigeria to attend Bradley University, Peoria, IL.   One year before, this was a virtual impossibility as our family did not have the means to pay for four years of schooling in the US.   Through divine intervention and lots of hard work, we were able to piece together several scholarships to cover Year 1.   I remember the feeling of trepidation when every semester, I wondered if we could afford another year or if I could afford to feed myself.   I remember working three part-time jobs on campus while taking a full course load and double majoring in Accounting & Economics.   So when I finally graduated with honors, I made a commitment to support others who were having to navigate life similarly.   I started by supporting my sisters, who also were able to study here in the US.   And then started donating $600 / yr for book scholarships.   And... today, my dream came true.   Listen to this podcast episode where I not only share this dream but discuss what this may mean for you.

You know what I've noticed? Sometimes when people see a woman accomplishing her career and life goals... they instantly assume she had nothing else going on. No challenges. No setbacks. But I have to tell you; the women closest to me achieve their goals in spite of some of the most difficult situations life brings. Here's the thing. No one ever promised that this would be smooth sailing. In fact, I dare say the moment you declare your goals out loud... Something will happen to test your resolve and your commitment. So what do you do when life gets tough? When surprises pop out of nowhere to wreck the balance and harmony you've meticulously created? When schedules, nutrition plans and exercise routines fall apart in the face of chaos? How do you navigate? In this week's episode, I share some simple strategies that have helped me deal with life's challenges while still accomplishing my stated goals.

At some point in your career, you will need to make a very important shift. The shift from focusing on cultivating expertise to cultivating relationships with people. This means that somewhere on your calendar should dedicated time and focus to initiating, nurturing and leveraging relationships with people at multiple levels.  Often, we relegate relationship building to something we have an immediate need. Think back to when you were looking for the role you have now. You reached out to recruiters and had conversations. You scheduled weekly coffee chats. You kept caught up with former colleagues. You scoured Linkedin for new opportunities and... like a detective, connected the dots on who worked where and who did what. Then you landed the role. What has happened since? Are you keeping the same energy? Or are you waiting until the next time you need something? In this podcast episode, I discuss the importance of staying connected at all stages of your career jouney. Take a listen.

Episode 78: Are You Missing The Forest For The Trees?

Director.   A role in most organizations that signifies an increased level of leadership and responsibility.   Often comes with leading and managing seasoned Managers and experts.   And approximately $200K base salary; and in some industries even more.    Unfortunately, many talented team members never quite make in to that stage in their career before burning out.   Yes, there are fewer of these roles available, relatively speaking.   But could there be something else at play here?   Are there things you may be doing that stifle your likelihood of achieving Direct and above in your career?   In today's episode, I talk about the behaviors that need to change in order to transition to Director and above.

A few nights ago, like most nights, I was getting my daughter ready for bed time. Our routine includes: bath time, read a book, sing one song (her absolute favorite part), and then it’s lights out So I said “ok time for your one song.” To which she replied, “Twenty.” (Bear in mind, she has just learned to count that high.) I said, “Twenty what?” She said, “I want twenty songs.” I sat there, equal parts amused and surprised. When, where and how did my 2 year old learn to negotiate? And not just negotiate … She countered with her absolute max! Later as I prepared for bed myself, it occurred to me that I was asking the wrong question. The right question was… When, where and how do we unlearn asking for exactly what we want? Let’s explore this on today’s podcast.

If you spent a single day in any business school or leadership development course, you likely learned at least 1 of the 50,000 models for evaluating strengths. Using one of these models, you probably identified a list of attributes at which you defined yourself as innately good. Your strengths. "I am naturally a people person." "I am really good at thinking big picture." "I am a great collaborator." Is there anything wrong in that so far? Maybe not. Here's where things take a turn in my book. The next piece of advice often is - "Work in your strengths. Find roles that highlight your strengths.  Don't focus on your weaknesses." But is that sound advice? Especially for someone who aspires to executive leadership? It's not obvious to me. Let’s discuss this on today’s podcast.

Being a leader can be hard.   - Ambitious targets - Market fluctuations - Attrition - Demanding CEOs - Peer competition and politics   Not to mention the personal side of life!   What happens when we reach our limit? And - Does it ever get easier?   Tune in now as we explore this and more.

I realized something recently.   There is one thing that has never been in short supply in our lifetimes. Statistics. Trends. Patterns. Throughout our career and lives, we continuously bombarded with these. X% of people were laid off during the pandemic. Y% of people are quitting their jobs in the Great Resignation. Women make Z% of what men make. Let me ask you...   What do you do with these? Do you pay attention to them? Ignore them completely? Talk about them incessantly? Make career moves based on them? Justify your decisions to yourself based on them?   As the 1% of talent, what do these statistics mean for your career?   Listen now as I share with you how I have used these throughout my career to achieve my goals faster than anyone else thought possible!   Would you like to participate in the live recording of this podcast, including getting a chance to ask Stella your most pressing career question? Then, join us for this Thought Leader Thursday inside of The Catapult Crew, our free private network for powerful women leaders. Visit thecatapultcrew.com to join us.

Most people do the exact same thing day after day, week after week. - Get up same time. - Get yourself and everyone ready for work / school. - Drive the exact same routes. - Maybe eat the same thing. - Attend the same work meetings and repeat the same discussions. And on and on. We are creatures of habit. Now, there isn't anything inherently wrong with this. Habits are after all necessary and efficient. But it can get dangerous. There are times in life when we must disrupt our status quo to unlock a new level. Because more of the same gets us...more of the same. So, what exactly needs to be disrupted? When? How? Let’s explore this together in today’s episode of the podcast.

What does it mean to be fulfilled by your career?   Fulfillment can be so hard to pinpoint, and so we tell ourselves, we’ll know it when we feel it.   But will we? And how can we get more of it?   Listen now to today's podcast as I share my thoughts on fulfillment, in career and in life.

In this replay episode, we discuss the importance of being intentional about creating the corporate career you want. What's the difference between an expert and a leader? What does that mean for your career trajectory? And, How do you get clear on which track to focus on? Tune in to this episode to explore.

Happy New Year and welcome to 2022!! Over my vacation, I reflected about what I wanted to share with you in week 1 of the year. Here’s what landed in my spirit. It’s time to Stop. Stop the yearly cycle of setting New Year resolutions, only to completely ignore them by Feb because life got busy. Stop mentally beating yourself up because you may have already messed up on some of your “goals”. Stop writing and rewriting your “intentions” in a brand new 2022 journal, knowing full well the last journal from 2021 still has lots of blank pages. Stop following free, cookie-cutter advice that isn’t tailored to you. Each year, we get older. And wiser. So, how do you use this wisdom to transform in any area of life? So you can achieve your truest, most heartfelt desires, career and otherwise?

If I asked you to sound off on your company’s culture, what words would come to mind?   Over the years, so many women have described their company culture in less than flattering ways. To name a few... - Toxic - Cut throat - Slow - Set in their ways - Lack of focus on family / work life balance - Induces impostor syndrome - Not conducive for introverts   Listen in to this week’s episode to learn who precisely is responsible for the company’s culture.   Would you like to participate in the live recording of this podcast, including getting a chance to ask Stella your most pressing career question?   Then, join us for this Thought Leader Thursday inside of The Catapult Crew, our free private network for powerful women leaders. Visit thecatapultcrew.com to join us.

Have you been so focused on putting all your energy into your company’s goals and your team's goals, that you’ve ignored your own? Neglecting your own personal and professional development can lead to frustration as we come to the end of the year. Career development will not just naturally happen as a result of you being excellent at your job at your current level. You need a development roadmap to ensure you get there. If you don’t yet have a plan to get you to the next level (or two) in your career - tune into this throw-back episode.

In this throwback episode, we uncover some of the ways that your personal brand as a current or aspiring leader is actually standing in the way of the promotion or job you want. Interested in discussing this topic more? Join our free community by visiting http://thecatapultcrew.com

In this episode, Why You Felt Nothing After Your Last Promotion? Recently I was speaking to a new VP at a Fortune 100 company. When I met her, she had been Sr Director for about a year.   We made the VP role happen in 6 months.   Once the deal was done, I asked her how she felt.   She admitted, “I don’t know, Stella. I mean…I guess I’m happy. But I thought I would feel more. I don’t really… I feel like I should be more excited than I actually am.”   Have you ever felt this way?   Worked really hard to get promoted or land a new role and then felt…   Nothing?   Listen to today's episode to know why.   Would you like to participate in the live recording of this podcast, including getting a chance to ask Stella your most pressing career question? Then, join us for this Thought Leader Thursday inside of The Catapult Crew, our free private network for powerful women leaders. Visit thecatapultcrew.com to join us.

Let’s try this a different way   I know you worked tremendously hard to get to where you are now in your career.   You may have - Worked 13 hour days - Pulled countless all nighters to complete projects and presentations. - Sacrificed taking full vacations - Rearranged family plans to accommodate work expectations - Hopped on several planes with little notice to solve problems   You may then think to yourself… - If this is what it took me to get to this level of Sr. Manager or Director … - Can I really do 2X to get to the next level? - Do I even still have that much drive left in me? - Can I do 2X the the long hours? 2X the stress and overwhelm?   I want you to know… YOU DO NOT HAVE TO!   This idea that you need to put in twice the hours to get to VP or SVP   To have more impact in your career   To make $500K in total comp   It is a myth. A lie.   There is another way.   You can work smarter, not harder!   This week, we have pulled snippets from past episodes that will help you reframe your thinking around this.   Would you like to participate in the live recording of this podcast, including getting a chance to ask Stella your most pressing career question? Then, join us for this Thought Leader Thursday inside of The Catapult Crew, our free private network for powerful women leaders. Visit thecatapultcrew.com to join us.    

In this episode, we discuss Do You Have A Career Timer?   I have always been an early riser... most mornings I am up at 5AM.   When I first started cultivating this, I would set an alarm - a blaring, hard to ignore signal that would jolt me out of my dream state.   Oh and there was no snooze button.   Do you have an alarm set for your career?   Any blaring, hard to ignore signals that jolt you awake when you've gotten comfortable?   Perhaps you already... - Achieved a great base salary at mid 100K so most needs are met; - Work at a great, well known company with amazing people; - Attained the level of Director;   But you also know... you want more.   The higher you go in your career, the easier it becomes - To plateau. - To prioritize comfort over growth. - To become severely risk averse.   You will need a career alarm clock.   Listen in to today's episode to learn how to apply this concept in your career so you can land a skip level promotion in under 12 months.   Would you like to participate in the live recording of this podcast, including getting a chance to ask Stella your most pressing career question? Then, join us for this Thought Leader Thursday inside of The Catapult Crew, our free private network for powerful women leaders. Visit thecatapultcrew.com to join us.

In this episode, we discuss Rip This Up And Throw It Away I want you to imagine for a moment how much pleasant and enjoyable your life and career would be if you could ditch the stress and overwhelm once and for all. How would you feel? What would you do with the extra energy and clarity of thought? Many women, no matter their rank in their organization, confide in us how debilitating the overwhelm and stress has become. Especially now. Listen in to today's podcast to learn the one big move I made years ago that changed everything for me - I RIPPED MY TO-DO LIST! That scrap of notebook paper. The planner. The 20 Post its. Or the Notes App That is NEVER empty. Living your life according to your to-do list will lead to burnout. Would you like to participate in the live recording of this podcast, including getting a chance to ask Stella your most pressing career question? Then, join us for this Thought Leader Thursday inside of The Catapult Crew, our free private network for powerful women leaders. Visit thecatapultcrew.com to join us.