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Bet On Yourself by Ann Hiatt

Bet On Yourself by Ann Hiatt

By Ann Hiatt

This podcast is for ambitious people, just like you, who want to create a life and career that is full of adventure, learning and fulfilment.

I'm Ann Hiatt and for the past 18 years I have worked with the most powerful and influential leaders in the world while at Amazon and Google.

This podcast is dedicated to my fellow entrepreneurs, whether in heart, or already in the midst of daily startup struggles, who need to hear a perspective on greatness which you won't find anywhere else.

I am going to help you fast track your success by hearing the habits and tips of the super performers.
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#039 BONUS EPISODE - The Book Writing Process with Ann Hiatt

Bet On Yourself by Ann HiattNov 24, 2021

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15:33
Getting the most out of your team with Paul Falcone, Global HR Consultant

Getting the most out of your team with Paul Falcone, Global HR Consultant

In the final episode of Series 5 of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I speak to global HR consultant Paul Falcone. He has worked at some of Hollywood's leading companies, including Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and is now setting about writing and publishing a five-book series on workplace leadership. His HR career started by chance at an executive search firm, and while it wasn't his first calling, his attitude and outlook took him to the top. Paul has some incredible stories to tell from his time in Hollywood, as well as some valuable lessons to pass on.

Aug 10, 202247:07
Realizing your value with Sun Yi, Founder of Night Owls

Realizing your value with Sun Yi, Founder of Night Owls

In this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast I am joined by Sun Yi, the founder of award-winning web agency Night Owls. Sun has done it all – from 9-to-5 jobs to starting and leaving his own companies – and is now looking to create a community by way of mentorship, sharing what he has learned with the world in a scalable way.

Sun's self-confessed biggest weakness might have stopped anybody else from pursuing a creative career, but he soon realized it was in fact his biggest strength. Since then, he has used his scientific, analytical approach to build successful teams and take budding creators to the next level, helped along by his experience working in a whole host of different roles throughout his career.

Aug 03, 202256:28
Using your voice with Dr Randal Pinkett and Dr Jeffrey Robinson, authors of Black Faces in High Places

Using your voice with Dr Randal Pinkett and Dr Jeffrey Robinson, authors of Black Faces in High Places

In this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I am once again joined by two guests as I speak to Dr Randal Pinkett and Dr Jeffrey Robisnon, the authors of Black Faces in High Places. Published a decade after their first book, Black Faces in White Places, their latest work look at how people must not only fight for their place at the table, but use it to the benefit of others once they are there. Drawing on the examples of Carol Dweck and Barack Obama, among others, the authors talk to me about their experiences of academia, their careers and how they went about writing their newest book.

Jul 27, 202250:57
Finding your superpower with Sage Ke'alohilani Quiamno, Global DE&I Tech Lead at Amazon Studios

Finding your superpower with Sage Ke'alohilani Quiamno, Global DE&I Tech Lead at Amazon Studios

On this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I speak to Sage Ke'alohilani Quiamno, Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Amazon Prime Video and Studios. Having wanted to be a lawyer as a child, Sage has always sought justice in the world and has since dedicated her career to ensuring that businesses – both brand-new startups and large, global corporates – are representative of the communities they serve. She is also now using her platform to give back to the people of Hawaii through trust-based philanthropy, as a board member of the Hawaii People's Fund. Sage's story from international canoe paddling competitions to boardrooms across America is as colourful as it is moving, and I can't wait to share it with you today.

Jul 20, 202247:00
Identifying opportunity with Liane Katz and Rumbi Pfende, founders of MAMA.Codes

Identifying opportunity with Liane Katz and Rumbi Pfende, founders of MAMA.Codes

On this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I am joined by not one, but two amazing guests in Liane Katz and Rumbi Pfende of MAMA.Codes, a coding school for toddlers and children in the UK. Their business was born out of frustration – children were not getting the digital education they needed to survive in tomorrow's world. That frustration aligned with passions and interests in STEM subjects to create the perfect storm, and MAMA.Codes was born. Having had the foresight to take things online just before the pandemic hit, business boomed as parents were stuck at home with their children and now they've got their sights set on the next chapter of their story.

Jul 13, 202201:05:53
Maximizing your time with Rick Pastoor, author of GRIP

Maximizing your time with Rick Pastoor, author of GRIP

On this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I speak to Rick Pastoor. Having mastered his own time management, Rick wrote an internal guide for employees at his start-up, Blendle, on how to be more efficient with their own. After making it public, GRIP became an overnight best-seller in the Netherlands, which saw it go on to be published internationally. Rick admits that his principles are nothing new, but the way in which he presents the ideas in GRIP has meant they have landed with people in a way that has completely transformed their lives – personally and professionally. 

Jul 06, 202256:34
Pursuing your passion with Maria Brito, Art Consultant and author of How Creativity Rules The World

Pursuing your passion with Maria Brito, Art Consultant and author of How Creativity Rules The World

This week on the Bet On Yourself podcast I'm speaking to Maria Brito, author of How Creativity Rules The World. I have been itching to sit down with Maria because she is the ultimate example of betting on yourself, having left behind a successful legal career to pursue her passion – art. Now she is a Curator, a Collector and a Consultant to a long list of impressive names, from chart-topping singers to Fortune 500 companies. But how did she step out on to Wall Street one day and leave it all behind, before finding her new path? And how can you channel your creativity to enable success in the world of business? Well, she's here to tell us.

Jun 29, 202244:37
Building business confidence with Joe Haslam, Executive Director of the Owners' Scaleup Program at IE Business School

Building business confidence with Joe Haslam, Executive Director of the Owners' Scaleup Program at IE Business School

I speak to Joe Haslam in this week's episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, who has spent his entire career starting and building businesses and is now passing his wisdom on to the next generation of business leaders. Joe has seen several businesses scale from their infancy to having multi-million dollar balance sheets, and has an unrivalled insight into what it takes to overcome the inevitable imposter syndrome and create win-win situations for you and your bosses. Returning to his roots in academia, Joe is now leading the Owners' Scaleup Program at IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, teaching students how to not only find, but to create success.

Jun 22, 202249:18
Connecting the dots with Nicole Lapin, author of Rich Bitch

Connecting the dots with Nicole Lapin, author of Rich Bitch

In the latest episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast, I spoke to former CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg news anchor Nicole Lapin to talk about how she flipped her career on its head, leaving the news desk behind to become a best-selling author. Despite not coming from a background in finance, Nicole has overcome her sense of imposter syndrome to master the money conversation, making finance a more accessible and transparent topic for her readers. Already a four-time published author, Nicole now has a seven-book deal in the pipeline as she continues sharing her incredible stories and insight with the world.

Jun 15, 202249:57
The power of presence with Kathryn Finney, founder of The Budget Fashionista and author of Build The Damn Thing

The power of presence with Kathryn Finney, founder of The Budget Fashionista and author of Build The Damn Thing

This episode with Kathryn Finney, the Budget Fashionista turned entrepreneur, investor and author, examines how identifying opportunity can lead to untold success – but this isn't just Kathryn's story. Her own father's career change gave her a "lesson on living", and from there she has gone on to make a hugely positive impact on the world, and as a result has a beautiful, compelling and engaging story to tell.

Jun 08, 202201:00:08
Engineering serendipity with David Siegel, CEO of Meetup

Engineering serendipity with David Siegel, CEO of Meetup

This episode with David Siegel, CEO of Meetup, explores finding your "why" and then the "how" in order to create new career opportunities and engineer serendipity. We also talk about David’s new book, Decide & Conquer, his relationship with WeWork’s Adam Neumann and how growing up in a tight-knit community shaped his career path.

Jun 01, 202252:36
#040 Jessica Bataille, Interior Designer & Founder - Creating Magic Moments

#040 Jessica Bataille, Interior Designer & Founder - Creating Magic Moments

I am thrilled to have Jessica Bataille as my guest this week. She is an incredible entrepreneur and dear friend.

Jessica Bataille has been in the world of interior design for more than two decades. She was born in Holland, to a Dutch father and a Lebanese mother, and moved to Jávea, Spain when she was 12 which has been her base and inspiration ever since. She is a lover of the beauty of simplicity and master of the Mediterranean lifestyle. 

Her career in interior design began in 1996 when she was a salesperson in a small shop in Pedreguer. In our conversation Jessica shares how she took just one tiny corner of that shop and made it her own. She got noticed for her signature style when she bucked against the design trends of the day and did something unexpected and fresh selling Mexican furniture that was vibrant and cohesive with her signature mediterranean style. She also shares a fun story about going the extra mile for these early customers that really set her apart.

She left 2 years later, in 1998, to establish her first shop and has grown astronomically ever since. Her company has grown into several brand divisions and to 50 employees.

What really stands out to me in this conversation is not only her passion for her work and making the dreams of her clients come true - but sharing this with her larger community through her sustainable recycling and upcycling materials sourced from local artisans.

She is truly mission, vision and value driven! And her passion is contagious! I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Dec 02, 202150:14
#039 BONUS EPISODE - The Book Writing Process with Ann Hiatt

#039 BONUS EPISODE - The Book Writing Process with Ann Hiatt

On this bonus episode, we’re carrying on from last week as I’m sharing with you some behind the scenes stories of becoming an author and the creative process I went through went writing my first book, Bet On Yourself. I’m also sharing with you the non-linear journey this took and why I decided to write it!

You’ll hear the story, some context around it with some key takeaways, as well as actionable advice for you to implement into your life today. Have you ever thought about writing a book but not sure you have the time? Listen to the incredible story in this episode and you might think differently.

If you wrote a book, what would your write about? What stories would you tell? What wisdom would you share?

Nov 24, 202115:33
#038 BONUS EPISODE: Ann Hiatt - Bet On Yourself Reading

#038 BONUS EPISODE: Ann Hiatt - Bet On Yourself Reading

This week on the podcast, we’re doing things a little differently. I’m going to be talking about my newly launched book, Bet On Yourself. This is going to be a summary reminder for those who already have the book, and a teaser for those who haven’t received it yet. 

I’m also sharing some brand new content that none of you have heard before, some behind the scenes stories and three of my favorite excerpts! 

Have you read Bet On Yourself? I’d love to hear what your favorite parts are and what resonated most with you!

Nov 17, 202133:29
#037 Kevin Brown, Speaker & Author of Unleash Your Hero - Recognizing and Owning Your Gifts

#037 Kevin Brown, Speaker & Author of Unleash Your Hero - Recognizing and Owning Your Gifts

Today’s episode is with Kevin Brown - author, speaker and business exec.

As you’ll hear in this conversation Kevin’s unconventional path to success taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking.

He grew up in Michigan where his blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little known family business into the #1 franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion dollars.

What really stood out to me in our conversation was Kevin’s willingness to let go of an accomplished dream and put himself out there into the unknown and take on something new.

Since 2016, Kevin Brown has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible. I was intrigued by how he empathized that speaking isn’t his passion - but his gift

In his newly published book, Unleashing Your Hero, Kevin shares how the heroes who transformed his life are people just like you.  We talk about the inspiration behind writing the book and some of the key concepts he writes about. I was mind blown by his definition of ‘’heroes’’ and think you might be too.

Nov 10, 202101:00:14
#036 Molly Masters, Founder of Books That Matter - The Startup Adventures

#036 Molly Masters, Founder of Books That Matter - The Startup Adventures

My guest today is Molly Masters who founded Books That Matter in 2017, while still in her second year at university studying English Literature. She is hugely passionate about women’s writing, feminism and activism. Molly created this subscription box company as a way to raise up the voices of women writers and creatives (including transgender and non-binary persons), and to create a platform for social change and empowerment.

Today’s conversation is not one to be missed!

Molly’s story is the definition of humble beginnings. I first met her at a networking event in Bristol, which she couldn’t afford to attend but managed to hustle her way in. I immediately knew she was special! We talked about all the learnings, pivots and adventures of launching her start up, Books That Matter, thanks to a competition hosted by her university. You’ll want to hear her tell you how she not only was the only non-MBA student to apply but she was the first female winner in the history of the competition.

We go into the messy details of starting a business and how you can fill in those knowledge gaps. Molly walks us through the exponential growth she’s experienced since launching and throughout the pandemic (growing from her apartment floor, to an outdoor storage container to a full fulfillment center). She’s gone from countless rejections and packing the boxes herself, to becoming one of the biggest book subscription boxes in the UK!

We also talked about recognizing the need to start building a team and what that looked like for Books That Matter. Spoiler alert: Passion alignment is *everything*! Finally, Molly talks us through the biggest challenges she’s faced so far! You don’t want to miss this episode.

Let’s dive in!

Nov 03, 202101:16:59
#035 Garrett Peek, Team Lead in Garmin Labs - Connecting the Dots in Retrospect

#035 Garrett Peek, Team Lead in Garmin Labs - Connecting the Dots in Retrospect

My guest today is Garrett Peek. Garrett is a Team Lead in Garmin Labs working on disruptive product innovation. He is responsible for guiding the research, design, development, launch and growth of new products with hundreds of millions of enthusiastic customers..

Before joining Garmin, Garrett cofounded several startups and worked for Zynga after the acquisition of OMGPOP, where he designed the hit mobile game Draw Something.

As you’ll hear in this conversation, Garrett's career has been a wild ride. I can tell you now that things didn’t always go according to plan.

From a young age, he was known for his building and creating, whether it be lego or painting. He spent a lot of time thinking how he might be able to use or apply these skills in the ‘’real’’ world. After graduating, Garret decided he wanted to move to Boston to be closer to a friend, but after 28 job applications, 1 response and no job offers, he had to reassess.

This didn’t last for long, as before he knew it he struck lucky and was helping put together pitches for Super Bowl commercials. Garrett talked about how the moment you realize that you’re hitting your comfort zone, is the moment you’re prime for disruption - I loved this!

Garrett discusses the common themes to success throughout his career, which he says come down to three things: 1- what teams would I be useful on, 2- how do I make myself indispensable, and 3- what is FUN to me. He’s also pretty good at reading the room, but I’ll let him tell you that story.

Garret also highlights the importance of interviewing the company, as well as being interviewed by them. Have you ever asked what you are going in to solve during an interview?

Like most of our guests, Garrett didn’t have a plan and only now, looking back retrospectively, has he been able to connect the dots! I think this episode is sure to become a fan favorite!

Oct 28, 202101:12:60
#034 Vanessa Vallely OBE, Managing Director of WeAreTheCity - Betting On Yourself!

#034 Vanessa Vallely OBE, Managing Director of WeAreTheCity - Betting On Yourself!

My guest today, Vanessa Vallely, embodies everything we celebrate on this podcast! I am thrilled to introduce her to you. 

Vanessa Vallely is the CEO and founder of WeAreTheCity.com, which has 140,000 female members. Vanessa's corporate experience stems from a 25 year career in Banking, holding roles such as Head of Governance, Business Management & COO across nine financial institutions.

Vanessa has won 22 awards for her work in finance, gender equality, entrepreneurship and charity - including OBE - which stands for the order of the British Empire award - for her services to Women and the Economy 2018. Vanessa is an accomplished founder, entrepreneur and global speaker.

In this episode, we discussed so many incredible things!

First, we discuss one of my favorite topics, creating opportunities even when they appear limited. Vanessa’s story really illustrates the art of punching above your weight and being brave enough to raise your hand. Vanessa also tells us about how she dreamt about working in the financial industry and how she made that happen, despite not having the typical academic background. Yes, she faced her fair amount of ‘'no's'' along the way.

If you want to hear more, you'll have to listen to the episode! 

Oct 20, 202145:42
#033 Matt Teper, Editorial Director at Google - Becoming an Intrapreneur

#033 Matt Teper, Editorial Director at Google - Becoming an Intrapreneur

Matt Teper is the Editorial Director at Google, where he is the leader and cofounder of the Google Ink editorial team. The team is responsible for defining and refining the Google voice on all of Google’s primary content platforms, including the Keyword blog and social channels, as well as in major speeches, executive presentations, op-ed's, and all manner of creative and editorial work. (You know, it’s just a small job! I’m tired just reciting all of that!)

Matt came to Google in 2012, from the White House, where he served as then-Vice President Joe Biden's chief speechwriter for the first three-plus years of the Obama administration. He has no plans to go back to Washington, but he wishes his former boss well in his new job. For Matt’s next job, he hopes to become the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. He has a bachelor’s of journalism degree from the University of Texas and a JD from the University of Wisconsin. Matt lives in Palo Alto with his wife Jaime, daughters Devin and Peri, and a truly ridiculous dog named Mona.

This episode has MANY highlights, here are my favorites:

-Matt kicks off the conversation talking about his unconventional path to success - bartending, backpacking around Europe, food critiquing and attending law school before moving to DC and ending up essentially living on Air Force 2 as a speech writer for Vice President Biden. This is just a teaser of what’s to come in this episode!

-We discuss how being open to and taking a chance on opportunities that came his way created an unexpected career pathway for him. He’s not afraid to admit that luck and timing has been a huge part of his journey.

-After his time at the White House, he decided to take on a new adventure. He was told that with his experience, he could literally ''go anywhere and do anything’’. He realized his childhood dream of playing in the NBA probably wasn’t a viable option and settled on working at Google, where he wouldn’t have to ever wear a suit and tie again.

FYI if you are listening with little ones around that this episode is unbeeped to preserve the original, carefree spirit of the conversation.

Oct 13, 202157:14
#032 Jonathan Fields - The Good Life Guy

#032 Jonathan Fields - The Good Life Guy

This is the final episode of Season 3. I know! Where has the time gone? I’ve learned so much and been so inspired! I think this episode is a great capstone to the season!

My guest today is Jonathan Fields, who you might know as the Good Life Guy who delivers insights that spark purpose, possibility, and potential. I think Jonathan and I are kindred spirits as he too is on a decades-long quest to discover what makes people come fully alive.

Jonathan’s list of accomplishments and accolades is long! He is an award-winning author, Webby-nominated producer, business innovator, and host of one of the world’s top podcasts, Good Life Project (of which I am a big fan!). But you don’t have to take just my word for it! The Wall Street Journal named Good Life Project one of the top self-development podcasts, and Apple featured it on-stage during its legendary annual product event.

Jonathan is featured widely in the media, including The New York Times, FastCompany, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, CNN, The Guardian, O Magazine, SELF, Allure, Outside, Elle, Vogue, Fitness, and thousands of other outlets. (I messed up right here twice - hope it;s an easy cut in editing!) In addition to writing award-winning and bestselling books like, Sparked: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work that Makes You Come Alive, How to Live a Good Life, and Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel For Brilliance, Jonathan has founded several companies with a focus on maximizing human potential.

The most recent is Spark Endeavors, where he is the chief architect and driving force behind the world’s first purpose, engagement, and flow archetypes–the Sparketypes®. This powerful tool has been tapped by over 500,000 individuals and organizations, generating a rapidly growing, global data-set, and insight-based solutions to help transform how we work, lead and live.

Sep 15, 202158:41
#031 Marc Polymeropoulos - Clarity In Crisis
Sep 08, 202151:16
#030 Dave Clark, Parter at Expa and Former Head of Astronaut Relations at Virgin Galactic - Firing, Hiring & Finding What You Love

#030 Dave Clark, Parter at Expa and Former Head of Astronaut Relations at Virgin Galactic - Firing, Hiring & Finding What You Love

We’re carrying on with last week’s format as I’m sharing with you some of the core segments from a master’s course I’ve been teaching on the Secrets of Silicon Valley at a university in Barcelona. In this course I am presenting the methods and systems of success that can be replicated anywhere in the world to disrupt any market and achieve success. And yes, I mean anywhere. In this course I have brought in the smartest people I know and asked them for their own secrets of success. This week we’ll be talking to Dave Clarke about firing, hiring and finding what you love, as well as some crazy stories from his exceptional career. Let’s go…
Dave Clark has had what some would describe as an unbelievable, or even unattainable career, having worked with some of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs to help them transform their moonshot goals into reality. He has worked with Richard Branson on the Virgin Galactic space program, with Travis Kalanick at Uber and Larry Page and Sebastian Thrun at Kittyhawk. He’s now a general partner at EXPA, helping more entrepreneurs make their dreams come true. As you can probably imagine, he has plenty of crazy stories to tell! I’ll let Dave share the details of how he ended up on this wild path with you…
Sep 01, 202124:06
#029 Patrick Leddin, Author & Co-Founder of Leddin Group - Defining Your Career

#029 Patrick Leddin, Author & Co-Founder of Leddin Group - Defining Your Career

My guest today is Patrick Leddin who exhibits incredible hands-on leadership and management experience coupled with academic rigor and expertise.

He started his career serving in the U.S. Army airborne, infantry and as a ranger- qualified officer and then worked as a Project Manager at KPMG Consulting. He next went on to co-found and run an Inc. 5000 recognized consulting firm. In addition to his work at Leddin Group, Patrick is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University as well as recently publishing his 3rd book The 5 Week Leadership Challenge.

Our conversation starts with Patrick describing how he transitioned into various military roles and how he understood the importance of knowing what he was good at and decided to explore career options proactively - recognizing that it’s in his nature to always be looking out for the next best thing. This observation leads us to deep dive into what it means to be ‘’good’’ at something, getting comfortable being uncomfortable and why it’s important to sometimes show vulnerability.

We then shift the conversation to managing teams. Patrick explains how he built up trust and gained respect as a young leader managing teams of people older, and in some ways more experienced than him. We look at the pivotal moments that defined his career, and whether these are recognizable in the moment, or if this is something we identify only in retrospect.

Finally, he talks to us about his new book, the 5 week leadership challenge and how he’s transformed his leadership principles into actionable daily lessons.

Let's dive right in!

Aug 25, 202154:52
#028 Suhair Khan, Strategy at Google and Founder of Open/Ended Design - Secrets to Silicon Valley Success

#028 Suhair Khan, Strategy at Google and Founder of Open/Ended Design - Secrets to Silicon Valley Success

This week is taking a different format on the Bet On Yourself podcast as I’m sharing with you some of the core segments from a master’s course I’m currently teaching on the Secrets of Silicon Valley at a university in Barcelona. In this course I am presenting the methods and systems of success that can be replicated anywhere in the world to disrupt any market and achieve success. And yes, I mean anywhere. In this couse I have brought in the smartest people I know and as them for their own secrets of success. This week we’ll be talking to Suhair Khan about recognizing misalignment and trusting the path you’re on, even through failure and disappointment. Let’s go… Suhair works on strategy at Google and over the last decade at Google she has led numerous successful global initiatives and partnerships at Google Arts & Culture, in addition to working on other teams and projects globally. Don’t be mistaken, Suhair’s path wasn’t as linear as it sounds. She started her career early on in investment banking on Wall Street before realizing this wasn’t where her passions lied.
Jul 29, 202132:47
#027 Chelsea Maclin, CMO at Lunchclub and former VP of Marketing at Bumble - Finding Your Purpose

#027 Chelsea Maclin, CMO at Lunchclub and former VP of Marketing at Bumble - Finding Your Purpose

My guest today is Chelsea Maclin. Chelsea is the Chief Marketing Officer at Lunchclub where she leads the company marketing initiatives that drive brand awareness and user growth. Prior to joining Lunchclub, Chelsea served as Vice President of Marketing at dating and social networking app Bumble. During her time there, Chelsea led Bumble’s global marketing initiatives, focusing on brand and cultural strategy, international brand campaigns, always-on marketing, and integrated partnerships. Her cross-functional team worked to test, develop, and implement innovative marketing strategies to grow the brand internationally. She helped the company launch its newest vertical, Bumble Bizz, and developed go-to-market strategies for regions including Canada and Mexico. In her four years at Bumble, Chelsea helped the business scale from 10M to 100M registered users.

Chelsea has spent her marketing career honing her expertise in scaling technology-based B2C and B2B businesses. She’s passionate about driving exponential, high-quality growth, and believes marketing is a vehicle to build impactful relationships with customers, create digital and physical communities, and ultimately solve societal problems.

Both professionally and personally, Chelsea has a passion for social impact and supporting women-led businesses, and is deeply interested in the socioeconomic and cultural forces that shape and form human relationships. In her spare time, you’ll find Chelsea behind her favorite book, listening to podcasts, traveling, and on occasion, painting. In 2019, Chelsea was named Business Insider’s 20 CMOs to Watch. When she’s off the clock, Chelsea retires to Chief Mom Officer to her 2-year-old, Quinn.

Our chat had many HIGHLIGHTS, but here are just a few teasers for what’s coming up:

We start off talking about how her first job at Bub’s burgers gave her an (unexpected) early business foundation as well as how her passion for art taught her to express emotion.

I really resonated with how Chelsea described her non-linear career path and how she thought she would be an art curator. After graduating, she realized her path would look different to what she expected as she started working in affiliate marketing at a startup.

After this, Chelsea proactively reached out to Whitney Wolfe through social media and joined Bumble in 2016 for a wild and amazing ride. We talk about what it was like building up the foundation and culture of Bumble and the importance of mission driven decision making. She also discusses the things they practiced in her teams while rapidly scaling, such as ‘’radical candor with radical kindness’’ and ‘’scrappy not crappy’’.

We then move on to Maclin’s new role at LunchClub, where they’re breaking down barriers and offering people unique opportunities to connect with people outside of their network. Chelsea explains how she defined her purpose and curated her core values over a decade, helping her to make decisions every day. Stay tuned to the end to hear some of the success stories she’s experienced in her new role! 

I am a huge fan of Chelsea’s (to say the least) and walked away feeling not only inspired but empowered. I think you will to!

Jul 21, 202151:19
#026 Jesper Ambrosius, Director of Environmental Product Innovation at the LEGO Group - Learning by Watching & Playful Mindsets

#026 Jesper Ambrosius, Director of Environmental Product Innovation at the LEGO Group - Learning by Watching & Playful Mindsets

My guest today is Jesper Ambrosius of LEGO. The career journey that brought him there is fascinating! He graduated with a double-Bachelor's in Media Science and Economics and then got a Master’s in Economics from Aarhus and Sydney University. Throughout his career, he has been working within primarily leadership and strategy – both with his own teams and as a strategy partner for several executives.

He started out as a management trainee in the global telco company Telenor where he later took on two different leadership positions. In 2015, he joined The LEGO Group, (every kid’s dream, right?!) working on strategic initiatives with key partners including LEGO’s Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief People Officer. Later, he helped establish LEGO Workplace Experience, which played a crucial role in LEGO during COVID-19, and he now heads up Environmental Product Innovation.

Jesper lives in Aarhus, Denmark, with his wife Signe and their three children aged 3, 6, and 8 (who all happen to love their father’s job at The LEGO Group!)

This conversation has many highlights:

We talked about Jesper’s first ever jobs where he proves the importance of being open to opportunities that might change your direction or path. He talks about how all the different jobs and working with all kinds of people at the start of his career broadened his perspective.

He then answers your burning question of what it’s like to work at LEGO and the strategies he's applied to design and build exciting, collaborative and creative workplace experiences, improving talent attraction and employee retention globally.

Jesper also discusses the pivots they’ve had to make throughout the pandemic, and how they’re adapting their strategies to a new hybrid model. Ambrosius walks us through how he’s cultivating a culture within his team and the challenges of doing this remotely.

Stay tuned to the end where Jesper discusses the ‘’playful mindset’’ and how he hopes this will become more prevalent throughout the LEGO group.

Just writing this intro got me excited to listen to this conversation again!

Jul 15, 202101:02:43
#025 Pia Huusfelt, Global Business Leader at IKEA - Glorious Future!

#025 Pia Huusfelt, Global Business Leader at IKEA - Glorious Future!

Pia Huusfelt leads Circular Innovation and Transformation at INGKA Group, which includes designing future circular business models for IKEA.

Her work as the Global Business Leader at IKEA is focused on human-centered design and innovation, exploring and testing ideas iteratively to quickly learn and adjust practices.

In this interview you will hear how Pia leads her teams through the unknown. This leadership style requires agile methodology including sprints, self-managing teams and high adaptability - which are all themes we get into in this interview.


As you will hear, Pia has had a rich and non-linear career path which is incredibly inspiring.

-Her first job was as a PA in the fishing industry, where she learned the foundations of business thanks to her CEO mentor.

-She then moved on to telemarketing in banking, where she took a creative and innovative approach to marketing

- Pia and I talk about how she’s never had a formal career plan, but is able to retrospectively connect the dots for how these roles prepared her to be the executive she is today.

A theme that really stood out to me was how she leads her teams at IKEA by creating thoughtful structure in order to channel their creativity.

-In her team, they engage in short, 3 week sprint cycles where the individuals decide which projects they want to take on. This works for them because of how aligned they are!

Pia also discusses some of her best practices for new and creative ways of working together and connecting throughout the pandemic, such as walking meetings and even remote scavenger hunts. This team really knows how to make work fun!

We wrap up our conversation talking about how she feels the Scandinavian DNA queues them up for success. Oh, and her vision for a GLORIOUS FUTURE!

Her enthusiasm is infectious. I think you’re really going to enjoy this one!

Jul 07, 202153:26
#024 Panni Morshedi, COO of Beauty Pie - Knowing Your Strengths

#024 Panni Morshedi, COO of Beauty Pie - Knowing Your Strengths

In this episode, we’re talking to Panni Morshedi, COO at Beauty Pie. She’s in charge of restructuring and transforming the company’s business operations, focusing on product development and technology. Former International MD at Funding Circle UK, Morshedi has extensive experience in scaling up businesses and international expansion.

Panni shares how she started her career in consulting after promising her dad that she would get a ‘’real job’’ once she graduated as a History major. However, after a poor review from her first 6 months as a consultant, she decided to make a move from the analytical projects to the strategic ones where her strengths lied and became the top billing consultant within 2 years.

Morshedi also discussed some of the sliding door moments that she leaned into (such as getting rejected from a banking job) that changed her future for the better.

At the end of the episode, we talk about the biggest lessons and takeaways from her career that will contribute to her legacy. Are you ready?

Jul 01, 202152:25
#023 Dex Hunter-Torricke, Head of Communications for the Facebook Oversight Board - Foundation Building

#023 Dex Hunter-Torricke, Head of Communications for the Facebook Oversight Board - Foundation Building

My first guest of the season, Dex Hunter-Torricke, has had a very rich career! He is currently the head of communications for the Oversight Board, the independent body that makes binding decisions on Facebook’s most challenging content issues.

Earlier in his career, Dex has worked with leaders across the tech industry and politics, including as head of communications for SpaceX with Elon Musk, head of executive communications for Facebook - including four years as speechwriter for Mark Zuckerberg - and as Google’s first executive speechwriter, where he supported CEO Eric Schmidt (which is how we first met).

Before that, he was a speechwriter for the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Dex is also a New York Times-bestselling ghostwriter and frequent public speaker on technology issues. In fact, I highly recommend you watch his recent TEDx talk called How to Change the World - A Practical Guide

Our conversation was fascinating! We start off our chat talking about how Dex had a career plan which he thought would be linear and in the public sector. Then he realized he could have just as big of an impact, if not more, in the private sector. This was a realization that I too had in my career bridging academia and technology.

So Dex shifted from government into tech, starting off at Google, where everything was very fast-paced. He and I exchanged some stories about how in those early years of the company everything you volunteered to help with you ended up owning by the end of the day.

Our conversation then goes into the key differences between business and tech in the US and Europe and how the generational divide, geographical and linguistic boundaries affect our work- since Dex and I have both worked in Silicon Valley and Europe across careers.

I then asked Dex to talk about what it’s like to write for some of the most quoted executives in the world. He said ‘’you're not trying to invent a voice, you're trying to unearth it’’ and ‘’figuring out what they really believe in''. This part of the conversation was very profound for me.

And I couldn’t resist the temptation to ask him about all the speeches he’s written that have never been used.

You’re definitely going to want to stay tuned until the end of our chat when we dive into his current role as the Head of Communications for the Oversight Board Administration, why this organization exists and the foundational issues it's trying to address. There are no easy answers and that made this part of our chat particularly fascinating!

You’re not going to want to miss a minute of this! Let’s dive in!

Jun 23, 202149:47
#022 Creating a Legacy
Jun 16, 202114:49
#021 Mastering Pivots

#021 Mastering Pivots

In this episode, we’re talking about mastering pivots. Realizing what is holding you back, what you desire and need or want more of, and refocusing on joy.

In the first half, we’ll be dissecting an interview between Adam Grant and Ariana Huffington about Adam’s most recent book, Think Again and the pivots he made. Even his own core values shifted!

We’ll dig into what keeps us healthy and happy in life, and where you should invest your time and energy now. What is your major life goal? Does it correlate to happiness? Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. They keep us both happier and healthier. In fact, those who are more connected to their friends and family and community literally live longer.

Are you sleep walking through life? Master the pivot and create a life of happiness and inspiration for yourself.

Jun 09, 202123:21
#020 Compassionate Leadership

#020 Compassionate Leadership

This week, on the Bet On Yourself podcast we're talking about compassionate leadership.

The framework for this episode, has been inspired by an interview I heard with Amy Jen Su, the author of The Leader You Want To Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self--Every Day. In this book, she outlines 5 key leadership principles that we’ll dive into in detail throughout this episode.

Amy distinguishes between two leadership options, leader A where we’re being our best selves and seeing challenges as opportunities, and leader B, where we’re less efficient, resistant to the moment and feel stressed, overwhelmed. To shift the balance and become like Leader A more often, we should be looking into adopting these 5 key leadership elements - the 5 P’s. How much time do you spend as Leader A vs Leader B?

I’ll highlight some examples of highly effective and successful leaders who also lead with extreme compassion, such as Brian Chesky and Niren Chaudhary. Who are your favorite leaders? What qualities do you look for in a leader?

Thanks for listening!

Extra Resources:

Being happy and living at the moment: Aisha Chaudhari - Ted Talk

Amy Jen Su book - The Leader You Want To Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self--Every Day

Jun 02, 202124:22
#019 Creativity & Moonshots

#019 Creativity & Moonshots

A moonshot, in the tech space, is an ambitious, groundbreaking project, undertaken, where you’re not worried about near term profitability or mistakes learned along the way, and you’re probably defining success as you go. However, the term originally derives from the Apollo 11 space flight project. Yesterday we celebrated the 60th anniversary of moonshot thinking. In 1961, on may 25th, J F Kennedy stated that he would land the first man on the moon.

In this episode, we’ll look at a moonshot case study and examples from Googles Moonshot factory, X, as well as the golden ratio of innovation. We’ll then look at how you can apply these moonshot goals apply to you as an individual. Learn, grow and get stronger!

Extra Resources:

Bet On Yourself Podcast with Pablo Rodriguez, Moonshot Ambassador

May 26, 202120:07
#018 Building a Purposeful Culture

#018 Building a Purposeful Culture

This week on the podcast, we’re talking about purposeful cultures. From building them to finding and choosing the right industry, company and team for you. Do you feel like your work is aligned with your purpose?

In this episode, I talk about what culture actually means, and how we can build a great one. I walk us through the principles that have guided and shaped Amazon’s culture and how they’ve impacted all of their key decisions throughout their journey. They use these every day every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects or deciding on the best approach to solving a problem.

Finally, I’ll discuss how we can apply this to ourselves as individuals, not as leaders, through establishing your purpose, being vulnerable and building safety.

I challenge you this week to create an action list of “mechanisms” for how you will reinforce this culture/values

  1. How will you keep yourself accountable? What habits will you form or break?
  2. What tribe will you assemble and in what format will you convene?
  3. How will you celebrate milestones?
  4. What will you focus on?

Have a great week!

Ann

May 19, 202122:43
#017 Communication for Collaboration and Advancement
May 12, 202133:55
#016 Maintaining Grit & Avoiding Burnout

#016 Maintaining Grit & Avoiding Burnout

In this week’s episode of Bet On Yourself, we’re talking about maintaining grit and avoiding burnout. I think we all need this more than ever!

I've shared the three types of burnout we experience and the very different ways of combating each.

The first type I talk about is exhaustion, described as feeling depleted mentally or physically. The most effective way to get out of feeling exhausted is “re-energizing acts of self-care”.

The second type of burnout I discuss is cynical detachment, which is a depletion of social connectedness. A longing for what we can do to restore a feeling of connection. What works for exhaustion doesn’t alleviate cynical detachment. In fact, it might make it feel even more acute!

What might help if you’re experiencing this kind of burnout, is being kind to others. This can help you regain a sense of connectedness and belonging in your community.

The third and final type of burnout I walk us through in this episode is reduced sense of efficacy, described as a depletion of value for oneself. The most effective behavior to combat a low self esteem are acts focused on building your positive sense of self.

Remember that taking a break and focusing on yourself is one of the best ways to not only combat exhaustion and burnout but to prevent it. Take some action today to combat burnout. Find what will fill you back up and take control of your future by carving out some agency in how you spend your time and energy. You have more control than you think!

Don’t forget to leave a review and subscribe! Email me your questions, opinions or stories at hello@annhiatt.co. I’d love to hear from you!

Extra Resources:

  1. HBR article, Your Burnout Is Unique. Your Recovery Will Be, Too.
  2. HBR article, Empowered (ex: Amazon’s Just Do It award)
  3. HBR Presents ColdCall podcast, “Is Happiness at Work Really Attainable?” with Simon Cohen
  4. The New Way We Work podcast, “How to Focus When It’s All Just Too Much” wth Dr Art Markman
  5. Trained podcast Alia Crum, PhD | Harnessing the Power of Your Mind
  6. The book, Mindest, by Carol Dweck
May 05, 202125:44
#015 Data Driven Decision-making

#015 Data Driven Decision-making

Self-Management is about having freedom from constraints and assuming the authority to make decisions about how to be most effective in your tasks and responsibilities.

Work becomes not only more fun but more meaningful when we feel autonomy to align our work with our strengths, passions and personal mission and to empower those on our teams to do the same.

When we feel overwhelmed and ineffective it usually comes from being too absorbed in processes and losing sight of the purpose of our work - which is what makes it motivating. This is how DDD can focus us on where our efforts lead to the most results. This is how we work smarter, not harder.

So, take a step back from your daily routine and refocus on the purpose of your work. Measure and then celebrate your wins!

I would love to hear your experiences trying out Job Crafting so please share your results with us!


References:

Job Crafting by Amy Wrzesniewski

Adam Grant Work Life Podcast - A World Without Bosses

Apr 28, 202119:52
#014 Maximizing the Power of your Team

#014 Maximizing the Power of your Team

This week on the Bet On Yourself podcast, we’re talking about creating teams and tribes of people who lift and inspire us. We’ll focus on how to hire and get hired in high impact environments, maximizing the power of your team and making life richer through purposefully curated inspiring environments.

In the pandemic we have realized the value of time and new experiences. Let’s take control of this now that we have more ability to do so. We can literally make each day richer and pass slower! I’ll share with you Eric Schmidt’s best practices for staying innovative and using your time well.

Have you realized that you want to pivot to something new? More meaningful? Does your role, environment and how you spend your time reflect your values? If you don’t have options in your job choices, you can still take some control, listen in for some top tips.

Next, I’ll go through hiring processes from a recruiters perspective and discuss how you can build diverse teams for rich results and translate your values into hiring standards.

Finally, make sure to stay to the end if you’re thinking about bringing on a co-founder, as I answer the question ‘’what should you be looking for in them?’’

It’s an episode packed full of knowledge… Let me know what you think or if you have any more questions on this topic.

I’ll see you next week,

Ann

PS: In this episode, I also talk about the interview process at Amazon and the questions I was asked by Jeff Bezos!

Apr 21, 202124:34
#013 Startup Business Plans

#013 Startup Business Plans

Creating a Business Plan or Growth Plan isn’t just for companies. This episode is for entrepreneurs with ideas who want to know that their hard work is going to pay off within their existing business or in a side hustle or startup. It is also for individuals who want to level up, be seen as a leader, and make a bigger impact. This is about disruptive growth - for yourself, your career and/or your company!

So, how do you know if you are an entrepreneur?

1st - Are you curious? (you like to learn, read, ask questions about topics you know nothing about - not only your strong zones?)

2nd does your curiosity translate to imagination? (are you thinking about new solutions to existing problems?)

3rd do these ideas translate to action? (Do you seek out resources, problem solvers and communities to move you towards results?)

That’s the difference between some with an idea and someone who is an entrepreneur. Are you willing to actually take that action? Are you willing to let go of the familiar and start something new?

I also talk about the golden ratio, from Pablo Rodriguez, for risk taking and investment. If you invest 70% into your core business, 20% into adjacent and 10% into disruptive, the results will be the inverse (when you are persistent): 10% results from your core business, 20% from adjacent and 70% from your disruptive business - don’t forget that the key here is persistence. These results aren’t immediate

Finally, we’ll focus the conversation around three books: Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen, The Lean Startup by Rick Ries and Blue Ocean Strategy by by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne.

Curious? Listen now and let me know how you’ve implemented this week’s topic! What big bets have you taken? What rewards have you seen from the risks you’ve taken? I’d love to hear your stories - email me at hello@annhiatt.co

RESOURCES:

  1. HBR podcast interview When Startups Scrapped the Business Plan
  2. Alex Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas http://alexosterwalder.com/
Apr 14, 202127:56
#012 Balancing Your Ambitions & Avoiding Burnout

#012 Balancing Your Ambitions & Avoiding Burnout

In this week’s Bet On Yourself episode, we’ll be building on our foundation conversation and talking about how to balance our ambitions, cultivate environments which inspire and energize us and avoid the dreaded burnout.

We’ll talk about the best practices I’ve witnessed and given to my CEO clients, and share some stories from my past at Google and Amazon. We’ll also discuss Pareto’s principle, passing the monkey and ways in which you can protect your time, to give you the space to do the things you love the most and regain control of your calendar.

Did you enjoy this week’s episode? Let me know what resonated with you on social media or via my web page!

Apr 09, 202125:50
#011 Purpose, Mission & Values
Mar 31, 202127:28
#010 Future Proof Your Career - Recognize, Own & Implement

#010 Future Proof Your Career - Recognize, Own & Implement

I have been through several pivots and economic crises across my career working directly with major CEOs such as Jeff Bezos at Amazon immediately after the 2001 DotCom bust and Eric Schmidt at Google during the 2008 economic crisis. I also coached my global CEO consulting clients who are spread out over 4 continents during the 2020 pandemic.

This podcast episode walks you through how to future-proof your career! I present the best practices of employees and leaders who have not only survived but thrived during crises. We'll walk through examples and ways in which you can implement these, with replicable steps to help you plan and future-proof your career!

Future-proof isn't just STEM or anticipating how we will incorporate or compete with robots and AI. It also isn't about solely focusing on the highest paid jobs or highest growth industries because these might not equal happiness for you. I can tell you with assurity that there is no positive correlation between the highest paying jobs and happiness, and a lack of happiness is not future-proof! Being future-proof means consistently doing things you haven't done before and leveling up. I believe anyone can become future-proof, (re)gain control, and do so consistently regardless of the role, seniority or industry.

In this episode we'll walk through your personal ROI. This is a formula I've created to help you Recognize opportunities, Own your big dreams and Implement these new habits into your life. This is a pivot from the traditional definition of ROI, or return on investment, but that also applies here.

#1 RECOGNIZE - DEFINE SUCCESS

This is all about recognizing where you want to go and who you want to go there with. It's about recognizing opportunities when options may appear limited. In order to do this, we must have a clear definition of what success looks like to us, so that when opportunities arise, we spot them early.

#2 OWN IT - REINVEST & REINVENT YOURSELF

It's time to own your big dreams and believe in yourself. Reinvesting in skills, up-levelling your knowledge, improving your network and taking advantage of the pivot moments. Working towards your end goals and constant improvement.

#3 IMPLEMENT - ENDLESS CYCLE OF WORK & PIVOTS

By this point, you should have all the tools you need to create an action plan. Think about being purposeful and proactive, instead of reactionary, to help you turn your dreams into reality.

Let’s dive right in and create a future you can be proud of! Remember to download the free worksheet at annhiatt.co/free-resources. 

Mar 24, 202126:29
Season Two - Introduction

Season Two - Introduction

Welcome to the second season of the Bet on Yourself podcast. I want to do something really big for our quickly growing audience of loyal listeners!

Over the next three months I am going to dedicate each podcast episode to answering the most frequently asked questions I get from my consulting clients. For free! No consulting fees! And not just teasers of the concepts - but the actual best practices and implementation plans!

No, you do not need to be a CEO like my clients are, or raising a series C, or even founding a company for this to apply to you. The truth is that the foundational issues being faced by these CEOs apply to anyone with ambitious goals - regardless of your current title or career stage.

Be sure to tune in each week for top tips, best practices and doses of inspiration around the following topics.

We will start off with ways in which you can create a future-proof career - even in an environment of massive uncertainty. The secret here is that it has more to do with understanding your values, goals, mission and setting a purposeful plan for inserting them into the core part of your work and life than titles, promotions or raises.

We will then talk about how to balance our ambitions, cultivate environments which inspire and energize us and avoid burnout.

Next we’ll talk about the different elements of leadership; whether you’re a CEO, a manager, a project lead or even if you’re leading without formal authority. The best practices are all the same!

We want to create teams and tribes of people who lift and inspire us. We will also focus on how each of us can become that trusted resource for those around us too.

In order to translate these ambitions and goals into results, we’ll next discuss how to make data driven decisions, avoid overwhelm, maintain our pace and grit over the long haul and communicate in ways that invite collaboration and empowerment.

We will wrap it all up with a few episodes on motivation, time management, how to get specific and actionable feedback and how to create your roadmap to promotion.

All of this will lead us to a conversation about our personal legacy and fulfilling our greatest potential.

To help you out I’ll supplement these episodes with downloadable worksheets to help you convert these principles into action today! So get ready to make some big bets on yourself!

Mar 24, 202102:35
#009B Summary Episode - Kathleen Breitman

#009B Summary Episode - Kathleen Breitman

In this week’s episode, I’m summarizing the conversation I had with Kathleen Breitman about the insane career journey she’s had so far. Although most of that is hopefully not applicable to us, I did find some common themes that would be. Let’s dig in:

First up, dealing with conflict, stress and bad actors:

  • How to decide when to stay and when to go:

Stay for:

Exposure to leadership you want to emulate, project ownership that will accelerate your learning, fast growth (early stage company or industry disruptor)

Leave if:

Culture of disrespect, stagnant industry or culture, ceiling on growth opportunities

  • What voices to listen to and what voices to ignore:

Trusted advisors understand:

Your values, your long term career strategy, those on the same growth path

Ignore those who:

Feel threatened by a shift in status quo, don’t understand or value your trajectory, aren’t investing in your growth

  • How to deal with difficult people or disrespect

Teach people how to treat you by:

Purposely build up a relationship of trust (time, expertise, consistency), detailed examples of what is not acceptable, speak up in the moment

  • Controlling Imposter Syndrome:

Imposter Moment, don’t allow this to become a diagnosis of a permanent condition, acknowledge the moment and feeling and move on, refresh your goals, keep a list of accomplishments, ask for regular feedback, get actionable feedback and buy-in on your growth goals

I hope you’ve found this week’s episode helpful, let me know how you’ve applied and implemented these concepts at hello@annhiatt.co - I’d love to know what you’ve found useful!

Thanks for listening and see you soon,

Ann

Mar 04, 202112:19
#009 Kathleen Breitman, Co-founder of Coase and Tezos - Dealing with Drama

#009 Kathleen Breitman, Co-founder of Coase and Tezos - Dealing with Drama

In this episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast I’m talking with Kathleen Breitman who is a co-founder of Coase, a software company that aspires to lower transaction costs. She previously co-founded Tezos, a smart contract platform and cryptocurrency with an on-chain governance mechanism to coordinate and push upgrades to its network. She has also worked at Accenture, Bridgewater Associates, and The Wall Street Journal.’'

This episode is crazy. It’s totally different from all the rest of the episodes we’ve had so far and I think you’re really going to enjoy it. In this chat Kathleen gives us a completely different perspective on all the disasters you would hope to avoid, and how she has handled them, when starting a company.

Kathleen studied philosophy and got into the internet by chance. She met her now husband, Arthur, in her sophomore year who had a crypto currency project on the side that he was playing around with at the time. Kathleen describes this becoming an ‘’if you can’t beat them join them’’ moment, which is where her Crypto career started.

In this interview Kathleen talks about levelling up and becoming an expert in a field you know nothing about - which is something I definitely relate to from my own career.

She also touches on:

-How working with her spouse as a co-founder accelerated their learning and growth by years.

-The problems that arose after their funding rounds

-Dealing with difficult board members

-Trusting your instincts

As well as going to your mentors for advice when you need them and knowing which voices to listen to and which to ignore. I really loved her honesty. I think she offers an interesting perspective and gives insight into the crypto world which I personally still find pretty confusing!

Also, just a quick FYI that we’ve chosen not to beep a few instances of colorful language in this episode to keep the original tone with which Kathleen shared her journey. Buckle up! This one is fun!

Feb 24, 202158:26
#008B Summary Episode - Jill Hazelbaker, Career Challenges & Opportunities

#008B Summary Episode - Jill Hazelbaker, Career Challenges & Opportunities

Welcome back! In this week’s episode, I’m attempting to summarise last week’s conversation with the amazing Jill Hazelbaker. I’ll be focusing on three main takeaways regardless of the career stage you find yourself in.

1. How to create opportunities and deal with sea

2. Seeking out and leaning in to challenges

3. Maximising the lessons learned that come from the mistakes we make along the way

1. How to get opportunities (early!):

Jill got her big first job by working for John McCain’s presidential campaign by raising her hand and being willing to go anywhere to help him, which helped her get recognized as someone willing to put in the work and also helped her get into the right rooms, where all the action was happening.

Secondly, she wanted to work with people who where smart, ambitious and would challenge her. It might seem intimidating, but really this is where the growth happens.

Jill also highlighted how she doubled down when others left the campaign and stayed with McCain because she felt aligned with his mission and values. This lead to her being one of the youngest female campaign directors ever, every single part was intimidating and new and something she’d never done before, but that’s how she got to where she is now.

Big breaks came from her reputation preceding her and being sought out for specific projects (campaigns, Google, etc). “No one invites you in. You have to create your own space.”  Do your due preparation to contribute in advance. There is no such thing as over-preparing!

2. Baptism by fire

Jill’s 1st day was when Google pulled out of China. At Uber she had to deal with Travis’ PR disaster, then losing the license in the UK with Dara’s start.

Pace, intensity were familiar and thrilling, you learn to trust your instincts. Eric taught her about the value of being in the details and to drive the details. And to be willing to have the debate and then drive forward once the decisions have been made.

Learns so much from the valuable mentors available. Google was the greatest training ground possible because so many things where happening simultaneously. (policy, M&A, scaling, global expansions, etc)

3. Lean in to mistakes for maximum benefit

Focus on the substance and not the spin, give a real response if you’ve made a mistake. Be the first one to admit it and come with a plan of action to correct it. How will you use the mistake to your advantage?

Focus on the benefits and the learnings. What are we taking away from this? If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing anything of impact. The mistakes of proof of you challenging yourself.

Ask yourself consistently ‘’are we doing enough?’’ To get real engagement in the company it needs to be mission driven. You must be transparent and proactive.

Put your head down and focus on the work and lift up all around you.

Did you find this episode helpful? I’d love to hear your opinions, your stories or even just a hello!

Thanks for listening and see you next week,

Ann 

Feb 17, 202114:04
#008 Jill Hazelbaker, SVP at Uber - Career Challenges and Opportunities

#008 Jill Hazelbaker, SVP at Uber - Career Challenges and Opportunities

This episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast is like no other!

Jill Hazelbaker is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs at Uber, leading the teams and global efforts across marketing, communications, and public policy. You know, a small, uneventful job. 

Jill and I discussed so many key things to surviving in a career as ambitious as hers:

Jill talks about how you have to take the initiative and put yourself inside the rooms in which you want to work. This might mean moving anywhere for the job, working for people who want to challenge you and being willing to have uncomfortable debates.

Jill also found that this often means staying the course when things get tough because you recognise the irreplaceable opportunities there.

Before joining Uber, Jill led communications and public policy at Snap. Before Snap, Jill worked for Google, where she led PR across Europe, Middle East, and Africa, as well as government relations in Europe. Earlier in her career at Google, Jill ran the Corporate Communications team.

Jill began her career in politics, having held leadership roles on many local, state, and federal election campaigns. In 2009, Jill served as Press Secretary to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during his successful re-election campaign. In 2008, Jill was the National Communications Director and Chief Spokesperson for United States Senator John McCain's presidential campaign.

I nodded like a bobble head when Jill explained that a key part of her career trajectory came from realizing that to be competitive you have to create your own space at the table by grabbing a chair (and not waiting to be given one).

This is often the only way women’s voices, offering new perspectives, are heard in the rooms where decisions are being made. This was especially true for her at Snap and Uber where the ‘’bro culture’’ was heavily present when she started in the early years of those company’s evolutions.

Right at the end of our conversation she also gives some great advice on how us normal people can make a difference in the area of misinformation to create a sense of togetherness

And my favorite moment was when Jill explained that her inspiration for working the way she does is so that her children seeing her make a difference in the world.

I can’t wait to hear your takeaways from this one! Please remember to share, rate and subscribe via your favorite podcast app - perhaps right now! Please enjoy!

Feb 10, 202153:05
#007B Summary Episode - Diversity with Christina Sass
Feb 03, 202110:20
#007 Christina Sass, Co-founder of Andela - Diversity

#007 Christina Sass, Co-founder of Andela - Diversity

In this week’s episode of the Bet On Yourself podcasts I’m talking with Christina Sass, the Co-Founder of Andela, which scales high-performing engineering teams by investing in Africa’s most talented software developers.

In this conversation we covered a lot of ground! She has a treasure trove of actionable advice here.

I personally resonated with how Christina focused on intrapreneurialism in her first jobs, by continually seeking out growth opportunities beyond her job description.

She also highlighted the ways in which she, as an founder, has created a company focused on culture, talent and data-driven decisions with psychological safety at the core of her organisation

We also discussed how we should make the effort to recommend women more since we, as women, tend to self opt out in a way our male counterparts don’t.

She also gave some critical advice on knowing when to say no and where to focus your energy - which we all need in the current environment of global overwhelm and fatigue.

These expert tips are drawn from her impactful career history. In just five years of founding Andela she has hired over 2000 developers and become known as the "Best Place to Work in Africa.” Andela has campuses in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Egypt. Andela developers work as full-time engineers with companies ranging from the Fortune 500 like Viacom and Microsoft to high-growth startups like Cloudflare and GitHub.

Prior to founding Andela, Christina served as senior advisor to the president and CEO of the MasterCard Foundation and at the Clinton Global Initiative where she worked closely with President Clinton's office to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges.

This episode is impactful and will likely change the way you approach your work starting today! I am so happy to share this with you! Enjoy!

Minute by Minute

03:30: Christina walks us through her foundation

06:30: Has their been a central theme that helped you identify opportunities?

11:20: How did you learn to trust your instincts?

17:30: What was your exit strategy? How do you recognise when to take on the next challenge?

22:16: Christina talks about finding her co-founder

29:00: Culture, talent and data-driven decisions

34:00: Christina gives us amazing insight into psychological security at the application stage

38:00: Supporting women

41:30: How do you know what to say no to and where to focus your energy?

45:20: Is there something that surprised you about scaling?

48:20: How do you ride that balance of hiring for seniority of skill but still remaining the authority figure?

51:20: What gives you hope for the future?


Jan 27, 202154:32
#006B Summary Episode - Serendipity with Martha Lane Fox

#006B Summary Episode - Serendipity with Martha Lane Fox

This week I’m summarising the conversation I had last week with Martha Lane Fox, who is a remarkable human being and a fascinating example of true leadership.

The word that summarised this episode for me was serendipity and I think that’s what we’re really missing right now, those moments of spontaneity. So how can we create those moments?

Martha introduced this concept describing the very early stages of her career, when her first job was really to become a cheerleader for the internet. She credits the success of her first company to a few things, and highlighted building trust and credibility about the internet with investors, users and employees. She had to build up this relationship which had never existed before.

When we discussed how she survived the original DotCom Bust, Martha walked me through the following:

1- timing was everything and got lucky. Had enough cash enough to ride out the original bust.

2- Co-founding relationship was right.

Had 2 people making the company grow fast.

Able to do more breadth and depth by dividing and conquering.

3- Learned that success is all about the people.

Empowered her young team

Helped them feel real ownership and accountability. That is the secret.

Martha describe herself as being a generalist and gets her focus comes being centred around her passions. Her earliest life passion was social justice, which is where she anticipated she would be addressing complex problems in prison systems but instead her roles in the internet and government are really united in this central theme of social justice, and being an advocate.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about her TED Talk: “The Digital World is having a midlife Crisis!” and the 3 big questions she asked:

  • 1- Will we look back in 10 years and be proud of the solutions we’ve created?
  • 2- Have we got the right voices in the room?
  • 3- Are we using the tools of the modern age in the best way we can?

What would your answer be to these questions? What do you think?

Finally, here’s a few ways on how you can create opportunities for yourself:

  • Be willing to ask questions
  • Shift from knowing nothing about a subject and one week later being a world’s expert.
  • Shift from “know it alls to learn it alls”.
  • There is an importance of Hinterland (meaning the depth and breadth of knowledge).
  • “Success” rarely feels like “success” in the moment. It feels messy and anxious or subpar. No one feels it as a permanent state.

What did you think of this week’s episode? I’d love to hear from you! Email me at hello@annhiatt.co :)

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Take care,

Ann

Jan 20, 202117:54