90. How to Say No at Work (Without Burning Bridges or Burning Out) with Amy Green Smith
Release Date: 06/02/2025
105. LinkedIn Networking Secrets You’re Not Using Yet with Catherine Fisher
Secrets of the Career Game
Networking isn’t just for job hunting — it’s the long-term career insurance policy that carries you through promotions, layoffs, and everything in between. And in a world of AI, real career decisions still rely on real people. In this episode of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall Berg sits down with Catherine Fisher, LinkedIn’s career expert and author of the Career Companion newsletter, to unpack how authentic networking really works in 2025. Catherine shares why 75% of professionals still trust human insight over AI tools, why 63% turn to their colleagues and peers when making big...
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104. How to Build a Side Hustle That Pays While Keeping Your 9-to-5
Secrets of the Career Game
Corporate careers don’t offer the same safety net they once did. Pensions are gone, promotions are slow, and many roles feel like dead ends. That’s why more professionals are turning to side hustles—and Kendall Berg is one of them. In this episode of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall shares how she built a career coaching business while still working a demanding corporate job. She breaks down what it really takes to launch without waiting for the “perfect plan,” how one TikTok video changed everything, and the pricing mistakes that nearly burned her out. With candor and a bit of...
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103. Your Career Is Not Who You Are With Kelly Poquiz Burke
Secrets of the Career Game
Kendall Berg sits down with Kelly Poquiz Burke, a former Doritos brand manager who walked away from Super Bowl campaigns, corporate titles, and nonstop promotions to build a life that actually aligned with her values. Kelly’s story begins at the peak of success—meeting celebrities, managing billion-dollar brands, and collecting promotions—but underneath, she was burning out while holding it all together as a new mom and cancer survivor. In this conversation, Kelly explains why passion isn’t enough for lasting fulfillment, how over-identifying with your career keeps you stuck, and why...
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102. Your Boss Doesn’t Know What You Do (and Why That’s Dangerous)
Secrets of the Career Game
Most of us give our boss way too much credit — for the raise we didn’t get, the promotion we hoped for, or the recognition we thought was overdue. Kendall Berg pulls back the curtain to reveal the truth: your career outcomes are rarely decided by one person. Promotions, raises, and opportunities happen by committee, and your boss can’t advocate for you if they don’t even know what you’re doing. This episode digs into the four pillars of career growth: education, self-advocacy, networking, and communication. Kendall explains why reframing self-advocacy as “educating leadership”...
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101. Addicted to Stress? Your Nervous System Might Like It That Way - Dr. Nona Djavid
Secrets of the Career Game
Your calendar doesn’t cause burnout. It’s caused by your nervous system. After building multiple seven-figure businesses in her twenties, Dr. Nona Djavid found herself sobbing on the closet floor—exhausted, overwhelmed, and completely burned out. That breakdown became a breakthrough. She didn’t just change her habits—she rewired her subconscious and trained her nervous system to feel safe with rest, freedom, and abundance. Now, she helps high-achieving professionals do the same without quitting their jobs or blowing up their lives. In this episode, Kendall and Nona unpack the...
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100. 8 Pieces of Mediocre Career Advice I Wish I Ignored
Secrets of the Career Game
“Just work hard and you’ll get promoted.” If you’ve heard this before and it still hasn’t worked out… Kendall’s here to tell you why. In this 100th episode of Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall calls BS on the most common career clichés that keep high-performers stuck and overlooked. From toxic loyalty traps to the myth of passion-driven success, this episode breaks down the 8 most mediocre pieces of advice—and replaces them with strategies that actually get you promoted, noticed, and respected. This is not a motivational pep talk. It’s your playbook for making smarter,...
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99. Stop Wasting Time on Goals You Don’t Even Want — Michelle Niemeyer
Secrets of the Career Game
Most people say they're “too busy” before they’ve even checked their calendar. Michelle Niemeyer wants to change that. After burning out as a high-performing attorney (and landing in the hospital because of it), Michelle realized the problem wasn’t her productivity. It was her lifestyle. Her nervous system. Her goals. And the way she defined success. In this episode, she breaks down The Art of Bending Time, her framework that helps professionals stop spinning in circles and start building a life they want. Kendall and Michelle talk about everything from “goal clutter” to internal...
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98. Why You’re Not Getting Noticed on LinkedIn—And How to Fix It with Courtney Johnson
Secrets of the Career Game
Most people aren’t lazy—they’re just scared of being seen. Kendall Berg sits down with digital strategist and Slay the Gatekeeper founder Courtney Johnson to unravel the truth about personal branding in the age of LinkedIn, TikTok, and trolls. Spoiler alert: it’s not about going viral—it’s about getting honest. Courtney breaks down the emotional blocks that keep high achievers hiding their brilliance. From troll comments to visibility shame spirals, she gives us the cheat codes to show up online without losing our voice. Whether you’re in corporate or freelance, you’ll walk...
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97. 5 Planning Habits That Save Me Hours Every Week (And My Sanity)
Secrets of the Career Game
Kendall Berg reveals the 5 planning habits that keep her from losing it—while balancing a corporate tech role, coaching business, content creation, pageant prep, and parenting two kids. If your to-do list never ends but your energy does, these five systems will shift how you manage your time, reduce mental load, and finally build a week that works. Kendall breaks down how to simplify your goals, design a weekly routine that honors your brain, and make space for what actually matters—without burning out or dropping the ball. In this episode, we discuss: What are the 5 planning habits...
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95. What Is ‘Rizz’ in the Workplace? A Modern Guide to Charisma + Leadership with Milam Miller
Secrets of the Career Game
Berg interviews Milam Miller, the former AS Roma exec known as the real-life Ted Lasso, about the leadership superpower most people misunderstand: charisma. Milam breaks down his modern framework for connection, communication, and rizz—the kind that helps you lead across cultures, industries, and personalities. Drawing from his new book, The Charisma Craft – A Modern Leadership Guide to Enhance Your “Rizz”, he shares the six leadership archetypes you’ll want to know, plus the acronym that will help you end workplace gossip like a pro. Whether you’re a rising leader, a high...
info_outlineKendall Berg pulls no punches in this conversation with certified life coach and communication expert Amy Green Smith. From the outside, high achievers seem like they have it all together—but beneath the promotions and packed calendars is a brewing identity crisis. Amy unpacks why burnout hits the most accomplished professionals the hardest—and how tying your self-worth to your performance is the fastest way to lose yourself.
People-pleasing isn’t just a “nice girl” habit. According to Amy, it’s a survival strategy many of us learned as kids—and it’s still running the show in the boardroom. Together, Kendall and Amy break down how to recognize those self-sabotaging behaviors, communicate assertively without coming off like a jerk, and set boundaries that actually stick. Plus, Amy offers her go-to scripts and practical tips to help listeners reclaim their bandwidth and emotional space.
In this episode, we discuss:
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How do I stop tying my identity to my job?
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What are signs that I’m a people-pleaser at work?
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How can I be assertive without being aggressive?
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What’s the right way to set boundaries in the workplace?
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How can high performers avoid burnout?
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That Career Coach
Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach?
Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_
Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/
Build out the tools you need to navigate the corporate game: — Self Driven Mastermind
Amy Green Smith is a certified and credentialed life coach and hypnotherapist, masterful speaker, and personal empowerment expert. Amy uses her roles as coach, writer, podcaster, and speaker to move individuals to a place of radical personal empowerment and self-worth.
With acute focus on helping people “find their voice”, she is highly sought after for her uncommon style of irreverence, wisdom, and humor and has been a featured expert in Inspired Coach Magazine and on Fox 5 San Diego.
website: https://amygreensmith.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyamygreensmith