Intentional Time Off with Laura Nguyen
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Release Date: 01/20/2025
The Roadmap to Money and Love with Abby Davisson
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Abby Davisson episode: Quickening by malictusmusic (source: Free Music Archive) (CC BY) Abby Davisson is an author, speaker, and award-winning leader obsessed with holistic decision-making (the kind that takes multiple bottom lines into account). After spending two decades making change from within existing organizations, she launched her own, focused on helping leaders make smart choices for lasting success in work and life. The book she co-wrote with Stanford Professor and labor economist Myra Strober, Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life's Biggest Decisions,...
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Finding Meaningful Work with Tamara Myles & Wes Adams
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Distances by Beat Mekanik, via Free Music Archive (CC BY) Wes Adams is the CEO of SV Consulting Group. He partners with Fortune 500s and scaling companies to develop high-impact leaders and design operating structures that support high performing teams. He is also a positive psychology researcher at the University of Pennsylvania where he studies the leadership practices and organizational structures that help employees thrive. He lives in Atlanta, GA. Tamara Myles is a speaker, author, professor, and entrepreneur specializing in the science...
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Redefining the Successful Rainmaker with Karen Freeman
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Karen Freeman is Chief Product Officer at DCM Insights and one of the authors of the Activator research published in Harvard Business Review, titled "What Today's Rainmakers Do Differently." That article was named one of HBR’s top 10 reads of 2025. At DCMi, she is one of the global faculty and responsible for the company’s training products and diagnostics. She has delivered the Activator research and training programs across the globe to clients in the legal, consulting, accounting, and talent advisory sectors. Before joining DCMi, Karen was head of digital...
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Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders with Mark Fava
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Mark Fava episode: Liberosis (Instrumental) by Nihilore, via Free Music Archive (CC BY) Mark C. Fava is an author, retired Navy officer, and an aviation lawyer. He currently works as a Vice president at The Boeing Company. Fava flew as a Naval Flight Officer and Mission Commander in the P-3 Orion, accumulating more than 3,000 flight hours, tracking Soviet submarines during the Cold War. He retired in 2015 from the Navy Reserve as a Captain. He has led a national aviation law practice at a major law firm. From 2001 to 2004, he worked as the Chief...
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How to Succeed When the Career Ladder Breaks with Kweilin Ellingrud
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Kweilin Ellingrud episode: Glass Structures by Unheard Music Concepts, via Free Music Archive (CC BY) Kweilin Ellingrud is McKinsey's Chief Diversity Officer and a director of the McKinsey Global Institute, based in Minneapolis. As a senior partner at McKinsey, she has led research on the topics of gender equality, racial equity, generative AI, the future of work, and global competitiveness. She also serves clients in financial services across strategy and operational transformations. She is the co-author of with fellow McKinsey senior partners...
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Lessons Learned from 50 Years as an Entrepreneur with Steve Bennett
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Steve is a visual artist whose work has been displayed in numerous galleries, juried exhibitions, and prestigious corporate art spaces. He’s planning on transitioning to full-time artist from managing the creative side of a web design firm he founded 25 years ago. Previously, Steve had engaged in numerous careers: media training, tech journalism, book writing (he penned more than 50 solo titles and collaborations, including a million-copy, bestselling parenting book). He was also the founder of a successful ad agency and founder of numerous ill-conceived small businesses that failed...
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Define Your Success with Strategic Storytelling with Anjali Sharma
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Anjali Sharma The music used in this episode is Upstream Color by Mark Wilson X Source: Free Music Archive (CC BY) Website: Anjali Sharma is the founder of Narrative: The Business of Stories and is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers trusted by international brands seeking guidance on finding, developing, and using their stories to make a dynamic change happen. Sharma works with private and government organizations to determine what their individual and unique business challenges are, and by incorporating story skills, she crafts individualized...
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Crush Your Money Goals with Bernadette Joy
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Website: BERNADETTE JOY isn’t just another financial expert—she is a passionate advocate for financial literacy and empowerment and a sought-after financial coach and speaker. Having paid off $300,000 in debt by age 37 she is a living testament to the power of smart money habits having achieved a net worth of $1 million in her 30s as a first-generation Filipina-American. Bernadette’s story is proof that anyone can take control of their finances and thrive. Since launching Crush Your Money Goals® in 2020, she has impacted thousands of people nationwide, offering...
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How The Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead with Jacqueline Carter
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Jacqueline Carter is an international partner and leads Potential Project in North America. She has worked across industries with top companies including Cisco, Disney, Accenture, Kimberly-Clark, and Royal Bank of Canada to navigate the challenges of leadership and successfully implement complex changes for large organizations. She is the coauthor, with Rasmus Hougaard, of Compassionate Leadership and The Mind of the Leader. Book: More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead by Jacqueline Carter and Rasmus Hougaard (NOTE: co-author) AI has...
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How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge with Melody Wilding
Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins
Melody Wilding: The music used in this episode is Simulator by Scanglobe Source: Free Music Archive (CC BY-NC-SA) By An indispensable guide to navigating power dynamics, building effective relationships with higher-ups, and earning more authority, freedom, and confidence at work—from one of today’s “most innovative career coaches” (Insider). Do you feel vulnerable to the whims of your boss, peers, or internal politics, pushing through each day with a nagging undercurrent of anxiety? Maybe you’re micromanaged, interrupted in meetings,...
info_outlineLAURA NGUYEN is an experienced marketing executive and entrepreneur with an extensive background in data-driven marketing, digital marketing, and communications for Fortune 500 companies. She is the founder of Solle Solutions, a marketing consultancy. Laura is also a certified executive coach, helping mid-career, high-achieving leaders go from burned out to balanced through her coaching program and online community. Laura received her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science at Truman State University, and her Master in Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her family.
Book: CAREER BREAK COMPASS: Navigating Your Path to a Balanced Life Through Intentional Time Off. The book is a compelling guide for those considering a career break to reinvigorate their productivity and boost their overall happiness.
The challenge of maintaining career momentum and drive amidst chronic overwork and lack of work-life balance is a serious issue for many mid- and senior-level professionals. Career breaks are increasingly recognized as essential for long-term career success and personal happiness, yet many don’t pursue them for fear of professional repercussions. Laura’s insights will offer strategies and practical advice for intentional career pauses that enhance both personal and professional growth.
Suggested topics for discussion:
· What common fears do professionals have about taking career breaks, and how can they be overcome?
· How can someone plan a career break without jeopardizing their professional trajectory?
· What advice do you have for someone who feels burned out but is hesitant to take a break?
· Can you discuss the long-term benefits of career breaks for high achievers?
· What role do employers play in supporting career breaks?
· How does taking a career break differ from simply taking a vacation?
· In your book, you outline a “Compass Framework” for career breaks; can you explain its components?
· What strategies can people use to build confidence and overcome self-doubt when returning to work after a career break?
· How do cultural attitudes toward work impact the acceptance of career breaks?
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