Ace of Pentacles

A career strategy and workplace wellness podcast. This is Ace of Pentacles, your career strategy and workplace wellness podcast. Join me, your host Sara, every week as we investigate 🕵🏻‍♀️ how people design 📐 and discover 🧭 their way to a fulfilling career. Together, we’ll: 👩🏻‍🔬 explore the science of wellbeing at work 💡and discover tools and strategies ✨ to help us be well 🧠 and do well 🚀.

Ep. 23 | Gen Z in the Workplace with Aleeza Khan 08/17/2025

Ep. 22 | The Problem with Mental Health Days 08/04/2025

Ep. 21 | The Art of Communication with Dr. Swan Dao 07/27/2025

Ep. 20 | The College of Extraordinary Experiences with Claus Raasted 07/13/2025

Ep. 19 | Transformation Through Travel with Nishant Badami 06/29/2025

Ep. 19 | Transformation Through Travel with Nishant Badami In this episode, Nishant Badami, founder of Ubuntu, shares her journey and the philosophy behind creating soulful, transformative travel experiences. She explains that transformation isn’t about changing who you are, but how you see yourself - a distinction shaped by her own evolution through travel. Nishant debunks common myths about personal growth and emphasizes subtle inner shifts over dramatic reinventions. Ubuntu treats each journey as a living, evolving experience. Nishant designs these trips to create space for reflection, connection, and vulnerability, encouraging travelers to engage deeply with themselves and others. Travel, she says, is a unique catalyst for mindset change - it breaks routines, challenges beliefs, and opens people to new perspectives. Community and honest connection play a central role, as does ensuring cultural immersion is respectful and reciprocal. About Nishant: Nishant Badami is a creator, communicator, and connector. As the founder of Ubuntu, she creates meaningful experiences that help bridge cultural gaps and connect people with the world as well as themselves. Nishant studied history and then went on to become a copywriter, working in the world of print advertising and later writing for television programming. Travel started as a deeply personal passion for Nishant - something she designed with love and intention for her family and herself. In time, this passion was recognized and transformed into a profession, an opportunity she remains profoundly grateful for. As her journey progressed, Nishant came to a realization: lasting change requires a shift in how we perceive the world and each other. Her involvement with the Transformational Travel Council gave voice to this belief and reinforced her conviction that travel can be a powerful tool for transformation and connection. Today, Nishant designs conscious travel experiences rooted in the principles of transformational travel. She is also a painter – what began as a passion has evolved into a professional pursuit, with her artworks being sold and commissioned. Is she someone different outside her professional life? Not at all. As a mother, daughter, wife, friend, and sister, travel and art are interwoven into every version of who Nishant is. Set up your next travel journey with Nish at: /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/37169385

Ep. 19 | Transform Through Travel with Nishant Badami 06/29/2025

Ep. 19 | Transform Through Travel with Nishant Badami In this episode, Nishant Badami, founder of Ubuntu, shares her journey and the philosophy behind creating soulful, transformative travel experiences. She explains that transformation isn’t about changing who you are, but how you see yourself - a distinction shaped by her own evolution through travel. Nishant debunks common myths about personal growth and emphasizes subtle inner shifts over dramatic reinventions. Ubuntu treats each journey as a living, evolving experience. Nishant designs these trips to create space for reflection, connection, and vulnerability, encouraging travelers to engage deeply with themselves and others. Travel, she says, is a unique catalyst for mindset change - it breaks routines, challenges beliefs, and opens people to new perspectives. Community and honest connection play a central role, as does ensuring cultural immersion is respectful and reciprocal. About Nishant: Nishant Badami is a creator, communicator, and connector. As the founder of Ubuntu, she creates meaningful experiences that help bridge cultural gaps and connect people with the world as well as themselves. Nishant studied history and then went on to become a copywriter, working in the world of print advertising and later writing for television programming. Travel started as a deeply personal passion for Nishant - something she designed with love and intention for her family and herself. In time, this passion was recognized and transformed into a profession, an opportunity she remains profoundly grateful for. As her journey progressed, Nishant came to a realization: lasting change requires a shift in how we perceive the world and each other. Her involvement with the Transformational Travel Council gave voice to this belief and reinforced her conviction that travel can be a powerful tool for transformation and connection. Today, Nishant designs conscious travel experiences rooted in the principles of transformational travel. She is also a painter – what began as a passion has evolved into a professional pursuit, with her artworks being sold and commissioned. Is she someone different outside her professional life? Not at all. As a mother, daughter, wife, friend, and sister, travel and art are interwoven into every version of who Nishant is. Set up your next travel journey with Nish at: /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/37169380

Ep. 18 | HMI Resilience Coaching with Christiana Bishop 06/15/2025

Ep. 17 | Archetypes at Work with Dr. Laurence Hillman 06/01/2025

Ep. 17 | Archetypes at Work with Dr. Laurence Hillman In this episode Sara sits down with renowned archetypal coach and consultant, Dr. Laurence Hillman, a renowned expert in archetypal psychology and co-creator of Archetypes at Work™, a powerful framework designed to help individuals, teams, and organizations uncover their deeper motivations, values, and mindset. Dr. Hillman shares the personal and professional journey that led him to this transformative work and explains how archetypes, which are ancient patterns of behavior, can be used as a practical tool for modern workplaces. They explore the origins and functions of archetypes, what inspired the development of Archetypes at Work, and how this approach differs from traditional psychometric assessments and team-building models. Dr. Hillman introduces the concept of archetypal coaching, and explains how knowing your archetypes can positively influence collaboration, leadership, and organizational culture. Dr. Hillman shares examples demonstrating how archetypes show up in both empowering and dysfunctional ways at work, how to recognize when a particular archetype needs to be activated, and how to consciously develop these patterns for personal and professional growth. We also discuss how archetypes manifest differently across cultures, and the implications for leaders navigating global, diverse teams. Whether you're an executive, HR leader, coach, or curious individual, this episode offers practical wisdom on how to bring deeper self-awareness and purpose into your work. Connect with Dr. Hillman: You can connect with Dr. Hillman and learn more about his work at: About Laurence Hillman: Born and raised in Zürich, Switzerland, Dr. Laurence Hillman is an archetypal coach and consultant with over 48 years of experience. He specializes in helping individuals and organizations uncover their deeper purpose using archetypal patterns and astrology. As co-creator of Archetypes at Work™, he has developed innovative tools for personal and organizational development. An international lecturer, Dr. Hillman has taught at institutions such as Pacifica Graduate Institute, Meridian University, and Washington University. He has also presented at notable venues like the Globe Theatre in London and the Cycles & Symbols Conference. He is currently teaching practical archetypal astrology through Kosmos Institute and is a registered Vistage® speaker. Dr. Hillman holds a PhD in psychology (Transformative Leadership), an MBA, a Master’s in Construction Management, and a degree in architecture. He has authored and co-authored several books, including Planets in Play and Archetypes at Work. Fluent in five languages, he has traveled to over 40 countries and resides in St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife Cindy. /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/36803075

Ep. 16 | Navigating the Unexpected with Naveen Khan 05/18/2025

Ep. 15 | Engineering an Authentic Life with Sneha Koka 05/04/2025

Ep. 15 | Engineering an Authentic Life with Sneha Koka In this conversation, Sara sits down with Sneha Koka to talk about authenticity in leadership and in life. Sneha opens up about her journey as an engineer, a leader, and a mom, offering a thoughtful glimpse into how she balances these roles. She shares how embracing honesty about her needs and desires—combined with an engineering mindset for solving everyday challenges—has empowered her to build a life she truly enjoys. Sneha also reflects on how her diverse background and experiences have shaped her ability to show up authentically in every aspect of her life. About Sneha: Sneha Koka is a leader in the operations organization at Nvidia with previous experience as a manufacturing engineer at Tesla during the Model 3 launch and at Linde and Caterpillar prior to that. She leads the capacity planning team at Nvidia, ensuring capacity risk mitigation strategies are in place across all verticals post-fab. Her background is in industrial engineering and she has spent about fifteen years tackling complex challenges in dynamic business environments in multiple industries – semiconductor, automotive and chemical. Her recent challenges in the silicon valley have been focused on implementing solutions to enable exponential scalability. Outside of work, she’s a mom of two young boys, two and four. For fun, she loves biking with her family, hiking/exploring nature in their camper van and doing pottery on the wheel. Sneha loves to create - creating art, creating solutions and creating new memories/experiences is something she thrives on. Sneha also loves to bring people together. Someone once congratulated Sneha on becoming a mom, with the statement “welcome to the world’s largest fraternity/sorority”. Sneha became a mom for the first time during the Covid 19 pandemic; a time when many parents started to leave the workforce as a result of losing their standard support systems they relied on. Sneha continued to take on bigger challenges at work while intentionally looking to grow in her personal life. Always having been a lover of nature and the outdoors, Sneha leaned into that aspect of her life even as a new parent and found ways to incorporate outdoor adventures into her family’s routine. A friend told her that following Sneha’s outdoor adventures was inspiring her to come up with innovative ways to balance both work and family time. This in turn inspired Sneha share her outdoor nature explorations & van life on the weekends, hoping to inspire more parents to find creative ways to meet their goals holistically and not have to step away from professional goals unless it’s truly what they wanted to do. /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/36393475

Ep. 14 | Astrology and Your Personal Blueprint with Katie Sweetman 04/20/2025

Ep. 13 | Hypnotherapy with Dorthy Tyo 03/23/2025

Ep. 13 | Hypnotherapy with Dorthy Tyo In this episode, Sara sits down with Dorthy Tyo, a certified Master Hypnotist and Clinical Hypnotherapist. Dorthy is the owner and lead instructor of the Palo Alto School of Hypnotherapy in Palo Alto, California, where Sara earned her own hypnotherapy certification. She was also Sara's mentor and instructor during her LIGHT Practitioner certification at UC San Diego. Sara and Dorthy dive into how hypnotherapy can help reframe limiting beliefs, addressing common misconceptions about the practice, and exploring how and when people choose hypnosis as a tool for wellness. They also discuss its applications in career-related challenges, medical settings, setting intentions for hypnotherapy sessions, and the fascinating field of regression hypnosis. About Dorthy: Dorthy V. Tyo is a certified Master Hypnotist, as well as a certified Clinical Hypnotherapist with ACHE. She is the owner, director and lead instructor of the Palo Alto School of Hypnotherapy in Palo Alto, Ca. which was founded in 1977. Prior to purchasing the school in 2009, she taught and developed classes for over 20 years for and with the previous owner/founder, Josie Hadley. Dorthy has maintained a private practice since 1986 to present. With a background in teaching and psychology from State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, she continues to study new information about the brain and how thoughts affect emotions, biology, and well-being. Dorthy incorporates this information in her courses and with clients in her private practice. She is author and developer of many teaching manuals and coauthor of the book, GEMT (Guided Empathy Meridian Tapping) which is an innovative approach for healing/resolving past beliefs and perceptions that have manifested into dis-ease. She is also a guest speaker, YouTube channel co-host, TV and radio guest, and is currently working on a new book about the spiritual/science connection with hypnosis for a better understanding of its use. Dorthy is proud to be recently certified as a LIGHT Practitioner with UCSD’s Centers for Integrative Health and also teaches an 8 week course: “Foundational Hypnotherapy with NLP Concepts” through UCSD School of Medicine. You can learn more about hypnotherapy and about Dorthy’s work at: https://www.pasoh.com/ /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/35785010

Ep. 12 | Designing Your Life with Bill Burnett 03/16/2025

Ep. 11 | Finding Your Voice with Kelsey Brennan 03/09/2025

Ep. 10 | Accessing our Psychic Abilities with Natalie LoBue 03/02/2025

Ep. 10 | Accessing our Psychic Abilities with Natalie LoBue In this episode, Sara sits down with trance medium healer and psychic reader Natalie LoBue for an enlightening conversation about energy healing and accessing our psychic abilities. Together, they explore how emotions can become trapped in our bodies, the power of awareness in deepening our connection to intuition, and the role of emotional contagion in our daily lives. Natalie shares how trance medium healing techniques can be especially beneficial in high-stress environments and careers, offering tools to enhance overall well-being. They also discuss the value of bringing someone with Natalie’s expertise into the workplace—helping teams become more mindful of how they use their energy to interact with one another with greater intention and meaning. About Natalie: Natalie LoBue is a trance medium healer and psychic reader who uses sound healing to facilitate change in her sessions. This is akin to somatic therapy where we look at where the body is holding information and do energy work to help release it. Sound healing sends music through the body by placing Acutonics tuning forks on and above acupuncture points, organs and energy centers while clairvoyant counseling helps us see the root causes of pain and suffering. With a clear understanding of the origins of our pain and the wisdom and profoundness of sound healing we can reach deeper levels of healing and release. Natalie is a trained psychic from Aesclepion Healing Center, has studied Michael Harner’s Core Shamanism, is a Reiki Master from many schools of thought, a graduate of the Kairos Institute of Sound Healing, the Acupressure Institute, and received her BA from SFSU in Liberal Arts. She’s been in practice in Berkeley, CA since 2012 and offers Sound Baths all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more about sound healing and energy work at /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/35474135

Ep. 9 | Unlocking Your Creativity with Victor van Doorn 02/23/2025

Ep. 8 | Turning our Struggles into our Strengths with Daniela -Nani- Ruiz 02/16/2025

Ep.7 | Rediscovering the Shamanic Art of Heart Navigation with Jeff Nixa 02/09/2025

Ep. 6 | Education, Success, and Eudaimonia with Michael Escobar 02/03/2025

Ep. 5 | Building Authentic Connections with Shaena Harrison 01/27/2025

Ep. 4 Overcoming Stress, Preventing Burnout, and Thriving Under Pressure 01/10/2025

Ep. 4 Overcoming Stress, Preventing Burnout, and Thriving Under Pressure In this episode, We chat with Surbhi Singh, a Registered Nurse at the Neurosurgical ICU at Stanford Hospital. Surbhi has over a decade of experience in critical care across Trauma, Medicine, Cardiovascular, and Neurosurgical ICUs. In addition to her role as an RN, Surbhi has earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree and is Clinical Faculty at USF. According to the CDC, 46% of health workers reported often feeling burned out in 2022, up from 32% in 2018. In this episode, Surbhi shares her best practices and strategies for preventing burnout, managing your mindset and maintaining your wellbeing in high stress work environments. About Surbhi: Surbhi T Singh, MSN, NP-C, PHN, CCRN is a Registered Nurse at the Neurosurgical ICU at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Ca. Surbhi’s nursing career spans a decade, with a background in critical care focused on Medicine ICU, Trauma ICU, Cardiovascular ICU, and Neurosurgical ICU. Surbhi earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree which also allows her to teach as Clinical Faculty in Nursing at the University of San Francisco. Surbhi’s teaching career gives her the opportunity to give back to the nursing community by sharing her knowledge and skill with the next generation of nursing professionals. Surbhi grew up in Fremont, California and moved to Los Angeles to pursue both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Nursing. There, she started her career at Providence Saint John’s in Santa Monica in 2015. In 2019, Surhi returned to the Bay area when she was offered her position at Stanford. Surbhi greatly values lifelong learning and says that she learns from her students and her patients every day. She is inspired by the stories of the patients and students she serves in her role as a healthcare professional and an educator. For Surbhi, their stories and witnessing their resilience is part of the reason that she is honored to be doing the work that she does. /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/34794680

Ep. 4 Overcoming Stress, Preventing Burnout, and Thriving Under Pressure 01/10/2025

Ep. 3 Owning Your Next Career Move with Niharika Ray 12/22/2024

Ep. 3 Owning Your Next Career Move with Niharika Ray In this episode, Sara sits down with Niharika Ray, a friend and someone she volunteered with for several years at an educational non-profit. A few years ago, Niharika chose to leave her job as a senior software engineer at Airbnb to join that same non-profit as a full time staff member. In this episode, Sara and Niharika talk about what it's like to make a career move early in your career that is very different from what you thought you wanted at one point, and what everyone around you expects from you. Niharika talks about her decision making process, what drove her to make specific, intentional career moves, and how she used logic to make sense of an intuitive calling. The conversation with Niharika reminds us of how much power we hold to make decisions about our lives and our careers. More about Niharika and her journey: Niharika Ray is the Chief Operating Officer of Minds Matter Bay Area (MMBay), an organization that she first joined as a volunteer math instructor in 2016. Between 2016 and 2022, Niharika served in a variety of volunteer capacities, from leading the junior instruction team, to serving as volunteer co-Chief Community Officer from 2020 to 2022, a role where she oversaw mentee and volunteer recruitment and engagement, parent and guardian and mentee alumni engagement, and volunteer training – all during a global pandemic. Outside of her time as a volunteer in MMBay, Niharika was a senior software engineer at Airbnb from 2015 to 2022. At Airbnb, she was a member of three different infrastructure teams, focusing on scaling both internal tools and airbnb.com. She holds a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon University. In 2022, Niharika quit her job as a software engineer to become MMBay’s second full-time hire, where she continued to focus on scaling, but in an entirely new context. In 2022, MMBay rebranded from "Minds Matter San Francisco" serving students in one site, to becoming a regional "Minds Matter Bay Area" organization, and in August 2024, MMBay launched its second site in San Jose, while continuing to grow and stabilize operations in the San Francisco site. More about Minds Matter Bay Area: mindsmatterbay.org /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/34569705

Faith, Values, and Embracing Uncertainty 12/08/2024

Faith, Values, and Embracing Uncertainty In this episode, Sara speaks with an old colleague, Fadi, about using our values to find alignment and purpose in our careers. Fadi shares his career journey, learning to let go of fear, and surrendering to what is meant for him rather than chasing what we've been conditioned to believe we need in order to be happy. Books recommended by Fadi: The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer Fadi's podcast: Imshi Imshi Information on the heart-brain connection that was referenced by Sara is based on research from the HeartMath Institute (Science of the Heart, Volume 2) About Fadi: Fadi Hindi is a bold advocate for living unapologetically true to your values, no matter the cost. His journey from Baghdad to Silicon Valley is a powerful testament to the transformative power of ambition, resilience, and purpose. Fadi has not only navigated corporate spaces but transformed them by refusing to compromise on what matters most: integrity, faith, and authenticity. From fleeing conflict to becoming a key Operator in the tech ecosystem — leading teams through massive growth transformation — Fadi’s career reflects the strength of bridging divides and fostering talent, all while staying deeply rooted in his beliefs. What sets Fadi apart isn’t just his success, but how he’s achieved it: on his own terms. Known for speaking truth to power, even when it’s uncomfortable, he leads with values-driven conviction. For Fadi, faith means trusting in your purpose, instincts, and the process itself — not just in work, but also in life. On this episode of Ace of Pentacles, he’ll share how these principles have shaped his unconventional, zigzagging career path, and how surrendering and embracing uncertainty has been key to his well-being and success. Listeners will be inspired to rethink their approach to work, make bold, purpose-driven decisions, and design careers that align with who they truly are. Episode filmed and produced by Bryan Dahl | IG: @dahl.memoirs /episode/index/show/59a23871-12d8-44ee-8209-a7e141892092/id/34333335

Ep 1: Meet Your Host, Sara 11/29/2024

Ace of Pentacles

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