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. 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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