The concept of Ikigai is the Japanese answer to living a life of purpose. I talked about Ikigai in episode #243; in this episode, I go deeper with the concept. If you don’t feel your career is feeding your soul, here’s how to figure out what is missing - and what to do about it.

Let me start by saying there are good reasons to accept a counteroffer from your current employer. However, if the ONLY reason you are even considering the counteroffer is because it pays more than the outside offer you’ve received, it’s probably the wrong move for you. What is a counteroffer? There are two possibilities that we’ll go over today, along with tools to evaluate an initial job offer, counteroffer strategies, and how to accept or decline an offer from your company or an outside company.

Let me start by saying I’m a planning geek. Goals and strategies excite me, and I love realizing the aggressive goals I set for myself. Today, I’m inviting you to pick an area of your professional life that you would like to see massive change in. We’ll work together to create a plan to make it happen!

This week, I have a return guest — Robert Jordan. Robert is CEO of Interim Execs, which matches interim, project, and fractional executives with opportunities. Today, we’re talking about the role of an interim executive — and who is the right fit for these types of opportunities. Robert shares the characteristics he looks for in interim executives and how you can best present yourself for these roles.

I have recently finished Jen Sincero’s book, You Are a Badass. One of the chapters in the book is on “The Almighty Decision,” and I wanted to dive into this topic for this episode. We’ll talk about the process of decision-making, what stands in your way, and Sincero’s tips on this topic.

No one is expected to immediately know what they want to do in life. There are three main perspectives I want to share in this week’s podcast episode with upcoming (or recent) college graduates related to their career and what to keep in mind when thinking about their next steps.

This month, we’ll be drilling down on your skills, personality preferences, core values, and expertise. Each of these things can, and should, play a role in your career decisions. Today’s topic is “Identifying Your Motivated Skills.”

This month, I’m talking about using critical information about yourself in your career choice. Last week, I talked about Motivated Skills; this week I want to talk about your personality.

This month’s podcasts are covering the importance of incorporating your skills, values, personality, and areas of expertise into your career decision. Today, I want to talk about your core values…what is most important to you in an employer, a work environment, and the specific work you’re doing.

So far this month, I’ve talked about how to incorporate knowledge of your Motivated Skills, personality preferences, and Core Values into your career decision. Today, we’re answering the question, What are You REALLY Good At? We’re talking about capitalizing on your Areas of Expertise.

This month, I’ve done episodes covering your Motivated Skills, your personality preferences using the framework of the MBTI, your Core Values, and your Areas of Expertise in making career decisions. In today’s podcast episode, I want to bring all of these things together.

Today, I want to give you five top tips for starting your career. I won’t be talking about tactics and strategies, but rather about how to view the beginning of your career in a way that serves you.

Many people, perhaps most, don’t think of “passion” and “job” in the same sentence. They believe passion is for their family, their significant other, their hobbies. The result? Long, unfulfilling days with little to show for them. Those of us who have aligned our passion with our work are excited and energized to get up in the morning, because our work is a reflection of who we are. What we were put on this earth to do. Today, we’ll talk about some examples of “total eclipses” of passion and careers.

My guest today is Chris Lyons of Creative Career Starter. Applying for a creative job is different from filling out an application and uploading your GPA and resume. Today, we talk with Chris to see how he does it and how he can help you.

Today, my guest is Laura Berman Fortgang, and we are discussing three clues you can look at from your past to help you find the career you are meant to be in. We talk about what clues to look for, how to assess those clues, and what to do with your new-found self-awareness.

In this episode with guest Jeff Perry, we talk about making an intentional, rather than reactive, career transition. Jeff describes career clarity for us, how to determine our non-negotiables (what MUST be present in our career and job for satisfaction), and tools you can use to help find your own career clarity.

This week I’m talking about how to prepare for the interview as an internal candidate. We’ll cover what to do before you consider applying, how to submit a proper application, and what your interview itself should look like.