Careers Unchecked with Talent Career Coaching

I'm balancing two businesses right now, one I care deeply about and one that feels more aligned with this chapter of my life. What I didn't expect was how much energy it would take to just not decide. By the end of some days I was exhausted and hadn't moved either direction meaningfully forward. In this episode we talk about: Why high achievers often struggle more with decisions than other people,...

Most high achievers know they should be able to leave work at work. Very few of them actually can. In this episode I'm starting somewhere personal, because this is something I'm actively working through in my own life right now. I had a system that worked in corporate, lost it when I went remote, rebuilt it when I became an entrepreneur, and then became a mom with a husband on on-call shifts, and...

In this episode we talk about: Why this dynamic is more common than you think (and it's not just your organization) How chronic deference to less experienced leadership erodes your own judgment over time The difference between a less experienced manager who supports your growth vs. one who caps it How to tell if this situation is temporary and workable or chronic and costly Where to get profession...

Nobody is coming to save your career. Not your manager, not your company, not the system you've been trying to succeed in. At some point, figuring out what you want and building toward it is entirely on you, and most people arrive at that realization later than they'd like. In this episode of Careers Unchecked, I'm explaining how career support actually works, what the different entry points look...

You found the job. It checks every box. You're genuinely excited. And then you see it: "please submit a cover letter with your application."And just like that, the excitement drains right out of you. If writing cover letters has ever made you want to close the laptop and apply tomorrow (which becomes next week, which becomes never), this episode is for you. In this episode, I'm breaking down every...

The New York Times published an article asking "Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace?" and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since November. In this episode, I'm unpacking why this narrative keeps showing up, what it gets wrong about women in the workplace, and what we should actually be focusing on instead. We talk about: ✅ Why conversations about women at work always circle back...

Somewhere along the way, my writing got quieter. The blogs were showing up, they were helpful and educational and clear, and they stopped feeling like me. I'd been doing what I watch so many of the women I coach do: learning to translate myself into something safe and polished until the real voice got quieter and quieter in the background. It started earlier than I'd realized. A high school Englis...

There's a particular kind of exhaustion that doesn't respond to rest. You take time off, you sleep, you step away, and when you come back the heaviness is right there waiting. I know this feeling personally. There was a point in my own career where I was so burned out I cried most mornings before work, not because anything dramatic happened, just because going back into the same environment again...

You're not lazy, and you're probably not ungrateful either. You're just tired in a way that doesn't show up anywhere on a calendar, and that's exactly what this episode is about. Mental load isn't the doing of things. It's the thinking behind the things, the planning and anticipating and holding-it-all-together that happens long before anyone else notices there was something to do. And if you're t...

"Bring your whole self to work," they said. Then they promoted someone else because apparently, your whole self was too much. That exhausting reality of trying to be yourself in workplaces that weren't built for people who think or communicate differently. For women, people of color, neurodivergent professionals, and anyone navigating being "the only," authenticity can feel like a trick question....

You're too experienced for entry-level programs but not senior enough for executive attention. You see systemic problems but lack the authority to fix them. You're capable of strategic thinking, but rarely asked for strategic input. Welcome to career limbo—the in-between phase that no one talks about. In this episode, I'm breaking down what it really means to be stuck in the middle of your career,...

Most career advice obsesses over mentorship. But that's only half the story. If you're a high-achieving woman who's been doing everything right and still feeling stuck, this episode will make some things click into place. Traditional career wisdom says find mentors, get guidance, learn from people ahead of you. All good advice. But here's what gets left out: mentors give advice. Sponsors give acce...

Remote work gave us flexibility, and quietly took away something we didn't realize we needed: professional witnesses. No one sees you solving problems in real time anymore. The hallway conversations that built relationships are gone. Those moments when you stayed late, and a senior leader noticed are gone. Here's the hard truth: remote employees are 31% less likely to get promoted and 35% more lik...

You're the person everyone counts on. The one who never misses a deadline, holds the team together, and quietly keeps everything running smoothly. But here's the hard truth: your reliability might be the very thing keeping you stuck. In this episode, I'm breaking down why high performers often get overlooked for promotions—and what you can do about it. If you've ever felt too valuable to move, thi...

Most of us spend our entire careers chasing a version of success we never actually chose. We inherit it from family expectations, workplace culture, and social media highlight reels. The formula is familiar: climb the ladder, grab the title, make more money. But what happens when you finally get there and realize it doesn't feel the way you thought it would? In this episode, I'm walking you throug...

A lot of companies are quietly scaling back their DEI work right now. Diversity departments eliminated, job postings changed, employee resource groups defunded, bias training shifted from mandatory to optional (which usually means gone). It's discouraging. But this doesn't have to be the end of progress. Because DEI was never about programs alone. Progress happens when people with influence decide...

Getting laid off feels like the ground is disappearing beneath your feet. Your routine, identity, paycheck, and community—all gone after a single conversation. If you're navigating a layoff right now, I want you to hear me: you are not alone . This year, I've walked through this process with so many clients—right now, 80% of my coaching clients are going through some form of layoff or severance. T...

Feedback leads to growth, but if you don't get it, you're kind of stuck. One of my clients came to me recently with exactly this challenge. She'd been in her role for three years, doing great work, highly motivated, but her manager was stretched too thin and wasn't great at guiding development. She was getting almost nothing in terms of feedback. No real development suggestions. No insight into ho...

If you've been diagnosed with ADHD later in life, or you're just now realizing why things like "just focus harder" never worked, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down the complicated feelings that come with a late diagnosis. The relief of finally understanding why certain things felt impossible. The grief of realizing how many years you spent fighting your own brain. But here's what I really...

"If I'm not moving up, I must be doing something wrong."Sound familiar? That voice in your head isn't telling you the truth. In this episode of Careers Unchecked, Portland career coach Brandi Oldham breaks down exactly when a lateral move is actually your smartest career strategy—and how to know if you're making a strategic choice or just stalling out. What You'll Learn:✅ The 4 scenarios when a l...

Hearing rumors about layoffs? Leadership meetings feel different? You're not imagining it. When major companies announce cuts, the ripple effect is real—and that quiet question everyone's asking is: "Am I next?" In this episode of Careers Unchecked, career coach Brandi Oldham shares the exact playbook she uses with clients facing layoff anxiety. If your gut is telling you something's not right at...

"Let's revisit this in our next performance review." Sound familiar? That polite corporate phrase that really means "not now, not yet, maybe not ever"? If you've been doing manager-level work without the title or pay to match, you're not alone—and you're definitely not the problem. In this episode of Careers Unchecked, Portland career coach Brandi Oldham breaks down the invisible ceiling that's ke...

Side Hustle to Full-Time Business: When Should You Actually Make the Leap? Living a double life between your day job and side hustle? You're answering work emails while your brain is stuck on that client invoice. You're in meetings thinking about your business. When that thing you started for extra cash starts feeling like a real job—that's when the questions start: Is this more than a side hustle...

Feeling guilty every time you take a break? Working 12-hour days and still feeling behind? You're not lazy—you're stuck in a system that rewards exhaustion. In this episode of Careers Unchecked, Portland career coach Brandi Oldham breaks down why rest feels impossible, how burnout is sabotaging your performance, and the exact framework to build "Rest Architecture" that actually works in demanding...

Been told you're "overqualified" for a job you actually want? You're not alone, and it's rarely about your qualifications. In this episode of Careers Unchecked, Portland career coach Brandi Oldham breaks down what hiring managers really mean when they say you're overqualified, why it happens in two different scenarios, and exactly how to reposition yourself to get past this frustrating barrier. Wh...