Pull Up Your Chair

In part two of this week's Pull Up Your Chair, Cicely continues her career-empowering chat with award-winning coach Octavia Goredema. They dive into the second phase of Octavia's acclaimed three-step career strategy: PUSH. After detailing the importance of preparation in part one, Octavia now expands on the motivational PUSH phase. She discusses her approach of actively assisting individuals in th...

This week on Pull Up Your Chair, Cicely welcomes award-winning career coach Octavia Goredema. Octavia is an acclaimed mentor who has empowered professionals at top companies like Google and Dow Jones. She is the author of the popular book PREP, PUSH, PIVOT and host of the hit Audible podcast How to Change Careers. An award-winning coach, Octavia guides professionals to unlock their full potential...

After discussing the prevalence of imposter syndrome and Dr. Stoddard's personal experiences, the conversation shifts to practical strategies for growth and change. Dr. Stoddard provides research-backed techniques to help quiet negative self-talk and build self-confidence. As she explains, learning to silence your inner critic is key to overcoming feelings of fraudulence. She introduces the acrony...

On the latest episode of Pull Up Your Chair, Cicely sits down with Dr. Jill Stoddard to discuss her new book Imposter No More. In this insightful conversation, Dr. Stoddard opens up about her own struggles with imposter syndrome and provides research-backed strategies to help listeners overcome feelings of self-doubt. As an award-winning teacher, TEDx speaker, and co-host of the popular Psychologi...

In the second half of Cicely's conversation with Kemi Nekvapil, they dive deeper into the challenges professional women face in trying to balance work and family. Kemi shares advice for women who struggle with feeling they must be in service to others and that it's a zero-sum game between their career and personal life. Kemi also talks about the importance of women seeing themselves as equals and...

Pulling up a chair this week is Kemi Nekvapil, a highly sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and executive coach dedicated to helping leaders reach their full potential. With over 28 years of studying purpose, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, Kemi brings deep wisdom to her work. As a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator who has worked directly with Dr. Brené Brown, Kemi is a powerful advocate...

Cicely Simpson wraps up the second part of her conversation with Bruce Feiler, the author of The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World. Bruce is a life transitions expert who has spent decades studying how people cope with change and find their purpose in their work. In this episode, they dive deeper into some of the challenges and opportunities that come with finding meaningful w...

This week Cicely welcomes bestselling author, TED speaker, and life transitions expert, Bruce Feiler! He is here to talk about his latest book, THE SEARCH: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World, a bold new roadmap for finding joy and fulfillment in what you do. We’re going to learn how to dig into our past, identify our core values, and trust ourselves to make the best decisions for our f...

Pull Up Your Chair with host Cicely Simpson concludes with the second part of David A. Specht Jr.'s amazing story of career change. Cicely revisits a key moment in David’s life, when he realized that his fear of failure was holding him back from taking care of his physical health, as he wrote in his book, Old Dogs New Tricks Version 2.0. This leads to a fascinating question: did David overcome his...

Are you ready to transform your life and unleash your full potential? If so, you won’t want to miss this episode of Pull Up Your Chair, where Cicely Simpson chats with David A. Specht Jr., a media mogul, a health coach, and a motivational speaker. David shares his inspiring story of how he went from being overweight and unhappy to losing 125 pounds and finding his purpose in helping others achieve...

Cicely wraps up her discussion with Christina Wallace, the author of The Portfolio Life: How to Future-Proof Your Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life Bigger than Your Business Card. Christina is a writer, podcaster, serial entrepreneur, and Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, who has created a successful and fulfilling career by combining her multiple passions and interests. In the fir...

Do you feel like you have to choose one thing to be good at? Do you struggle with balancing your work and your life? Do you want to design a career that fits your unique talents and passions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this episode is for you. Join Cicely as she chats with Christina Wallace, a self-described “human Venn diagram” who has mastered the art of creating a portf...

In the conclusion of Cicely's conversation with Brian Covey, we delve into the essence of Brian's success and explore his profound understanding of the power of connection in the game of life. As an influencer, podcaster, keynote speaker, and author, he has honed his craft while also serving as the Founder of Covey Holdings and Executive Vice President at Revolution Mortgage. During this episode,...

This week, get ready to be inspired as we dive into the life and wisdom of a true champion, Brian Covey. From his impressive career as a professional soccer player to his current role as the Founder of Covey Holdings and Executive Vice President at Revolution Mortgage, Brian has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to lead multi-billion-dollar teams to success. In this episode, we'll unc...

In this conclusion of Cicely Simpson's Pull Up Your Chair Podcast episode with Sylvie di Giusto, we delve deeper into the world of personal branding and its impact on how others perceive us. Sylvie, a renowned keynote speaker and author of “The Image of Leadership,” shares her insights on how leaders can effectively package themselves to create a lasting impression. As Cicely and Sylvie discuss th...

In this episode, Cicely is thrilled to have Sylvie di Giusto, a renowned keynote speaker and expert in personal branding and first impressions. Sylvie believes that first impressions matter and can make all the difference in how others perceive us or our organizations. Drawing from her extensive experience working with individuals and organizations across the globe, Sylvie shares practical tips an...

Don't miss the conclusion of Cicely's powerful and honest conversation with Alexa Curtis, the co-founder of GrasshoppHer. Alexa shares how she deals with imposter syndrome, a common challenge that many entrepreneurs face. She also shares some advice for Gen-Z entrepreneurs who want to follow in her footsteps. Tune in to Pull Up Your Chair with Cicely Simpson and listen to this inspiring conclusion...

Cicely is back for a career-changing conversation with Alexa Curtis, a powerhouse of creativity and entrepreneurship. Alexa's career in social media and radio led her to co-found GrasshoppHer, a career development service for women based in Austin. Alexa has been featured in Forbes, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, and many other publications for her work and achievements. She has also spoken at TE...

In this episode, Cicely continues her conversation with Barry Michels, co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Tools. Barry is a renowned therapist with years of experience helping clients transform their lives. In The Tools, he and his co-author, Phil Stutz, share a set of powerful techniques that can help you overcome fear, tap into your intuition, and cultivate resilience. Jeopardy is on...

If you're looking to unlock your full potential, this episode is a must-listen. Join Cicely as she sits down with Barry Michels, co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Tools. They discuss the life-changing psychological model that he and his co-author, Phil Stutz, have developed over their 60 years of combined psychotherapeutic experience. In The Tools, Barry and Phil share a set of powerf...

In the conclusion of Cicely's talk with Dr. Don Wood, the Founder of the Inspired Performance Institute, Don shares some advice for dealing with the day-to-day stress in our life and his thoughts on the long-lasting effects of pandemic-induced trauma.

Dr. Don Wood takes a seat this week. Don is a bestselling author and Founder of the Inspired Performance Institute. After years of research, Don created the TIPP method (The Inspired Performance Program) as a holistic approach to healing the effects of trauma on the body and mind. He's also the author of the best-selling books, You Must Be Out of Your Mind and Emotional Concussions. In part one, D...

In the conclusion of Cicely's Conversation with Lyndsay Dowd from Heartbeat for Hire, Lyndsay talks about the idea of interviewing to get out of a job and the reasons why corporate culture is so broken right.

Lyndsay Dowd pulls up a chair this week. Lyndsay worked at IBM for over 20 years, but pivoted when she asked herself what she was most passionate about. Now she’s the Chief Heartbeat Officer of Heartbeat for Hire, where she helps sales leaders and organizations improve and cultivate a phenomenal sales culture. In part one, Lyndsay discusses the inspiration for Heartbeat for Hire, and what she lear...

In the conclusion of Cicely's talk with Sophie Beren, the founder of The Conversationalist, Sophie discusses how she connects with people in her non-partisan community, and she shares some advice for bridging the communication gap between leadership and Gen Z.