Stop Sabotaging Your Success

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores the difference between acceptance and resignation. When career roadblocks present themselves, there’s a temptation to throw up our hands in despair and resign ourselves to defeat. But a better option is acceptance. Cindy explains how acceptance means seeing the situation for what it is and guides us on how to make the most of it.    The differences between r...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about how the lone wolf mentality of handling everything ourselves can backfire and hold us back. In toxic situations, it can even be used against us. Refusing to collaborate and work with others is self-imposed isolation that keeps us from valuable insights and promotes burnout. Cindy explains how we can learn to open ourselves up and work with others.     Whi...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger addresses one of the frustrating aspects of collaborative work: when not every person involved is as invested in pulling their weight and getting the job done as you are. While it might be tempting to go it alone, that isn’t the solution. The reality of collaborative work can feel like herding cats. Cindy dives into how to navigate the minefield of disengagement, obs...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about how the flurry of our everyday workplace conversations can lead to misunderstandings and confusion. When we are part of work conversations at the coffee machine or in email threads that overlap other conversations, how do we know what to follow up on? We miss out on clarifying the next steps, deadlines, and each person’s responsibilities. So how do we mit...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores the shift from doing everything early in our careers to leading instead as we progress up the corporate ladder. While we start out efficiently executing tasks and cranking through work, the rules change as we achieve greater career success. The challenge of letting go of the reins to step into a leadership role becomes more important. But why? And how do we...

Cindy Esliger talks about the trap of the comfort zone and why staying challenged at work is better for long-term success in this episode. While the comfort zone and being at the top of your game feels good, staying there too long can lead to stagnation. Cindy discusses why setting goals and learning new skills is key to our career progression.   While there’s nothing wrong with doing what we do b...

Cindy Esliger addresses what to do when incentives for recognition or advancement in our workplaces are not in alignment with how we work. Sometimes doing everything we think is right isn’t enough and we seem to be missing out on promotions or rewards. In those workplaces, the incentive structure is broken and we need to understand how to recognize the pitfalls and find alignment. This episode is...

Cindy Esliger talks about the double-edged sword that niceness can be in this episode. The pressure to be nice in the corporate world can feel overwhelming but forced niceness can lead to self-sacrifice and the impression of being easily manipulated. Being kind is a far better goal than being nice and Cindy explains why that is and how to pursue kindness over being nice.  Cindy outright states tha...

Cindy Esliger discusses the idea that following organizational norms and the well-worn path may not get us to where we want to be. Instead, we may need to carve out our own unique path that breaks from conformity and embraces action. How do we identify what to follow and when to break free? And how do we cultivate the strengths we need to trust ourselves to do it our way? In this episode, Cindy of...

Cindy Esliger addresses those people who can’t help but thrive on chaos in today’s episode. The people who seem to always be in a state of emergency and who are addicted to drama. Perhaps it’s even us who are the drama dabblers. Why is this mindset harmful to progress and success? How do we break free from someone who is intent on staying in chaos? And if it’s us, how do we change? Cindy has advic...

Cindy Esliger talks about the inner dialogue we all have that is often driven by stress, fear, and anxiety, and why we shouldn’t believe everything it says. The things we tell ourselves are shaped by past experiences, current fears, and future worries and the stress we carry can make these inner voices very unreliable. So how do we start believing a better story about ourselves?  While our inner n...

Cindy Esliger explores the idea of putting ourselves to the test and stepping outside our comfort zones in this episode. There’s an allure to sticking to what we’re good at but if we only do what we’re good at, we don’t get challenged. When we accept a challenge, we trust ourselves more and build greater self-confidence. But how do we take those first steps?  When we master something, we feel good...

Cindy Esliger talks about reinvention and asks the question “What if who we are not isn’t who we need to be to achieve our dreams?”. Reinvention may be more a necessity than a possibility when we consider that in a changing world, we need to continue growing, thriving, and finding fulfillment. But exactly how do we do that? Cindy shares her guide to reinventing yourself with us.  Reinvention chall...

Cindy Esliger explores the difference between acting tough and demonstrating strength. They’re not the same thing, though women in male-dominated fields often put up a facade of invincibility in an attempt to appear strong. True strength is in our ability to confront challenges and make decisions that align with our values. Cindy breaks down exactly what a tough exterior prevents that true strengt...

Cindy Esliger addresses change in this episode. Change is necessary to alter our career trajectories and meet our goals. But change also demands more than just ambition: it requires intention, perseverance, and the non-linear reality of doing things differently. It also requires facing things like systemic challenges and internal obstacles. Cindy offers guidance through the difficult, messy, and p...

Cindy Esliger talks about conquering the voice in our head that tells us we’re not ready for the career spotlight or big goal we’ve been working towards. Those excuses, while comforting in the short term, ultimately just hold us back from reaching our potential. But how do we confront those fears and step out of our comfort zones to claim the career success we know we actually deserve? That’s what...

Cindy Esliger talks about the transformative power of vulnerability that we often find difficult to embrace in this episode. Our natural instinct in the workplace is to keep our guard up, to protect ourselves from judgment and criticism. But vulnerability is not a sign of weakness, it’s a key to growth and connection. Cindy outlines how to start seeing vulnerability in a different light so we can...

Cindy Esliger explores the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. The right relationships can fuel growth, support, and challenge you to reach new heights, while the wrong ones may hinder your progress. Being selective in professional relationships requires choosing quality over quantity. Cindy encourages listeners to consider who they allow into their inner circle. She encourag...

Cindy Esliger addresses difficult conversations in this episode: those dreaded conversations that involve challenging subjects or conflicts that need resolving. We would often prefer to avoid them but they’re necessary for preventing larger difficulties and problems down the road. Hard discussions are a part of growth and resolution and can’t be avoided forever. So learning to navigate difficult c...

Cindy Esliger discusses closing the gap between where we are in our careers and where we want to be in this episode. She looks into using the discontent we can feel in our careers, sometimes unsettling and distracting, as a catalyst for advancement. Harnessing our professional discontent requires a careful strategy so we can use it to strive for a higher standard of excellence. Cindy breaks down e...

Cindy Esliger addresses the arrival fallacy in this episode. That belief that once we reach a certain milestone in our careers everything will fall into place, as if by magic, and we will arrive in perpetual happiness. We will have “made it” into the mythological destination where we enter reward and leave the struggle. This fallacy doesn’t actually work because rewards, experiences, professional...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger explores the messiness of life and how what appears to be a series of obstacles is an integral part of our career journey. Navigating life’s messiness isn’t just about bouncing back but about embracing the new opportunities the experience may offer. It’s our reaction to the chaos that matters and Cindy is here to guide us on how to embrace the unexpected. Rolling wit...

In this episode, Cindy Esliger talks about the stroke of brilliance ideas we sometimes have that we dismiss because it’s something that came too easily to us. Our sudden insights that we feel are too obvious to be of real value. It’s that self-discounting tendency that Cindy examines in detail because the truth is that what comes easily to us can be a genius revelation to someone else. We don’t al...

Cindy Esliger examines the trifecta of our work, our identity, and our self-awareness, breaking down where they complement each other and where we should define boundaries. Self-awareness allows us to distinguish between who we are and what we do. The value of our work is different from our worth as a human being. The distinctions between our professional and personal identity require a deep dive...

Cindy Esliger addresses the inevitability of workplace conflict by differentiating between using discernment over judgment to navigate the tension. Since workplaces are comprised of people and people each have their own struggles and lives going on unseen, tension is inevitable. Not taking things personally and approaching conflict with a desire to listen and get to the core issue are some of the...