Becoming You with Suzy Welch – Details, episodes & analysis

Ok, not really! Change is good — usually. And really, these days, what choice do we have anyway? But sometimes, it’s worth the energy it takes to resist change, because you’ve built something worth keeping the same. Tune in to this episode for a story to make that point, and sorry not sorry, there will be blood, we mean “crying.” Plus down-and-dirty advice on landing your dream job, and a new secret mentor crush who can lay someone low with a velvet glove. That’s talent.

Worried about Suzy the Swan? Yes, you and many other listeners too! In this episode, Suzy (the human, not the swan) gives an update on her missing spirit animal, and somehow also manages to make a point about allowing yourself to change, whether you want to or not. Also on the agenda: Madonna, not knowing which path to take, and advice for working parents.

In this week’s episode, we consider the annoying age-old question, “Why does everything good have to be so stinking hard?” And also, “Was Suzy actually being clueless when she told the Today Show audience that they should all go get themselves fired?” Spoiler alert: No! And that’s not all. The pod this week covers preparing for tough interviews, crabby celebrities, and Suzy’s most creative insults, which she concocts because, really, she loves everyone.

What a strange and unnecessary thing it is that people enter the working world mostly clueless about the working world. For instance, school teaches you certain ways of behaving and thinking that will actually get you into a lot of trouble, and it can take the first five to ten years of your career to unlearn them. Or, you can listen to this podcast, and unlearn them in less than an hour. Also: Suzy’s final thoughts on final wishes.

There are only two things that everyone agrees on in this world. That Dolly Parton is great, and that networking is awful. In this episode, Suzy focuses on the latter, making the case that we should all deep-six stupid, boring, useless small talk in hotel conference rooms for making true friends. Which of course, leads to a long diatribe on her own personal besties. Career advice ensues.

You could jump into your pool fully clothed on a cool spring morning to save your dog from drowning, and come out saying, “Wow, that was close,” or you could do the exact same thing I did, and spend the rest of the day wondering, “What else would I die for?” This week’s ever-cheerful episode of Becoming You pod goes there! Because #values! Also on the agenda: a new who-am-I hack, Joan of Arc ruminations, and Suzy’s very un-fuzzy-wuzzy take on the man v. bear showdown.

It’s graduation season, so advice is in the air. But if you want graduation advice that could seriously help you get ahead in life AND possibly get you arrested at an airport, this episode's got you! Also on the agenda, less incendiary life and generally very useful career advice, a values excavation exercise inspired by Ernest Hemingway, a new installment of secret mentor crush, tough love for working moms, and Suzy’s advice to her 20-year-old self, which, it ends up, she still needs today.

Every now and again, often out of the blue, we realize something kind of wild about ourselves. Like, we always want to be in Italy even though we live in Chicago. Or, we truly miss work on a random Saturday. Or, we’re on a plane that’s been delayed seven hours…and we’re not mad at all. What do these aha moments tell us about? Our values. Which is why we shouldn't ignore them, but lean way in to find out more. That’s where we go in today’s podcast, with an exercise to help, along with other various ranting and raving around why we resist our dream jobs, who wins this week’s secret crush award, and what Anna Wintour recently said that is so true it’s scary.

We all have life goals, right? Right? Or sometimes we just see something – something amazing – and we think, “Oh yeah, that’s what I want. That, exactly,” and our life is never the same. Press play to enter the first-ever episode of the Becoming You podcast and hear as Suzy Welch recounts just one such moment for her in 1998, when she spotted a group of women in glorious hats walking down 5th Avenue. The rest is history – well, sort of. Hear about that too. And stick around to hear about the “Becoming You” methodology and NYU class that grew out of that fateful sighting. Other topics: Increasing your curiosity, finding a mentor, and a lightning round of stump-Suzy questions that do not, as it turns out, exactly stump Suzy.  

Have you ever wondered, “What should I do with my life?” Or, “Should I stay or should I go?” Or, “Is there anyone out there who actually tells the freaking truth about life and work today, but also does not leave me in despair?”

Wonder no more! The “Becoming You” podcast has arrived, hosted by Suzy Welch, the business journalist-turned-professor at the helm of NYU’s wildly popular self-discovery class by the same name. A three New York Times best-seller and frequent contributor to the Today Show and the Wall Street Journal, Professor Welch is considered a leading expert on decision-making, and the discovery and pursuit of authentic purpose. But virtually no topic is off-bounds in her irreverent new podcast, from parenting fails (including her own) to perfect poems (none of her own, thank God.) Also included: Pointed opinions on dogs, Gen Z, marriage, credit default swaps, golf skirts, career killing mistakes, and under-appreciated TV shows you really have to see immediately. OK, there is actually nothing in the podcast about credit default swaps. 

Tune in every week to laugh, learn, get riled up, get calmed down, and basically get closer to becoming you, joyfully, in this crazy, upside-down, scary, messy, and altogether beautiful world we share.