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Career Pivots Podcast · Interview

Show Notes

Zedeka Poindexter joins Serena to talk about voice, community, and why the crucial conversations about support are worth having early.

Content Type: Interview Goal: Educational Guest: Zedeka Poindexter

Host

Serena Forde, MS

Guest

Zedeka Poindexter

Episode Summary

In this episode, we explore the importance of your voice’s power, community support, and communication in personal and professional growth, featuring insights from Zedeka Poindexter and Serena Forde.

Key Topics

* The importance of discussing support needs with your community

* How to have crucial conversations about partnership and support

* The impact of community support on personal and professional growth

* Strategies for effective communication in relationships

* Real-life examples of support conversations

Sound Bites

Having a real conversation with your community about support.

Support looks different for everyone.

Early conversations prevent misunderstandings.

Key Takeaways

* Having open conversations about support can strengthen relationships.

* Discussing support needs early prevents misunderstandings.

* Community and partnership require ongoing communication.

* Clear communication about expectations is vital for success.

Chapters

00:00

Introduction to community support and communication

05:48

Zedeka Poindexter shares her experience with support conversations

05:54

Strategies for having effective support conversations

Resources

* Writer’s Block — Nebraska Public Media

* Career Pivots Podcast — serenaforde.substack.com

Connect with Zedeka Poindexter

Nebraska Writers Collaborative ↗ LinkedIn ↗

Listen & Subscribe

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Amazon Music

Keywords

Community Support Communication Personal Growth Professional Development Partnership

“Your next chapter deserves intention.”

— Serena Forde, MS · Career Pivots Podcast

Guest: Corneal Westbrooks

Episode Overview

In this inspiring conversation, Corneal Westbrooks opens up about the long, winding path behind his “overnight success.” His story is a masterclass in patience, perseverance, and the power of learning from every misstep. If you’re navigating a pivot, rebuilding after setbacks, or simply trying to stay committed to your vision, this episode reminds you that meaningful success rarely happens fast — but it always happens intentionally.

“It took time but it eventually paid off.” “I have zero regrets about any of the decisions I made.”

What You’ll Learn

* The real timeline behind success — why the journey often takes longer than expected.

* How patience becomes a strategic advantage in career transitions and entrepreneurial pursuits.

* The role of mistakes as essential learning tools rather than setbacks.

* Long‑term success strategies that keep you grounded, focused, and resilient.

Key Topics

* Corneal Westbrooks’ career journey and pivotal moments

* The discipline of perseverance

* Embracing failures as fuel

* Building a long‑view strategy for sustainable success

Top Takeaways

* Success often takes longer than expected — patience is key.

* Mistakes are not roadblocks; they’re data.

* Persistence pays off, even when progress feels slow.

Episode Chapters

* 00:00 — Introduction to Corneal Westbrooks’ journey

* 37:05 — The humorous truth: “10 years to overnight success”

* 37:16 — Learning from mistakes and releasing regrets

Resources

* Career Pivots Podcast — Career Pivots Link

* Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

* Guest Links:

· Caleb the Great: Book link

· Corneal Westbrooks: LinkedIn

I need to hear from you.

If Career Pivots has landed for you — if something a guest said stopped you mid-commute, made you rethink a decision, or finally gave words to something you’ve been feeling — tell me.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or Spotify ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Drop a comment below or on Substack

Find me on LinkedIn and let’s talk about it

Every review helps someone new find this show. Every comment tells me what’s resonating. And every share puts Career Pivots in front of someone who might be in their own messy middle right now.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to have something worth saying. What’s one thing from a recent episode that stayed with you?

👇 Drop it below.

#CareerPivots #Podcast #NewPodcast #Becoming #CareerReinvention #IntentionalLivingShow Notes

I need to hear from you.

If Career Pivots has landed for you — if something a guest said stopped you mid-commute, made you rethink a decision, or finally gave words to something you’ve been feeling — tell me.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or Spotify ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Drop a comment below or on Substack

Find me on LinkedIn and let’s talk about it

Every review helps someone new find this show. Every comment tells me what’s resonating. And every share puts Career Pivots in front of someone who might be in their own messy middle right now.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to have something worth saying. What’s one thing from a recent episode that stayed with you?

👇 Drop it below.

#CareerPivots #Podcast #NewPodcast #Becoming #CareerReinvention #IntentionalLivingShow Notes

If Career Pivots has landed for you — if something a guest said stopped you mid-commute, made you rethink a decision, or finally gave words to something you’ve been feeling — tell me.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or Spotify ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Drop a comment below or on Substack

Find me on LinkedIn and let’s talk about it

Every review helps someone new find this show. Every comment tells me what’s resonating. And every share puts Career Pivots in front of someone who might be in their own messy middle right now.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to have something worth saying. What’s one thing from a recent episode that stayed with you?

👇 Drop it below.

#CareerPivots #Podcast #NewPodcast #Becoming #CareerReinvention #IntentionalLivingShow Notes

Something I’ve Been Building in the Quiet

There’s a conversation I keep having.

With the friend who got laid off and doesn’t want to admit she’s relieved. With the colleague who’s crushing it on paper but feels hollow inside. With the woman who’s been whispering “there has to be more than this” for years but keeps talking herself out of doing anything about it.

I’ve had that conversation. I am that conversation.

That’s why I built Career Pivots.

Career Pivots launches July 15th. And I want you to be there from the beginning.

Every episode, I sit down with professionals who’ve successfully reinvented their careers — not by luck, but by strategy. They share the real story: the missteps, the breakthroughs, and the decisions that made the difference.

No glossy highlight reels. No “I just believed in myself and it worked out.” The actual playbook.

Here’s a taste of who we’re starting with:

Shabaura Perryman was laid off. Twice. Each time felt like more than a job loss — it was, as she puts it, an identity interruption. She didn’t just survive it. She built Onset DNA, wrote a book called Severed, and came up with a philosophy she calls Thrive Unhired. Her words have been living in my head ever since we recorded: “Don’t let panic design your future — let clarity design it.”

Steve Schultz left a career in healthcare to build Foodzee, a gamified platform helping kids develop healthy eating habits. What I loved about Steve is that he didn’t wait until he had it all figured out. He started small. He talked to people. He let purpose lead the way — and the rest followed.

Coach Vuyanzi Rodman — TEDx Speaker, Life Coach, and the woman who introduced me to the concept of “the alarm clock of destiny.” That feeling when you’re standing at the crossroads and something inside you is saying this ain’t it — even when everything looks fine on the outside. She gave our listeners a framework for what to do when that alarm goes off. I’ve thought about it almost every day since.

These are not famous people.

They’re people who faced real disruption — layoffs, identity crises, that quiet suffocating feeling of a role that no longer fits — and came out the other side with intention.

That’s what this show is about.

Real transitions. Real tactics. Real results.

July 15th. Mark it.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign that it’s time to build your next chapter — consider this it.

And if you know someone who needs to hear this right now — the one who’s been staring at their laptop wondering if this is it — share this with them.

Because your next chapter deserves intention.

— Serena