Explore every episode of the podcast Jolt Your Career with Teegan Bartos

Empty grocery shelves. Blue lips in the dead of winter. Three flights to a country she had never seen.

That’s where Katie’s "American Dream Story" began.

She landed in the U.S. the night before college started, and just days after graduation, a double-decker bus rolled past Wall Street. Katie whispered, “One day I want to work here.” 27 days later, she was working at Citibank on 111 Wall Street.

But Katie didn’t stop at the safe choice. From Yale to S&P Global and beyond, she’s built her career by doing what most leaders won’t: reinventing herself again and again.

In this episode, Katie shares why reinvention isn’t risky; it’s the safest path in today’s market, and how leaders can turn fear, failure, and uncertainty into their greatest edge.

You’ll discover:
1/ Why reinvention is the safer path in today’s market2/ How to anchor yourself in purpose so it outweighs fear3/ Why failure is inevitable and invaluable4/ How community accelerates possibility5/ The Pivot Formula: balancing intuition with strategy6/ Why broad expertise is the ultimate superpower

🎧 Listen now and rethink what’s really keeping you safe.

Follow & Connect with Katie:🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterinacurry/

Follow & Connect with Teegan

• • LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos⁠
  • Instagram: ⁠@joltyourcareerwithteeganbartos ⁠

  
  

• Resume Writing & Job Search Services: ⁠joltyourcareer.today⁠

  
  

👉 Stay in the Loop

• Subscribe to my newsletter: ⁠Newsletter⁠

  Download Free Job Search Resources: ⁠JYC-Executive-Job-Search

  
  
  
  

Looking for executive job search strategies that actually work? You’ve just found the unfiltered career podcast for senior leaders, executives, and high performers in transition.

I’m Teegan Bartos, Founder of JYC, and I’ve been on every side of the table: recruiter, hiring manager, and executive career coach. I’ve helped thousands of leaders land executive roles, reinvent their careers, and master LinkedIn for job search success.

This isn’t a corporate pep talk. It’s LinkedIn After Dark, the side of executive careers nobody posts about:

• Proven strategies for executive job searches and career transitions
• Raw, unfiltered stories from leaders at the top
• Real talk about reinvention, leadership, and finding your next role

If you’re tired of fluffy advice and want practical executive career coaching you can actually use, subscribe now.

👉 Follow & Connect with Me

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos

• Career Coaching + Executive Resume Services: joltyourcareer.today

  Programs & Workshops: joltyourcareer.today

  
  

👉 Stay in the Loop

• Subscribe to my newsletter: Newsletter

• Download Free Job Search Resources: JYC-Executive-Job-Search

“Just network more.”

That’s the worst advice flying around right now. And if you’re an executive job seeker, you’ve probably heard it on repeat. Coffee chats, Zooms, awkward LinkedIn comments, you’ve done it all. Still waiting. Still stuck.

Because networking isn’t the problem. The lack of strategy is.

And with Q4 already here, the clock is ticking. Budgets are closing, boards want their leadership teams locked before January, and you’ve got two options: move now or sit out until 2026.

In this solo episode, I’m breaking down the 3 non-negotiables before year-end:
1/ Get brutally clear on what’s next because vague leaders don’t get hired.
2/ Audit your digital footprint. Outdated = irrelevant (or worse, retired).
3/ Position yourself as the obvious choice. Companies hire the future, not the past.

If you’ve been in career autopilot, this is your jolt. The execs who move now will be the ones signing offers in January, not sending résumés into the void.

🎧 Hit play and get moving.

Follow & Connect with Teegan

Stay in the Loop

High performers don’t burn out because they’re weak. They burn out because success becomes their cage.

You deliver. You perform. You hold it all together until the role that once defined you starts to suffocate you. That’s the part no one talks about: performance without alignment isn’t leadership. It’s a slow form of burnout.

My guest, Melissa Hartmann, former Global Head of Strategy and now Founder of the Transformation Leadership Academy, knows this firsthand. After two decades leading high-stakes global change, she walked away from a role that looked perfect on paper because it wasn’t aligned anymore.

In this episode, you’ll discover:
1/ The hidden pressure every high achiever feels but never admits
2/ Why grit becomes a trap that keeps leaders stuck
3/ The terrifying relief of whispering, “I thought it was just me”
4/ How to recognize when success has turned into survival
5/ Why walking away isn’t failure, it’s the boldest form of leadership

🎧 Listen now and be reminded: the moment you stop performing is the moment you start leading.

Follow & Connect with Melissa:

Website: transformationleadershipacademy.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissahartmann

Follow & Connect with Teegan

• Resume Writing & Job Search Services: ⁠⁠⁠joltyourcareer.today⁠⁠⁠

  
  

👉 Stay in the Loop

• Subscribe to my newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

  Download Free Job Search Resources: ⁠⁠⁠JYC-Executive-Job-Search⁠⁠

What happens when the identity you’ve spent a lifetime building suddenly ends?

For Olympian Rebekah Bradford, it came in the form of a blood clot and a canceled dream. A two-time U.S. Long Track Speed Skating Champion representing Team USA, she had lived her entire life in pursuit of the podium. And then, almost overnight, the chapter closed.

Rebekah’s story is extraordinary, but the challenge she faced is universal. Leaders encounter it after a job loss, a company sale, a divorce, or even the empty nest. A role, a title, a season of life defines you…until it doesn’t. The real question is: who are you without it?

In this conversation, Rebekah shares how she translated the discipline of elite athletics into a career in tech, where she now thrives as a Product Marketing Manager, mother, and leader. Her story is proof that your next season isn’t the end, it might just be your best one yet.

You’ll discover:1/ Why identity shifts are inevitable for every high performer2/ How to approach disruption as an opportunity to lead differently3/ Why resilience, not titles, defines your legacy4/ The mindset shift that turns endings into leverage5/ How to design your “next season” with confidence and clarity

🎧 Listen now and be reminded: the chapter that ends doesn’t define you. The one you choose next does.

Follow & Connect with Rebekah:

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekahbradford/

Follow & Connect with Teegan

• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos⁠⁠

  Instagram: ⁠⁠@joltyourcareerwithteeganbartos ⁠⁠

  
  

  
  

• Resume Writing & Job Search Services: ⁠⁠joltyourcareer.today⁠⁠

  
  

👉 Stay in the Loop

• Subscribe to my newsletter: ⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠

  Download Free Job Search Resources: ⁠⁠JYC-Executive-Job-Search⁠

  
  

It’s one of the most universal biological transitions on earth, and one of the least discussed in leadership.

In this episode, Rachel Ann, founder of the Menopause Education Center, joins me to pull back the curtain on how menopause impacts performance, leadership, and the modern workplace, and why awareness is the missing link in conversations about retention, empathy, and equity.

As a career coach, I’ve seen too many brilliant women start to question their value or step back from the spotlight during this season of life. Rachel brings the science, strategy, and language leaders need to finally talk about it, and lead through it.

We chat about:

- The biological and emotional realities of menopause most leaders don’t understand.

- What workplaces can do to better support women at every stage of their career.

- The cost of silence, and how empathy drives retention and performance.

- Why leading through the change is the next frontier of inclusive leadership.

This isn’t a women’s issue. It’s a leadership issue. Because biology doesn’t discriminate, and neither should opportunity.

🎧 Listen now

Follow & Connect with Rachel Ann

🔗 Website: menopauseeducationcenter.com

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-anne-menopause-champion/

Follow & Connect with Teegan Bartos

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos

🔗 Instagram: @joltyourcareerwithteeganbartos

👉 Work with Me

Resume Writing & Job Search Services: joltyourcareer.today

In this episode, I sit down with Cathryn Baker, a 2x Exit Staffing Agency Founder & CEO turned Executive Coach, who sold everything at 67 to start over on a Texas ranch and launch her third company, Avanzará.

We unpack what it really takes to reinvent yourself after success, and why your third act might be the most meaningful chapter of your life.

• Why confidence erodes for even the most accomplished leaders (and how to rebuild it)

• How to separate achievement from identity so you can grow again

• The truth about legacy, and what most leaders get wrong about it

• A bold first step you can take this week to start shaping your own 3rd Act

  
  

If you’ve ever caught yourself wondering, “What’s next for me?” this episode will remind you: your unlived life is still waiting.

🎧 Hit play to hear how Cathryn turned “What now?” into her boldest chapter yet, and how you can too.

Connect with Cathryn Baker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathryn-baker-coach/ |⁠ www.thinkavanzara.com⁠

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos/ |⁠ www.joltyourcareer.today

How much of your life have you traded for work?

The late nights. The missed weekends. The “dream job” that looks perfect on paper but leaves you drained, disconnected, and quietly breaking down.

That was Johanna Dahlman at Apple — 60- to 80-hour weeks, global travel, prestige, and paychecks that came at the cost of her health and her future. She realized: If I stay here, I’ll be single and motherless. So she walked away. No plan. No safety net. Just the conviction that life had to be more than titles and promotions.

And then her body gave out. Alopecia. Hair gone. Doctors with no answers. Most people would’ve stayed stuck. Johanna rebuilt not just her health, but her entire definition of success.

This episode isn’t about leaving Apple. It’s about what happens when you finally stop betraying yourself for a career that looks good on paper but costs too much in reality.

You’ll discover:

• The hidden costs of ignoring what your body and intuition already know

• Why relationships matter more than résumés

• What it really takes to walk away from “success” that’s no longer success

• How to define a next season that doesn’t destroy you

If your résumé screams success but your soul whispers “not quite,” this conversation is for you.

🎧 Listen now and ask yourself: what’s success costing you?

Connect with Johanna Dahlman

Instagram: @alopecia_angel
Website: alopeciaangel.com

Follow & Connect with Teegan

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/teeganbartosInstagram: @joltyourcareerwithteeganbartos

👉 Work with MeResume Writing & Job Search Services: joltyourcareer.today

👉 Stay in the LoopSubscribe to my newsletter: NewsletterDownload Free Job Search Resources: JYC-Executive-Job-Search

What’s holding you back? Your circumstances, your upbringing, the story you were handed?

In this episode, you’ll hear how Yitzchak Pierson rewrote his entire life. He left a cult at 18 with no education, no safety net, and no clear future. Most people would have stayed stuck. He didn’t. Today he’s a top-producing real estate agent, bestselling author, and high-performance coach.

But this isn’t just his story. It’s a roadmap for anyone who feels boxed in by the script they were given.

We cover:

• The dangerous beliefs that keep people trapped in survival mode

• How to turn “starting from zero” into an advantage

• The mindset shifts that create momentum when the odds are stacked against you

• Why credentials don’t matter as much as conviction

• How to design a career — and a life — on your own terms

If you’ve been waiting for permission to walk away from what isn’t working, this episode is proof that you can stop surviving and start designing something bigger.

Follow & Connect with Yitzchak Pierson

🔗 Contact: yitzyourtxrealtor.expportal.com/contact🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yitzchak-pierson-029306227

Follow & Connect with Teegan

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/teeganbartosInstagram: @joltyourcareerwithteeganbartos

👉 Work with MeResume Writing & Job Search Services: joltyourcareer.today

👉 Stay in the LoopSubscribe to my newsletter: NewsletterDownload Free Job Search Resources: JYC-Executive-Job-Search

If you’ve ever been told you’re “not ready” for the next level, or watched a promotion slip through your hands, nine times out of ten, it’s not because of skill, it’s because of presence.

In this episode, Dr. Madhuri Kumar and I unpack what executive presence really is (hint: it’s more than confidence and polish) and how to build it so decision-makers see you as leadership material. She shares:

• The 3 signals leaders unconsciously look for before promoting you

• Why some brilliant professionals stay stuck while others rise

• How to project confidence even when you’re not 100% sure

• Practical steps to shift from being overlooked to being undeniable
  

If you’re climbing the corporate ladder or tired of being told you “don’t have executive presence," this episode is your playbook.

🎧 Hit play and start showing up like the leader they can’t ignore.

Connect with Dr. Madhuri Kumar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmadhurikumar/

Follow & Connect with Teegan

• LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos⁠⁠⁠⁠

  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@joltyourcareerwithteeganbartos ⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  
  

• Resume Writing & Job Search Services: ⁠⁠⁠⁠joltyourcareer.today⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

👉 Stay in the Loop

• Subscribe to my newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠

  Download Free Job Search Resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠JYC-Executive-Job-Search⁠⁠

Executives rise because of influence and visibility. But at a certain point, many leaders get comfortable, quiet, and overly grateful and they stop advocating for themselves. The moment a leader stops owning their voice, their value becomes easy to overlook.

The same dynamic shows up for leaders trying to break into executive ranks. They pour everything into hard work and hope someone notices. But hope is not a strategy, and working harder is often the easiest way to stay invisible. Influence moves careers forward. Silence holds talented people back at every level.

Today’s guest, Andrea Singsaas, brings the perspective most leaders are not prepared for but desperately need. She is an award-winning executive and leadership coach, an international keynote speaker, and a strategist who has partnered with leaders across nonprofit, engineering, defense, manufacturing, higher education, and healthcare.

Andrea’s background includes an MBA, PMP certification, ACC coaching credentials, and advanced leadership training through Harvard, the McChrystal Group, and the George W. Bush Institute. She has rebuilt her career multiple times as a military spouse, which gives her a rare lens on alignment, reinvention, and leading with intention instead of fear.

Her message is clear. No one is coming to hand you a career you have not claimed. Waiting to be recognized is the fastest way to plateau. Alignment, visibility, and the willingness to take up space are now requirements of modern leadership.

In this episode, Andrea and I explore:
🗸 Why hard work alone is the least effective strategy for career growth 🗸 The habits that sabotage high performers 🗸 What alignment looks like in senior leadership and why it changes everything 🗸 How self-limiting beliefs make even the strongest leaders play small 🗸 What it truly means to take up space without creating political fallout 🗸 Why reinvention strengthens credibility instead of weakening it

If your career looks successful on paper but you feel overlooked, underutilized, or ready for a bigger leadership identity, this conversation will challenge you to rethink how you show up, how you influence, and how you advocate for your own trajectory. It is time to stop waiting and start leading from the seat you already earned.

Connect with Andrea
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasingsaas/

Connect with TeeganWebsite: https://joltyourcareer.todayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos

You’re a high performer. That’s the problem.

Because high performance can turn into a mask. A badge. A hiding place.
You stay busy. You stay “productive.” You stay in control.

And one day you realize you’ve been plateauing for years.

In this episode, I sit down with Jon Mayo, U.S. Army Veteran, transformational executive, author, and Founder of The WayMaker Community, to talk about why elite performers stall and how to break through it.

This conversation goes straight into the danger zone most leaders avoid, the gap between what looks impressive on paper and what your life can actually sustain.

We cover:

🗸 Why “I don’t have time” is usually fear in a nice outfit🗸 How trying to make every decision turns you into the single point of failure🗸 The shift from leading with permission to leading with intent🗸 Why self-care is not soft, it is a leadership requirement, especially if you are carrying everyone🗸 Why applying online alone creates noise and motion, and why real opportunities come from conversations🗸 Five minutes. Silence. Notebook. Every day for 21 days. Start today.

If you’ve been coasting, grinding, orunraveling behind the scenes, this is your wake-up call.

Connect with Jon MayoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-e-mayo/Website: https://waymaker.ai/auth

Connect with Teegan BartosWebsite: https://www.joltyourcareer.todayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos

By the end of January, most leaders are already running on fumes.
The goals are set, the calendars are full, and the energy? Drained.

That’s where Candice Elizabeth comes in.
She’s an Energy Coach, Healer, and Founder of The Warrior Within Healing, helping high-performing executives trade burnout for alignment without losing their edge.

In this episode, Candice and I unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of exhaustion, decision fatigue, and performance pressure and how to rebuild from the inside out.

We tackle: 🗸 How to manage energy (not just time) to perform at your peak🗸 The science and soul behind energy alignment for leaders🗸 A 90-second reset you can do anywhere to instantly recenter🗸 Why self-trust is the foundation for sustainable success

If you’ve been pushing harder but feeling emptier, this conversation will help you recalibrate before you crash and remind you that alignment isn’t soft, it’s strategic.

🔗 Connect with Candice Elizabeth:
Website: https://www.thewarriorwithinhealing.com

🔗 Connect with Teegan Bartos:
Website: https://www.joltyourcareer.today
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos

Most executives spend their careers chasing the next big title, the next deal, the next milestone, only to discover that even with all the “success,” something still feels off.

That’s where today’s guest, Emily Harrison, comes in. She’s the Founder & Director of The Akashic Academy, where she helps leaders access what’s known as the Akashic Records, an energetic library of your soul’s history, purpose, and potential.

Now before you roll your eyes, let’s be clear, this isn’t about crystals and clichés.
It’s about alignment. And alignment is what separates leaders who burn out from those who lead with clarity, resilience, and peace.

In this conversation, Emily and I unpack:
🗸 What the Akashic Records really are (in plain language)
🗸 How high performers can use this work to quiet overthinking and access deeper clarity
🗸 Why traditional “success” often leaves leaders drained and how to rewrite that story
🗸 Practical ways to bridge the gap between who you are inside and how you show up in your career

If you’ve ever felt like your career looks great on paper but doesn’t feel right in practice, this episode will challenge you to see leadership, and yourself, in a whole new way.

Connect with Emily:
Website: https://shadowandsoul.com
LinkedIn: Emily Harrison

Connect with Teegan:
Website: https://www.joltyourcareer.today
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos

Blending in used to feel safe.
But in 2026 it’s the riskiest move you can make as a leader.

In this episode of Jolt Your Career, Teegan sits down with Amanda Molenaar, former diplomat turned executive coach, to explore why authenticity isn’t a buzzword anymore. It’s your competitive edge.

Together, we unpack:
🗸 Why blending in kills your leadership potential
🗸 How authenticity becomes your strategic advantage in 2025 and beyond
🗸 What stops executives from showing up as themselves (and how to move past it)
🗸 One bold move you can make this week to be remembered for the right reasons

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to polish yourself out of presence, this conversation will remind you: your power is in your truth.

Connect with Amanda:
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-molenaar/
Website → https://www.amandamaximecoaching.com/links-linkedin

Work with Teegan:
https://www.joltyourcareer.today/book-your-consultation-call

What happens when your career suddenly stops, not because you chose it, but because someone else made the call?

This week, Teegan sits down with Steve Jaffe, a seasoned Marketing Executive and author of The Layoff Journey: From Dismissal to Discovery, to talk about what really happens after a layoff, especially at the executive level.

Steve knows this path intimately. After being laid off four times as a high-performing leader, he turned his experience into a roadmap for navigating the emotional and professional stages of career loss.

Together, we unpack:
🗸 Why even top performers get cut and how to separate logic from shame
🗸 The seven stages of career grief and how to move through them with intention
🗸 What to do in the first 30 days post-layoff before panic takes over
🗸 How to rebuild your career identity and position yourself for what’s next

If you’ve ever thought, “This shouldn’t be happening to someone like me,” this conversation will hit hard, but it will also help you rebuild stronger, smarter, and more aligned than before.

📘 Grab Steve’s book: The Layoff Journey: From Dismissal to Discovery → https://www.amazon.com/Layoff-Journey-Dismissal-Discovery-Navigating/dp/B0DXSDCQPY

💼 Need support rebuilding your own career story?
Work with Teegan: https://www.joltyourcareer.today/book-your-consultation-call

Parenting was never easy, then came smartphones.

In this episode, I sit down with Kathy Van Benthuysen, a 30-year educator, former Teacher of the Year, and founder of Converlation and Digital Prep Academy, to talk about what it really means to prepare kids for life in a tech-driven world.

We unpack how to raise kids who are emotionally grounded, responsible, and ready for the digital pressure that comes with a phone.

You’ll hear:

• Why phone readiness has nothing to do with age, and everything to do with skills

• The biggest mistakes parents make when trying to “control” tech instead of coaching through it

• How to reset if you already handed over the phone too soon
  

If you’ve ever felt torn between protecting your child and helping them fit in, this conversation will give you the clarity and confidence to lead with readiness, not fear.

🎧 Hit play to learn how to raise kids who are smarter than their smartphones.

Connect with Kathy Van Benthuysen:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-van-benthuysen/

www.converlation.com

Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos/

https://joltyourcareer.today/

Executives aren’t supposed to be unemployed, right? You’re supposed to get courted, recruited, maybe even begged to take your next role. But in 2025, the job market is flat, leadership hiring is frozen, and Q4 is starting to feel a lot like 2008.

In this episode of Jolt Your Career, Teegan Bartos sits down with Tracie Pascoe, Executive Recruiter and Founder of Trinity Talent Solutions, to pull back the curtain on what recruiters really say behind closed doors.

We talked about:

• Why being “qualified” doesn’t guarantee you an interview.
• The truths hiring managers tell recruiters but never tell candidates.
• How to build relationships with recruiters without looking desperate.

• What signals make a career pivot believable at the executive level.
  

About today’s guest: Tracie Pascoe has been an executive recruiter across industries and now runs her own boutique search firm specializing in MedTech leadership hires. Known as a fearless connector, she helps innovators hire the people who matter most.

Connect with Tracie:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/traciepascoe

• Email: tracie@trinitytalentsolutions.com
  

Connect with Teegan:

• Website: https://www.joltyourcareer.today/

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/teeganbartos