The Surfing Corporate Podcast tackles the highs and lows of corporate life with a humorous and relatable point of view. Hosted by Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins, former media executives who have experienced first-hand what really goes on behind fancy corporate doors, this podcast aims to entertain as well as provide practical advice to employees who are currently navigating turbulent corporate waters.
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Inside the Intense Work Culture of Amazon - Part 1
Season 5 · Episode 1
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 • Duration 52:16
Ever wondered what it's really like to work at Amazon? In the first episode of our two-part season premiere, we sit down with Kristi Coulter, former Amazon executive and author of Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career. Kristi pulls back the curtain on the high-pressure, high-stakes culture inside one of the world's most influential companies. From the notorious Jeff Bezos question mark emails to the iconic six-pager memos that set the tone for every meeting, Kristi shares how she navigated the relentless pressure and constant ambiguity that define life at Amazon.
You can learn more about Kristi here and more about Surfing Corporate here.
Follow Surfing Corporate on Instagram and write to us at surfingcorporate@gmail.com
The podcast we referenced during the episode is It Gets Late Early.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Overview
01:29 Kristy Coulter's Career Journey and Decision to Join Amazon
08:13 First Impressions of Amazon's Work Culture
14:44 The Lifeboat Exercise: Ranking Employees
22:43 The Challenges of Working at Amazon
25:07 Changes in Amazon's Work Culture
25:46 High Turnover and Lack of Recognition
37:43 The Pressure to Do More
43:58 Unique Aspects of Amazon's Culture
46:48 The Stress of Question Mark Emails
48:31 Challenges Faced by Employees
48:37 The Power and Pitfalls of Six-Pagers
55:30 Lessons from Calista: Being Tough but Fair
01:00:24 Navigating the Brutal and Demanding Culture at Amazon
01:16:01 Promotions and Achievements at Amazon
01:21:16 The Sexist Culture at Amazon
01:26:34 Conforming to a Masculine Ideal
01:35:26 The Boozy Culture and Struggle with Alcohol
01:40:42 Addressing Gender Dynamics and Creating Inclusive Work Environments
01:41:30 From Viral Essay to Career Opportunities
01:43:13 Transformation and Lessons Learned at Amazon
01:46:21 Strong Bonds and Lasting Connections
Want to advertise on Surfing Corporate?
Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com
Show Credits:
Cohosts: Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins
Producers: Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins
Script, editing, music design: Aileen Merciel
Theme Song: Chaliwa Music
Other music: BlueDot Sessions
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How to Deal with Frenemies at Work
Season 4 · Episode 5
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 • Duration 36:10
Frenemies are a slithery and dangerous corporate species that can be found in all types of workplaces, in every industry, country, continent, or planet. Frenemies are people who pretend to be your friend, but they’re also in some ways an enemy or rival. They can be charming and very likable one minute, and then stab you in the back with a recently sharpened machete the next (ouch).
A recent study found that interactions with frenemies can heighten our stress responses MORE than aversive relationships. And over the long term, that seems to provoke worse cardiovascular health. So the sooner you learn tools to deal with frenemies, the better.
EPISODE SOURCES
How to Navigate Your Relationship With a Workplace Frenemy
“Why workplace frenemies are our most stressful colleagues”
How to get along with your work frenemy and protect yourself
CREDITS
Hosts: Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins
Intern: Stephany Gil de Sucher
Original theme song by Chaliwa Music
Library Music: Blue Dot Sessions
Check out Surfingcorporate.com and follow us on Instagram.
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Executive Assistants: Corporate America's Secret Power Players
Season 3 · Episode 11
Wednesday, April 26, 2023 • Duration 36:03
We all know that Executive Assistants perform key administrative tasks, but the scope of their role goes WAY beyond what appears on their job description. They are psychologists, secret service agents, strategists, magicians, cheerleaders and general advisors. They also have a special “chaos radar” that allows them to detect and get ahead of any potential issue before it becomes a massive mess.
Their duties vary from buying multi-million dollar homes for their bosses to influencing top-level corporate decisions, handling highly confidential information and also, sometimes even picking up dog sh*t if needed.This job promises one thing: it will never be boring.
For this episode, we talk with two Executive Assistants who share their insider’s POV of a role that keeps so many of the corporate players – and pieces – in place, and all this without most people even knowing it.
FRIENDLY REMINDER: Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us.
EPISODE SOURCES:
https://www.zippia.com/executive-personal-assistant-jobs/demographics/
Executive Assistants Are Superheroes Without The Cape
The Case for Executive Assistants.
The CEO's Secret Weapon
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The Inevitable Female Rivalry at Work: Fact or Fiction?
Season 3 · Episode 10
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 • Duration 42:22
In movies and TV shows, women in the workplace are often pitted against each other to ramp up the drama and tension among characters. Think Meryl Streep’s fabulous “Miranda Priestley” in The Devil Wears Prada. But does is this kind of “Queen Bee” behavior true in real life? Or more of an exaggeration? And f it is true, why would women sabotage other women in the workplace?
During this episode, Aileen and Glenda delve into the controversial topic of workplace “Queen Bees”, discussing research on the topic that can be both enlightening and infuriating. We also share highlights from our fascinating conversation with Andie Kramer, who is an accomplished attorney, a nationally recognized authority on gender equality, a best-selling author on the subject and someone who’s worked tirelessly to increase women’s leadership opportunities.
Andie and her husband and co-author Al Harris have written three award-winning books: Beyond Bias: The PATH to Ending Gender Inequality at Work; Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work; and It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace: Women’s Conflict at Work and the Bias That Built It. They are contributing writers to Harvard Business Review’s On Women and Leadership, and Andie is a contributing writer on gender issues in the workplace for Forbes.com. They are also the authors of hundreds of articles on diversity and overcoming gender stereotypes that have been featured in a wide variety of national media outlets including HBR.org, The HuffPost, The New York Times, NBC News, The Chicago Tribune, and Fast Company.
FRIENDLY REMINDER: Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us.
EPISODE SOURCES
Books
- Beyond Bias: The PATH to Ending Gender Inequality at Work, by Andie S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris
[- It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace: Women’s Conflict at Work and the Bias That Built It, by Andie S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris](its not you its the workplace)
- Breaking Through Bias: Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work, by Andie S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris
- The Stiletto in Your Back: The Good Girl's Guide to Backstabbers, Bullies, Gossips and Queen Bees at Work, by Michelle Villalobos
-Mean Girls, Meaner Women: Understanding Why Women Backstab, Betray and Trash-Talk Each Other and How to Heal, by Erika Holiday and Joan I. Rosenberg
- Tripping the Prom Queen: The Truth About Women and Rivalry, by Susan Shapiro
Articles:
Why Women Don't Always Support Other Women - Forbes.com
Sheryl Sandberg on the Myth of the Catty Woman - The New York Times
Why Do Women Bully Each Other at Work?
Queen Bee syndrome: Workplace inequality encourages women to sabotage one another
https://www.gailgoldenconsulting.com/insights/the-myth-of-the-bad-female-boss
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMBrR5YgfC0
Credits:
This episode was produced, written and edited by Aileen Merciel
Executive Producers are Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins
Surfing Corporate's intern is Stephany Gil de Sucher
Original Theme Song is by Chaliwa Music
The rest of our music is by BlueDot Sessions.
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How to Ditch Workplace Drama with Cy Wakeman
Season 3 · Episode 9
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 • Duration 48:22
Did you know that the average employee spends nearly 2.5 hours per day in drama? Yup, we spend 150 minutes a day gossiping, tattling, withholding buy-in, and resisting change. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Imagine having the right tools to leave the drama ––AKA emotional waste –– behind, and instead spend your time and energy on your actual work and wellbeing.
This is the goal of Cy Wakeman, a therapist accidentally turned drama researcher who is recognized for cultivating a counter-intuitive, reality-based approach to leadership. During this episode, Cy shines a light on the part that we ourselves play in creating workplace drama (it’s not just a problem that everyone else has) and she provides techniques to improve the way we face these challenging moments in our interactions with colleagues. She also shares her most embarrassing moments ever on stage.
Cy is a New York Times best-selling author and a sought-out consultant and speaker for many Fortune 500 companies. She’s been featured on the TODAY Show, the AskGaryVee Show with Gary Vaynerchuk, The New York Times, Business Insider, The Daily Muse, SHRM.com and many more. Now she can add being on the Surfing Corporate podcast to her accolades.
You can learn more about Cy Wakeman by checking out her website.
You can also follow her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Tiktok.
FRIENDLY REMINDER: Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work to make each episode. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us!
Credits:
Surfing Corporate is produced and edited by Aileen Merciel.
Cohosts are Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins.
Our Intern is Stephany Gil de Sucher.
Surfing Corporate's original theme song is by Chaliwa Music.
The rest of our music is by BlueDot Sessions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Ultimate Guide to Getting Hired in 2023
Season 3 · Episode 7
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 • Duration 01:09:22
According to a recent survey by ResumeBuilder.com, 45% of job seekers say it's harder to find a job now than it was pre-pandemic. It can feel like you need a whole new set of corporate ninja skills (not to mention, patience) to navigate job hunting, resume writing, filling out online applications, pitching yourself to recruiters to see IF you're lucky enough to endure then endless rounds of interviews. Then, if you passed that gauntlet, pray you don't get ghosted by the hiring manager at the end. It's definitely not a pretty picture these days.
But why has the job seeking process become so difficult? What steps should we take to become strong contenders? How do we push back if the hiring manager is making unreasonable requests during the interview process? What’s the best way to answer the dreaded question, “what are your salary expectations?”
In this week’s episode, we discuss all these topics with Daniel Space (aka @DanFromHR), a senior HR and recruiting professional with over two decades of experience in corporate America in the industries of media, entertainment, and tech. Daniel worked for companies like American Express, WebMD, and Spotify, designing interview models, compensation structures, and organizational strategies. Currently, he runs a consulting business to help employees land their dream jobs, and he’s an HR content creator on TikTok where he has over 150K followers.
Dan shares great, juicy insights and information so you can learn from an insider and be ultra prepared for the job hunting and interview process.
FRIENDLY REMINDER: Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work to make each episode. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us!
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
4:07 Dan talks about the first 57 interviews he did before landing his first job.
9:42 Do cover letters make sense in today's job market.
10:25 Why has the hiring process gotten so tricky and highly demanding.
15:45 Key aspects for writing solid resumes.
22:14 Can you land a job at a company with no internal referral?
25:35 key word optimization for resumes
33:55 Does job hopping affect your chances of getting hired?
40:45 How to answer the question: What is your salary expectation?
50:15 interviews as a two way street. How do you know that the employer is right for you.
59:40 Corporate confessions
Credits:
Co-hosts: Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins
This is episode was produced and edited by Aileen Merciel
Intern: Stephany Gil de Sucher
Original theme song by Chaliwa Music
The rest of the music is by Blue Dot Sessions
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How To Leave The Corporate Path When It's All You've Ever Known
Season 3 · Episode 6
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 • Duration 01:00:58
Savvy corporate players have a good chance of climbing up the corporate ladder and unlocking the achievement level of… VICP (Very Important Corporate Person). This coveted level of the work game translates into making good money, having power and influence at work, leading and inspiring teams, and flying business class, baby!
Once you get to this point of corporate stardom, it’s hard to walk away. But that’s exactly what our guest did. Christine Escribano is the former SVP of One Platform Marketing of NBC Universal, a company she loved and worked for over 14 years. However, during the last few years, she slowly but surely felt compelled to make a major life shift. Christine gave it all up to start her own interior design and furniture artist business, which began as a pandemic side hustle.
In this episode, Christine shares her insights on how to plan a corporate exit strategy and she talks about the tools corporate gave her to be prepared for this new phase of her life.
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Check out Christine's awesome store here.
Book her spectacular rental vacation home "Casa Di Amici" here.
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FRIENDLY REMINDER: Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work to make each episode. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us!
Check out Surfing Corporate's website and sign up for our newsletter.
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Episode Credits:
Hosts: Aileen Merciel and Glenda Panins
Production and editing: Aileen Merciel
Intern: Stephany Gil de Sucher
Original Theme song: Chaliwa Music.
Other music: BlueDot Sessions
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How Side Hustles Can Boost Your Career
Season 3 · Episode 5
Wednesday, March 15, 2023 • Duration 34:56
In today’s challenging economy, it’s not uncommon to find people with full time jobs adding side hustles to the equation (although not all side hustles are driven by financial reasons). A recent article by CNBC stated that a whopping 44% of Americans work a side hustle.
So what does this mean for corporate America? Many bosses have expressed concern over this emerging trend, but multiple studies have shown that having a side hustle actually boosts full-time job performance.
This is the case of today’s guest. She’s an HR manager who LOVES her corporate job, but in 2020, she felt compelled to nurture her creativity outside her work schedule. Jamie Jackson is the creator of @Humorous_Resources, a work humor account that is a must if you’re into memes, and laughing, and, you know, feeling like you’re not dead inside.
Together, we discuss today’s side hustle economy, and how employees can take advantage of them to open new doors and potentially even pivot their career paths.
FRIENDLY REMINDER: Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work to make each episode. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us!
EPISODE SOURCES:
44% of Americans Work a Side Hustle to Make Ends Meet –– but it may not be an efficient way to earn more, expert says - CNBC
Do the Hustle! Empowerment from Side-Hustles and Its Effects on Full-Time Work Performance | Academy of Management Journal
11 Reasons Why You Need a Side Hustle - StartupNation
11 Benefits of Having a Side Hustle
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Lost in Translation: Navigating Corporate America When You Come From Abroad
Season 3 · Episode 4
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 • Duration 46:21
Navigating Corporate America isn’t easy, but if you come from a different country, it’s challenging on a whole other level. Learning cultural nuances takes up a lot of space in your professional and emotional hard drive. It’s a process that doesn’t happen overnight, and it can lead to many awkward /embarrassing “lost in translation” moments (that hopefully will be material for laughter later on. Or therapy. Or both).
During this episode, we speak with Susana Sala Bosch, a C-Suite level leader in the fields of operations, strategic planning, global HR functions across the industries of entertainment, alcoholic beverages, supermarket retail, and food production. Her most recent corporate role was as Chief Operating Officer, Southern Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa @ Paramount.
Susana is from Spain, where being extremely direct, loud, and having a strong appreciation for curse words is the norm. When her career led to a leadership role in the U.S., Susana had to learn to adapt to the many cultural differences of Corporate America, and also, those of the teams she supervised with employees spread throughout the world. Susana is full of thoughtful and honest insights when it comes to understanding cultural nuance.
If you work with people from other countries and want to understand international perspectives or if you are from a foreign country and are now working with the U.S., this episode is a MUST.
FRIENDLY REMINDER : Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work to make each episode. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us!
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Reach out to us! Hello@surfingcorporate.com
Subscribe to our newsletter @surfingcorporate.com
Follow Surfing Corporate on LinkedIn and Instagram
Credits:
This episode was produced and edited by Aileen Merciel
Cohosts: Aileen Merciel and Glenda Pacanins
Intern: Stephany Gil De Sucher
Original theme music is by Chaliwa Music. The rest of our music is by BlueDot Sessions.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Corporate Tsunamis Part 2: Surviving Mergers & Acquisitions
Season 3 · Episode 3
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 • Duration 52:45
If you work for a company that gets acquired by a bigger company, work the way you knew it is probably going to change. Experts state that Adaptability Quotient (the capacity to adapt to new ways of thinking and letting go of old habits) is crucial if you want to keep your job during a transition phase.
For today’s episode, we talk with Jordan Stratton, Editor and Social Media Manager for The Dad, the #1 Most Engaged Family Media Brand on the internet. Jordan also writes, shoots, and produces The Dad’s celebrity interview series, “
Gettin’ Grilled,”
which has led to conversations with the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Matthew McConaughey, and former WH Press Sec, Jen Psaki. And even more importantly, he’s VERY FUNNY. Jordan shares his experience navigating the acquisition process when the company he worked for was acquired. Spoiler alert! It wasn’t easy. He also reveals what Ryan Reynolds is like in real life. You won’t want to miss this one!
FRIENDLY REMINDER : Surfing Corporate is completely self-funded, and it takes A LOT of work to make each episode. Please consider making a donation by clicking on this link. This would mean so much to us!
HIGHLIGHTS
01:29 Why your Adaptability Quotient is crucial to survive an acquisition or leadership change.
4:48 Meet our guest, Jordan Stratton.
13:12 The acquisition happens and oh boy!
20:33 Is there a silver lining to the acquisition process?
31:15 Key learnings
35:40 Corporate confessions
RESOURCES
Steve Cadigan’s amazing book, “WorkQuake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working."
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