Pivoting as a Leadership Skill: Identity Shifts, Resume Shock, and Messy Movement, Part 1

In this episode of The Few Collectives' Podcast on pivoting, hosts Candace Langston and Amy Cunningham explore why clarity comes from movement, not waiting to feel ready. They frame pivoting as an intentional leadership skill—often an identity shift more than a job change—whether it’s a small daily adjustment or a major career plot twist driven by mergers, reorganizations, layoffs, market shifts, or changing values. Amy shares her own pivot story across ministry, social work and child protective services, community mental health leadership, healthcare leadership development and succession planning, and eventually finance at Republic, emphasizing the consistent purpose of helping people. The episode also addresses common emotions like imposter syndrome and guilt, and uses a real-time travel crisis as an analogy for turning around when things feel wobbly. They close by myth-busting pivot misconceptions, including needing clarity before moving, fearing judgment, believing a pivot must be a giant leap, and thinking the next step must be perfect—encouraging “messy movement,” traction, and treating change as an experiment for gathering data.Find Amy CunninghamFind Candace LangstonQuestions or comments, we'd love to hear from you...send us a text!To stay up to date with The FEW Collective Email us.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts. You can also follow all the behind-the-scenes content on Instagram & Linkedin.Recorded at The Newsstand Studios at Rockefeller Center.