Tea Talk with Coach Carolyn
by Carolyn Ramona Hantz
Carolyn was fired from her first job before the business even opened, and the lesson that came from it shaped a 46 year federal career. Her mother once said, "Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want." In this episode, Carolyn unpacks what that really means: not clothing, but identity, preparation, and becoming ready before the opportunity arrives. She reflects on her path from a GS-2 legal clerk to 16 years as a Senior Executive, and leaves you with one question: Are you showing up as who you are today, or who you're becoming?
Episodes
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Ep. 9 They Told Me I Needed A Sponsor and I Applied Anyway
Have you ever been told you weren't quite ready? That you needed more experience, or somebody to sponsor you, or someone to open the door? My federal career wasn't a straight line. I entered the Department of Defense in 1987 as a GS-12 journeyman auditor. I lived through a reduction-in-force that...
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Ep. 8 The Assignment that Was Supposed to be Safe
Have you ever taken an assignment because you thought it would be easier, only to find out it was preparing you for something much bigger? After a difficult stretch in IT audit, I moved into what I expected to be a lower-stress role as head of Internal Quality Assurance. No travel, a safer…
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Ep. 7 There is Always a Bright Side
How do you raise a difficult issue without becoming the difficult person? In 1998, a group of six of us grew concerned about the lack of representation by gender and ethnicity at the program director level. We could have walked into leadership with a list of complaints. Instead, we framed the...
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Ep. 6 | Every Now and Then, You Gotta Jump Ship
Have you ever stayed somewhere too long because leaving felt like failure? I was five months pregnant with my second child, overseeing a complicated audit that required about three weeks of travel, managing a small team, and navigating a season where my first child had just received a lifelong...
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Ep. 5 | No Is A Complete Sentence
No is a complete sentence. But it's not without consequences. In 1998, newly back from maternity leave, I was head of a technical evaluation panel for an IT audit contract. My supervisor wanted the bid information before the award went to a former staff member she favored. There was no legal…
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Ep. 4 | When "No" Really Means New Opportunity
In 1979, working full-time and going to school at night, I was told I didn't qualify for financial aid because my mother made too much money. I could have accepted that. I didn't. I went back to the Financial Aid Office, made my case a different way, and talked my way into a Trustee Scholarship....
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Ep. 3: I Met the Man Who Promoted Me to Senior Executive Dressed as a Witch
The first time I met the agency head who would later promote me to the Senior Executive Service, I was dressed as a witch. Not metaphorically. Literally. He asked me one question, I answered, we laughed, and we moved on. Years later, he signed off on my promotion to the SES. That moment holds a...
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Ep. 2 | Sometimes People Don't Need Criticism They Need Information
Carolyn shares a story from her federal career about a brilliant colleague who was quietly being judged for his appearance, until she discovered the real issue: he was colorblind. What looked like carelessness was actually a gap in information. In this episode, Carolyn unpacks why people often…
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Ep. 1 | Dress for the Role You Want
In this first episode of Tea Talk, Carolyn shares the story of getting fired from her very first job, before the business even opened, and the lesson buried inside it. Her mother once told her, "Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want." Carolyn breaks down what that advice...
About this show
Carolyn was fired from her first job before the business even opened, and the lesson that came from it shaped a 46 year federal career. Her mother once said, "Don't dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want." In this episode, Carolyn unpacks what that really means: not clothing, but identity, preparation, and becoming ready before the opportunity arrives. She reflects on her path from a GS-2 legal clerk to 16 years as a Senior Executive, and leaves you with one question: Are you showing up as who you are today, or who you're becoming?
Hosted by
Carolyn Ramona Hantz
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