The Executive Career Playbook
by D&S Executive Career Management
The Executive Career Playbook is the podcast for senior leaders, executives, and board candidates who want to stay competitive, increase their visibility, and land career-defining opportunities in this competitive market. Hosted by executive career expert Debra Boggs and featuring executive recruiters, board directors, leadership experts, and accomplished business leaders, each episode delivers practical strategies to help you navigate career transitions, strengthen your executive brand, expand your network, and position yourself for your next leadership opportunity. Whether you're pursuing a VP, C-Suite, or Board Director role, you'll gain insider insights on executive hiring, leadership trends, personal branding, networking, interviewing, compensation negotiation, board readiness, and career growth. Because landing your next opportunity isn't just about experience. It's about positioning, visibility, and knowing how to stand out when it matters most. AN
Episodes
-
What Happens When Your Company Lets You Go?
You've spent years building your career. But what happens when your company decides it's time to part ways? An executive departure is about more than severance. It's about protecting your reputation, preserving your career momentum, and positioning yourself for what's next. In this episode, we...
-
1,600 Job Applications. Here's What Happened Next.
1,600 applications. One job posting. What happens when companies receive more applications than they can realistically review? They stop looking. Instead, they turn to their network, trusted recruiters, and referrals, leaving many highly qualified executives wondering why they never heard back.…
more -
Want a Paid Board Seat? Here’s What Boards Are Looking For Now
Want a paid board seat but not sure what boards are actually looking for? In this episode, Debra Boggs shares insights from the Private Directors Association PRISM Conference on what’s shaping private company boards, what nominating committees are looking for, and how senior executives can…
more -
Looking for Your Next Executive Role? Start Here
Looking for your next executive role but unsure where to start? At the senior level, a successful search requires more than updating your resume and applying online. In this conversation, we answer the questions executives are asking about: • Getting your resume in front of the right recruiters •...
-
3 Ways AI is Sabotaging Your Job Search & What To Do Instead
AI was supposed to make the job search easier. But for most job seekers (and especially senior leaders), it is creating an entirely new set of challenges. AI-generated résumés, increased application volume, and automated screening are all making it harder for even highly qualified leaders to…
more -
Executive Layoff: 5 Steps to Take Before It Happens
A potential layoff is not the time to wait and see. Learn five critical steps senior executives can take now to protect their career, strengthen their resume and LinkedIn presence, prepare for an executive job search, and negotiate severance and outplacement support. Facing uncertainty in your...
-
Breakdown to Breakthrough: What High Performers Don't Say on Mental Health
Success doesn't protect you from burnout. In this candid conversation, Debra Boggs and Lesley Hunter explore the hidden mental health challenges many high performers face but rarely discuss. From perfectionism and burnout to vulnerability, resilience, and redefining success, they share practical...
-
Board Candidate Workshop: How To Craft a Value Statement that Opens Doors
Join board positioning expert Debra Boggs, CEO of D&S Executive Career Management, for a tactical and practical workshop. You will leave with a draft of your own board value statement, ready to use in networking conversations, warm introductions, and with board chairs and Nom/Gov committees. This...
-
Why Perfect Candidates Get Rejected - The Hidden Truths of Executive Job Searches
This episode explains why well‑qualified executives often get no response or rejections when applying online, covering common issues like being perceived as overqualified, making a career pivot, job scope changes, internal referrals, and the rise of mass applicants driven by AI. Practical…
more -
AI Wrote Your Resume. Now What? With Executive Recruiter, David Honig
You've spent decades building your career. Leading teams. Driving growth. Solving complex business challenges. So why aren't the right opportunities turning into interviews? The reality is that AI can help you write a resume, but it can't define your value. It can't tell your story. And it can't...
-
How to Get a Corporate Board Seat: Board Readiness, Positioning, and Networking Strategies
Corporate board opportunities rarely go to the most qualified executive. They go to the executive who is visible, positioned correctly, and connected to the right decision-makers. In this session, Debra Boggs shares the strategies executives use to secure corporate board seats, strengthen board...
-
How Senior Leaders Successfully Make the Move Without Starting Over
You have spent years building an exceptional career. You have led teams, driven revenue, navigated change, and delivered results at the highest levels. And now, you are ready for something different. But here is the question most senior leaders wrestle with: How do I make a significant career…
more -
The C-Suite Interview Playbook: Command the Room. Close the Conversation.
At the executive level, interviewing is not about proving you can do the job. It is about demonstrating that you already think like the person they need. That distinction changes everything about how you prepare, how you show up, and how you close. In this episode, Michelle Merritt and Debra…
more -
WHAT RECRUITERS REALLY WANT
What do senior recruiters look for when reviewing an executive resume or LinkedIn profile, and what makes them stop scrolling? Join Debra Boggs, D&S CEO and Matilda Cole, Lead Coach and 20-year executive recruiting veteran, for a candid conversation that takes you behind the curtain of the...
-
Your First Board Seat: How to Position Yourself as the Right Candidate
You have a strong executive track record. You’ve led teams, driven results, and influenced organizations at the highest level. So why does landing your first board seat feel like cracking a code nobody handed you? In this episode, we'll walk you through exactly how to position yourself for your...
-
The Executive Career Brief for May 13th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 13th 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for May 12th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 12th 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Job Search Feels Broken. Let’s Fix That.
Roles that disappear. Months of silence. Finalist-stage ghosting. AI screening that filters out perfectly qualified leaders before a human ever sees their name. If the executive job search feels like a different planet right now, you’re not imagining it. Join Michelle Merritt and Debra Boggs for…
more -
The Executive Career Brief for May 11th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 11th 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for May 8th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 8th 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for May 6th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 6th 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for May 5th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 5th 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
Leave Nothing on the Table: Negotiating Executive Compensation
You negotiated hard for your last role… or did you? Most executives leave between $50,000 and $200,000 on the table in every compensation negotiation, not because they lack leverage, but because they don't know how to use it. In a job search, the offer isn't the finish line. It's the starting…
more -
The Executive Career Brief for May 4th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 4th 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for May 1st, 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - May 1st, 2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 29th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/29/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 28th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/28/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
What SHRM Talent 2026 Is Telling Every Executive in Transition
This is a career strategy conversation built specifically for C-suite and senior leaders who want to lead, not react. The talent and HR community is buzzing about SHRM 2026 but here is the question most people are not asking: What did it mean for the executives sitting on the other side of the...
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 27th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/27/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 24th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/24/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 17th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/17/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 14th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/14/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
Stop Applying. Start Positioning: Executive Job Search Framework That Works
You have done everything right. Strong career. Impressive title. Real results. And yet, the executive job search feels like shouting into a void. Applications go unanswered. Conversations stall. Opportunities seem to materialize for everyone but you. Here is what most executives figure out too...
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 10th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/10/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 8th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/08/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 7th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/07/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive LinkedIn Audit: Why Your Profile Is Costing You Opportunities
Your LinkedIn profile is not just a digital resume. For senior executives, it is often the first (and sometimes only) impression a board director, search firm, investor, or peer makes before deciding whether to pick up the phone. And yet, most executive profiles are quietly costing their owners...
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 6th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/06/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 3rd 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/03/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for April 1st 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 04/01/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for March 31st 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 03/31/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
How to Land Your Second (or Third) Board Seat
Join Michell Merritt for an essential conversation about advancing your board career beyond your first appointment. Whether you're currently serving on one or two boards and ready to expand your portfolio, or preparing for your inaugural board seat, this session delivers the strategic framework…
more -
The Executive Career Brief for March 30th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 03/30/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for March 27th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 03/27/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for March 25th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 03/25/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for March 24th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 03/24/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market careerbrief03242026 The Executive Career Brief for March 24th 2026
-
Executive Career Change: How Senior Leaders Successfully Pivot
How Senior Leaders Successfully Pivot Join Debra and Michelle for a conversation about making strategic career pivots as a senior or C-suite executive. Whether you're considering a move to a different industry, transitioning from corporate to private equity, exploring a portfolio career, or...
-
The Executive Career Brief for March 18th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 03/18/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
The Executive Career Brief for March 17th 2026
D&S Executive Career Brief - 03/17/2026 Your Daily Edge In A Competitive Market
-
THE RECRUITER FILTER in 2026: Insider Secrets Revealed with Amber Schleinkofer
The executive search landscape has shifted dramatically. What worked even 18 months ago may now work against you. In this candid conversation, Debra Boggs sits down with Amber Schleinkofer, President & Strategic Talent Partner at AS Talent Advisors, LLC, to pull back the curtain on what actually...
About this show
The Executive Career Playbook is the podcast for senior leaders, executives, and board candidates who want to stay competitive, increase their visibility, and land career-defining opportunities in this competitive market.
Hosted by executive career expert Debra Boggs and featuring executive recruiters, board directors, leadership experts, and accomplished business leaders, each episode delivers practical strategies to help you navigate career transitions, strengthen your executive brand, expand your network, and position yourself for your next leadership opportunity.
Whether you're pursuing a VP, C-Suite, or Board Director role, you'll gain insider insights on executive hiring, leadership trends, personal branding, networking, interviewing, compensation negotiation, board readiness, and career growth.
Because landing your next opportunity isn't just about experience. It's about positioning, visibility, and knowing how to stand out when it matters most.
AN
Hosted by
D&S Executive Career Management