What You're About with Chad Aboud

I used to take others’ career opinions as commandments. But he only took them as data points. And that let him design the career of his dreams. By April of 2023, Nolan Ritzel had done all of the things: - Success in Biglaw - AGC at Shopify - GC at DC Bank Impressive titles. Great money. Proud parents. But something was off. He wanted his career to fit into his life. Not the other way around. So when Brett Colvin and Team Goodlawyer created the Fractional GC offering, Nolan walked away from his impressive title. And bet on himself. In this week’s episode of the What You’re About x Goodlawyer podcast, Nolan shares how he built the Fractional GC career of his dreams. With the type of work he loves, flexibility he wants and as much (or more) money as he made before. If you’ve ever wondered how to design your career around your gifts, values and personal goals, this episode is for you. In this interview you’ll take away: 02:00: When it isn’t enough to achieve all of the things 04:04: A rare LinkedIn post sheds new light 07:05: The best parts of both worlds 11:00: Taking opinions as data points, not commandments 15:00: Focusing on greatest fit, not most opportunities 20:00: Loved ones might not get alternative career paths 25:10: Is there a false sense of security in a full-time job? 25:55: How the money part works as a Fractional Lawyer 29:05: The flexibility of a bottom-line lifestyle (instead of top line) 35:30: What Nolan values in this next phase of his career Episode Resources: Learn more from Nolan Ritzel on how to design your fractional legal career here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-ritzel/. Learn more about how Goodlawyer drives the business forward, on budget here: www.goodlawyer.ca.

From Anchorage to Toronto in a market crash. And from BigLaw to In-House, to BigLaw and back again. Angie Jackson, Director of Legal at Uber and Pam Hinman, AGC at the University of Calgary know what it takes to bet on themselves. They realized early on that testing themselves was part of designing an intentional career. Careers filled with twists and turns they could never have expected. But that allowed them to grow. And led them to where they are now. In this week’s episode of the What You’re About x Goodlawyer podcast, we have a double interview with two legal leaders proud of their atypical Career paths. They share their struggles, their reflections and what they’d advise their earlier selves if they were doing it all again. If you’re thinking that maybe the traditional paths aren’t for you, this episode has all the inspiration and tools you need to take that step forward. In this interview you’ll take away: 00:55: Lots of overlapping history 03:45: Their first impressions of each other at U of Calgary 06:20: Opportunistic vs. reactive career moves (from coast to coast) 12:00: What mattered most to you in a Law Firm? 17:45: How authenticity is a culture and talent builder 20:45: Signals in interviews that tell you if it's a fit 24:50: Going back to the Firm after being In-House 29:00: Building your own boundaries and dreams 31:45: What creating community does for your Career 36:10: How to figure out what motivates you 39:40: Intentionality is the antidote to fear with atypical career paths 42:40: The scariest part to learn when you go In-House Episode Resources: Learn more from Angie Jackson and Pam Hinman on how to build an intentionally designed career here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelamjacksonjd/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-hinman-807376109/. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠ Learn more about how Goodlawyer moves the business faster here: www.goodlawyer.ca

His parents were happy he was working at a prestigious Law Firm. But his dream was always pushing him further. So he ran after it. Figuratively and literally. Down hallways. Through cold calls. And slammed phones. Manav Deol grew up playing competitive sport. And very early on he knew he’d do everything to make sport his Career too. In this week’s episode of the What You’re About x Goodlawyer podcast, we interview the Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, a franchise in Major League Soccer. He’s thoughtful. He’s resilient. He’s living his dream. If you’re trying to figure out how to turn your dream into your reality, this episode is for you. In this interview you’ll take away: 02:20: The day you find out your dream came true 05:00: When your passion is meant to be your profession 10:40: Calling everyone you know to pursue your goal 15:50: Rewiring our minds to recognize our wins 19:50: Your loved ones see it when you love your work 24:04: Navigating family life with an atypical career 27:00: The Future of Law for a GC in a lean legal team 33:55: Best career advice for earlier Manav 38:45: There's more opportunity for Lawyers than you think Episode Resources: Learn more from Manav Deol and about the Vancouver Whitecaps here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manav-d-70435572/ and https://www.whitecapsfc.com/. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠ Learn more about how Goodlawyer moves the business faster here: www.goodlawyer.ca.

She’s faced lies, slander and ridicule. But she remains a warrior for the Legal industry. Having no interest in the status quo and proving that empathy and curiosity make money. Leena Yousefi has absorbed more hate than most in the legal industry could ever imagine. Yet she’s turned that negative energy into fuel to become CEO of YLaw, the largest female led Law Firm in Canada, an author, voted Top 25 Lawyers in Canada and one of Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women, ranked Top 10 Innovators in Canada, named 40 under 40 and a Lexpert Rising Star. But Leena doesn’t care about all of that. She cares about shaking up the Legal Industry. Making it a place where everyone feels like they belong. And she won’t stop no matter what the haters say. In this episode, one of the most courageous voices of the Legal industry, shares how she’s fought back from lies and slander to build a Law Firm that leverages empathy and inclusivity to drive growth.   If you’re looking for hope for the Future of Law, this episode is for you. Because Leena is the future right now. In this interview you’ll take away: 02:45: How to be courageous in the face of misinformation 06:45: Taking risks & being unafraid (even when you're anxious) 10:25: How YLaw treats Lawyers better and makes more money doing it 15:20: It's our duty to make the industry better, so give first 21:45: What happens when you share what you care about 26:30: Using your natural gifts & shaking up the Legal industry 30:30: Best advice for earlier Leena 32:30: On lies, slander and mental health 36:30: Acknowledging uncomfortable feelings to move through them 37:15: Creating a safe space to be yourself at work 39:15: Why empathy and inclusivity are business drivers Episode Resources: Learn more from Leena Yousefi and about YLaw here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leena-yousefi-7932b232/ and https://www.ylaw.ca/. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠

If Lawyers have a monopoly on legal services, nothing changes. Many talk about legal innovation. He lives it. Whether it's Mitch Kowalski’s books about how Lawyers can avoid extinction or his international projects with governments and massive brands around the world... he walks his talk. In this episode, as usual Mitch pulls no punches as he shares how the legal industry needs to change to improve client services and lawyer well-being. He also shows us how other countries have already been doing this for decades. If you’ve ever wondered why the legal industry is so slow to change and what we can do about it today, this episode is right down your alley. In this interview you’ll take away: 02:25: Why Mitch left the BigLaw Partnership track 07:00: Being introspective and betting on yourself 10:15: The most meaningful part of being a small firm owner 14:30: What your friends say when you leave BigLaw 16:30: Should Lawyers be the only ones to own Law Firms? 25:30: How to get clients & business teams to love you 36:25: Advice for earlier Mitch: find your people 38:55: Defining your own career success 44:30: How can AI actually help Lawyers right now? Episode Resources: Learn more from Mitch Kowalski about the latest trends in legal industry innovation here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchkowalski/ and https://kowalski.ca/. To learn more from Mitch, sign up for the Future of Law Summit here: summit.goodlawyer.ca. It’s virtual and free so there are no barriers to get this year’s most entertaining 4 hours of CLE! To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠

“Keep coming up with your ideas — but keep them to yourself.” This was the nail in the coffin for Brett’s BigLaw career. As a lifelong entrepreneur, he’d heard “No” before. As a kid, selling found golf balls on the fairways. In college, selling house painting services. But this was different. This was his industry – the legal industry – telling him that they didn’t value his creativity, his agency, his innovation. So he left. Heading straight to grandma’s basement. And within just 5 years, he built a company, Goodlawyer, that would be named 15th fastest growing company in Canada. With a roster of seasoned Lawyers coast-to-coast providing fractional legal support to incredible companies in a way that actually fits their goals and budget. In this fascinating episode, Brett’s passion and humor are on full display as he shares his journey from walking away from BigLaw, to founding a small business, to becoming CEO of the 15th fastest growing company in Canada. If you’ve ever thought about designing a career that better fits your life, or wished you had seasoned legal support in a way that fits your goals and budget, this one’s for you. Because, thankfully for the legal industry, Brett will never keep his ideas to himself. In this interview you’ll take away: 03:10: What’s your scariest BigLaw moment? 06:30: How to see your inner entrepreneur 13:00: A big change as opportunity (not failure) 20:30: Deeply caring about Lawyer careers 28:15: How Goodlawyer helps build community & new skills 33:35: Lawyers deserve a career that fits their lives 38:30: What Brett can't believe about where Goodlawyer is today 39:15: The education bridge for fractional legal careers 47:30: Advice for young Brett: "Keep truckin, don't settle" 53:40: Tips for choosing an atypical Lawyer path 57:00: My biggest impact over the next 5 years 1:01:10: Future of Law Summit on Nov 21: your brand, your community, your skills – sign up for free at summit.goodlawyer.ca Episode Resources: Learn more from Brett Colvin about how Goodlawyer helps Lawyers build careers that fit their lives & gives incredible companies access to seasoned Lawyers in a way that fits their goals and budget here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettrcolvin/ and www.goodlawyer.ca. Sign up for the Future of Law Summit here: summit.goodlawyer.ca. It’s virtual and free so there are no barriers to get this year’s most entertaining 4 hours of CLE! To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠

She was working late on Christmas Eve. Feeling the pressure of getting a deal done while her kids were asking for her. A painful moment many Lawyers experience. But for Amy Grubb, it was the final straw. She didn’t know what was next but she knew it was something different. And it was something big. In the conversations that followed with her community, Amy described her goals and what she believed was her purpose. And it was that community she created that rallied around her as she built multiple businesses. Now as an Account Executive at Affinity and Lawyerist, Amy helps Law Firm owners grow their businesses. With reflectiveness and contentment, Amy shares her journey from leaving BigLaw, to building small businesses and becoming as a renowned advisor to Law Firms across North America. And she shares how you can intentionally design your career too, if you build your community first. In this interview you’ll take away: 04:20: How does community make Law Firms more successful? 07:45: Easy ways to quickly build your community right now 12:30: Does it matter if our actions aren’t purely altruistic? 14:00: How to be brave and design an atypical career path 18:25: The "I'm leaving the Firm” conversation 22:40: Taking a chance on yourself 28:49: For you, For me vs. Universal truths 31:30: What is the Future of Law for Amy? 35:20: What you need to know about designing an atypical career 37:55: Long lost friends asking each other the deep stuff Episode Resources: Learn more from Amy Grubb about how to bring out your entrepreneurial side and build your community here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amygrubb/  and https://www.affinityconsulting.com/ To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠ Learn more about how Goodlawyer is helping Lawyers build careers that fit their lives, and giving incredible companies access to seasoned Lawyers in a way that fits their goals and budget here: www.goodlawyer.ca.

Sarah had the “perfect” General Counsel role. Exciting scale-up. Enjoying her team. Receiving positive feedback. And then she walked away. Leaving it all behind to build something that only she could. Because she realized: she was the niche. Learn how Sarah went from being a SaaS GC in Dublin to becoming a globally sought after Community Builder, B2B Influencer, Venture Partner and Angel Investor, seemingly overnight. In her passionate, creative and friendly style, Sarah reflects on how she leverages her past experiences and skills to fuel her entrepreneurial ventures and why, for her, doing so hasn’t been nearly as scary as others said it would be. In this interview you’ll take away: 03:20: Initial 6 months: Sarah's growth, goals and fears 07:20: Making peace with pivoting 11:15: How to build confidence when you're forced to adapt 16:33: Why being a scale-up GC was a great fit 20:25: And why Sarah walked away from it 26:00: Celebrating greatness sends your signal into the world 32:30: You are your niche: offer-market fit, investing and being a VC 43:00: Fears that will actually be ok 48:45: Where Sarah will be in 2025 51:35: Advice for earlier Sarah, what to know about atypical careers, and reflections on 6 months as an entrepreneur 58:00: How to design a Career at the Future of Law, that suits you Episode Resources: Learn more from Sarah Irwin about how to bring out your entrepreneurial side and build your community here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-irwin-aa273064/ and https://www.itgc.ie/. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠

How does someone go from a Guamanian jail, to a successful legal practice in St. Louis, to living in the wilderness 3 hours north of Toronto writing some of Legal’s most eye-catching LinkedIn posts for a living? Tony Albrecht’s lawyer life has been anything but typical. He’s walked away from the Partnership track. He was a digital nomad years before it was a thing. He’s worked, and seen the inside of a prison, in Guam. And each time he bet on himself, he got closer to uncovering his unique gift: Telling the stories of Lawyers and Law Firms to grow their brands. In his always contemplative and probing style, Tony walks us through how he’s made massive career changes, build skills he never thought were relevant to his career, and launch a rapidly growing creative agency, CONTENDER, that turns Lawyer voices into powerful business development tools on LinkedIn. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:55:   Why we don't pay attention to our greatest gifts 5:10:   How December 2021 changed Tony's mind about LinkedIn 8:20:   How to get the algo to show you interesting posts 12:53: LinkedIn relationships are like normal life 15:25: Why Tony left his career as St. Louis litigator 20:10: What is it you're going to do with your one and precious life? 22:30: Moving your career towards what you're drawn to 26:00: Reducing money stress during career transitions 29:45: The most meaningful part of Tony's career today 32:39: Activities that bring you good energy 35:35: What is the Future of Law for Tony? 43:40: 3 rapid fire career questions 50:30: Sharing your message as the hub of your growth Episode Resources: Learn more from Tony Albrecht about how to build your brand on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht/. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠⁠

Lawyers continually fight against industry stigma. Mental health pressures. Wanting a more creative way to practice. Spending time with family & on side businesses. Yet the traditional legal career models struggle to sufficiently serve a large segment of lawyers and companies. To launch Season 2, Pauline Chan, a fractional General Counsel, serial entrepreneur and Head of Lawyer Experience at Goodlawyer, takes us through her journey from walking away from BigLaw, building her own businesses and designing a legal career that fits her life’s goals. In her ever thoughtful and passionate style, Pauline lives what it means to be a passionate advocate for lawyers. To offer them greater access to exciting career opportunities. And encourage them to bring out their diverse skills. In this interview you’ll take away: 2:50: A shocking return to the Legal industry with Goodlawyer 6:20: Curiosity turned darkness into passion 8:10: Law in a way that works for you 14:52: Fighting off the doubt(er)s 18:30: The benefits of doing more than 1 thing 22:25: Changing mental health stigma in the law 26:45: Being the example you want to see 31:30: How to reassure yourself in scary moments 34:45: Quickly test if your interests are career options 37:15: The Future of Law looks like this 43:35: 3 rapid fire questions on designing your life & work 51:40: Your greatest asset is masquerading as a weakness Episode Resources: Learn more from Pauline Chan about how to design an intentional career and about fractional legal work with Goodlawyer here: www.linkedin.com/in/paulinepochan and www.goodlawyer.ca. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠

There are moments in our Career when risk doesn’t feel so risky anymore. Because the traditional path can’t give us something. And the path less travelled calls us. Our excitement and fear equally asking: “Am I really giving up my secure life?” If you’ve ever felt this, you’re not alone. This week, Sarah Ouis, visual design guru and Founder of Law But How, takes us through her journey from her secure, but unfulfilling, career as a lawyer to building her visual design business that inspires thousands every day. In this reflective and insightful interview, Sarah looks back on threads from her childhood to see the natural gifts that gave her the strength to build her massive LinkedIn brand and launch a career phase filled with meaning. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:35:   Creative threads from our childhood 6:26:   Entrepreneurs don't get that way all of the sudden 10:10: When laziness helps us see something new 14:00: Visual design taking shape 18:50: Uncovering Sarah's gifts 23:30: When the riskier path feels less risky 26:38: Show what you do (not just tell) 34:00: Give first to create new opportunities 36:00: How to turn a side hustle into a business 46:03: Learning what your clients want 53:50: Advice for younger Sarah Episode Resources: Learn more from Sarah Ouis about how to use visual design to enhance your LinkedIn presence and grow your business here: www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-ouis-lawyeruk and www.lawbuthow.co. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com

It can feel nice to have complete control over our environment. To stop anyone from changing our vision. But doing everything on our own has downsides too. There are parts of our business where we aren’t strong. We miss feeling connected to others with a shared vision. We begin to see everyone as competition because we aren’t working with anyone. But when we find trusted partners we gain inspiration, capacity and skills. That’s exactly what Brandon Louis and Jeremiah Iroff realized as they were sharing an office while competing for the same clients. So they made the tough choice to leave their personal businesses behind and co-found Loudr Media and they’ve never looked back. In this raw and funny interview, Brandon and Jeremiah share their learnings about the power of impactful relationships through homelessness, an international music career and their media company where they help Lawyers and Law Firms share their unique brand. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:38:   There are two choices in foster care 7:00:   Googling "how not to be homeless" 11:58: Go on a skill acquisition journey 15:25: Do quick tests before choosing an outcome 20:58: Get feedback from Clients (even though it hurts) 23:42: Fighting back our doubts over and over again 24:30: What’s wrong with doing everything on our own? 27:10: Uncovering Jeremiah’s gifts 31:15: The quality of our work doesn’t matter if no one knows about us 38:00: Uncovering Brandon's gifts 40:30: Collaboration beats competition 47:00: Creating content that brings out the best in Lawyers 59:00: Advice for their younger selves Episode Resources: Learn more from Brandon Louis and Jeremiah Iroff about how to create memorable content to grow your business here: www.loudrmedia.com To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠

When our Career is in a tough spot, it feels like the world’s against us. No one will give us a chance. So we retract and hold tightly to what we have. Which leads us to feel even more alone. But what if we took the opposite approach? By giving first and tapping into every resource available. Jessica Nguyen, CLO of Lexion, grew up with no resources or community support. She had to carve her own path if she wanted a different future. So, she began selling stationary door-to-door at 9 years old. In this honest and passionate interview, Jessica reflects on how she built her incredibly supportive ecosystem and uncovered every resource available, to get jobs and win awards that to most seemed impossible.   In this interview you’ll take away: 2:45: The impact of giving mentorship at scale 3:50: Why your journey starts at the start (not what you see on social media) 5:50: What to do when you don’t have any resources 9:30: Uncovering Jessica's gifts 13:13: When your purpose meets the right circumstances 17:45: How important it can be to have agency 21:30: The mindset of: “Here's how what I've got, can help you” 24:30: The impact of mentors you relate to 26:40: How to keep being yourself when it’s hard 28:35: Why you don’t want to swim upstream 33:30: What happens when you give without the expectation of return 40:30: To little Jessica: focus on what you can control Episode Resources: Learn more from Jessica Nguyen about how to give at scale and tap into every resource here: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicanguyen. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠⁠

We receive advice constantly. Following the right advice can change our lives. So how do we know whose advice is worth taking? John Lindsey intuitively knew the answer from a young age. And that allowed him to make two critical decisions: (1) not following his parents’ financial advice, and (2) listening when his technology adept partners pushed him out of the Product Team and into Sales. John’s ability to see his own talent and to listen when others are the experts is a hallmark of his leadership style and has allowed him to build a portfolio of successful businesses across health, technology and professional services fields. In this interview you’ll take away: 5:00:   When your Career feels fun 6:35:   Recognizing who you take advice from 10:50: Uncovering John's gifts 14:00: Failure is a natural result of trying 17:25: The distance between expectation and reality 21:17: When quitting is actually recognition 24:00: Leading with vulnerability so your team takes chances 31:44: Celebrating others' greatness builds yours too 37:05: It is meant to be hard (so it becomes easier) 42:00: Why we don't see our own gifts Episode Resources: Learn more from John Lindsey about how to lead and build communities here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lindsey-incitelegaltech/ and how InCite LegalTech is allowing Law Firms to advance their digital infrastructure here: https://incitelegaltech.com. To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠

Have you ever felt self-conscious about your look at a corporate event? Trying to fit in, so you won’t stand out. Leila El Gharbi used to feel that way. In fact, she was told to dress and act that way. So, she did. Never feeling quite like herself. Struggling to create meaningful connections. But after her health began failing and a life changing experience hiking the Camino Trail, she decided it was time to discover herself and let others discover her too. And what she found was a creativity and passion for the blend of technology, style and community that has catapulted her to become one of the leading voices in the LegalTech space. In this interview you’ll take away: 5:45:   Curiosity is business development 9:05:   A kid missing connection 13:08: People pleasing vs. real relationships 20:05: Perspective changes hiking the Camino Trail 27:40: Using your gifts in every job you do 31:05: Uncovering Leila's natural gifts 41:00: Embracing who you are 46:35: How to see your growth while you’re in it 52:15: Your style selection empowers you 57:33: All the ways we are creative Episode Resources: Learn more from Leila El Gharbi about how to embrace who you are to build your community here: www.linkedin.com/in/leila-el-gharbi/ To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com

What if your friend was a surgeon. Teaching, training and helping those in need. You’d probably be thrilled for them, right? What if that friend was also spiraling. Ashamed of their unhappiness but terrified to change their outwardly perfect life. This was Dr. Bryan Sagray. And it took the passing of his father to pull him out of it. Thankfully, Bryan turned that tragic loss into a career rebirth. He gave up his career in medicine, took over the family’s successful plumbing business, and built the skills to optimize his mental, emotional, and physical states. To reduce the grip that shame and fear had over him. It had such a profound impact on his life that now he teaches others to do the same. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:20:  Emotions follow you home from work 6:40:  Uncovering Bryan's natural gifts 8:00:  Process over outcomes 13:20: Being pulled vs. pushed into our career 15:00: Shame, fear and coming home 23:00: Deploying our gifts in a new way 31:10: Taking digital connections offline 35:00: What others see in us (when we can't) 40:00: The power of your good thoughts 46:05: We don't need to pre-know the answer 49:10: Tips for young Bryan Episode Resources: Learn more from Dr. Bryan Sagray about how to optimize your mental, emotional, and physical performance here: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-sagray-dpm-facfas/⁠ To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠⁠

As a kid arriving from the Soviet Union, Victoria Tollossa marveled at Whitney Houston. She wanted to sing like her. Be like her. Share a message. So she worked tirelessly to win in the music industry. She was even nominated for a Grammy. But after years of contorting herself to fit others’ expectations, she left. Walking away from a childhood dream that was no longer serving her. But her creativity found new life in experiential events, corporate marketing and now in her Personal Branding agency, Illume. Driven by the resilience to share her message, Victoria reflects on losing herself during her music career and how she found the strength to take back control over her path. Reminding us that when we hear too many No’s, sometimes we just need to Exhale and get out of our own way. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:20:  Creativity in the Soviet Union 5:45:  Whitney Houston dreaming 10:05: Holding space for your purpose 14:00: We control Inputs, not Outcomes 18:00: Grammy nomination and pivoting from No's 21:23: Uncovering Victoria's natural gifts 22:50: Our purpose is not our job title 26:50: Seeing ourselves as Creative 31:15: What children's books teach us 34:55: When branding is the star 40:40: Reinspiring your Creative force 44:55: In 10 years where do you want to be? 48:55: Fast growth by unlocking your brand 52:30: How to get out of your own way 57:15: There's no one else that can be you Episode Resources: Learn more from Victoria Tollossa about how to build your personal brand here: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-tollossa/ To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠

He had it all. Fancy job. Nice salary. Prestigious employer. And then he found himself on the operating table trying to stay live. Owen McGrann’s job as a complex case litigator looked really impressive to the outside world. But it was destroying his health so significantly that it almost killed him. And from the operating table, Owen gained a new perspective. That he needed to create meaning from his work that went beyond the external metrics of success. In his thoughtful and disarming way, in this interview Owen reflects on the elements of his life and career that matter most to him. And how he’s building multiple businesses to reflect his values, so that he stays healthy in heart and mind. In this interview you’ll take away: 2:55: Planning not to be a Lawyer 5:50: Music was his perfect trap 8:40: When our Career is in trouble 10:15: ADHD and being bored 12:10: Balancing big money vs. rewarding work 16:10: How our environment matters as much as our gifts 16:50: When our job nearly kills us 21:21: Constructing a career to maximize our gifts 25:55: Scaling our impact, not widgets  31:50: What still feels hard today 33:45: How to find your people Episode Resources: Learn more from Owen McGrann: www.linkedin.com/in/omcgrann/ and check out his On The Record newsletter, here: https://www.sonderunion.com To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠⁠www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠⁠

How do our chosen families impact our behavior? Why aren’t we all given an equal starting point? And how can we help those that need support? These questions have been foundational to Lisa Blasser’s career. Through her legal practice, her book and her new course, The Law School Operating System, Lisa has had enormous success personalizing legal education for her clients and students around the world. So how does Lisa get so many people to open up and trust her? She has a natural gift of expressing her emotions. In this honest and insightful interview, Lisa breaks down how this gift creates a pathway to open up the greatness in others. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:50: A young child with a big heart 5:53: Lisa's natural gift of expressing her emotions 7:45: Getting closer to knowing ourselves (pt. 1) 8:40: The FBI told her to learn Spanish 11:10: The chase of proving our value to others 12:00: How learning is so personal 15:20: Why acknowledging our feelings is fuel, not a weakness 19:25: Getting closer to knowing ourselves (pt. 2) 22:00: Using process to climb out of a career valley 29:45: Opportunities that reveal themselves when we share what we're about 34:25: Uncovering more of Lisa's natural gifts 36:25: How Lisa realized she had to build her Law Student learning program 40:40: Why it matters to get to know your talent for who they are 46:05: What happens we reflect back the words running through in your mind 49:45: How to stop our greatest gifts from becoming our greatest weaknesses 50:45: The impact of Lisa's new course, The Law School Operating System Episode Resources: Learn more from Lisa Blasser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisablasser/ and check out her new online course, The Law School Operating System, here: https://thelawschooloperatingsystem.com/ To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/⁠ and ⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠

Your parent is a doctor, so everyone calls you Doc. Because of course, you’ll be a doctor too. But that’s not what you want. You have other gifts. But what if no one else can see them yet? This was the path that Mando Sallavanti III, Financial Planner at a MassMutual agency in Pennsylvania, walked before he became a go-to financial planning voice. In this inspiring interview, Mando shares how he uses self-discipline to consistently take the good actions that make it unreasonable for him to miss out on his goals. In this interview you’ll take away: 2:15: Shattered dreams of pro football 4:15: Overcoming the gap between expectation and reality 8:25: Uncovering Mando’s natural gifts 9:10: Learning business by sneaker reselling 11:10: Seeing our natural gifts when we look back 15:20: The advice that changed his career path 17:24: Mando’s values and core belief 21:55: The hardest thing he had to learn in business 26:50: Motivation drives discipline 31:15: Stepping out of our parents’ shadow 33:25: The Inputs vs Outputs model 37:45: Mando’s advice to his younger self Episode Resources: Learn more from Mando Sallavanti III: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallavanti/ To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/ and www.chadaboud.com Armando Sallavanti is a registered representative of and offers securities and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. Supervisory Office: 2 Bala Plaza, Ste 901, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. Tel: 610.766.3000. MassMutual refers to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (Springfield, MA 01111-0001)

Imagine living in three different countries by the age of 16. And then feeling such intense pressure to be someone you’re not, that you had to run away from home to pursue who you really are? Roma Khan, CEO of Crush Contracts, and Inventor of GlobalNDA and Zoey, did just that. What she discovered was that by changing how she looked at failure, she opens new windows every time a traditional door seems closed. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:30: From truth seeking in Saudi & India to fashion in the USA 5:00: Uncovering Roma’s inspirations and purpose 7:05: The pressure to be something we’re not, simply because we can 10:20: Having the courage to stand up for what you want 11:50: The “why” behind the “what” in family dynamics 15:15: Building your genuine confidence and sharing it 21:39: The limits of trying to pre-know your future 29:40: Do what you’re great at, hire others for their greatness 33:30: When time is subjective, not objective 38:03: How to quickly test a new career path 41:10: Turning failure into another level of success 46:30: Where Roma’s journey is going next 55:15: On planning, being open to change, and asking for help   Episode Resources: Learn more from Roma Kahn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/contractsqueen/ and check out Crush Contracts: https://www.crushcontracts.com/  To uncover your natural gifts and elevate your Career or your Team, connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/ and www.chadaboud.com

Rob Hanna is the Founder of KC Partners, one the UK’s top legal recruitment firms. He also hosts the top 1% ranked Legally Speaking podcast and is an advisor to, and investor in, multiple companies. But if it was up to one of Rob’s idols, none of this might have happened. Because Rob’s grandfather desperately wanted him to become a Chartered Accountant. Rob shares how he overcame family pressure to leverage his natural gifts and build a career that is deeply meaningful for him. In this interview you’ll take away: 3:00: How to connect with someone you don’t know (yet) 5:30: Build a career that’s meaningful to you 8:50: Living a “For Me, For You” life 10:28: How to use your passion to enhance your career 12:10: Creating a life of choices, not obligations 16:30: The power of playing to your strengths 17:20: Overcoming family pressure 26:19: Finding an environment that needs your gifts 28:25: Tough love on being accountable   Episode Resources: Learn more from Rob Hanna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberthanna/ and subscribe to his Legally Speaking Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901931600326852608/   To uncover your natural gifts and enhance your career or your team, connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadaboud/ and www.chadaboud.com

We're finally here and I can't wait to go on this journey with you. Here's a 2 min sneak peek into just a few of the incredible leaders and entrepreneurs we interviewed in Season 1. This show is your shortcut to the tools and tips they spent decades figuring out. Because you deserve to have a career filled with impact that is uniquely yours while feeling happier too. And it all starts with uncovering What You're About... here we go! For more, follow ⁠Chad Aboud⁠ on LinkedIn, YouTube (@Chad_Aboud) and visit ⁠www.chadaboud.com⁠.