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The Curious Middle — Business
The Curious Middle

We’re two San Francisco moms who got tired of pretending the obvious isn’t obvious.
Top 1.5% of podcasts globally not because we play it safe. We ask the questions people are thinking but won’t say out loud, on the topics that actually shape how we live: media, politics, culture, parenting, careers and what it means to defend common sense in a state that often ignores reality.
We’re two women who’ve earned our opinions through life, careers, raising kids and educating ourselves, Expect ideas that challenge what you think you know. Conversations that don’t wrap up neatly. And the occasional moment where one of us changes our mind on air, because that’s what actually curious people do.
Being “in the middle” isn’t about being passive. It’s about being grounded enough to question everything, open enough to learn from anywhere, and brave enough to push beyond comfortable assumptions. Expect conversations that challenge, entertain, and push you toward a more thoughtful, and wildly better life.

Follow us on Instagram @thecuriousmiddlepod or reach out at thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

Latest Episodes:

Stride Consulting Co-Founder And CEO Debbie Madden On Fearless Leadership Dec 10, 2018

Show notes

When it comes to leadership, Debbie Madden has the experience. Currently the fearless co-founder and CEO of Stride Consulting, an agile software development consultancy for companies and startups, Stride is her fifth company and the role marks her third time as CEO. The organization's clients include The Daily Beast, casper and Equinox, and has been named to the 2018 Inc. 500 list, as well as designations for Crain's Best Places to Work In NYC — twice! In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, we talk to Debbie about her culture-first philosophy, discuss what has fueled Stride's growth and delve into her top leadership strategies. We also talk about performance review techniques applied at the company, job opportunities that exist in agile software development and why the company is such a magnet for former teachers and those who love to teach in various ways. Debbie also opens up to us about the brave decisions she made after her breast cancer diagnosis. While the phrase "great leader" can be thrown around so often it can feel like a cliche, Debbie truly embodies the definition of leadership. We feel confident that once you hear Debbie's story of pursuing a dream — despite extreme difficulty — it will inspire you to push yourself further.

Noonday Collection Founder Jessica Honegger on the Other Side of Fear` Oct 29, 2018

Show notes

Jessica Honegger is the founder of Noonday Collection, a soaring business that designs and sells fair trade jewelry and accessories made by artisans around the world. She's also the author of Imperfect Courage. In the book, released in August, Jessica she shares her story about how she launched Noonday Collection as an inspired side hustle and provides guidance on soul searching, collaborating and broadening your circle of passion. In today's episode of I Want Her Job: The Podcast, we talk to Jessica about how she pushed through fear to create a global organization that is changing the world. We also talk about the book's theme: You will be scared when doing new things and stretching outside of your comfort zone. But, you need to go forward anyway. You need to run scared toward a life of purpose and adventure. "We avoid real issues, fear of the world, and it leads to a life of boredom, a lack of impact, spiritual death," as she describes it in her book. There is a certain power in being scared, and going forward anyway. There is a beautiful world waiting for you on the other side. Jessica's personal story is a case study for the extraordinary joy and fulfillment that comes from using your unique talents to help others, while also stretching and growing yourself into higher levels of living. She encourages to view your life path with vulnerability, adding empathy for yourself and others. Listen in and hear how she turned her fear into fortune for herself and others, and you might just get an idea for how you can make a major impact, too!

Finding Your 'Why' with Abby Falik, Founder of Global Citizen Year Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

How often have you wondered: Why am I doing this? Why do I want this? Why am I experiencing this?

What if you had the chance to discover your "why" during a yearlong opportunity — before you kicked off your career? That's exactly what Abby Falik has created for individuals during a gap year between high school graduation and college entrance with Global Citizen Year. She is the founder of the organization, which also helps students stretch themselves, learn about new cultures and languages, and also gain priceless experiences and memories. Students of Global Citizen Year stay with host families in Brazil, Ecuador, India and Senegal, and work as apprentices in local organizations.

Abby was once the type of student she hopes to inspire. She was attending college at Stanford when she realized that she was longing for more than the life that a traditional model of education provides. She wanted more out of her education that simply listening to professors in lecture halls. Taking action, Abby left traditional education behind and spent a year in Brazil working and traveling. After coming back to Stanford after this life-changing journey, she noticed she gained confidence and maturity, which she credits as an advantage that altered the course of her life. On this trip Abby had discovered her own "why" and her vision for her lifelong work was born.

But before Abby realized her vision, she worked in a nonprofit — managing, building and creating ideas — and then attended Harvard to obtain an MBA that would help her create Global Citizen Year.

In today's episode, we discuss the exciting trends in education and how our perceptions and expectations of higher education can (and should) change to create better accommodations for how we live. We also learn what inspires Abby's work and why she hopes the model of taking a "bridge year" will soon become the norm for most students in the United States. Then again, maybe we should all consider a bridge year — whether we're entering college or beginning year 15 of our careers.

I Want Her Job's Brianne + Polina On Building A Podcast Oct 06, 2018

Show notes

In our latest episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast, I Want Her Job Founder Brianne Perleberg, and I Want Her Job The Podcast Co-founder Polina Selyutin turn the mics on each other. Listen in as they describe how the podcast came to life, how it was launched, the steps they took to create it and how they bring in the amazing guests you hear each week. Additionally, Brianne and Polina talk about their respective careers. Brianne talks about how she launched I Want Her Job in 2010, how she came up with the idea for the site and the jobs she's had during the day along the way. (I Want Her Job is a side hustle for the duo at this point.) Polina shares what inspired her to reach out to Brianne with the idea to collaborate on the podcast, how she learned to edit podcasts, her early influences and why it's sometimes okay not to listen to your parents -- even if you love them dearly! We hope you enjoy the special twist in today's episode as you get two know the two women behind this podcast.

Beth Comstock, Former GE Vice Chair and CMO, On Imagining It Forward Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

Beth Comstock is the former vice chair of GE and a corporate director of Nike. Her accomplishments include building GE's Business Innovations and GE Ventures, as well as overseeing the reinvention of GE Lighting. Prior to her role as vice chair she served as chief marketing officer of the company. And before that she had another dream job as the president of integrated media at NBC Universal, overseeing the company's digital efforts, including the early formation of Hulu.

While Beth has built an incredible career, she's also made some tough decisions in the process of doing so. We're all lucky enough live vicariously through her, with the opportunity to learn more about her journey and the decisions that led her to career success in her new book out today called Imagine It Forward.

In it, Beth shares her story, documenting the ups and downs of working at GE and NBC during a time of tremendous growth. But, Beth will tell you she also wrote this book to help those out in the middle of their career. It's for those who want to make change happen, but feel they need permission to do so, whether through others or from themselves.

In today's episode I am joined by I Want Her Job founder Brianne. Together, we talk to Beth about inspiring change, the importance of embracing tension and conflict, how to navigate gatekeepers and more.

We hope you enjoy today's conversation. You can also visit I Want Her Job dot com for an online version of today's interview.We rely on word-of-mouth to help our community grow and would love if left a review of our podcast on iTunes and subscribe to future episodes. You can read more interviews on I Want Her Job dot com, where you can also sign up for our newsletter. And if you have ideas for future guests, we're just an email away.

Cut50's Jessica Jackson Sloan On Getting Involved In Your Community Sep 17, 2018

Show notes

Jessica Jackson Sloan is currently serving as council member for Mill Valley and as the National Director of Cut50, a bipartisan organization working to reduce incarceration rates and to make communities safer. Previously she served as Mayor and Vice Mayor of Mill Valley. Jessica was the 18th guest on I Want Her Job The Podcast, and her episode was one of our top 10 most-downloaded shows. Today, we check back in with Jessica to hear what she's been working on since we last talked. And in today's episode she shares ways to get involved today in your local government. While most of us aren't going to run for mayor -- thought it's worth considering! -- there are usually dozens of local opportunities within your city. They can bring a great sense of fulfillment and community spirit that can enrich your life as you help your neighbors. Also with today's show, we are adding a new series format called our Career Quickie. Of course, we will still bring in-depth, thought-provoking conversations with our Leading Ladies, but we will also add in these short shows -- up to only 15 minutes -- that either check-in with a former interviewee, provide an actionable tip you can apply to your life, or provide a sneak peek at some of the best advice in our series of website interviews. We'd love to hear from you. Let us know what you think of our new format by reaching out to us at podcast@iwantherjob.com, and as always, you can visit IWantHerJob.com for more inspiring interviews. Now let's check in with Jessica.

April Rinne: Advisor, Speaker, Writer + World Economic Forum Young Global Leader Aug 30, 2018

Show notes

Want a peek at the future of our global society? Ask April Rinne to have a seat at your table. April bridges the private, public and social sectors as an advisor to startups, established companies, policy makers, think tanks, investors, and local and national governments. With these stakeholders she leads discussions on policy reform, global expansion, sustainable development, emerging markets and the future of work, travel and tourism. An individual with true global reach, April has lived overseas for more than 10 years, traveling to more than 100 countries during that timespan. She's also worked in more than 50 countries, averaging about 20 different countries per year. April serves as a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, where she leads the Sharing Economy Working Group. In today's episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast, April discusses how her parents instilled in her a love for travel, discovery, adventure and giving back to the world. She also shares a very sobering fact with us—she lost her parents at a young age. But ever the optimist, she explains that her life path evolved after losing them, and she's embraced their values and what they taught her to create a life full of adventure and giving back to the world in big ways, with her dad's key advice never far from reach. "The world is a marvelous place," he said. "Go check it out!" April's story inspired us to expand our thinking. We hope you are just as inspired to widen your sense of discovery locally or nationally. As April reminds us, there is opportunity everywhere to learn and make things better.

How Sarah K. Peck, Founder Of Startup Pregnant, Brings Audacious Goals To Life Aug 03, 2018

Show notes

Sarah K. Peck is a force. She's a writer, startup advisor, yoga teacher, and founder/executive director of Startup Pregnant-- a media company documenting the stories of women's leadership across work and family. Previously she worked as vice president of communications for a Y Combinator-backed startup, One Month, where she also was a successful writing and communications consultant, published in more than 75 online publications. Sarah also is a 20-time All-American swimmer who swam the Escape From Alcatraz marathon nine separate times. And we also can't forget to mention the time Sarah swam the 1.5-mile freezing swim from Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay in only a swim cap and goggles to raise money of charity: water. In today's show we open up the thought process behind how Sarah achieves her audacious goals. We discuss yes, her amazing swimming accomplishments, as well as her move from a job in the architecture and design industry to a career she created for herself in writing and communications consulting. We also talk about how she developed her own curriculum on storytelling that was sold through her site and General Assembly. Then we talk about how her blog, writing and consulting work led her on a path to working at a startup, and eventually, how her first pregnancy led her to create the business idea for her eventual business, Startup Pregnant. In talking to Sarah, we were enamored with the creativity she uses to design her life and to rethink traditional ideas about how we do things at work and in our own lives. Known for her deep and thoughtful approaches to solving business problems, we have a feeling everyone will take something away from our interview with her in episode 81 of I Want Her Job The Podcast.

Edmentum President + CEO Jamie Candee On Her Path To Executive Leadership Jul 21, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast we are speaking with a woman who is leading a company that is utilizing technology to change education for the better. Jamie Candee is the president, CEO and board director at Edmentum, an education technology company providing web-based learning programs and solutions to more than 1 million children in 40,000 schools across every state in the nation. In our interview we speak with Jamie about how she followed her lifelong passion for education to a career that nourishes her soul, while also helping to improve educational service options for thousands of students. We talk about her clear and ambitious goals, her impressive path to CEO, as well as discuss her other senior roles she held prior to this position in Operations, Revenue and Product Strategy. Jamie also shares her management philosophies and advice for pursuing -- and getting -- senior leadership roles. Jamie's enthusiasm and commitment to her career in education is so incredibly inspiring, that it may very well convince you to explore a path in educational technology. Listen on for more.

Lesley Jane Seymour On Her Next Chapter, CoveyClub Jul 05, 2018

Show notes

Lesley Jane Seymour has made a career out of connecting and supporting women. Whether it was providing guidance for teens during her editor-in-chief tenure at YM magazine, or for young women while at the helm of Redbook and Marie Claire. And before her newest venture, she took this role of chief connector and supporter to the pages of More magazine, where she created history by including Michelle Obama as guest editor for an entire issue of the glossy. Now as the Founder and CEO of CoveyClub, Lesley is aiming to enrich the lives of women in the middle of their careers through support via the platform and community. In today's episode of I Want Her Job The Podcast, we speak with Lesley about inspired her to launch CoveyClub, why she's so motivated to help women face challenges in the corporate world during the middle of their lives, and we hear about her audacious goals for CoveyClub. We also talk to her about depression, her ideas for getting unstuck through lifelong learning and more. Her wisdom in today's episode is delivered with truth and a special honesty that comes naturally to her. We hope the episode inspires you as you take your next step forward toward a well-lived life.

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