Nogol Madani on Psychological Safety and Leaving a Misaligned Career | Making Your Mark

Nogol Madani on Psychological Safety and Leaving a Misaligned Career | Making Your Mark

What happens when the career you worked so hard to build no longer feels aligned with who you are? For Nogol Madani, leaving engineering wasn’t a setback — it was the beginning of discovering her mission around culture, leadership, and psychological safety. After completing her master’s in engineering at McGill, Nogol spent nearly six years in the field. Early on, she experienced facilitative leadership that energized her. Later, directive leadership environments left her drained and disconnected. That misalignment pushed her into deep self‑reflection and ultimately toward creating Glee Factor in 2017 — long before psychological safety became a mainstream leadership topic. When COVID reshaped workplace culture and removed the serendipity of in‑person connection, leaders became more open to new approaches. Nogol transformed Glee Factor from a research project into a business helping middle managers build psychologically safe teams. In the final third of the episode, she and Mark explore AI, the future of work, and the human skills people will need to thrive. She opens up about: • Facilitative vs. directive leadership • Losing yourself in a misaligned career • Leaving engineering after deep self‑reflection • Glee Factor’s origins as a 2017 research project • Discovering psychological safety early • Why leaders resisted psychological safety pre‑COVID • COVID’s culture gap and new openness • Turning Glee Factor into a business • How AI is reshaping leadership • Why human skills matter more than ever Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:24 Iranian and Familial Influences on Early Career Choice 06:13 Not Knowing Herself Early; Soul Searching at 31 08:37 Cultural and Leadership Influences Leading Her Out of Engineering 11:04 Contrasting Leadership Styles in Engineering Roles 14:40 Leaving Engineering and Discovering Culture and Engagement 19:45 Birth of Glee Factor in 2017; Discovering Psychological Safety 22:50 What Psychological Safety Is 27:01 Challenges Promoting Psychological Safety in 2019 32:45 COVID’s Impact on Workplace Culture 35:39 Intentional Culture‑Building vs. Pre‑COVID Serendipity 37:17 Readiness to Learn Psychological Safety Post‑COVID 38:25 Turning Glee Factor into a Viable Business 42:42 Iterative Transition from Project to Business 44:29 Structural Differences Between Project and Business 45:53 Learning the Craft and Business Simultaneously 50:06 Supporting Leaders Through AI‑Driven Change 56:01 Reskilling and Upskilling for AI 57:47 Overcoming Fear of AI 01:01:41 Developing Social Skills AI Can’t Replace 01:05:37 Advice for Professionals 01:07:01 Contact Info and Close Discovery Optimization This episode explores psychological safety, leadership styles, career misalignment, culture‑building, and the future of work in an AI‑driven world. Ideal for listeners navigating career transitions, leading teams, or building human‑centered workplaces.

Antoine de Brabant on Entrepreneurship, Values, and Knowing When to Walk Away | Making Your Mark

What happens when your business is growing, the opportunity is huge, but your values are no longer aligned with the people beside you? For Antoine de Brabant, co‑founder of Wordans and later Jobbook, the turning point came when success and identity no longer matched. Walking away wasn’t failure — it was the beginning of rebuilding a career rooted in clarity, integrity, and long‑term purpose. Antoine shares how early entrepreneurial wins, partner dynamics, burnout, and a surprising health scare forced him to rethink what he wanted from work and life. Today, he’s building a recruitment agency grounded in values, while exploring a tech project that brings him back to the creativity and speed he loves. His story is a candid look at choosing the right partners, navigating stress, and reinventing yourself without losing your entrepreneurial fire. He opens up about: • Co‑founding Wordans and early lessons in product‑market fit • Why misaligned values pushed him to walk away • Building Jobbook with family and choosing the right partners • Burnout, stress, and developing an allergy to marijuana • Why 2026 should be a year of learning, not rushing • How AI and technology are reshaping the job market • Rebuilding a business grounded in clarity and long‑term purpose Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Antoine de Brabant 04:11 Co‑Founding Wordans and Early Entrepreneurship 10:02 Pivoting Toward Strengths in the Business 18:13 Leaving Wordans Over Misaligned Values 24:57 Starting Jobbook with Family and Partners 30:10 Lessons on Choosing Business Partners 36:32 Mentorship, Advisors, and Learning from Experience 41:44 Burnout, Stress, and Developing a Marijuana Allergy 44:58 Balancing Speed and Strategy in Entrepreneurship 48:43 Why 2026 Should Be a Year of Learning 52:38 Embracing Technology and AI in the Job Market 56:00 Moving On from Jobbook and Starting a Recruitment Agency 59:25 Building a Values‑Based Foundation 01:03:57 Keeping the Passion for Entrepreneurship 01:06:31 Advice: Try, Fail, Believe, Repeat 01:09:07 Gratitude and Closing 01:10:31 The LinkedIn Rule: 3s, 33s, 333s Discovery Optimization This episode explores entrepreneurship, values‑driven decision‑making, misaligned success, partner dynamics, burnout, and rebuilding a career with clarity and purpose. Ideal for listeners interested in startup lessons, career reinvention, and the realities of choosing values over opportunity.

Tarun Kohli on Choosing Curiosity Over Traditional Career Scripts | Making Your Mark

What if the best career move you can make is choosing curiosity over the script everyone expects you to follow? For Tarun Kohli, stepping away from traditional and trendy paths opened doors he never could have predicted — IBM, consulting, ESG strategy, and a career built on learning, contribution, and long‑term purpose. Tarun shares how uncertainty, exploration, and self‑awareness shaped his early career. From support roles at IBM to radical innovation consulting to investing in an ESG program long before it paid off, his journey shows why non‑linear careers often lead to the most meaningful growth. He opens up about: • Navigating away from traditional and trendy Indian career expectations • Why curiosity — not titles — shaped his early years at IBM • How adding more value than expected leads to promotion • Leaving IBM to pursue innovation consulting • Why setbacks often reveal their meaning years later • The importance of mentorship and self‑awareness • Investing in an ESG program long before it paid off • Remembering that we’re living our lives while building our careers • Why your career doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Tarun Kohli and His Background 04:41 Navigating Away from Traditional and Trendy Career Paths 09:04 Following Curiosity Early in Your Career 11:33 Starting at IBM Support and Learning Through Opportunity 16:57 Driven by Curiosity and Problem‑Solving, Not Ladder‑Climbing 22:34 How to Get Promoted: Add More Value Than Expected 26:21 Leaving IBM for Radical Innovation Consulting 30:47 Setbacks Often Reveal Their Meaning Later 37:34 Mark Reflects on Wisdom He Wasn’t Ready to Receive 41:24 Hiring Reflections: When a Resume Looks Unstable 43:03 Tarun’s Experience Hiring Someone with a Non‑Linear Path 45:22 Investing in an Expensive ESG Course Without Knowing the Payoff 47:52 That Investment Paid Off Three Years Later 51:21 Don’t Forget We’re Living Our Lives While Building Careers 55:00 Tarun’s Advice: Embrace How Your Career Is Different 58:05 Careers Will Work Themselves Out Over Time 59:16 Closing Remarks Discovery Optimization This episode explores curiosity‑driven careers, non‑linear growth, early‑career exploration, IBM pathways, innovation consulting, ESG strategy, and the value of learning over ladder‑climbing. Ideal for listeners navigating uncertainty, career detours, or the pressure to follow traditional scripts.

Grace Anniskett on Working Style, Self Advocacy, and Redefining Enough | Making Your Mark

What does career clarity really look like? For Grace Anniskett, it meant learning to advocate for herself, understanding her working style, navigating job‑change guilt, and redefining what “enough” means — all while building a meaningful career in project management. Grace, a project manager and founder of Anniskett Consulting Group, shares a grounded and honest leadership story shaped by non‑linear paths, strong mentors, and the emotional intelligence she developed along the way. Her journey is a powerful example for early and mid‑career professionals who want to grow with intention and build a career that fits who they are. She opens up about: • Advocating for your value when great work isn’t enough • Letting go of guilt around job hopping • Understanding and communicating your working style • Rethinking productivity in 2026 • Starting — and pausing — her consulting business • Redefining what “enough” means in work and life Episode Chapters 00:00 Introduction and How Mark Knows Grace 02:12 Grace’s Background and Path into Project Management 05:34 A Non‑Linear Journey from High School to College 08:56 Advocating for Yourself When Great Work Isn’t Enough 13:25 Why Managers Don’t Give Raises Unless They Must 16:01 Mentorship and Paying It Forward 20:06 Diversifying Learning Early in Your Career 23:09 Guilt and Shame Around Job Hopping 27:53 Learning and Accepting Her Working Style 30:23 Rethinking Productivity in 2026 31:48 Calibrating Productivity with Managers and Customers 34:44 Clarifying Without Sounding Like You Didn’t Listen 36:25 Adapting Communication to Different Audiences 38:18 Asking Questions to Understand People Better 39:58 Emotional Intelligence — Innate or Learned 41:58 Knowing When to Share Privileged Information 46:23 You Don’t Need to Act on Every Piece of Information 50:01 Starting Anniskett Consulting Group 53:52 Transitioning Back to Being an Employee 57:04 Why She Put Her Business on Hold 59:27 Defining What Is Enough 01:05:06 How to Reach Grace 01:05:49 Everyone Learns in Their Own Time 01:06:58 Asking for Your Help Discovery Optimization Career clarity, working style, self advocacy, job hopping guilt, project management careers, emotional intelligence at work, early career development, mid‑career transitions, redefining enough, productivity expectations in 2026, communication skills, mentorship, women in project management, leadership stories, career navigation for young professionals.

Eric Ouimet on Reinventing Life After Ownership | Making Your Mark

What does it take to leave a successful family business and reinvent your life with purpose? Eric Ouimet shares how stepping away from ownership opened the door to a mission rooted in human impact: protecting people through fraud awareness and digital safety. After years of leadership at Camionnage CP Inc., where he eventually took over his father’s share, Eric knew it was time for a new chapter—even before he knew what it would be. Creating space led him toward a purpose‑driven path: educating seniors and vulnerable groups about fraud prevention. Now the founder of Anticipa, he reflects on gratitude, timing, support systems, and the Loyola “Men for Others” ethos that continues to guide his choices. He opens up about: • Leaving a thriving family business he co‑owned • How COVID‑19 reshaped logistics and accelerated his pivot • Why he needed space before discovering his next mission • How fraud awareness became a purpose‑driven path • Building credibility through nonprofits and community workshops • The role of support systems in major life transitions Episode Chapters 00:00 Reconnecting After Years Apart 03:32 From Radio Dreams to the Logistics Business 07:49 Doing Work You’re Good At vs Loving the Work 10:41 Mark’s Career Pivot Moment 13:32 Gratitude, Privilege and Life Breaks 17:32 How COVID Changed the Logistics Industry 19:24 Why Eric Chose to Exit the Family Business 23:16 Discovering His Mission in Fraud Awareness 27:31 Helping Individuals Over Large Institutions 29:20 Building Credibility Through Nonprofits 31:00 Engaging Seniors Through Tech Workshops 32:29 Applying Business Experience to Fraud Prevention 35:21 The Power of Support Systems 37:31 Loyola’s “Men for Others” and Service 41:21 Advice for Young and Midlife Professionals 44:09 Entering Your Prime in Your Fifties 48:32 How Far Eric Wants to Push His Mission 49:26 Final Thoughts on Following What Excites You Discovery Optimization Career reinvention, midlife transitions, leaving a family business, discovering purpose after ownership, fraud awareness, digital safety, senior education, community workshops, logistics industry insights, COVID‑19 business impact, personal transformation, second‑act careers, purpose‑driven work, Canadian leadership stories.