Invincible Career - Claim your power and regain your freedom

My guest for this episode is Ha Nguyen, Founder and Managing Partner at NextStep Advisors [https://nextstepfwd.com/]. Her company helps early-stage founders become master company builders, operators, and people leaders. They help founders with strategy and planning, operational excellence, and executive coaching. They also provide fractional consulting and advisory services. About Ha Ha Nguyen has 22 years of deep expertise in building and scaling startups, as well as venture investing. She was most recently the Chief Experiences Officer at Swimply and a Founding Partner of Spero Ventures. She also has 16 years of product leadership experience, having started her early career as a product manager at eBay, where we first met many years ago. We talk about * Her impressive background * How she defines fractional leadership * Why she bet on herself to create her current business * How and where she finds new clients * How she is leveraging AI, personally and professionally * The concept of building portfolio careers * What work-life balance really means for consultants * Why hard work feels different when you choose the work you do * How people should think about their careers for the next 10 years * The massive disruption of AI in the industry Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation. Where to find more * NextStep Advisors [https://nextstepfwd.com/] * Ha’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanguyen-spero/] * Her personal website [https://pokergirl.co/] I’m Larry Cornett, an executive coach [https://larrycornett.coach/] who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out the Spring version of my Invincible Daily Journal [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

🎟️ Get your ticket for our live Job Interview course [https://toovaluabletolose.com/] launching at the end of May. Two ex-tech leaders teach the insider secrets to getting hired, promoted, and staying off the layoff list. The price goes up in 4 days! Tim Yeo joins me for this special episode so we can share more details about our upcoming live cohort course, Too Valuable to Lose [https://toovaluabletolose.com/]. We discuss our backgrounds as leaders in the tech industry and career coaches for the past several years, and how this inspired us to create the course. * We’ve seen that the quiet, good people are often overlooked for raises and promotions. * Humble people and introverts frequently struggle with selling themselves during job interviews. * And talented people sometimes get put on a layoff list because their bosses aren’t fully aware of their value and everything they do for the company. Well, Tim and I want to change that! Scroll up, hit play, and listen to us discuss the course in more detail. Learn to become so valuable that your employer keeps you happy (e.g., receive raises and promotions, stay off the layoff list), and potential new employers can't stand the thought of losing you (i.e., they make you job offers quickly). What you'll get from the course: * Practical and doable steps you can take the very next day * Access to two live sessions with the instructors and other attendees on May 31st and June 7th * Homework exercises to help you put our advice into action between sessions * Downloadable templates to help you showcase your accomplishments and talents * Scripts you can use during your job interviews and conversations with your manager * Techniques for using AI to help you with preparation and practice * Q&A feedback from the instructors to help you fine-tune your strategies and materials * Lifetime access to our private community for the advice, feedback, and support you need What you'll learn: * Get better at selling yourself for the jobs you really want * Learn how to ask for a raise or promotion the right way * Consistently demonstrate your value so your manager can't imagine losing you * Become so valuable that your employer fights to make you happy, retain you, and keep you off the layoff list ⬆️ Scroll up, hit play, and 🎧 listen to this episode to learn more about the course, what you will get if you join us, and who we are. Where to find out more * The Too Valuable to Lose course [https://toovaluabletolose.com/] * Read more about our backgrounds and see our testimonials [https://toovaluabletolose.com/#aboutus] * The video version of this podcast episode [https://youtu.be/hATRIx0U9zo?si=tXGja3KZMNsHCYKV] I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach [https://larrycornett.coach/] who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! Tim Yeo [https://www.thequietachievr.com/] has been an introvert for 40 years! He is a design leader, speaker, empathetic storyteller, facilitator from problem to solution, open collaborator, builder of design teams. He spent 18 years in UX & Design. He's now the chief introvert at The Quiet Achiever (TQA). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

🎟️ Get your ticket for our live Job Interview course [https://toovaluabletolose.com/] launching at the end of May. Two ex-tech leaders teach the insider secrets to getting hired, promoted, and staying off the layoff list. The price goes up again in 5 days! My guest for this episode is Steven Puri, the Founder and CEO of The Sukha Company [https://www.thesukha.co/]. His mission is to help millions of people find their focus, achieve more, and have a healthy work life. About Steven Steven's career started as a newscaster/interviewer for the #1 youth news show in the DC/Baltimore market (on WTTG-TV) and then as a junior software engineer and Thomas J. Watson Scholar at IBM. After attending USC in Los Angeles, he began working in film production and produced computer-generated visual effects for 14 movies, including Independence Day, which won the Academy Award for Visual Effects. Steven’s first tech company was Centropolis Effects, which produced those CGI effects. When he was 28, he eventually sold it to the German media conglomerate, Das Werk. Steven then produced some indie films and eventually went studio-side to develop and produce live-action features as a VP of Development & Production at 20th Century Fox (running the Die Hard and Wolverine franchises) and an EVP at DreamWorks Pictures for Kurtzman-Orci Productions, where he worked on Star Trek, Transformers, and more. After Fox, Steven returned to building tech companies and founded The Sukha Company. In Sanskrit, “Sukha” means “happiness from self-fulfillment.” The Sukha is a focus app [https://www.thesukha.co/] that bundles all the tools necessary for a focused experience and a healthy, productive workday. We talk about * Steven’s unique background that blended tech and creativity (e.g., his time in Hollywood) * How good timing and lucky breaks can guide your career path * The good and the bad of our new remote working world * The needs we all have for getting into flow state, doing focused work, being more productive, and connecting with other people * How the Sukha app helps us all with those needs Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation. Where to find more * The Sukha Company [https://www.thesukha.co/] * Steven’s LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-puri-b0714436/] I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach [https://larrycornett.coach/] who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out the Spring version of my Invincible Daily Journal [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

“Nothing is working. I can’t find a job!” I was talking with an acquaintance about their job search strategy recently. They complained that nothing they had tried was working. They had written and shared articles on social media, but the engagement wasn’t very good. They had searched for jobs but couldn’t find what they were seeking. * I asked how many articles they had written. * They said, “Two.” * I then asked how long they had been searching for relevant job listings. * They said, “A week.” Okay, folks. I’m sorry, but sometimes, more effort and patience are required! We seem to have turned into an instant gratification nation. Ubiquitous internet access, fast smartphones, thousands of online services, and the rise of AI have made us all expect instant answers and results. But it doesn't work that way. Your easy access is everyone’s easy access. Everyone is posting, sharing, commenting, and competing for attention. I’ve published over 1,000 posts/articles over the past eight years. I started writing on Medium in 2017 and launched my Substack newsletter in 2019. I slowly built a decent number of readers on both platforms, but only in the last three months did my subscriber numbers really grow! I have a lot of failings, but I do have some personality traits that help me. I’m very persistent and patient. I will keep grinding away at something for years and years. * I’ve been working out almost every day for the past 16 years, and it took at least 4 years of lifting weights 5 days/week before I started seeing decent results. * I’ve been building and running my businesses since 2010 (never returned to a job). * I’ve been writing something every single day for years and years and years. I’m stubborn, if nothing else. Perhaps there have been times I should have given up. I know there are times other people definitely would have given up because I’ve watched them do exactly that. When to be patient Sometimes, you just need to be patient. Stop expecting instant success! * Networking takes time. * Building an engaged audience takes time. * Looking for a new job in a terrible market in a struggling economy takes time. If you’ve invested many years in your current career, you may need to be more patient. It can often take approximately one month for every year of experience to find a new job (e.g., a full year if you have 12 years of experience). Also, you may need to be patient if you have many commitments and change would disrupt them. For example, your family might depend on your income, and you don’t want to take your kids out of their local schools, so you can’t just quit your job or jump at a new opportunity that would require a move. If you have a job you don’t love but the job market is terrible, you may need to be patient and ride it out. But you should still be looking around. Treat it as a validation exercise. * Are you being paid what you should be? * Are you at the level you should be? * Are you being given the opportunities you could be? * Is your manager more supportive and mentoring than what’s available elsewhere? I guess my early career years are an example of being patient. I worked for almost 10 years before I got my big break and started landing promotions that moved me up the leadership ladder. When to pivot If you feel you’re spinning your wheels, not getting any real traction, or running out of time, you may need to pivot and change strategies. At some point, more patience won’t help. Also, if you have already been impacted by a layoff or business failure, you may need to make a change to survive. The degree of change depends on your situation, how long you’ve been trying other options, and your desired outcome. How much you pivot your career depends on what’s possible and what’s necessary. * Small pivot - Find a new job with an employer in the same industry [https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industry.asp] and vertical [https://pitchbook.com/what-are-industry-verticals] (this is what most people do). * Medium pivot - Find a job with an employer in the same industry but in a different vertical (e.g., ecommerce instead of gaming). * Large pivot - Find a job with an employer in a completely different industry (e.g., transportation instead of tech) or geography (e.g., a different country). * Massive pivot - Change professions entirely using your transferrable talents and skills (e.g., a good manager is a good manager in any business). Or build your own business! The size of your pivot depends on what you do for a living, how deeply your job or business has been impacted, and how serious you are about doing whatever it takes to survive and thrive in this economic downturn. ➡️ I go into more detail about these pivots in the podcast audio. So, scroll up, hit play, and listen. 🎧 Small pivot A smaller pivot is what most people do when seeking a new job. They stay in the same profession and find a new employer in the same industry and vertical. An example would be a small change from being a designer at Amazon to taking a design job with eBay. Medium pivot A medium pivot is also fairly common when changing jobs. Someone stays in the same profession and industry but moves to a new vertical. An example would be staying in consumer technology but moving from the vertical of ecommerce to web search. Large pivot If you’re out of work and the job market is terrible, you may need to make a larger pivot if you’ve been struggling to find a job and time is running out. You could land a new job with an employer in a completely different industry (e.g., transportation instead of tech) or geography (e.g., the EU instead of the U.S.). An example would be leaving the core tech industry to take a job applying your profession to the transportation industry (e.g., a UX designer taking a design job with a logistics company). I’ve also worked with clients who were frustrated by the U.S. job market and moved to Europe to take roles with companies based there. Massive pivot If you're reaching a financial breaking point, a massive pivot may be required to get back on your feet. Time has run out, and you need a drastic career change to survive and thrive. You may need to change professions entirely or deconstruct your job and reconstruct your knowledge, skills, and experience for an entirely new industry. I did this over nine years ago. I left my profession (i.e., Product & Design leader) and industry (i.e., Silicon Valley Tech) to create a business to do something completely different. I became a leadership coach and career advisor [https://larrycornett.coach]. I took parts of my past job (e.g., mentoring my team, performance coaching, hiring talent) and different components of my skills and experience to create a new beginning. I did this because I wanted the freedom that a solopreneur business [https://invinciblesolopreneurs.com/] could give me (e.g., living where I wanted to live, working remotely). I know the thought of changing professions is overwhelming. But, making a pivot this massive could enable you to overcome this economic uncertainty. It is possible, and other people have successfully made a significant career change like this. I’ve interviewed a few for this podcast (e.g., Isabel Sterne [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/unconventional-success-on-linkedin], Emily Schneider [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/the-power-of-storytelling-emily-schneider], Maureen Wiley Clough [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/shining-a-light-on-ageism-maureen]). I did it. You can, too, if that is what it takes to survive. I’m here to support you if you want to discuss it [https://tidycal.com/cornett/free-career-coaching]. 📖 Get your free chapter from the book I’ve been writing for the last few years, Becoming Invincible in Life: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Power, Freedom, and Future. I’m in the editing phase right now, so I’ll hopefully be able to publish it later this year! I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach [https://larrycornett.coach/] who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out the Spring version of my Invincible Daily Journal [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The Job Market Is Frozen That was the recent headline of an Atlantic article [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/jobs-unemployment-big-freeze/681831/]. It reflects the baffling frustration many job seekers are feeling right now. “Six months. Five-hundred-seventy-six applications. Twenty-nine responses. Four interviews. And still, no job.” Already in 2025, we are seeing a flurry of firings and layoffs happening across the corporate world [https://www.reuters.com/business/factbox-us-companies-announce-layoffs-cut-costs-2025-02-26/] and now in the U.S. federal government [https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2025/03/01/federal-worker-data-visualized-as-firings-layoffs-continue/80753788007/], too. This means that an estimated 200K displaced workers will enter the job market and compete for scarce jobs. How scarce? Well, the pace of hiring [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1DYYt] has slowed to levels last seen shortly after the Great Recession. Also, voluntary quitting to find a new job has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. People are worried, so they’re staying put (if they can). Employers are concerned about the economy, so they aren’t hiring. The job market is frozen. And now, with the recent tariffs [https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-bump-turns-into-trump-slump-as-markets-tank-on-tariffs-ahead-of-joint-address-to-congress/ar-AA1AfEt1], the stock market tanked [https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-tanks-stock-market-ahead-of-address-to-congress/ar-AA1AfwYb], consumer confidence is falling as threats of inflation rise [https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-economic-approval-ratings-sag-as-inflation-fears-grow/ar-AA1A3e4c], and some are whispering the word “recession [https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2025-03-04/5-economic-indicators-to-watch-if-you-are-worried-about-a-recession].” All of this is influencing my outlook for job searchers. * The layoffs and firings will continue in the U.S. this year. * More job seekers will enter the market to compete with you. * Fewer jobs will be available in the U.S. because companies are freezing hiring. * Even if you do land a U.S. job, you may get laid off soon after. * The political and economic turmoil will continue to damage our economy. My recommendation If you need a new job and can work remotely (or with some travel), I highly encourage you to seek employment with a company based outside the U.S. A few people misunderstood my recommendation when I suggested this recently in a Substack note. They assumed that employment with a non-U.S. company would always require moving to a new country. Yes, that could be a requirement, and some people don’t mind it at all (e.g., a few of my clients and friends have relocated to other countries over the past few years). However, I also have clients and colleagues who work for international companies and still live in the U.S. Let me give you a few examples: * Atlassian [https://www.atlassian.com/company/careers] has its global HQ in Sydney, Australia. But, several friends of mine worked for them in their San Francisco office. * IKEA [https://jobs.ikea.com/en] was founded in Sweden and is incorporated and headquartered in the Netherlands. They’re always hiring in their U.S. locations. * Rakuten [https://global.rakuten.com/corp/careers/] is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, but it also has offices in San Mateo and San Francisco, California. * 1Password [https://jobs.lever.co/1password] is based in Toronto, Canada, but they hire for remote positions, too (U.S. or Canada). * Located in Virginia Beach, VA, STIHL Inc [https://jobs.stihl.com/]. is the U.S. affiliate of the global STIHL Group [https://corporate.stihl.com/en/career/job-offers], founded in Germany. * Finally, here are some top German companies [https://www.germanschoolcampus.com/top-50-german-companies-in-the-us/] doing business in the U.S. You can search for similar companies from any country you find interesting. Why international? Why do I recommend these companies headquartered outside of the U.S.? * They have diversified global teams that aren’t trapped in our local political turmoil. * They have global revenue sources that aren’t tied 100% to the U.S. economy. * They are not under the complete control of the U.S. federal government, and we’ve seen what happens when American companies bend the knee [https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2025/01/19/from-woke-to-wooing-companies-kneel-before-donald-trump/]. * International companies are seeking [https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/03/the-top-countries-where-companies-are-scooping-up-american-tech-workers.html] and appreciate U.S. talent. The number of American workers hired by international companies grew 62% in 2023 [https://www.deel.com/global-hiring-report-2024/]. My hope is these companies will be more willing to hire new employees than U.S. companies seem to be right now. Also, working for an international company opens up opportunities that could be interesting for you later. For example, a friend worked for an international company in one of their U.S. locations for many years. Then, they asked to be relocated to one of their offices in another country. Now, they live there permanently and have never been happier. Here are some resources to help you find a job with an international company. * 15 Best International Companies Hiring U.S. Remote Workers [https://www.virtualvocations.com/blog/annual-statistical-remote-work-reports/15-best-international-companies-hiring-us-remote-workers/] * U.S. workers are getting scooped up by international companies hiring remote roles [https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/25/us-workers-are-getting-remote-jobs-with-international-companies.html] * 30 International Companies Hiring [https://relocate.me/blog/working-abroad/international-companies-hiring/] * InternationalJobs.com [https://www.internationaljobs.com/] * RemoteJob.io [https://www.remotejobs.io/] (look for non-U.S. employers) * We Work Remotely [https://weworkremotely.com/100-percent-remote-jobs] Of course, your income taxes get a little more complicated when you have income from non-U.S. sources. So, check out this overview of U.S. taxes on foreign income for individuals [https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/blog/overview-of-u-s-taxes-on-foreign-income-for-individuals/]. I also recommend talking with your accountant to ensure you appropriately handle reporting and tax payments. Working for an international company set up to hire in the U.S. (e.g., it has an incorporated presence here) means they should be handling reporting for you, but it’s wise to verify. Additional complexity is never fun. But being out of work for a long time is even worse. So, if you are struggling to land a new job with a U.S. company in this crazy job market, consider opportunities beyond our borders. 📖 Get your free chapter from the book I’ve been writing for the last few years, Becoming Invincible in Life: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Power, Freedom, and Future. I’m in the editing phase right now, so I’ll hopefully be able to publish it later this year! I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach [https://larrycornett.coach/] who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out my new The Invincible Daily Journals [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]