EPISODE 1: Career Advice from a CHRO: Kacy Wickenhauser on Resilience & Trust-Building
What happens when the career you planned isn’t the career you end up loving?
Kacy Wickenhauser, set out to become an ER physician and instead built her way to CHRO in the energy industry. Her story is proof that the detours, the unglamorous roles, and the hard seasons are often exactly what prepares you for the seat at the top.
We get into what it really takes to build credibility as a leader, why executive presence is harder to hold onto in today’s distracted workplace, and what “bringing your whole self to work” actually looks like when you’re the one making the tough calls. This one is packed with the kind of insider honesty you rarely hear out loud, and I think it’s going to shift how a lot of you think about your next move!
In this episode you’ll hear:
- Why starting in the unglamorous roles is one of the smartest career moves you can make, and the foundational skills Kacy built there
- How your choice of partner and support system quietly shapes which dreams you get to pursue
- What managing layoffs, employee relations, and industry downturns taught Kacy about leadership under pressure
- Why curiosity and trust-building are the real engines behind a strong leadership brand
- What executive presence actually means, and how distraction is chipping away at it in today’s workplace
- The power of vulnerability, and what “bringing your whole self to work” looks like in practice
- How to recover from mistakes and build credibility through consistency over time
- The ongoing balancing act between work, personal values, and life’s curveballs
LINKS:
Kacy’s Book Recommendation #1
Kacy’s Book Recommendation #2
Connect with Kacy on LinkedIn
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