The Map Isn’t in a Book. It’s in You.
What Caroline Wanga wants you to know about figuring out your next move, even if you feel completely stuck.
Most of us don’t follow linear paths in our careers. We zig. We zag. Occasionally, we find ourselves at a complete standstill, staring into the fog of “what’s next?” without a clear answer or even a means to an answer. (Is that just me?)
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This week’s guest offers a tool I hadn’t considered to help navigate the standstill. Caroline Wanga is now the CEO of Essence Ventures. Her career is remarkable and unconventional. You may have heard about her before from her time at Target, where she began as an intern and rose to the C-suite. But to describe that trajectory as a climb would miss the point. Caroline didn’t ascend rung by rung. She designed her own map, very deliberately and long before most of us have lived in the world long enough to assert ourselves with the confidence she projected.
What struck me most in our conversation is how comfortable Caroline has become with reinvention. She doesn’t fear the unknown. She invites it in. She’s built a philosophy around purposeful evolution.
You won’t walk away from this conversation with a tidy career plan. That’s not the point. But you will leave with something better: permission to draw your own map. To start where you are, and to trust that uncertainty isn’t a sign you’re off-course—it might be a sign you’re just beginning.
You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. And if you’re a LinkedIn Premium subscriber, you can also watch our conversation, filmed live in studio.
Warmly, Jessi
Layoffs: What to do when you lose your job…
More than 600,000 U.S. jobs have been cut this year. That’s up 87% from last year. Maybe you’ve heard the whispers that layoffs are coming at your office, or maybe the news has already landed, and you're sitting with that hollow feeling, wondering what’s next. If that is you, I want to say this clearly: You’re not alone. And this isn’t about you.
But the impact is deeply personal. A job is so much more than a paycheck. Making a transition is disorienting, and even more so when you don’t choose to do it on your own.
I put together a bonus episode of Hello Monday to share some tools that can help you get from here to what’s next. Much of this advice came from so many of you in our community who have been through it and who coach others. Special thanks to Nicolette Toussaint, Brené Brown, Anna Levy, and Jacob Brown, all of whom get a call out. And if you know someone who’s navigating a layoff, send this their way.
