Leading Up: The Work Shift
Udemy | Pod People
Shift happens. This podcast can help. Layoffs can leave you scrambling for what’s next. Company priorities can switch at the speed of light. Promotions can feel out of reach. Or perhaps you’re starting a new venture. For better or worse, our work lives are constantly changing. How do we forge our career path through this ever changing landscape?
Leading Up: The Work Shift is the compass that will guide you back to your career values, goals, and vision. If you’re feeling lost, you're not alone. Host Elizabeth Weingarten talks to executives, entrepreneurs, and Udemy instructors who have survived layoffs and career uncertainty. We ask how to rebound after getting fired, what blocks talented individuals from getting promotions, and how to build a career that makes you proud.
Elizabeth is a journalist, applied behavioral scientist, and author of the book “How to Fall in Love with Questions: A New Way to Thrive in Times of Uncertainty.” Elizabeth is the Director of Thought Leadership for Udemy, and your guide through whatever shifts are happening in your world of work.
We all deserve to thrive in our careers, even when we’re not sure what’s next. Whether you're stuck in a job that's crushing your soul, facing an unexpected layoff, or ready to make a bold move but don't know where to start, your next chapter starts now.
Follow Leading Up: The Work Shift on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube. New episodes drop Tuesdays.
Find out more about Leading Up: The Work Shift at business.udemy.com/leading-up-podcast
Production by Pod People
Leading Up: The Work Shift is the compass that will guide you back to your career values, goals, and vision. If you’re feeling lost, you're not alone. Host Elizabeth Weingarten talks to executives, entrepreneurs, and Udemy instructors who have survived layoffs and career uncertainty. We ask how to rebound after getting fired, what blocks talented individuals from getting promotions, and how to build a career that makes you proud.
Elizabeth is a journalist, applied behavioral scientist, and author of the book “How to Fall in Love with Questions: A New Way to Thrive in Times of Uncertainty.” Elizabeth is the Director of Thought Leadership for Udemy, and your guide through whatever shifts are happening in your world of work.
We all deserve to thrive in our careers, even when we’re not sure what’s next. Whether you're stuck in a job that's crushing your soul, facing an unexpected layoff, or ready to make a bold move but don't know where to start, your next chapter starts now.
Follow Leading Up: The Work Shift on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube. New episodes drop Tuesdays.
Find out more about Leading Up: The Work Shift at business.udemy.com/leading-up-podcast
Production by Pod People
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 24, 2026 • 43min
Simone Stolzoff: Own Professional Uncertainty, So It Doesn't Own You
Professional uncertainty can be as damaging to our health as actually losing a job. So why do we keep white-knuckling for certainty—and what happens when we finally let go?
This week, Elizabeth sits down with Simone Stolzoff, author of The Good Enough Job and the forthcoming How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World That Demands Answers, to explore why our instinct to seek certainty may be the very thing holding us back. Simone shares what years of researching ambiguity taught him about reframing uncertainty—not as a threat to manage, but as an opportunity to collaborate with. Plus: why the human skills employers want most are exactly the ones AI can't replicate.
Follow Leading Up: The Work Shift on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. New episodes drop Tuesdays.
If you’re trying to skill up, head to Udemy.com
Find out more about Leading Up: The Work Shift at business.udemy.com/leading-up-podcast
Production by Pod People
Mar 10, 2026 • 45min
Meg Josephson: The Psychology of People Pleasing and What It Costs You
What if the habit that's made you successful is also holding you back? Meg Josephson, therapist and author of the New York Times bestseller Are You Mad at Me?, joins Elizabeth Weingarten to break down the psychology of people pleasing and its hidden cost on leadership. Drawing on her research and clinical work, Meg explains the "fawn response," the lesser-known survival mechanism that drives us to appease rather than assert, and why high achievers are especially susceptible. People pleasing erodes trust, keeps relationships shallow, and quietly undermines your authority — and Meg explains what to do about it.
Follow Leading Up: The Work Shift on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. New episodes drop Tuesdays.
Subscribe to our Substack.
If you’re trying to skill up, head to Udemy.com
Find out more about Leading Up: The Work Shift at business.udemy.com/leading-up-podcast
Leading Up: The Work Shift is produced by Udemy in partnership with Pod People.
Feb 17, 2026 • 29min
"I Don't Know" Is Actually Knowing: Top Leaders on Career Uncertainty
Anna Kriacic, Oliver Wyman leader who champions serendipity and nonlinear career moves. Ray Wong, tech analyst and founder who was pushed to ask “what are you worth?” before launching his company. Dr. Becky Kennedy, clinical psychologist who turned therapy into parenting guidance by embracing “I don’t know.” They discuss career pivots, reframing uncertainty as insight, and practical ways to navigate work shifts.
15 snips
Feb 3, 2026 • 34min
Deborah Grayson Riegel: How to Lose Your Fear and Find Your Voice
Deborah Grayson Riegel, an international keynote speaker and corporate communication coach, shares tools from her 30-year career. She talks about finding an authentic voice, taming catastrophic fear, using AI without losing personal style, and turning career pivots into strengths. Short, practical frameworks for making presentations conversational and handling tough questions are highlighted.
29 snips
Jan 20, 2026 • 44min
Lorraine K. Lee: How to Go From Passed Over to Promoted
Lorraine Lee, author of Unforgettable Presence and former LinkedIn editor, shares her journey of career stagnation and the vital role of presence in promotions. She unveils the 80/20 rule of advancement, emphasizing that effective presence can outshine hard work. Lorraine explains the TEAM framework for optimizing video presence and how introverts can leverage their strengths in the workplace. Small talk is reframed as a powerful tool for connection, while actionable networking strategies and feedback techniques further empower listeners to enhance their career visibility.
Jan 8, 2026 • 31min
Ahyiana Angel: The Art of the Career Pivot
Ahyiana Angel, an entrepreneur and former NBA publicist, shares her transformative journey from sports PR to finding her true calling. She discusses identifying career misalignment, the importance of self-awareness, and how to navigate uncertainty with confidence. Ahyiana emphasizes the need for lifelong learning and building a personal brand before making bold career moves. She also highlights the power of networking and reframing failure as a learning opportunity, making a compelling case for embracing change and pursuing passion.
Dec 16, 2025 • 38min
Indeed CMO James Whitemore: How to Stand Out in the Job Hunt
James Whitemore, Chief Marketing Officer at Indeed, shares insights from billions of job searches on how to navigate career transitions in today's challenging market. He discusses the power of reframing your skills, why focus beats quantity in job applications, and how to discover non-obvious career paths that match your experience. James also reveals the mindset shifts that matter most after a layoff, why sales roles can be strategic career moves, and how to build a profile that shows adaptability and lifelong learning: the qualities employers value most.
Follow Leading Up: The Work Shift on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. New episodes drop Tuesdays.
Subscribe to our Substack .
If you’re trying to skill up to land a new job, head to Udemy.com
Find out more about Leading Up: The Work Shift at business.udemy.com/leading-up-podcast
Leading Up: The Work Shift is produced by Udemy in partnership with Pod People.
Dec 9, 2025 • 23min
Zak Brown: F1 Racing, Leading Under Pressure, and Split-Second Decisions
How do you make a quick decision when the stakes are high? Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, shares hard-won lessons from his journey from professional driver to marketing entrepreneur to Formula One executive. Zak reveals why asking questions matters more than having all the answers, how he learned to control emotional reactions that could have derailed his racing career, and what Formula One can teach anyone about decision-making under pressure. He discusses the parallels between driving at 200mph and leading 1,400 people, why sleep and attention to detail are underrated skills, and how embracing failure accelerates learning.
Follow Leading Up: The Work Shift on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. New episodes drop Tuesdays.
If you’re trying to skill up, head to Udemy.com
Find out more about Leading Up: The Work Shift at business.udemy.com/leading-up-podcast
Subscribe to our Substack: workshifthappens.substack.com
Learn more about Zak’s new book: Seven Tenths of a Second: Life, Leadership and Formula 1
Leading Up: The Work Shift is produced by Udemy in partnership with Pod People.
Nov 18, 2025 • 29min
Rebecca Stern: How to Turn AI Into Your Career Coach
From being laid off to spinning your wheels in a position with no momentum, getting to the next step in your career can take a lot of energy. And resources, too, if you decide to hire a career coach. This week’s guest has been focused on building a learning culture wherever she goes, and as the Senior Director of Leadership Development at Udemy, Rebecca Stern has applicable ideas on how to use AI as a thought partner to assist you in achieving your goals.This episode covers how human coaching can be inaccessible and how AI models can serve the same purpose, from identifying and contextualizing your career strengths and areas for improvement to facilitating learning through small experiments or tests of a new skill. Turning the page to the next chapter in your career will take a bit of planning. This episode will leave you with small, actionable steps to regain your confidence and find the motivation within.
Follow Leading Up: The Work Shift on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen. New episodes drop Tuesdays.
Subscribe to our Substack .
If you’re trying to skill up, head to Udemy.com
Use code SHIFT25 for 20 percent off your first month on Udemy and turn today's inspiration into actual progress.
Find out more about Leading Up: The Work Shift at business.udemy.com/leading-up-podcast
Leading Up: The Work Shift is produced by Udemy in partnership with Pod People.
Nov 12, 2025 • 30min
Pat Flynn: Another Podcast Won’t Help You Take Action (But this one might)
This week, Pat Flynn, founder of Smart Passive Income and author of Lean Learning, shares his insights on overcoming information overload that stunts productivity. He contrasts just-in learning with just-in-case learning, emphasizing that action fuels progress. Flynn introduces the concept of 'junk sparks' that lead to distraction and discusses his 60-day video experiment that led to viral success. He also reflects on identity after a career pivot, highlighting the importance of prioritizing family time and authenticity in our work.
