Bossed Up

How can you leverage your strengths, values, and AI tools to make the job search a bit less daunting? The job market in 2026 is chaotic and confusing. Job seekers are sending out hundreds of resumes and getting only a few interviews in return. But finding your dream job is still possible, and Sam DeMase can help you make that happen.  Sam is ZipRecruiter’s first career expert, and she goes by “Your Career Bestie” on social media. Our conversation spans everything from the human/AI skill dichotomy to moving on without guilt. Sam shares great advice on navigating current job market trends, the challenges job seekers are facing right now, and approaches you can take to avoid the endless apply-and-get-ghosted spiral so many people are experiencing. Tune in to learn how to transform your job search: The trends employers are looking for in applicants; How you can make the most of an AI agent as you prepare your applications; Why it’s time to “own your superpowers” on your resume; How to avoid “job catfishing.” Related Links: Connect with Sam on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/apowermood/ Connect with Sam on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@apowermood   Follow ZipRecruiter on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ziprecruiter/ LinkedIn Learning Course, “Get Unstuck: Make a Plan to Move Your Career Forward” - https://www.linkedin.com/learning/get-unstuck-make-a-plan-to-move-your-career-forward Ezra Klein, “How Fast Will A.I. Agents Rip Through the Economy?” - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-jack-clark.html Episode 542, “Why AI is Giving Women the ‘Ick’” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode542 Episode 540, “The Double Disadvantage: AI, Women, and the Future of Work” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode540 Episode 539, “Managing Through The Millennial Career Crisis” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode539 Harvard Business School, “Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Generative AI” - https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/25023_52957d6c-0378-4796-99fa-aab684b3b2f8.pdf Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

They explore why many women feel a visceral repulsion to AI and what that reveals about gendered labor. The conversation highlights the double disadvantage women face in job displacement and new AI opportunities. It examines ethical worries, perceived cheating and performance pressure, and how female-voiced assistants echo unpaid emotional labor. The show asks whether frontline care experience will translate into power managing AI.

Alex Gilbert, neurodiversity advocate and founder of Cape-Able Consulting, helps workplaces be more accessible for neurodiverse adults. She talks about why work can be especially exhausting for neurodiverse women. She explores masking, perfectionism, and hot-and-cold productivity. She discusses AI and adaptive tech as tools to level the playing field and practical ways to request accommodations.

A sharp look at how AI threatens jobs where women are concentrated and why new AI roles skew male. Short digs into data showing higher exposure and lower uptake by women. Discussion of ethical worries, confidence gaps, and practical steps for learning AI. Calls for workplace audits, training, and policy action to protect institutional knowledge and shape a fair transition.

Janelle Abrahami, a career coach with a background in organizational psychology and corporate HR, explains why millennials are reevaluating work. She outlines six pathways to reclaim career control. Short takes cover stabilizing roles, redefining success, strategizing for leverage, building your own projects, diversifying income, and resting before big moves.

They explore diversifying income and attention across multiple career streams. Two simple pie charts illustrate risk when everything depends on one job. Practical tactics for safe, low-stakes experiments and validating ideas with paying customers are discussed. The conversation also encourages exploring off-brand interests and making space for restorative, hands-on projects.

Tamra Ryan, a leadership expert and former CEO who led the Women’s Bean Project for 22 years, talks about leading with purpose and care. She explores why followership matters, the four essentials followers seek, the balance of courage and clarity, and why giving grace matters alongside conviction.

A look at the workplace trend of strategic detachment and why picking where to put your energy matters. Short reflections on how perfectionism and fear drive overworking. A breakdown of the hidden costs when leaders do everything and how that blocks team growth. Practical prompts to question urgency, reallocate attention, and protect your finite focus for smarter career moves.

Stefanie O'Connell, author and creator who writes about women's work, money, and ambition, unpacks why the idea that women's lack of ambition drives inequity is false. She examines data on systemic causes and how self-optimization can backfire. Short, sharp takes cover negotiation limits, family and workplace shifts, critiques of anti-ambition trends, and modeling healthier power for the next generation.

A guide to voicing disagreement at work in ways that boost your leadership presence. Short strategies show how to surface assumptions with a question, name differing views clearly, and offer a concise counterpoint backed by evidence. Covers why always agreeing can hurt your reputation and how thoughtful dissent creates space for better decisions and career growth.