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  • Stop Following Someone Else’s Career Playbook, with Andy Paul

    Stop Following Someone Else’s Career Playbook, with Andy Paul
    2026/10/12
    You may not think of yourself as a salesperson, but every day at work, you’re selling something—an idea, a proposal, your capabilities, or even yourself. In this episode of Career Sessions, J.R. Lowry sits down with sales expert, author, and longtime podcast host Andy Paul to explore what the rest of us can learn from great salespeople about influence, curiosity, and human connection. Andy explains why the best way to persuade someone isn’t to push harder, but to understand what matters to them. He shares how asking better questions and truly listening can strengthen relationships, why curiosity is often trained out of us as we move through school and work, and how to avoid making conversations about ourselves. The conversation also moves beyond sales to a bigger career question: Are you building the career you actually want—or simply following someone else’s playbook? Andy discusses why success is situational, how to find environments where you can be yourself, the importance of choosing the right boss, and why it’s sometimes better to leave a bad fit rather than keep trying to make it work. Along the way, Andy shares lessons from nearly five decades in business—and a reminder that there’s no age limit on taking on new challenges. In this episode, you’ll learn:
    • Why everyone is selling, whether they realize it or not
    • How curiosity can make you more influential
    • The difference between listening to understand and listening to respond
    • Why great questions create stronger relationships
    • How to find work environments that fit your strengths and values
    • Why you should define success on your own terms

    Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/andy-paul/.
    For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io
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    28 分
  • Success Isn’t Enough: Building a Work Life Worth Living, with Jeff Westphal

    Success Isn’t Enough: Building a Work Life Worth Living, with Jeff Westphal
    2026/10/05
    What if you achieve everything you thought you wanted in your career, and still find yourself wondering if that's really all there is? Former Vertex CEO Jeff Westphal joins host J.R. Lowry to discuss how you can build a Work Life Worth Living when traditional status isn't enough. Jeff Westphal spent two decades as CEO of Vertex, helping grow the company from roughly 75 employees to more than 1,000 and increasing its value fortyfold. Along the way, he started asking deeper questions about purpose and why listening can be far more powerful than having all the answers. He shares how an intense focus on reflection transformed his leadership and helped him create an environment where employees felt truly invested. They also examine how rapid changes in AI mean distinctly human qualities like empathy, judgment, and connection will define our professional future. Whether you're rethinking your path or leading a team, this conversation will help you reflect on what truly makes your career meaningful.
    Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/jeff-westphal/.
    For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io
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    34 分
  • Why You? How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market, with April Dunford

    Why You? How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market, with April Dunford
    2026/09/28
    Most professionals assume great work speaks for itself, but solid Product Positioning proves that value never communicates automatically. When competitors offer flashy feature checklists or when crowded markets blur real differentiation, buyers and hiring managers get confused quickly. Host JR Lowry sits down with April Dunford, leading positioning expert and bestselling author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch, to unpack why building something valuable is only half the battle. They walk through actionable frameworks to move past surface features, clarify unique value themes, and align internal teams before ever pitching external buyers. Together, they break down how individuals can treat their career journeys like high-stakes B2B products by narrowing focus, embracing natural strengths, and knowing exactly when to walk away from poor-fit opportunities. Finally, they tackle the rise of artificial intelligence, outlining why automated tools raise the bar for genuine business strategy rather than replacing it.
    Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/april-dunford/.
    For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io
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    42 分
  • The Real Job Of A Leader, With Dave Ulrich

    The Real Job Of A Leader, With Dave Ulrich
    2026/09/21
    What's the real job of a leader?
    According to Dave Ulrich, it isn’t having all the answers, building your own reputation, or even telling a compelling story about where you’re going. Great leaders help the people around them build their stories—and create value for others.
    In this episode of Career Sessions, J.R. Lowry sits down with Dave, one of the world’s most influential thinkers on leadership, talent, and organizational effectiveness, for a wide-ranging conversation about what great leadership looks like in a rapidly changing world.
    They explore why many of the fundamentals of leadership are timeless, even as technology and workplace expectations change dramatically. Dave explains the critical distinction between values—what matters to you—and value—what your actions create for someone else. He also shares a simple question leaders can use to rethink how they spend their time: What will happen in someone else's life because of what I do today?
    Dave and J.R. also discuss the choices and trade-offs that come with ambition, why our definition of success should change at different stages of life, and what Dave learned from deliberately stepping back from his own career while raising his children.
    And, inevitably, they tackle AI. Dave argues that AI makes distinctly human capabilities more important, not less. As information becomes ubiquitous, leaders will increasingly differentiate themselves through vision, innovation, emotion, judgment, and wisdom.
    The conversation also explores learning agility, navigating uncertainty, admitting when you don’t know the answer, and becoming comfortable figuring things out alongside the people you lead.
    Whether you’re a first-time manager or an experienced executive, this episode is a reminder that leadership ultimately isn’t about you. It’s about what becomes possible for other people because you were there.
    Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/dave-ulrich/.
    For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io
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    32 分
  • How to Stay Valuable in the Age of AI, with Liat Ben-Zur

    How to Stay Valuable in the Age of AI, with Liat Ben-Zur
    2026/09/07
    AI can already draft, summarize, analyze data, write code, and find patterns faster than most of us. So as these capabilities become increasingly commonplace, what will make you valuable?
    In this episode of Career Sessions, J.R. Lowry talks with Liat Ben-Zur, former senior executive at Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Philips and author of The Bias Advantage, about how AI is changing the skills that matter most—and why some of the experiences that once made your career harder may actually have prepared you for what's coming next.
    Liat argues that the answer isn't trying to compete with AI at what it does best. Instead, we need to double down on capabilities machines struggle to replicate: judgment, adaptability, empathy, ethical decision-making, creativity, influence, and the ability to see what others miss.
    They also discuss why hard work alone isn't enough to advance your career, how to make your impact visible without becoming overly self-promotional, why nonlinear careers may become increasingly valuable, and how to use AI to strengthen your thinking rather than replace it.
    In this episode, you'll learn:
    • Which human capabilities will become more valuable as AI gets better
    • Why career setbacks and being an outsider can build unexpected advantages
    • How to make sure your contributions are recognized—not just delivered
    • Why career range may be more valuable than narrow specialization
    • How to use AI as a thinking partner without weakening your own judgment
    • What leaders will need to do differently as AI reshapes organizations

    If you're wondering how to remain relevant, differentiated, and valuable as AI transforms the workplace, this conversation offers a practical roadmap.
    Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/liat-ben-zur/.
    For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io
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    36 分