A VP of strategy and innovation on career pivots for women in digital, and why you are never starting from zero.

Shannon Lewandowski has moved from software developer to IT manager to digital agency leader to AI and product consulting, and she says none of it was starting over. She joins Amy Vaughan on The Power Lounge to talk career transitions for women in digital, how to tell ordinary restlessness apart from real curiosity, and where to start with AI when you are convinced you are already behind. This is also the first episode of a new Power Lounge series featuring the women of Together Digital.

Key takeaways

• You are never starting from zero. Consulting, coaching, athletics, and even your own life as a customer are all experience you carry into the next role.
• Restlessness and curiosity feel different. Restlessness is unease with where you are. Curiosity pulls you toward something specific.
• Leaders do not need every answer. The work is bringing better questions and surrounding yourself with people who see it differently.
• Start with AI where you are annoyed. Hand over the task you could do in your sleep, then spend that time on work that needs your judgment.
• Women do not need to get better at doing everything. Release the expectation and build the support system instead.
• “I truly believe you’re never really starting from zero.”
  Shannon Lewandowski
• “I don’t think women have to become better at doing everything.”
  Shannon Lewandowski

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and a new series featuring Together Digital members
01:32 Meet Shannon Lewandowski
02:26 Why a pivot is never starting from zero
05:04 How her relationship with change changed
08:22 Restlessness versus curiosity
13:23 Mentors, coaches, and the coaching program that reframed fulfillment
16:49 Why investing in yourself is worth it, and the time study
21:08 Where to start with AI when you feel behind
25:00 Service design applied to your own career
29:03 Ask, Give, Grow and the gift of asking for help
31:43 What actually holds women back
36:57 Values, energy, and where to start when you feel stuck
40:33 Where her curiosity is leading now
41:47 Power round
43:39 Live audience questions
50:28 Closing

Connect with Shannon Lewandowski
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shannonlewandowski
Ingage Partners: ingagepartners.com

Connect with Together Digital
Website: togetherindigital.com
Podcast: togetherindigital.com/podcast

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