PART 3 OF "NAVIGATING CAREER CHANGES": This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the messy middle of career transitions, whether you're contemplating leaving a job or grappling with identity loss after a layoff.

Dr. Fishman, a psychologist and former tech researcher, shares his personal journey of grappling with his identity after being laid off from Facebook and his decision to walk away for another 'successful' career that was no longer fulfilling.

He emphasizes the importance of embracing your emotions without judgment and recognizing that feeling unfulfilled is a common human experience. You’ll discover how to confront your fears about leaving a stable job, and why prioritizing your happiness is crucial not just for you, but for those you care about.

In this enlightening conversation, you’ll gain insights on:

- The psychological implications of career transitions and how they affect your identity.

- Strategies for navigating feelings of grief and loss associated with leaving a job.

- The importance of experiencing joy in the ordinary and redefining what fulfillment looks like.

- How to shift your mindset and recognize that your current life may already hold the happiness you seek.

Dr. Evan Fishman is a psychologist, former Meta researcher, and founder of The Beloved Institute. After years studying motivation—from academia to Silicon Valley—he realized that many of the world's highest achievers weren't searching for another strategy, they were searching for themselves.

Connect with Dr. Evan Fishman

LinkedIn | TikTok | Website

Connect with Monique Schafer:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Website

In this week's episode of the Great Life Experiment, Monique interviews

Keri-Lynne (KL) Shaw who shares her journey from corporate CHRO to entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of proactive negotiation, understanding total compensation, and strategic exit planning. This episode offers practical insights for high performers and anyone looking to maximize their career and financial potential.

Key discussions in this episode:

• The importance of negotiation at every career stage
• How to assess and maximize total compensation
• Strategies for proactive exit planning and negotiations
• Lessons from corporate leadership on salary and equity
• Overcoming fears and limiting beliefs around money and career
• The role of coaching and community in career success
• The impact of market disruptions on career trajectories
• Building a business after leaving corporate roles

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Keri-Lynne Shaw and her mission

01:56 Keri-Lynne's career journey from HR to founder of The Salary Bump

03:30 A pivotal moment during the pandemic: realizing her salary was undervalued

05:56 How to have a conversation about salary and equity with confidence

08:06 The importance of understanding total compensation and benefits

11:50 Debunking myths about negotiating later in your career

17:09 Practical steps to prepare for salary negotiations

22:10 Questions to ask during the interview to gauge compensation

26:58 Strategies for proactively exiting a role with a package

32:56 The differences between proactive exits, reorganizations, and layoffs

36:55 Overcoming fears and mindset blocks around negotiation

40:05 Building a community and support system for career growth

44:08 The power of sharing behind-the-scenes and authentic stories

48:04 Final advice for high performers feeling stuck or undervalued

• LinkedIn | TikTok | Instagram | Website | Youtube | Podcast | TV Show

• LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Website

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

Many of us move through life believing our future has already been decided—by our upbringing, our circumstances, our career path, or the rules we’ve been taught not to question.

But what if those limitations aren’t fixed at all?

In this episode, Monique sits down with Jacob Warwick, known as the “Billion Dollar Man,” to explore how negotiation is really about changing the way we think. Together, they unpack why curiosity is more powerful than confrontation, how challenging predetermined beliefs opens doors to new possibilities, and why the stories we tell ourselves often become the biggest obstacle to creating the life we truly want.

Whether you’re navigating compensation negotiation, a career transition, advocating for yourself, or simply wondering what’s possible beyond the limits you’ve accepted, this conversation will inspire you to rethink what’s negotiable—not just in business, but in life.

(00:00) – Introduction

(01:05) – Meet Jacob Warwick: The Billion Dollar Man

(04:32) – Why Jacob wants to teach negotiation without using the word "negotiation"

(13:39) – The biggest mistakes people make before negotiating

(18:45) – Internal promotions, confidence, and advocating for your value

(24:54) – The "Predetermined" mindset and challenging invisible rules

(26:15) – Curiosity as your greatest negotiation advantage

(32:30) – Why "No" is often where the real negotiation begins

(35:57) – The hidden cost of success and redefining wealth

(39:48) – Jacob's extraordinary personal story and rewriting his own future

(48:04) – Responsibility, resilience, and choosing your own path

• Substack Publication | https://www.predetermined.com/
• Website | https://www.thinkwarwick.com/

• Website | https://greatlifeexperiment.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

A quick look at what's coming on the Great Life Experiment Podcast.

After weeks of conversations with executives and leaders navigating change—at a breakfast with 40 SVP and C-suite folks in San Francisco, connecting with her network, and a tech and media industry council event—Monique kept hearing the same theme: careers, businesses, and personal lives are all in transition, and none of it is linear.

This preview introduces an upcoming series digging into that messy, exciting, exhausting reality. Here's the lineup:

1. Negotiation & Influence — with Jacob Warwick (out August 6th)
2. Career Pivots — reinventing and changing direction
3. Exits — what happens when you transition out of a company
4. New Careers — branching out and building something of your own
5. Time Off — sabbaticals, breaks, and the space in between

No one's story is linear. They're all messy, full of a wide range of emotions—and this series brings together the tactical, the personal, and the mental models to meet you wherever you are.

Have a topic you keep wrestling with, a guest suggestion, or a book recommendation? Reach out at info@greatlifeexperiment.com or find Monique on Instagram and LinkedIn.

• Website | https://www.greatlifeexperiment.com
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Thanksgiving is more than just gratitude. It’s a mirror for what’s next.

In this Thanksgiving episode, Monique invites you to reflect on your life in a way that honors what’s really good, while listening to the whispers of your next chapter. She offers a grounded, compassionate perspective on gratitude that goes beyond the usual “be thankful for what you have.” It’s an invitation to listen to the quiet nudges that often come up while we’re gathered around tables, traveling, missing people we love, or simply taking a breath between holidays.

Whether it’s a small nudge towards better health, a new career challenge, or a subtle idea that keeps surfacing, Monique unpacks why the desire for a new chapter doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful, how to distinguish passing thoughts from meaningful whispers, and why December is one of the most powerful months to plant the seeds for your next evolution.

(01:42) - Holiday reflections, stress, and opportunities (02:28) - Understanding gratitude beyond “being thankful” (03:31) - Loving your life while stepping toward growth (04:54) - Being grateful yet ready for more (05:45) - From overthinking to brave decisions (06:02) - Long-term results of starting today

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Missed the live workshop? Here’s everything you need to know to catch up and move your ideas forward.

In this episode, Monique recaps the Great Life Experiment Sprint, sharing key lessons, breakthroughs, and exercises from the two-day workshop. From uncovering your real “why” to experimenting with new ideas and using AI thoughtfully, she distills the most important takeaways to help listeners move forward with clarity, purpose, and curiosity - experimenting in ways that actually create results.

(00:53) - Great Life Experiment Sprint: Workshop Overview (02:38) - Uncovering your true WHY (05:27) - Turning ideas into small, testable experiments (08:44) - Using AI to amplify creativity without losing human insight (11:37) - Community and accountability (12:24) - Five Whys Technique

• Access the Replay and Workbook Now | https://greatlifeexperiment.com/sprint

• Join the waitlist | https://greatlifeexperiment.com/Collective

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

So often we find ourselves frustrated at work, in teams, in family, or in friendships, because someone else isn’t showing up the way we think they should. We get stuck waiting for them to act, to decide, and to fix things. And in that waiting, we surrender the control that’s always been ours.

In this episode, Monique dives deep into the concept of reclaiming your agency, emphasizing the importance of reclaiming personal power in various aspects of life, including relationships and workplace dynamics. Whether it’s navigating constant urgent requests at work, negotiating expectations with a team, or stepping back from relationships that no longer align with your values, this episode is a reminder that you always have a choice, and real change comes when you take action.

(01:16) - Understanding “Agency”: The Power of Choice (02:18) - Waiting for Others to Change (And Why That Fails) (03:13) - Identifying and Addressing Agency in Group Dynamics (05:43) - Protecting Your Energy and Structuring Your Time (06:29) - Negotiation as a Leadership Tool (07:17) - Resentment as a Signal You’ve Lost Control (09:00) - When Values Are Fundamentally Misaligned (10:32) - Taking Action: Your Right to Change

• Book - Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself | https://a.co/d/01s96IQB

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8

You don’t always need more discipline to find your creative spark again. Sometimes, all you need is one conversation.

In this episode, Monique reflects on what happens when creative energy begins to fade under the weight of a full, demanding life, and how, unexpectedly, one conversation can shift everything.

What starts as a reflection on corporate pressure, survival mode, and creative depletion becomes a powerful reminder: creativity is often reawakened through connection, not isolation. And the real shift happens when you stop trying to push through alone, and instead start paying attention to the people, conversations, and environments that bring you back into alignment with your energy, clarity, and creative spark.

(01:31) - The Tension Between Corporate Demands and Creative Energy (02:11) - The Subtle Signs You’re Becoming Disconnected (03:18) - The Power of One Conversation (04:08) - Why Community and Connection Matter More Than You Think (04:51) - Simple Ways to Reconnect with Your Creative Spark

• Website | https://www.thegreatlifeexperimentpodcast.com/
• Instagram - thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast | https://www.instagram.com/thegreatlifeexperiment_podcast
• Instagram - @itsmoniqueschafer | https://www.instagram.com/itsmoniqueschafer
• YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@GreatLifeExperiment

Got a question that's keeping you up at night? Need a new way to look at a problem?

'Ask Monique' is your chance to get personalized insights. Submit your questions about business, professional life, or personal development, and let's dive into the messy, beautiful, and ever-changing world together.

https://forms.gle/iGZv2bVnhBSXbnbc8