Serena speaks with Vimala Thangaveloo, a former Fortune 500 attorney turned executive coach. Vimala’s journey from the courtroom to coaching is a story of embracing transitions and using personal differences as superpowers. She shares her transformative GPS framework, which helps professionals — especially those who feel like outsiders — step into their career genius zones and increase their income while remaining true to themselves.

Vimala talks about how to navigate the corporate world as an outsider, particularly when your personality or background doesn’t fit the typical mold. She explains the importance of building authority and how visibility plays a key role in advancing your career. Whether you identify as an introvert or simply feel out of place in a loud, extroverted environment, Vimala’s insights will inspire you to take ownership of your career path with clarity and confidence.

Key Highlights:

• The Outsider’s Journey: Vimala reflects on her career transition from a litigator to an executive coach, helping outsiders leverage their unique perspectives as strengths.
  
  
• Building Career Authority: Learn why building authority early in your career is essential, even if you believe you’re in a “recession-proof” industry.
  
  
• The Power of Knowing Yourself: How self-awareness, understanding your value, and aligning your messaging with your strengths are key to creating a powerful personal brand.
  
  
  

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Know Yourself: Start by identifying what makes you unique and what energizes you. Self-awareness is the foundation of career success and helps you align your skills and passions with your professional goals.
   
   
2. Build Authority: Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment—build your authority consistently, whether through your LinkedIn profile, internal resume, or public visibility. Position yourself as a go-to person for solving specific problems.
   
   
3. Embrace What Makes You Different: Instead of trying to fit into traditional molds, embrace your outsider perspective and turn it into a superpower. Leadership today requires authenticity, and the world needs your unique contributions.
   
   
   

Resources:

• Follow Vimala Thangaveloo on LinkedIn.
  
  
• Sign up for Vimala’s Outsiders Edge newsletter for practical, actionable steps to elevate your career.
  
  

Call to Action:

• If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The Quiet Warrior Podcast for more inspiring insights and leave us a 5-star rating on your podcast app to help introverts and quiet achievers worldwide find their voice.
  
  
  
• Sign up for The Visible Introvert newsletter for a real, tell-it-like-it-is look at life and work through the eyes of introverts and quiet achievers and those who work with them.
  
  

Join The Visible Introvert Academy if you’re ready to elevate from quiet achiever into a Quiet Warrior in your life and work.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this episode, we’re joined by Ella Zhang, an organisational development consultant and executive coach who shares how she has navigated multiple cultures and languages and embraced her bilingual identity to build confidence and communicate effectively.

Ella takes us through her story of migrating from China to Australia, overcoming challenges as a non-native English speaker, and how she transformed her accent from a barrier into a strength. This conversation offers powerful insights for bilingual, non-native English speakers and introverts who want to improve their communication skills, take responsibility for their personal growth, and use their unique cultural perspectives as an advantage.

Key Takeaways:

• Owning Your Bilingual Identity: How Ella embraced her accent as a unique superpower rather than something to hide, and how others can shift their mindset around language barriers.
  
  
  
• Self-Acceptance and Growth: The importance of accepting all parts of ourselves, including the parts we find uncomfortable, as a pathway to personal and professional growth.
  
  
  
• Feedback as a Tool for Growth: How asking for feedback, especially from those who are willing to give you constructive criticism, can accelerate your development and improve your communication skills.
  
  
  
• Self-Responsibility in Career Development: Why taking responsibility for your own growth is crucial, and how to use resources around you—books, mentors, and feedback—to continue evolving.
  
  
  
• Bicultural and Bilingual Advantage: Ella highlights how being bilingual and bicultural allows you to draw on the best from different cultural perspectives, giving you a unique advantage in communication and leadership.
  
  
  

Ella also shares insights from her upcoming book Upgrade, which explores the four internal operating systems that shape our personal and professional lives: mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. This book is a guide to understanding how to keep these systems updated to maximize performance, especially for young professionals navigating cultural and language differences.

Resources Mentioned:

• Check out Ella Zhang’s book Upgrade
• Connect with Ella on LinkedIn to learn more about her work and leadership development strategies.
  
  
  

If you found this episode insightful, please rate and review The Quiet Warrior Podcast to help us reach more introverts and quiet achievers around the world.

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

• How Data-Driven Leaders Can Be Promoted: Why doing the work is not enough—leaders must also learn how to speak about their accomplishments and engage with others in meaningful ways.
  
  
• The Humble Brag Formula: A simple yet powerful way to share your achievements without feeling cringey, and how to frame your accomplishments to highlight the impact.
  
  
• Overcoming the Spotlight Effect: Tips for introverts on stepping into the spotlight without shrinking, including how to control the spotlight and focus on your message rather than yourself.
  
  
• Effective Communication Frameworks: The importance of understanding your audience and speaking to their cognitive style, whether it’s focusing on the “why,” “what,” “how,” or “what if.”
  
  
• Building Emotional Intelligence: How practicing empathy and actively listening to others’ concerns can improve communication and strengthen relationships in high-stakes situations.
  
  
• The Power of Integrity and Authenticity: Why staying true to yourself and your values is key to building trust and presence, and how to maintain that sense of authenticity in challenging conversations.
  
  

• Visit YouThenMePlaybook.com to learn more about Salvatore’s approach to leadership communication and check out his resources.
  
  
• Connect with Salvatore Manzi on LinkedIn for more insights and opportunities to work with him.
  
  
  

This episode was edited by Aura House Productions