LAST CHANCE TO ENROLL ON THE VISIBILITY SHIFT THIS SUMMER: WWW.KIMBERLYBONLINE.COM/TVS
What do you do when the business is successful, but you're ready for something new? In this episode, Kimberly sits down with Lauren McGoodwin — founder and CEO of Career Contessa, author of Power Moves, and content marketer at Atlassian — to talk about her decision to return to corporate after a decade of entrepreneurship without shutting her business down. Lauren gets refreshingly honest about what it actually takes to juggle a full-time job, a media brand, and three kids under five (spoiler: it's money and a village, not a morning routine). She also breaks down how public speaking took Career Contessa from a blog to a nationally recognized brand — starting with free intern workshops, landing a book deal, and eventually speaking at TEDWomen — and why companies wouldn't pay for her tactical workshops but happily paid for her keynotes.
In This Episode:
- The evolution of audience-building from the blog and RSS era to today's personal-brand-first landscape — and what Lauren would do differently if she started over
- The three phases of Lauren's speaking career: free workshops, the book that changed everything, and paid keynotes at companies like Google and Amazon
- Why tactical career workshops are a hard sell to corporate buyers — and what shift finally got her paid
- Workshop speakers vs. keynote speakers: how Lauren worked with a coach to stretch beyond her "give them three exact steps" comfort zone
- The sting of turning down speaking opportunities during pregnancy, and why Lauren keeps her basket full of more than just work
- Where to find Lauren: connect with her on LinkedIn, where she shares career advice from her own corporate diaries and the Career Contessa podcast
Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmcgoodwin/
Connect with Career Contessa: https://www.careercontessa.com/
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