Around the Ladder
Welcome to Around the Ladder – the podcast where we explore the twists, turns, and unexpected detours of career journeys. Many of us are familiar with the phrase ”climbing the corporate ladder,” but what happens when your path doesn’t follow a straight line? I became fascinated by the idea of going around the ladder – carving out a different kind of career path. My own journey took this route. After 25 years as an employee, I stepped away for a year and emerged as a consultant and business owner. And along the way, I realized I’m not alone. There are so many people out there whose careers have taken unconventional, surprising, and inspiring directions. In this podcast, you’ll hear conversations with people who have traveled paths of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes you backtrack or move sideways; other times, you need someone to lift you up or simply sit with you right where you are. No matter where you are on your journey, you’re not alone. So, whether you’re rethinking your next step or just curious about the many ways a career can unfold, you’re in the right place. This is Around the Ladder – let’s explore the journey together.
Episodes
What do you do when the career you prepared for disappears before it even begins?
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg talks with entrepreneur Viktor Popovic about a life shaped by uncertainty, reinvention, an...
What happens when three George Washington University alumni from different generations sit down to compare notes on college, career pivots, and the experiences that shaped them?
In this special episode of Around the Ladder, host Er...
When small business attorney Elissa Hecker had her first child, she expected to go back to her in‑house role, hire a nanny, and keep climbing. Instead, a miserable work environment and a powerful “this can’t be it” moment pushed her to bet on herself and build a remote law practice—back in 2004, long before ...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, Erika Steinberg sits down with Dr. Bushra Khan to explore why the skills that matter most in today’s workplace are often the ones that are hardest to measure. As AI takes over more of the technical, repeatable parts of work, the conversation shifts to what still sets people apart: communi...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, Erika Steinberg sits down with Matt Plavnick to talk about the unexpected turns that shaped his path, from teaching and writing to time in Antarctica, freelance work, and eventually a long career inside law firms before launching his own business.
In this episode of Around the Ladder, Erika Steinberg sits down with financial planner Haley Gray to unpack one of the most emotionally charged parts of career change: money. Haley shares how financial planning intersects with fear, freedom, identity, and the very real practical concerns that come with leaving a stable job or start...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg sits down with Shabnam Irilian for an honest conversation about what happens when a career that once felt right starts to feel misaligned. Shabnam shares her experience of stepping away from a successful, linear career after realizing that burnout, exhaustion, and a la...
What happens when your career looks good on paper, but still feels off? In this episode of Around the Ladder, Erika Steinberg talks with Alex McCann about career pivots, the pressure to “have it figured out,” and why so many people are questioning the old rules of work.
In this episode of Around the Ladder, Erika Steinberg sits down with licensed clinical social worker Laura Guy to explore what can surface when high-achieving professionals step off the traditional career path and start building something of their own. What often looks like freedom on the outside can also bring up a surprising amou...
In this conversation on Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg talks with Teah Iosebashvilli and Aleena Abrahamian about what happens when work, health, and identity begin to shift at the same time. Both guests share candidly about burnout, perimenopause and menopause, and the decision to build career...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, Erika Steinberg speaks with Caitlin Harrison, founder of Firmly Studio, about what it means to build a career without a traditional ladder.
Caitlin shares how her path through small design...
In this episode of Around the Ladder host Erika Steinberg sits down with fractional COO and operations strategist Ariana Tenine to talk about what happens when your business is “working” yet you feel maxed out mentally and emotionally. Ariana shares how she accidentally discovered operations as ...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg sits down with storyteller and founder of Super Heumann Creative Steven Heumann to unpack what happens when “safe” stops feeling right and comfort starts to feel like a trap. Steven shares how he spent 15 years in television rising from ...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg sits down with legal recruiter and author Jennifer Gillman to talk about what it really takes for lawyers to move from “surviving” to truly thriving in their careers and lives. Drawing on years of conversations with law firm partners and rainmakers plu...
In this Episode media strategist and former academic turned Wall Street analyst, nonprofit leader and legal PR pro, Janet Falk has built a career by refusing to climb a single ladder in a straight line. In this episode, Janet joins host Erika Steinberg to talk about control in media relations, the six Ws every communicator should use, a...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg talks with Beth Wanner, an accomplished marketing leader turned accidental entrepreneur who founded Mother Cover, the first-of-its-kind agency focused on covering parental leave and other temporary absences. Beth shares how a successful 15-year career in tech and supply chain marketing collided with infertility, layoffs and pregnancy discrimination, ultimately pushing her t...
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg talks with Charlie Birch, founder of Humanized Collective and creator of Brand IDQ, about what it really means to grow a founder-led business without burning out or getting stuck as the bottleneck. Charlie shares how a childhood spent watching her parent...
In this episode, Raychel explains how growing up in a small coastal village, feeling out of place, and craving something bigger led her to apply to Barry University in Miami almost on a whim, and how that bold move reshaped her life. She describes the early career false starts, visa struggles, and financial stress that left her washing ...
In this episode, Erika talks with Bradley Girard of BGS Connect, a multidisciplinary creative with 30+ years of experience in design, photography, video, podcasting, and marketing who has built a rich career entirely off the “traditional” path.
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg sits down with Jennifer Gillman, former lawyer turned legal recruiter and the founder of Gillman Strategic Group. Jennifer helps rainmaking lawyers and law firm partners design careers that align with both their values and their lives. Her signature ...
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