How I Got Here

Ever since we started How I Got Here, we have been looking to learn from the various tools, analyses, and thought processes that people use as they design successful careers for themselves. But, as our guest today exemplifies, sometimes good decisions don't come from a pros and cons list or from crunching data -- they come from a strong sense of intuition and trust in oneself. Dr. Howard Murad's career -- which spans pharmacology and medicine, military service in Vietnam, and ultimately building a skincare empire at the age of 50 -- was fueled by a strong sense of conviction in his gut feelings. Listen to how Dr. Murad used his intuition to conquer numerous challenges in his career and life, and become the world renowned skincare expert and innovator that he is known as today.

Omar Shahine, Corporate VP of Product at Microsoft, has had a passion for computers since the fourth grade, but growing up, he never considered going into technology. When it came to thinking about careers, Omar wanted the surest path to success and security, which based on what he knew, meant he should become a doctor. He believed that all he needed to do was study hard, go to a good school, and the rest would take care of itself.  Instead, Omar found himself kicked off that path. Thankfully, through his time using computers as a hobby, he was able to get a job at Microsoft, which is where he’s worked for the last twenty years! In a world where company hopping has become the default, Omar’s career journey offers a great perspective on how you can craft a meaningful career and life without moving from place to place

During college, Catherine Halaby developed a strong view of what she wanted to do in the world. Ultimately, she wanted to work for the United Nations and support countries post conflict.  After graduation, she found herself at a desk job in DC, writing grants and itching to be actually out in the field. But when she finally got the opportunity to be in the thick of it, things did not go well. She found herself in a moment of crisis, questioning her path and how she would be able to contribute.  Catherine’s story is one of the biggest “plot twist” career stories we have ever shared on How I Got Here. I hope you enjoy hearing how she went from avoiding all on-campus recruiting to becoming an MBA graduate to where she is today, leading content partnership at TikTok.

Héctor Colón believes that boxing truly saved his life. Bullied for the color of his skin and growing up in poverty, boxing brought structure and discipline to Héctor's life. And he was good at it, to say the least. Héctor became a 7X national champion and traveled all around the world with the US team. At just 19 years old, he was favored to go the Olympics. Soon after, though, Héctor completely quit the sport of boxing to pursue something that was bigger and more important to him. Hear what made Héctor quit boxing despite his immense success in the ring, and the ways in which he has carried his legacy with him throughout his career to get to where he is today.

Melissa Baird describes herself as the best two truths and a lie player in the world. Her eclectic experiences help shed a light on why: Melissa has worked in fields as diverse as marine biology, fashion and e-commerce, hospitality, and now in healthcare, where she serves as COO for hims & hers. Her career switches are guided by her philosophy of bravery and her ability to challenge self-imposed rules to unlock new opportunities. In moments that require courage, she asks herself: "If I do this thing which scares me, what is the most likely worst case scenario?" Hear how Melissa used the answer to this question to navigate inflection points in her career, eventually landing at the job that makes her love going to work every day.

Katie has an amazing ability to navigate her career along two seemingly opposed career truths. First is that you know yourself best and you know what will truly make you happy in a job. And secondly, that you have limited knowledge based on your own experiences, so it’s important to be open minded and not overly rigid. The way Katie threads the needle here is by being firm on her values, but open on the destination. Rather than taking the approach many of take which is to pick some role and work backwards to see how we can get there, Katie leads with her values and what drives her and lets that guide her to the next career step.

In honor of finishing Season 2 of How I Got Here, Lara and Eric spend some time reflecting on all the conversations and career journeys they’ve heard over the course of this season. Listen in for some cross-episode synthesis, Lara and Eric’s personal career takeaways and some book recommendations to further your own career journey.

Like many of us when we were growing up, Amy Weinblum had big dreams for her future. Her dream was to work for none other than Oprah Winfrey. Once she was in college, though, Amy discovered that she had a passion for lots of different things and she lost track of what exactly she wanted to do with her career. That is, until she asked herself a fateful question. Ultimately, her answer to that question led her to achieving her childhood dream – she became Oprah Winfrey’s Chief of Staff for eight years -- and much more.

As we move through our lives, we never know what experience around the corner could have an outsized impact on our future. For our guest Amrita Saigal that experience was a college internship working on feminine care products, like pads and tampons. From there , Amrita grew her career with a focus on developing sustainably elegant products, combining her engineering background with her passion for the environment. Not only is Amrita a two-time founder, but she is also someone who has enjoyed working in large organization like Google and Proctor and Gamble. The one thing that has remained constant throughout her varied experiences is that Amrita is deeply motivated by solving a problem at hand. Her conversations with new mothers led her to the problem she is currently working on: building a better diaper.

Caitlin Reiche was attracted to the linear, clear cut career path. After she graduated from college, she pursued the natural next step for someone interested in psychology -- she worked in a hospital as a clinical psychologist. However, she soon felt a growing sense that this seemingly logical journey she had embarked on didn't actually make sense for her. That's when Caitlin stopped thinking about her career as a path. Instead, she asked: "how can I make this more exciting for myself?" While staying true to her north star of working in healthcare, Caitlin took some detours within that realm. Rather than optimizing for some specific long term goal, she went searching for roles that she was excited about in the moment.  Ultimately, her approach paid off and she's in her dream job today as Chief Operating Officer at Buoy Health.