The Career Evangelist

Bola Alabi
  • 4.8 (44)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Practical, no-nonsense career advice for professionals who want to grow faster, lead with confidence, and win in today’s corporate world—without burning out. The Career Evangelist Podcast helps ambitious professionals navigate the unwritten rules of career success. Through expert interviews, real-world stories, and actionable strategies, host Bola Alabi breaks down how to negotiate better offers, build influential networks, strengthen leadership skills, and make smarter career decisions at every stage.

  1. 15h ago

    Are You Mission Ready? How to Take Ownership of Your Career and Leadership

    What does it mean to be mission-ready in your career and leadership? In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with Tim Madden, CEO and co-founder of Executive Career Upgrades, a former U.S. Army leader who spent 22 years leading soldiers before transitioning into corporate America and becoming a nationally recognized recruiting and retention leader. Tim shares powerful lessons from his military and business experience about navigating career setbacks, building high-performing teams, hiring beyond technical skills, and taking ownership of your professional future. The conversation explores why perspective matters during layoffs and unexpected career transitions, why organizations should hire for character, coachability, and ownership—not just skills—and how leaders can turn underperforming teams into mission-ready teams. Tim also shares one of his most important pieces of career advice: no one cares about your career more than you do. Your growth, development, visibility, and readiness for the next opportunity ultimately require you to take ownership. In this episode, you'll learn: How to reframe a layoff or unexpected career transition What military leadership can teach corporate leaders What it means to become “mission ready” Why skills alone aren't enough when hiring talent The importance of character, coachability, and ownership How to improve an underperforming team Why clear standards and accountability matter How mentorship can accelerate your growth Why professionals must actively manage their own careers How continuous learning and AI are changing career development Whether you're navigating a career transition, pursuing your next leadership role, building a team, or simply trying to become more effective professionally, this conversation offers practical lessons for becoming mission-ready for whatever comes next.

  2. 3d ago

    Better Leadership Starts With Better Behavior: Trust, Boundaries & Curiosity

    What separates a great individual contributor from a great leader? And how do you grow your career without burning yourself out along the way? In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with Elena Arecco Bridgmon, MBA, PCC, co-founder and COO of Lumo Leadership, for a practical conversation about leadership, burnout, boundaries, trust, and career growth. After years in corporate America—including 15 years at Bank of America—Elena experienced burnout firsthand. Despite achieving many of the things she thought she wanted professionally, she realized that the way she was working was no longer sustainable. That experience eventually led her into executive coaching and leadership development. Elena explains why many leadership breakdowns are not strategy problems but behavior problems. High-performing employees are often promoted into management because they are excellent at their jobs, but the skills that made them successful individual contributors aren't necessarily the skills required to lead people. Bola and Elena discuss: • Early warning signs of burnout and why boundaries matter• Why high performers don't automatically become effective leaders• How new managers can transition from doing the work to leading others• Why honesty and vulnerability are critical for building trust• How to handle a manager whose behavior is contributing to burnout• The role of mentoring, coaching, and practice in leadership development• Why leaders should ask more questions instead of always providing answers• How professionals can become more coachable and accelerate their growth Elena also offers a simple leadership practice anyone can start immediately: pause before giving the answer and ask the next curious question. Whether you're an individual contributor preparing for leadership, a new manager, or an experienced executive looking to become a more effective leader, this conversation offers practical lessons you can apply immediately. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.

  3. Sep 28

    The Career Reset: Timeless Wisdom for Work, Purpose & a Meaningful Life

    What happens when you achieve the career you thought you wanted, only to realize it isn't giving you the meaning you expected? In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with Perry Atwal, author, educator, and former investment banking professional who worked with leading global financial institutions including Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, and Barclays before transitioning into academia. Perry shares why his career journey was anything but a straight line and how he ultimately discovered greater fulfillment through teaching and helping others grow. Drawing from his experience in finance, academia, and his book, Wisdom for Life, Perry explores the timeless principles that can help professionals make better career and life decisions—even as technology, industries, and workplaces continue to change. In this conversation, you'll discover: • Why career success without meaning can still leave you unfulfilled• Three important questions to ask before making a major career move• Why following your passion matters more than simply chasing status or money• How to think about work-life balance over seasons rather than individual days• Why every major chapter of life may require a personal reset• How reflection can help you make better long-term decisions• The simple daily habit Perry uses to generate some of his best ideas• Why timeless wisdom may become even more valuable in an AI-driven world Whether you're considering a career change, pursuing your next promotion, questioning your current path, or simply trying to build a more meaningful life, this conversation offers practical ideas for stepping back, reflecting, and deciding what really matters. Listen to the full episode and ask yourself: Am I simply progressing in my career—or am I building a life and career that actually matter to me?

  4. Sep 21

    AI Broke Trust in Hiring: How to Stand Out and Land Your Next Job

    Artificial intelligence is transforming the hiring process, but is it making it easier or harder for qualified professionals to land their next opportunity? AI-generated resumes, automated job applications, fake candidate profiles, and AI-powered interviews are changing how employers evaluate talent. For genuine job seekers, standing out in an increasingly crowded applicant pool has become a major challenge. In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, host Bola Alabi sits down with Thor Hesselberg, Founder of WorkID.ai, to explore how AI is reshaping recruitment and why professional credibility is becoming increasingly important. Thor shares his perspective on how technology has disrupted trust between employers and candidates, where to draw the line between using AI effectively and misrepresenting your experience, and why verified work histories could play a growing role in the future of hiring. In this episode, you'll discover: Why AI-generated applications are creating new challenges for recruiters and job seekers.How to use AI to improve your resume and prepare for interviews without misrepresenting your abilities.Why authentic professional experience and verified credentials matter.How networking, references, and LinkedIn can support your job search.Practical steps to prepare for a career transition over the next 12 months.Thor's vision for digital career wallets and the future of recruitment.Whether you're actively searching for a new job, considering a career change, or trying to position yourself for your next leadership opportunity, this conversation will help you think differently about how you communicate your professional value. Connect with Thor: Search for Thor Hesselberg on LinkedIn or visit WorkID.ai. Subscribe to The Career Evangelist Podcast for more conversations on career growth, leadership, and professional development.

  5. Sep 14

    Are You in the Wrong Career? How to Find Work That Fits Your Natural Strengths

    What if the career you’ve spent years building isn’t actually aligned with who you are? In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with Leon Morales, President and CEO of DNA Behavior International, to explore how understanding your natural behavioral strengths can transform the way you approach your career, leadership, and workplace relationships. Leon shares his own unconventional career journey—from choosing accounting almost on impulse, becoming a CPA, and spending 17 successful years at Cox Communications to eventually discovering that his natural strengths pointed him toward a very different path. The conversation explores why career success isn’t simply about what you’re qualified to do. It’s also about finding work that fits how you are naturally wired. Bola and Leon discuss behavioral intelligence, career fit, psychological safety, leadership, self-awareness, and why job seekers should interview a company’s culture just as carefully as the company interviews them. You’ll learn: How to recognize when you may be working against your natural strengthsWhy feeling constantly drained at work can be an important career signalHow behavioral insights can help you evaluate your next opportunityWhy you should interview the company while they’re interviewing youHow leaders can create psychological safety without lowering performance expectationsWhy great leadership starts with people, not spreadsheetsThe leadership lesson Leon learned from a manager who simply gave him timeWhy curiosity and volunteering for new opportunities can unlock unexpected career pathsWhether you’re considering a career change, stepping into leadership, or simply wondering whether your current role is still the right fit, this conversation will challenge you to become more intentional about how you build your career. Because sometimes the next step in your career isn’t about working harder, it’s about understanding yourself better.

  6. Sep 7

    Beyond the Job Title: Finding Meaning, Identity, and Your Next Career Chapter

    What happens when the formula that made you successful no longer works? After three decades in technology leadership, including serving as a Field CTO at Dell Technologies, Tony Dina reached a point many accomplished professionals eventually encounter: everything looked successful from the outside, but something no longer felt right. In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with Tony, now an executive and depth coach, to explore what happens when achievement, title, and compensation are no longer enough. Tony shares why career reinvention often begins not with another certification, promotion, or productivity tool, but with deeper questions about meaning, identity, curiosity, and the person you want to become. The conversation also explores how AI is changing the skills professionals need to remain relevant. Tony challenges the traditional focus on productivity and argues that the real competitive advantage will increasingly come from human capabilities such as judgment, intuition, curiosity, learning quickly, connecting ideas, and becoming comfortable with uncertainty. You'll hear insights on: • Recognizing when your old success formula has stopped working• Separating your identity from your job title• Navigating a mid-career pivot without ignoring financial realities• Why AI makes human judgment more—not less—important• The difference between productivity and capacity• Why successful leaders must learn to sit with uncertainty• What executive coaching can—and cannot—do• Redefining success around meaning, impact, and legacy• Why you may be far more capable than you're willing to admit If you've built a successful career but find yourself wondering, "What's next?", this conversation may help you think differently about the answer.

  7. Aug 31

    Stop Performing Success: How to Lead with Authentic Power

    What if becoming a better leader isn't about becoming more impressive—but becoming more yourself? In this episode of The Career Evangelist Podcast, Bola Alabi sits down with leadership coach Ruth Andermatt, founder of Ace Inc., who brings nearly three decades of experience helping senior leaders and executives reconnect with their authentic power. Ruth shares her unconventional career journey—from working in a mental health institution to Xerox sales, corporate leadership, and eventually building her own coaching practice. Along the way, she learned an important lesson: sustainable success doesn't come from constantly trying to fit someone else's model of leadership. The conversation explores what Ruth calls "coming home to your power"—understanding how you operate, trusting yourself, being intentional about how you show up, and resisting the temptation to perform success. Ruth also discusses her experience as the only woman in Canada in a senior operations role, the challenges facing introverted leaders, and why genuine presence may be one of the most underrated leadership skills. You'll discover: Why authentic leadership begins with knowing yourselfWhy introverts shouldn't imitate extroverted leadershipHow Ruth navigated being a woman in a male-dominated leadership environmentWhy listening can create more impact than trying to impress peopleHow career detours can lead to unexpected opportunitiesWhy presence is becoming increasingly valuable in a distracted worldHow to become more intentional about the impact you have on othersIf you've ever felt pressure to shrink, perform, or become someone else to succeed professionally, this conversation offers a different approach: Know your power. Be present. Show up intentionally.

  8. Aug 17

    The Pinball Theory of Business & Life: Navigating Career Change, Leadership & Uncertainty

    What happens when the career you've built is no longer the career you want? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Marty Snyder, author of The Pinball Theory of Business and Life, to explore career reinvention, leadership, risk, crisis management, and the unpredictable nature of life and business. Marty shares the story of leaving a successful 20+ year legal career to pursue international business, despite the uncertainty and responsibilities that came with starting over. We discuss why enthusiasm alone isn't enough when making a major career move, and why you should learn to look at your own plans through the eyes of an investor. Marty also explains his “Pinball Theory”, the idea that while we can control some of the decisions and actions that shape our careers, there are always forces beyond our control that can change the direction of the game. From surviving a devastating business flood to navigating insurance challenges and unexpected international risks, Marty shares hard-earned lessons about preparing for crises and managing the “bounce.” We also explore his philosophy of collaborative, service-driven leadership, the mistakes leaders make, the hidden problems CEOs bring to advisors, and why some of the biggest business problems are actually people problems. And Marty leaves listeners with a powerful philosophy: “Good people, good projects, good faith.” If you're thinking about changing careers, building a business, leading an organization, or simply navigating an unpredictable world, this conversation offers practical wisdom you can apply immediately. Get Marty's Book on Amazon: The Pinball Theory of Business and Life by Marty Snyder

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4.8
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About

Practical, no-nonsense career advice for professionals who want to grow faster, lead with confidence, and win in today’s corporate world—without burning out. The Career Evangelist Podcast helps ambitious professionals navigate the unwritten rules of career success. Through expert interviews, real-world stories, and actionable strategies, host Bola Alabi breaks down how to negotiate better offers, build influential networks, strengthen leadership skills, and make smarter career decisions at every stage.

Information

  • Creator
    Bola Alabi
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    333
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Bola Alabi
  • Show Website
    The Career Evangelist