Control Your Career: Career Growth and Strategy for Ambitious Professionals

Julia Toothacre | Helping Professionals Grow and Advance Their Careers
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Control Your Career is a career strategy podcast for professionals who want to stand out at work, get promoted, and make intentional career decisions. Hosted by Career Coach and Strategic Career Consultant Julia Toothacre, this podcast delivers practical career advice on career growth, workplace dynamics, leadership skills, and professional visibility. Episodes often draw from Julia's proprietary Control Your Career framework, a structured approach for understanding your career reality, clarifying direction, and taking strategic action. If you're navigating a career change, feeling stuck in your current role, or ready to take the next step in your career, this show will help you build influence, communicate effectively, and position yourself for new opportunities. Each episode breaks down real-world career challenges like: → How to stand out at work → How to get promoted → Navigating workplace politics → Managing your boss and workplace relationships → Building leadership skills and influence → Making strategic career decisions → Aligning your career with your strengths and goals Through a mix of solo episodes and expert interviews, Julia shares actionable job search strategies, career development insights, and proven frameworks to help you take control of your career with clarity and confidence. Learn more at https://ridethetidecollective.com

  1. 1d ago

    Long-Term Unemployment, Employment Gaps, and Today's Job Market

    What happens when someone spends years looking for work, only to be judged by the gap on their resume? In this conversation, I sit down with HR professional Tank Rhodes to discuss long-term unemployment, hiring bias, employment gaps, and what today's job market looks like from both sides of the hiring process. Whether you're a job seeker trying to understand today's hiring market or a hiring manager making difficult hiring decisions, this conversation offers valuable perspective on how the labor market has changed and why employment gaps don't tell the whole story. In this episode, we discuss: → Why long-term unemployment has become more common in today's job market → How hiring bias can influence hiring decisions without people realizing it → Why employment gaps don't tell the full story of a candidate → What job seekers are actually experiencing during extended unemployment → How today's employer market has changed the hiring process → Why interviews become more difficult after long periods without work → What recruiters and hiring managers can do to make more thoughtful hiring decisions Listen to the full conversation This episode features a portion of my full conversation with HR professional Tank Rhodes. If you'd like to hear the complete interview, including our discussion about career transitions, recruiting, interviewing, and navigating today's hiring process, you can listen to the full episode here: https://ridethetidecollective.com/2025/07/16/season11episode10/ Resources & Links 🌊 Connect with Julia Toothacre: Website: https://ridethetidecollective.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliatoothacre Free Career Resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free Control Your Career Podcast: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who would find the conversation helpful. Remember: You control your career.

  2. Jul 7

    Career Change Without Starting Over

    Are you miserable in your career? If the answer is yes, a career change might be worth exploring. But if the answer is no, that does not automatically mean you should stay exactly where you are. One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is treating career change as something that only happens when a situation becomes unbearable. In reality, many career changes happen because someone wants to build new skills, create more flexibility, increase income, improve quality of life, or move toward work that fits who they are now. In this final episode of Season 13, Julia Toothacre talks about how to evaluate career change more strategically. She breaks down why most career changes do not mean starting over, even when they feel big. You still bring transferable skills, relationships, judgment, leadership experience, industry knowledge, and credibility with you. The question is whether you can clearly explain how those pieces connect to the direction you want to move next. Julia also walks through four types of career change: • Functional change • Industry change • Structural change • Complete career change Each type carries different levels of risk, planning, and adjustment. This episode also explores the part many professionals skip: whether the desired career change is truly about moving toward something better, or whether it is an attempt to escape something that needs to be addressed more directly. Sometimes you do need a new career, but sometimes you just need a new manager, a healthier culture, stronger boundaries, different leadership, or a different company. This episode covers: • Why career change does not always mean starting from zero • How to identify what experience comes with you • Common transferable skills that support career pivots • The four types of career changes • Why financial obligations, family responsibilities, geography, and market conditions matter • How to test the waters before making a major move • Why burnout can make career decisions harder to evaluate • How leverage makes career change more possible Season 13 has been about career leverage, and this episode brings that idea full circle. Skills, reputation, influence, relationships, market awareness, and choices all shape what is possible when you decide you want something different. Read The Blog: https://ridethetidecollective.com/2026/07/07/career-change-without-starting-over/  Explore all episodes: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/ Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell/ Visit the website: https://ridethetidecollective.com Get career resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free/ Remember, you control your career.

  3. Jun 30

    The 5 Types of Managers: How to Navigate Each Leadership Style

    Every manager has a different leadership style, and understanding how your manager leads can help you communicate more effectively, build trust, and continue growing your career. If you're planning to stay in your current role for a while, learning how to work with your manager may be one of the highest-impact things you can do. In this episode, I break down five common management styles, including the strengths and challenges of each, so you can better understand your current manager, evaluate future opportunities, and adjust how you work together. This framework comes from an earlier season of the podcast where I interviewed experienced managers across a variety of industries. As I revisited those conversations, I realized these insights are just as relevant today. In this episode: The five management styles I observed across experienced leaders The strengths and challenges of each leadership style Why different managers communicate, build trust, and hold people accountable differently How to identify your manager's leadership style Ways to adapt your communication and expectations without changing who you are Whether you're hoping to earn a promotion, strengthen your relationship with your manager, or simply make your day-to-day work a little easier, understanding how your manager leads can help you navigate your career more strategically. Explore The Manager's Perspective Season: https://ridethetidecollective.com/category/season-10-the-managers-perspective/ Explore all episodes: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/ Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell/ Visit the website: https://ridethetidecollective.com Get career resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free/ Remember, you control your career.

  4. Jun 23

    Staying Market Ready in an Uncertain Job Market

    Market conditions can change your career faster than you think. In this episode of Control Your Career, Career Coach and Strategic Career Consultant Julia Toothacre discusses how professionals can stay market-ready, build career leverage, and prepare for unexpected career changes without living in constant job search mode. Over the last two decades, professionals have experienced the 2008 recession, the rise of LinkedIn, remote work, return-to-office mandates, layoffs, and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. These shifts have changed hiring trends, career opportunities, and the skills employers value. The challenge is that most career changes happen gradually, making them easy to ignore until they directly impact you. Julia explores how market conditions, industry trends, technology, organizational changes, and economic factors influence career growth. She also explains why having career options leads to greater confidence, flexibility, and better decision-making throughout your professional life. In this episode, you'll learn: • How market conditions affect your career opportunities • Why career leverage depends on having options • What it means to stay market-ready • Simple career habits that help you prepare for layoffs, career transitions, and new opportunities • How to maintain professional relationships and strengthen your network • Why tracking accomplishments, projects, and career wins matters • Ways to improve your professional visibility without becoming an influencer • Questions to ask yourself to evaluate your career readiness Whether you're focused on career advancement, professional development, leadership growth, or long-term career management, staying prepared can help you navigate change with more confidence and control. Read The Blog:  https://ridethetidecollective.com/2026/06/23/stay-market-read…rage-preparation/ Explore all episodes: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/ Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell/ Visit the website: https://ridethetidecollective.com Get career resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free/ Remember, you control your career.

  5. Jun 9

    Are Lateral Career Moves Good for Your Career?

    Career growth is not always vertical. For a long time, professionals were told to climb the corporate ladder, stay loyal, take the promotion, and keep moving up. But that advice does not always reflect how careers actually evolve today. In this episode of Control Your Career, Julia Toothacre explores the value and complexity of lateral career moves. She explains why some professionals resist them, why a move without a higher title can feel risky, and how lateral opportunities can quietly build long-term career leverage. A lateral move may not look impressive right away. It may not come with a promotion announcement or a bigger title. But it can expand your business understanding, strengthen your relationships, build transferable skills, and make you a more adaptable professional over time. Julia also explains when lateral moves can create confusion, especially if your career story becomes hard to explain. Nonlinear career paths can create leverage, but only when you can connect the dots clearly. This episode covers: • Why professionals resist lateral moves • How the corporate ladder mindset still shapes career decisions • When a lateral move can strengthen your long-term positioning • Why cross-functional exposure matters for leadership growth • How transferable skills support career mobility • When nonlinear moves create confusion • How to evaluate a lateral opportunity strategically • Why career decisions based on optics can limit future leverage If you are considering a lateral move, a career change, or a role that does not look like an obvious step up, this episode will help you think about the bigger picture. Sometimes the move that looks sideways now creates more options later. Read The Blog: https://ridethetidecollective.com/2026/06/09/are-lateral-career-moves-good-for-your-career/ Explore all episodes: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/ Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell/ Visit the website: https://ridethetidecollective.com Get career resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free/ Remember, you control your career.

  6. May 26

    What Is Career Sponsorship? Why Advocacy, Not Just Hard Work, Gets You Promoted

    A lot of professionals still believe career growth mostly comes from working hard, doing good work, and eventually being recognized for it. But inside organizations, opportunities often begin forming before jobs are officially posted. Conversations happen early. Leaders compare notes. Someone's name comes up because trust already exists. That is where sponsorship starts to matter. In this episode of Control Your Career, Julia Toothacre breaks down the difference between mentorship and sponsorship and explains why sponsorship is one of the strongest forms of career leverage inside organizations. This conversation explores: • Why mentorship and sponsorship are not the same thing • How sponsorship creates earlier access to opportunities • Why visibility and trust influence career growth • How internal opportunities often form before postings become public • Why cross-functional relationships matter more than many professionals realize • How organizational culture and bias influence who gets advocated for • Why performance alone does not always create equal opportunity Julia also unpacks a misconception many professionals have about sponsorship. It is not necessarily manipulation, office politics, or favoritism. More often, it develops through trust, judgment, communication, consistency, and credibility over time. This episode is especially important for professionals who feel confused about why some people seem to move through organizations differently than others, even when performance levels appear similar on paper. Career growth inside organizations is often more relational and more nuanced than people want it to be. Understanding that reality helps you navigate it more strategically. Read the blog: https://ridethetidecollective.com/2026/05/26/mentorship-vs-sponsorship-career-growth/ Explore all episodes: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/ Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell/ FREE Career Resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free/ Remember, you control your career.

  7. May 12

    The difference between authority and influence at work

    If you've ever wondered why some people get pulled into decisions at work while others are told after the fact, this episode is for you. In this episode of Control Your Career, I break down how influence actually works at work and why it has very little to do with your title, even though that's what most people focus on. You can be experienced, capable, and respected in your role and still find yourself left out of key conversations, and that gap usually has nothing to do with effort and everything to do with influence. We'll talk through what it looks like to move from executing decisions to shaping them, along with what actually builds trust over time, because it's not the big wins people think it is. You'll hear how judgment and consistency shape how you are perceived, and why being "good at your job" is not always enough to be included early. I also walk through how to recognize whether you are being consulted or simply informed, and what that says about your current level of influence. From there, we get into how to build influence without formal authority, along with what might be getting in your way even if you feel like you are doing everything right. We also address the part that often gets overlooked, which is how organizational culture, bias, and power dynamics shape who gets heard and who gets overlooked. If you want to control your career, you have to understand how to read those environments and respond strategically. In this episode: The difference between authority and influence at work Why you may not be included in important decisions How trust and judgment build influence over time What it means to be consulted instead of informed How to expand your influence without relying on a title The role of bias, culture, and power in workplace influence If you want to grow in your career without waiting for a title or promotion, influence is one of the most important forms of leverage you can build. Read the blog: https://ridethetidecollective.com/2026/05/12/influence-without-authority-at-work/ Explore all episodes: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/ Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell/ FREE Career Resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free/

  8. Apr 28

    The Truth About Workplace Reputation and Career Advancement

    Workplace reputation plays a direct role in career advancement, promotions, and the opportunities you're considered for long before any formal conversation happens. In this episode, career coach and strategic career consultant Julia Toothacre breaks down how reputation at work actually forms and why it often matters more than your performance. If you're doing strong work but not getting promoted or pulled into bigger opportunities, your reputation may not reflect the level you're operating at. In this episode, you'll learn: How workplace reputation is built through repeated behavior Why promotion decisions are shaped before formal conversations happen The gap between your intention and how others experience you How culture, leadership preferences, and bias influence your reputation Internal vs external reputation and why both matter Julia also addresses the reality that reputation is not fully within your control and how to navigate environments where bias or culture may be influencing how you're perceived. If you've ever felt overlooked, misunderstood, or unsure why opportunities aren't coming your way, this episode will help you identify what's really happening and what you can do about it. Read the blog: https://ridethetidecollective.com/2026/04/28/workplace-reputation-career-advancement/  Explore all episodes: https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/ Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell/ FREE Career Resources: https://ridethetidecollective.com/free/

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Control Your Career is a career strategy podcast for professionals who want to stand out at work, get promoted, and make intentional career decisions. Hosted by Career Coach and Strategic Career Consultant Julia Toothacre, this podcast delivers practical career advice on career growth, workplace dynamics, leadership skills, and professional visibility. Episodes often draw from Julia's proprietary Control Your Career framework, a structured approach for understanding your career reality, clarifying direction, and taking strategic action. If you're navigating a career change, feeling stuck in your current role, or ready to take the next step in your career, this show will help you build influence, communicate effectively, and position yourself for new opportunities. Each episode breaks down real-world career challenges like: → How to stand out at work → How to get promoted → Navigating workplace politics → Managing your boss and workplace relationships → Building leadership skills and influence → Making strategic career decisions → Aligning your career with your strengths and goals Through a mix of solo episodes and expert interviews, Julia shares actionable job search strategies, career development insights, and proven frameworks to help you take control of your career with clarity and confidence. Learn more at https://ridethetidecollective.com

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