Ace of Pentacles

Sara Mirza
  • 5.0 (1)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Ace of Pentacles

A career strategy and workplace wellness podcast. This is Ace of Pentacles, your career strategy and workplace wellness podcast. Join me, your host Sara, every week as we investigate 🕵🏻‍♀️ how people design 📐 and discover 🧭 their way to a fulfilling career. Together, we’ll: 👩🏻‍🔬 explore the science of wellbeing at work 💡and discover tools and strategies ✨ to help us be well 🧠 and do well 🚀.

Episodes

  1. Building Authentic Connections with Shaena Harrison

    1 DAY AGO

    Building Authentic Connections with Shaena Harrison

    Welcome back to Ace of Pentacles. Today we chat with Shaena Harrison about the power of networking.     Shaena is a Professional Wing Woman, Networking Expert, and Superconnector—and as she puts it, a “recovering” event producer who lost four jobs in three years. Through the power of networking, Shaena landed new opportunities and used AI to launch her own business. Now, she helps leaders, teams, and event producers build meaningful connections that last, transforming awkward introductions into game-changing opportunities.   If you’re looking to build your networking muscle, make more meaningful connections, or need help looking at job loss or career wayfinding in a new light, I think you’ll find some great tips in this episode. I hope you enjoy the conversation with Shaena Harrison.

    56 min
  2. Ep. 4 Overcoming Stress, Preventing Burnout, and Thriving Under Pressure

    JAN 10

    Ep. 4 Overcoming Stress, Preventing Burnout, and Thriving Under Pressure

    In this episode, We chat with Surbhi Singh, a Registered Nurse at the Neurosurgical ICU at Stanford Hospital.    Surbhi has over a decade of experience in critical care across Trauma, Medicine, Cardiovascular, and Neurosurgical ICUs. In addition to her role as an RN, Surbhi has earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree and is Clinical Faculty at USF.    According to the CDC, 46% of health workers reported often feeling burned out in 2022, up from 32% in 2018. In this episode, Surbhi shares her best practices and strategies for preventing burnout, managing your mindset and maintaining your wellbeing in high stress work environments.  About Surbhi:  Surbhi T Singh, MSN, NP-C, PHN, CCRN is a Registered Nurse at the Neurosurgical ICU at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Ca. Surbhi’s nursing career spans a decade, with a background in critical care focused on Medicine ICU, Trauma ICU, Cardiovascular ICU, and Neurosurgical ICU. Surbhi earned her Family Nurse Practitioner degree which also allows her to teach as Clinical Faculty in Nursing at the University of San Francisco. Surbhi’s teaching career gives her the opportunity to give back to the nursing community by sharing her knowledge and skill with the next generation of nursing professionals. Surbhi grew up in Fremont, California and moved to Los Angeles to pursue both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Nursing. There, she started her career at Providence Saint John’s in Santa Monica in 2015. In 2019, Surhi returned to the Bay area when she was offered her position at Stanford. Surbhi greatly values lifelong learning and says that she learns from her students and her patients every day. She is inspired by the stories of the patients and students she serves in her role as a healthcare professional and an educator. For Surbhi, their stories and witnessing their resilience is part of the reason that she is honored to be doing the work that she does.

    34 min
  3. Ep. 3 Owning Your Next Career Move with Niharika Ray

    12/22/2024

    Ep. 3 Owning Your Next Career Move with Niharika Ray

    In this episode, Sara sits down with Niharika Ray, a friend and someone she volunteered with for several years at an educational non-profit. A few years ago, Niharika chose to leave her job as a senior software engineer at Airbnb to join that same non-profit as a full time staff member. In this episode, Sara and Niharika talk about what it's like to make a career move early in your career that is very different from what you thought you wanted at one point, and what everyone around you expects from you. Niharika talks about her decision making process, what drove her to make specific, intentional career moves, and how she used logic to make sense of an intuitive calling. The conversation with Niharika reminds us of how much power we hold to make decisions about our lives and our careers.   More about Niharika and her journey: Niharika Ray is the Chief Operating Officer of Minds Matter Bay Area (MMBay), an organization that she first joined as a volunteer math instructor in 2016. Between 2016 and 2022, Niharika served in a variety of volunteer capacities, from leading the junior instruction team, to serving as volunteer co-Chief Community Officer from 2020 to 2022, a role where she oversaw mentee and volunteer recruitment and engagement, parent and guardian and mentee alumni engagement, and volunteer training – all during a global pandemic. Outside of her time as a volunteer in MMBay, Niharika was a senior software engineer at Airbnb from 2015 to 2022. At Airbnb, she was a member of three different infrastructure teams, focusing on scaling both internal tools and airbnb.com. She holds a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Computational Finance from Carnegie Mellon University. In 2022, Niharika quit her job as a software engineer to become MMBay’s second full-time hire, where she continued to focus on scaling, but in an entirely new context. In 2022, MMBay rebranded from "Minds Matter San Francisco" serving students in one site, to becoming a regional "Minds Matter Bay Area" organization, and in August 2024, MMBay launched its second site in San Jose, while continuing to grow and stabilize operations in the San Francisco site. More about Minds Matter Bay Area: mindsmatterbay.org

    51 min
  4. Ep. 2: Faith, Values, and Embracing Uncertainty with Fadi Hindi

    12/08/2024

    Ep. 2: Faith, Values, and Embracing Uncertainty with Fadi Hindi

    In this episode, Sara speaks with an old colleague, Fadi, about using our values to find alignment and purpose in our careers.   Fadi shares his career journey, learning to let go of fear, and surrendering to what is meant for him rather than chasing what we've been conditioned to believe we need in order to be happy.    Books recommended by Fadi: The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer   Fadi's podcast: Imshi Imshi   Information on the heart-brain connection that was referenced by Sara is based on research from the HeartMath Institute (Science of the Heart, Volume 2)   About Fadi:   Fadi Hindi is a bold advocate for living unapologetically true to your values, no matter the cost. His journey from Baghdad to Silicon Valley is a powerful testament to the transformative power of ambition, resilience, and purpose. Fadi has not only navigated corporate spaces but transformed them by refusing to compromise on what matters most: integrity, faith, and authenticity. From fleeing conflict to becoming a key Operator in the tech ecosystem — leading teams through massive growth transformation — Fadi’s career reflects the strength of bridging divides and fostering talent, all while staying deeply rooted in his beliefs.   What sets Fadi apart isn’t just his success, but how he’s achieved it: on his own terms. Known for speaking truth to power, even when it’s uncomfortable, he leads with values-driven conviction. For Fadi, faith means trusting in your purpose, instincts, and the process itself — not just in work, but also in life.   On this episode of Ace of Pentacles, he’ll share how these principles have shaped his unconventional, zigzagging career path, and how surrendering and embracing uncertainty has been key to his well-being and success.   Listeners will be inspired to rethink their approach to work, make bold, purpose-driven decisions, and design careers that align with who they truly are.   Episode filmed and produced by Bryan Dahl | IG: @dahl.memoirs

    51 min
  5. Ep 1: Meet Your Host, Sara

    11/29/2024

    Ep 1: Meet Your Host, Sara

    Hi! I'm Sara. In this episode, you'll hear about my background, what personal and professional influences led me to becoming a coach and starting this podcast. Justin and I talk about the way I've designed and discovered my way from a career in education to working at companies like Tesla, Amazon Square, and Instacart.   Tune in to learn about who this podcast is for, and how it might be able to help someone design and discover your way to a fulfilling career. Plus: I reveal why this career strategy and wellness podcast is named after a tarot card!   About Justin:  As an educator, coach, and creator of the Living Once Twice podcast, Justin's mission is to help individuals from all backgrounds unlock their power to design a life they are passionate about living. With 13+ years of experience in Higher Education Justin enjoys serving, mentoring, and developing students and staff. A Western New York native, Justin earned his B.A in Communications & Masters of Public Administration from SUNY Brockport.  Learn more about Justin's work: Podcast: Living Once Twice  IG: @justinoliver716  Episode filmed and produced by: Bryan Dahl | IG: @dahl.memoirs

    54 min
  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

About

A career strategy and workplace wellness podcast. This is Ace of Pentacles, your career strategy and workplace wellness podcast. Join me, your host Sara, every week as we investigate 🕵🏻‍♀️ how people design 📐 and discover 🧭 their way to a fulfilling career. Together, we’ll: 👩🏻‍🔬 explore the science of wellbeing at work 💡and discover tools and strategies ✨ to help us be well 🧠 and do well 🚀.

Information

  • Creator
    Sara Mirza
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Ace of Pentacles

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