Evolution or Revolution

Courtney Kaplan
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A podcast about people making small (or very large) professional changes. I explore how they did it and how you can, too. If it's time to make a change, when do we trim the sails, and when do we burn the boats?

Episodes

  1. OCT 15

    Anna Bloom: Launching her product with love

    Have you thought about launching your own product? I know I have.   My guest today, Anna Bloom, has worked as a design leader at AirBnB, Facebook, and Cash App. In 2021, she took a leap to launch her own thing while still working full-time. Anna shares what it takes to get a physical product on the shelves and what keeps her going during difficult times.  PS Quick note, this isn’t a sponsored podcast. (But I am a huge fan of Anna and Lococo)  PPSS She offered listeners a one-time 10% off discount when you shop lococomagic.com  Code: ICONIC10 Website: LOCOCO Magic IG: @lococo_magic Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    25 min

  2. SEP 23

    Jason Kriese: VP at Salesforce goes back to school

    Jason Kriese shares a his massive evolution from corporate life as an executive to going back to school in order to better align his time and efforts with his values of service.  Jason was an operations leader and user experience advocate who can effectively manage the integration of complex design efforts into engineering organizations.  As VP of Design Operations at Salesforce, he founded and led the DesignOps team in support of 500+ designers in the Product UX organization, collectively shipping solutions across the enterprise CRM ecosystem. Working at Microsoft and Amazon, he shipped products and features across a variety of platforms, including: web, embedded, PC, browser, mobile handset, and tablets. After a series of personal life experiences, he started to wonder what was beyond working in tech. He asked questions that opened big choices, big changes and big actions that required him to apply his own motto: "Think big, be brave and jump". Looking ahead, Jason is pursuing a new focus on social work and communities in need. He's currently in the second year of his MSW program at DU. Jason and I were in similar roles at different companies at the same time. Earlier this year, when I saw a post he made about going back to school. I knew I had to know more. You're going to love this conversation, and his generous transparency about every step of the way.  Jason's LinkedIn post that started it all. Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    1h 1m

  3. SEP 23

    Serene Lewis: Retired at 50. Ready to help you do it, too.

    As a retirement coach, Serene Lewis helps people identify and set reachable goals in the areas of money, mindset and community.  Often we think about retiring "someday" but having a plan makes it real and can make it happen sooner. Especially in uncertain times, you may be facing retirement or a big change sooner than you expected. Serene says, "I’ve observed that about 80% of people say they’re going to retire in 2 years. Deeper conversation reveals that only 20% are PLANNING to retire."  So what's the difference? Find out in our episode as Serene Lewis shares how she left traditional work in her mid-50s and now lives in Portugal.  Learn more about Serene Lewis:  Read her LinkedIn Post about retirement Connect with Serene Lewis via LinkedIn   Her website is: www.serenelewis.coach Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    55 min

  4. JUN 2

    Brandy Cerne: Embracing the winding path to a beach town in Brazil

    Brandy Cerne spent her twenties in New York. As Brandy says:  "I get asked a lot, 'Do you have experience in this field?' The short answer is no, I don't have direct hotel experience. The long answer is that all of my career has led me here." She working in brand she experienced a masterclass in hospitality at Shake Shack from Danny Meyer and Randy Garutti.  She took a career break volunteering in hostels in Eastern Europe, where this seed of her dream began. Her hands-on event organizing and magic making at Sofar Sounds required major expectation setting for guests stepping into an unfamiliar environment. Then back into the startup world with Groove, on online working space tackling connection-building for those working solo from home.  But how do these things combine to land her on a beach in Brazil running a guesthouse? Her pousada is called O Portalzinho, which is "a hotel for people who like people." And her story getting there is one that will inspire you. Book: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway Podcast: How I Built This with Guy Raz Book time at O Portalzinho Follow on O Portalzinho on IG Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    35 min

  5. MAY 6

    Jennifer Kanyamibwa-Biggs: Re-invention and bold moves

    Jennifer Kanyamibwa-Biggs has worked with the best of them at Twitter, Slack, Strava, but also in government roles with Mayor Michael Bloomberg as well as non-profits. She is also a co-founder of Plant Lady Juice a VC backed wellness company based in Atlanta. We talk about how Jennifer adapts and evolves her skills into new industries and ventures. She shares how she makes big decisions and the things she believes are most important to being able to change. I hope you enjoy this one! You can find Jennifer here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanyamibwa/ IG @ Plantladyjuiceco Or her website: https://plantladyjuice.co/ Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    57 min

  6. MAY 6

    Kat Vellos: Making connections to help your journey

    Kat Vellos has written books, taught workshops, and given talks about about how people can break out of feeling lonely by creating opportunities to connect with others.  In this episode, Kat talks about how we can use the same techniques in our professional lives. When we are considering professional transitions, we often need to reach out for support. Maybe there's someone in a role you're interested in or a connection that could help answer a question you have. Reaching out might feel awkward if we're out of practice. Kat shares an easy framework that makes it easier for people to respond to our requests. Our conversation also explores how Kat recommends formulating experiments to bring more of what matters into your life if the timing isn't right for bigger changes. We can explore and learn in multiple ways before making big decisions. You can find Kat at: https://www.katvellos.com/ https://weshouldgettogether.com/ Or buy her book her: We Should Get Together And her link to the post about 13-year olds requesting information.  Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    39 min

  7. APR 15

    Mark Brenwall: Stories on sobriety, moving across the world and starting again at 40

    At 40 years old, Mark Brenwall had it all. He lived in a loft in San Francisco's Mission District. Working in tech, he had money, he had friends and big nights on the town.  But it took him 20 years to realize it just wasn't for him.  Sobriety helped give him to space to see that he wasn't happy -- but also wasn't sure what was next. Mark  shares each step of those transitional years from exploratory trips to setting up a company on his own, and finally setting down new roots in Thailand.  Looking back, he says, "It couldn't have worked out better."  Tune in and hear Mark's story of transformation and reinvention at 40.  Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    36 min

  8. APR 15

    Erin Ryan: From homebirth midwife to global maternal health advocate

    Join me in my first ever episode to talk with Erin Ryan. She'll share her revolutionary journey from San Francisco, to becoming a homebirth midwife in Vermont, moving her three children to Bali (twice) and re-inventing her life again when her marriage ended. Today you'll find her in Tonga, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Lao, and Bangladesh connecting with community,  and advocating for and training with midwives globally.  Erin looks back on her journey and the key moments when everything changed.  If you're thinking of making a big switch professionally, join us and get inspired by Erin's story. Send us a text EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION is produced by Courtney Kaplan. Website: Iconic Leadership Coaching. Follow me on IG @iconicleadershipcoaching Connect on Linked in @courtney-kaplan Music by Midwest Got It (IG: midwestgotit)

    30 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

A podcast about people making small (or very large) professional changes. I explore how they did it and how you can, too. If it's time to make a change, when do we trim the sails, and when do we burn the boats?

Information

  • Creator
    Courtney Kaplan
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Evolution or Revolution
  • Show Website
    Evolution or Revolution