WHAT IF?

Kate Wang
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Careers
  • Updated Semimonthly

What If is a podcast about non-linear careers, bold pivots, and the courage to build a life that feels true to who you are. Hosted by Kate Wang, each episode goes beyond polished success stories to explore the decisions underneath them: the pivots, doubts, risks, identity shifts, setbacks, and moments when someone chose a path that wasn’t obvious. Through candid conversations with women and cross-cultural thinkers building across industries, cultures, and continents, What If? asks the questions we often think about privately: What if the “safe” path isn’t the right one? What if starting over is actually moving forward? What if the thing that once made you feel like an outsider becomes one of your greatest strengths? We talk about turning international and cross-cultural experiences into perspective, resilience, adaptability, and an edge, and about learning to trust yourself even when your path doesn’t look like everyone else’s. This is a show about choosing curiosity over convention, trusting yourself through uncertainty, and creating a path that actually feels like yours. What if you chose differently? What if you took the leap? What if it worked?

Episodes

  1. Oct 9 ·  Video

    Leading 62 People at 25 — Then Starting Over: Cecilia Hebling on Leadership, Reinvention & Thinking Like an Engineer

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when you go from leading 62 people at 25 to starting over in a completely new country and industry? In this episode, I sit down with Cecilia Hebling, a senior strategic operations leader whose career has taken her from chemical engineering and manufacturing in Brazil to tech in the U.S. At 25, Cecilia was already leading a team of 62 operators in a high-pressure factory environment, where many people on her team had far more experience than she did. She had to learn quickly how to earn trust, build credibility, and lead without pretending to know everything. Later, she made an even bigger leap: leaving behind the career, network, and reputation she had built in Brazil to move to the U.S. and start again in a new industry. We talk about why starting over doesn’t mean starting from zero, how her engineering mindset still shapes the way she solves problems today, and how being international can become a competitive advantage rather than something you have to overcome. Cecilia also shares how her definition of success has changed over time — from chasing titles and moving up quickly to valuing trust, meaningful work, and having enough time and space to actually enjoy life. In this conversation, we explore: how to lead when people don’t take you seriously yetbuilding trust through humility, curiosity, and resultstaking an engineering mindset across industriesrebuilding your career in a new countryturning a different background into an advantageredefining ambition and successIf you’ve ever had to prove yourself in a new room, reinvent your career, or wonder whether everything you’ve learned still matters when you change paths, this episode is for you.

    Leading 62 People at 25 — Then Starting Over: Cecilia Hebling on Leadership, Reinvention & Thinking Like an Engineer

  2. Aug 26 ·  Video

    Building a Career You Don’t Dread on Mondays: Gauri Wankhade on Leaving Coding & Following Your Gut

    Send us Fan Mail What if the best career decision isn’t the one that looks perfect on paper, but the one that simply feels right? In this episode, I sit down with Gauri Wankhade, a technical account management leader on a global solutions engineering team at Uber, who has built her career across India, the U.S., and Amsterdam — moving from software engineering into customer-facing technical roles and now people leadership. Today, she works at the intersection of technology, business, and customers, helping strategic partners solve complex technical problems while developing and leading her team.  Gauri started her career as a software engineer, but eventually realized that sitting behind a computer all day wasn’t what gave her energy. She wanted more people, creativity, and interaction — a realization that led her into technical consulting and eventually technical account management. She knew she had found the right path when one thing disappeared: the Monday blues.  We talk about how she found her niche between technology, strategy, and people, why she makes many of her biggest career decisions by following her gut instead of overthinking the “right” career path, and how asking questions — even when you’re afraid they might sound stupid — can actually become a source of confidence.  Gauri also shares what she has learned as an international woman in tech, how living and working across India, the U.S., and Amsterdam shaped her perspective, and why she believes your differences can become an advantage rather than something you need to overcome.  We also get into her transition from individual contributor to manager, the challenge of adapting your leadership style to different people, and her ambition to continue growing into more strategic leadership roles.  At the heart of Gauri’s story is a simple piece of advice: Go for what you like. Your job is going to be half your life — you might as well make it fun.  If you’re trying to figure out whether your current path actually fits you — or wondering if you’re allowed to choose a career because it gives you energy rather than because it looks impressive — this episode is for you.

    Building a Career You Don’t Dread on Mondays: Gauri Wankhade on Leaving Coding & Following Your Gut

  3. Aug 11 ·  Video

    How to Walk Into Any Room Like You Belong There: Lesley Li on Confidence, Career Pivots & Finding Your Voice as an International Woman

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Lesley Li, a strategic partnerships leader in the fintech industry, whose nonlinear career has taken her across computer science, finance, impact work, fintech, and strategic partnerships. We talk about why she believes “humans are humans, not gods,” how she navigates high-stakes rooms without putting others on a pedestal, why authenticity matters more than pretending to know everything, and how career pivots helped her discover what she is actually good at.  Lesley also shares her perspective on taking leaps of faith, building a sense of self-worth that doesn’t depend on one company or title, getting comfortable with failure, and turning the international student experience into a source of resilience.  Beyond Lesley's day-to-day work, Lesley was selected as an instructor for the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), where she has educated more than 300 professionals across payments, fraud prevention, and e-commerce. She has also been invited to serve as a judge for innovation and entrepreneurship programs affiliated with Yale University, Harvard-affiliated initiatives, and Johns Hopkins University. If you’ve ever questioned whether you belong in the room, or you are trying to build up your leadership presence in a new space — this episode is for you.

    How to Walk Into Any Room Like You Belong There: Lesley Li on Confidence, Career Pivots & Finding Your Voice as an International Woman

  4. Jul 26 ·  Video

    Choosing a Career with Passion and Purpose: Victoria Lyu on Pivoting into Healthcare and MBA/MS

    Send us Fan Mail What if you could experiment your way into a career that truly feels aligned? In the very first episode of What If, Kate sits down with Victoria Lyu, a healthcare professional and international student from China who is currently pursuing a dual MBA and MS in Biomedical Science at the University of Chicago. Victoria’s path has taken her from consulting and finance to healthcare strategy, and is now building the next chapter of her career at Oliver Wyman's Health & Life Sciences Practice. Instead of following one fixed career track, she treated each step as an experiment — testing different roles, reflecting on what gave her purpose, and getting clearer on the kind of impact she wanted to make. In this conversation, Kate and Victoria talk about career pivots, grad school, women’s health, and life as an international student. Victoria reflects on how being an international student has shaped her adaptability, broadened her worldview, and strengthened her ability to navigate different cultural and professional environments. Victoria also shares why she chose a dual MBA/MS and how she is building a career in healthcare that feels personally meaningful. Sometimes, the biggest “what if” is giving yourself permission to explore.

    Choosing a Career with Passion and Purpose: Victoria Lyu on Pivoting into Healthcare and MBA/MS
  • 4 Episodes

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

What If is a podcast about non-linear careers, bold pivots, and the courage to build a life that feels true to who you are. Hosted by Kate Wang, each episode goes beyond polished success stories to explore the decisions underneath them: the pivots, doubts, risks, identity shifts, setbacks, and moments when someone chose a path that wasn’t obvious. Through candid conversations with women and cross-cultural thinkers building across industries, cultures, and continents, What If? asks the questions we often think about privately: What if the “safe” path isn’t the right one? What if starting over is actually moving forward? What if the thing that once made you feel like an outsider becomes one of your greatest strengths? We talk about turning international and cross-cultural experiences into perspective, resilience, adaptability, and an edge, and about learning to trust yourself even when your path doesn’t look like everyone else’s. This is a show about choosing curiosity over convention, trusting yourself through uncertainty, and creating a path that actually feels like yours. What if you chose differently? What if you took the leap? What if it worked?

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Wang
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 WHAT IF?
  • Show Website
    WHAT IF?