Secrets of the Career Game

Kendall Berg - That Career Coach

Do you want to know a secret? The corporate world is a game: one laden with cleverly hidden and unspoken rules that most employees don't know they are playing. On this show, we help you peek behind the curtain to understand the corporate game and set yourself up for accelerate growth and progression.

  1. 2d ago

    159. How to Play the Corporate Game When They Underestimate You with Katy McFee

    Office politics can make speaking up risky, but strategic communication can earn respect when leadership underestimates you. Get my FREE Communication Guide Now: https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/thatcareercoach_funnel  Being underestimated in the corporate game is frustrating; being expected to agree with every executive decision is worse. On Secrets of the Career Game, Kendall Berg and executive coach Katy McFee examine managing up and workplace communication. A former VP and EVP, Katy recalls challenging her CEO's misaligned strategy without damaging trust. They tackle executive presence, workplace bias, and how to speak up with authority without changing your personality. Katy's three-step framework shows how to push back professionally, suggest alternatives, and build influence without becoming a yes person. What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way? About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress. ☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move. Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach? Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_ Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/ Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_ About Katy McFee Katy McFee is an executive coach and founder of Insights to Action, dedicated to helping women advance into senior leadership. With 18 years of experience in tech and biotech sales, including VP and EVP roles, she has built commercial teams and driven nine-figure revenue growth. After navigating her own challenges moving from Manager to Director to VP, Katy now helps ambitious professionals develop strategic thinking, executive presence, and leadership confidence. Her mission is to close the gender gap in senior leadership and help women thrive as executives without burning out. Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a  Website: https://insightstoactioncc.com/

  2. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Like This Interview with Robert Greene: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing Robert Greene: The Surprising Reason You Feel Unhappy Even When Life Is “Good” from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power and The Law of the Sublime, Robert Greene, joins Jay to explore why so many of us feel unfulfilled, even when we're achieving everything we thought we wanted. He opens up about the life-threatening stroke that changed his perspective and inspired his new book, and shares how reconnecting with our childhood interests can help us discover our true purpose. Robert also explains why boredom, struggle, and confronting our mortality can lead to a more meaningful life, how to turn envy into gratitude, and practical ways to navigate workplace politics, complicated relationships, and the feeling that life has become stagnant. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What I Discuss: 00:00 Introduction 02:18 Why We Feel Disconnected and Unfulfilled 06:27 Pursuing The Right Goals 11:32 Near-Death Experience And Writing The Sublime 13:13 Uncovering Your Authentic Self 19:51 The Looking-Glass Self 22:20 Overcoming Boredom Through Slow Disciplines 27:38 What is The Difference Between Happiness And Fulfillment? 32:15 Resisting Modern Culture And Embracing Difficulty 36:08 Building Confidence Through Small Steps 41:03 The Anxiety of Feeling Behind in Life 48:00 Connection To Others vs. Chasing Wealth 51:17 Turning Envy Into Gratitude 55:12 Real Fulfillment Beyond Financial Success 58:32 Money As Oxygen, Not Fulfillment 01:00:13 Workplace Politics And Power Dynamics 01:02:46 Why We’re Drawn to People Who Send Mixed Signals 01:04:53 Breaking Out of Repetitive Life Patterns 01:07:23 Confronting Mortality To Feel Alive 01:14:45 Transcendence, Evolution, And Spirituality 01:19:37 The Anti-Sublime Vs. the False Sublime 01:25:02 Robert On Final Five Episode Resources: Pre-order The Law of the Sublime https://sites.prh.com/lawofthesublime Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/robertgreeneofficial YouTube | https://youtube.com/@robertgreeneofficial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

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  3. Oct 19

    158. How to Respond to Difficult People at Work (Without Getting Emotional) with Dr. Kate Mason

    Being right at work doesn't mean you're winning the room. Here's how to build influence without damaging trust. You can have the strongest argument in the room and still walk away having damaged your professional relationships. Executive communication coach and Powerfully Likable author Dr. Kate Mason explains why effective workplace communication takes more than confidence or being right. Kendall Berg lived this — earlier in her career, she was told she was excellent at her job, but difficult to work with. Together they break down how to be assertive without being aggressive, how to disagree professionally, handle difficult conversations, respond to resistance without getting emotional, and build executive presence with senior leaders. You'll also hear why trying to appear confident backfires, what "kill your confidence" really means — focus on value, not performance — and how accountability and owning mistakes protects your reputation and helps you recover faster. Because winning every argument won't help your career if nobody wants you in the room. Learn more about Dr. Kate Mason and her book Powerfully Likable: https://katemason.co What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way? About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress. ☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move. Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach? Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_ Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/ Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_

  4. Oct 12

    157. Performance Review Prep: Turn Your Accomplishments Into Evidence

    Stop listing tasks in your performance review — turn them into evidence for a raise. Description: Strong performance can still disappear inside a weak self-evaluation. In this end-of-year performance review guide, Kendall Berg shows how to turn accomplishments into evidence with impact, metrics, and stakeholders, plus stretch assignments, leadership growth, and professional development. You'll learn how to write a forward-looking review, how to mention promotion at work without sounding entitled, how to address negative feedback without writing a case against yourself, and how to get 360-degree feedback your manager can use to defend a stronger rating. Includes performance review examples for documenting fire drills, soft skills like executive presence and delegation, and the Compliment Oreo for giving constructive feedback. For high performers who did the work but need to articulate their value clearly so their boss — and their boss's boss — can advocate for them. Drop a comment: What's the one win you need to document better this year? What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way? About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress. ☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move. Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach? Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_ Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/ Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_

  5. Oct 5

    156. Why Your Boss Gives You More Work—but Not a Promotion with Maya Grossman

    Hard work alone won't earn your next promotion—executive presence, visibility, and strategic thinking will. Hard work can make you indispensable at your current level while keeping you out of senior leadership. Moving from high performer to executive requires different signals: strategic thinking, executive presence, and workplace visibility. Drawing on 17 rejections on her path to two VP roles and experience at Microsoft and Google, executive coach Maya Grossman explains how changing what she prioritized transformed her career. She and Kendall Berg reveal how to build a promotion business case around future value, create executive advocates before review season, and eliminate low-value work that drains leadership capacity. If you're stalled at senior manager or director, you'll leave with a practical 90-day plan for proving your executive potential without working yourself into the ground. What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way? About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress. ☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move. Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach? Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_ Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/ Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_ Connect With Maya Grossman Website: https://www.mayagrossman.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maya.grosmn/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayagrossman/ Free masterclass: Visit Maya's LinkedIn profile to identify the biggest gap preventing your promotion and access tools to address it.

  6. Sep 21

    155. Why Isn't Your Resume Getting Interviews? 4 Changes You Can Make

    Hiring managers take 4 seconds to decide if they'll interview you. Here's how to make your impact clear before they move on. 👉 Improve your self-advocacy: https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-my-promotion-guide-now Is your resume full of experience but getting zero interviews? You're not alone. Hiring managers give your resume 4 seconds before they decide. Career coach Kendall Berg has reviewed hundreds of resumes, and she breaks down exactly where qualified candidates lose attention and 4 changes to fix it. In this Secrets of the Career Game episode, you'll learn how to target no more than two job titles, keep your layout simple and easy to scan, write a top section that earns a closer look, and replace routine duties with measurable impact. Plus: why you should stop using AI to write your resume and how to use it to check your draft instead. What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way? About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress. ☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move. Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach? Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_ Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/ Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_

  7. Sep 14

    154. How to Stop Applying for the Wrong Jobs with LinkedIn's Career Editor

    Job search strategy for 2026: more applications are not creating better odds. AI made generic applying effortless, recruiters are drowning in identical resumes, and qualified people are getting ignored. Here's what actually earns interviews. 👉 Improve your self-advocacy: https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-my-promotion-guide-now Kendall Berg sits down with Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn's Editor at Large for Jobs and Career Development, to break down why the numbers game most job seekers are playing has stopped working, and what to do instead. Andrew leads LinkedIn's Get Hired franchise, translating labor market shifts into practical guidance for job seekers. In this episode, he explains why the 2026 job market is better than the headlines suggest, why broad positioning hurts your job search, whether LinkedIn Easy Apply actually works, and whether AI belongs anywhere near your applications. You'll also learn how to turn transferable skills into a competitive advantage, and how many jobs you should actually be applying to each week. Kendall shares the interview return rate her clients get from 2–5 quality applications a week versus mass applying. If you've been applying for months and hearing nothing back, this is the episode that shows you it isn't you. It's the strategy. What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way? About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress. ☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move. Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach? Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_ Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/ Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_  About Andrew Seaman Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmseaman/ As LinkedIn's Editor at Large for Jobs and Career Development, I lead the Get Hired franchise, which is a multi-channel ecosystem that shepherds people through the complex intersection of AI literacy, career resilience and skills-based hiring. My work focuses on translating macro-economic shifts, such as unemployment data and sudden industry pivots, into actionable strategies for job seekers at every level. Additionally, I serve as an informal ombudsman between the world's professionals and employers.

  8. Sep 7

    153. How to Build a Referral Network Before You Need a Job

    Cold applications are broken. As AI floods ATS systems, referrals are the only way to reach a hiring manager. Learn how to build your referral network before you need a job. ⭐️ Get My Networking Guide Now https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-my-networking-guide-now-yhvpak6i  Cold applications are broken. As AI job search tools flood ATS systems, referrals are the only way to reach a hiring manager, so build your referral network before you need a job. On Secrets of the Career Game, That Career Coach, Kendall Berg shares how relationships from one five-week project led to two jobs. She breaks down her always-on networking rule: how to get a job referral without making it transactional, how to use internal and LinkedIn networking to uncover better roles, and how to make former coworkers referral connections when you need them. If you're planning a career move, this is how to make networking authentic, AI-proof your job search, and turn connections into offers. What's one "corporate game" rule you've learned the hard way? 🎯 Take the full Level Up Leadership Course: https://stan.store/thatcareercoach/p/get-started-with-my-play-the-corporate-game-course About Your Host: That Career Coach, Kendall Berg Kendall Berg is a career coach and creator, helping ambitious professionals master the unspoken rules of corporate life. Through Secrets of the Career Game, she shares honest conversations and practical tools to help you communicate clearly, lead confidently, and navigate work with strategy — not stress. ☕️ Want personalized career advice? Book a free 15-minute Coffee Chat with me — let's talk strategy, leadership, or your next move. Book your Coffee Chat → https://calendly.com/thatcareercoach/15-min-follow-up Want to know more about Kendal Berg, that career coach? Follow her on Instagram: @thatcareercoach_ Check out her courses on the website: https://thatcareercoach.net/ Watch on YouTube:@thatcareercoach_

4.6
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

Do you want to know a secret? The corporate world is a game: one laden with cleverly hidden and unspoken rules that most employees don't know they are playing. On this show, we help you peek behind the curtain to understand the corporate game and set yourself up for accelerate growth and progression.

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