You know you’re ready to lead people. Maybe you just got the promotion or maybe you’re building toward it. But nobody hands you a manual. In this episode of Chasing Waves, I’m getting into the part of management nobody really prepares you for. Not the strategy, not the targets, but the people.

I’ll show you how to lead with an empathy-first approach that actually gets results, without going soft on expectations or losing your authority.

In just 15 minutes, you'll learn:

• What's really driving your team's behavior, and how understanding it changes everything

• Five things that will change how you lead starting this week

• How to lead with empathy without lowering your expectations

• The five most common team personalities and exactly how to bring out the best in each one

• Real scripts and lines you can use in your next one-on-one

Grab the FREE REFLECTION & ACTION GUIDE that has the framework, the scripts you can use. (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Loved this episode? You can buy me a coffee ☕️ It’s a small way to show your support and means more than you know. buymeacoffee.com/chasingwavesConnect with me: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannawong-chasingwaves/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasingwaveswithjo/ Enjoyed the show? Hit "Follow" and leave a review to help others find us!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thinking about a career change? I thought the hardest part of switching careers would be taking the first step. It's not.

It's what happens after.. when there's no roadmap, no validation, and no one telling you if you're doing it right.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what a major career transition actually feels like. Not the highlight reel, but the real truth of leaving corporate to find your own path.

I share my WAVES framework: five things nobody warns you about when you make a big leap, built from my own experience pivoting from Spotify to launching Chasing Waves.

In this episode, we dive into:

• [00:00] The Myth of the First Step: Why the "messy middle" of a career pivot is the part no one prepares you for.

• [01:50] W: Watch Yourself: Why you might become the "worst boss you’ve ever had" and how to stop the high-achiever burnout.

• [04:10] A: Anchor: Navigating the loss of professional identity and community when you strip away your corporate title.

• [06:05] V: Vulnerability: The "independent woman" trap and why asking for help is a career growth strategy, not a weakness.

• [07:25] E: Evolve: How to survive the ego hit of going from industry expert to total beginner overnight.

• [08:45] S: Spark: Finding the unexpected joy and freedom that makes the career uncertainty worth it.

• [11:15] Success Update: What happens when you keep going (How Chasing Waves hit #2 on the Apple Podcast charts!).

If you are navigating a career change, or quietly wondering "is it supposed to feel this lonely?"... this one is for you.

Loved this episode? You can buy me a coffee ☕️ It’s a small way to show your support and means more than you know. buymeacoffee.com/chasingwaves

Resources & Links:

• Connect with Joanna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannawong-chasingwaves/

• Follow the Journey on Instagram: @chasingwaveswithjo

Enjoyed the show? Hit "Follow" and leave a review to help other career changers find us!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually take to leave a big tech career and bet on yourself?

In this episode, I sit down with Maritza Bonano, Co-Founder of ChangePath and former leader at Meta, where she helped scale a new business line to over a billion dollars in revenue. Maritza has navigated four major career changes, from Deutsche Telekom to early-stage startups to Meta, and now back to founder mode. Her story is about more than a pivot. It is about knowing your non-negotiables, staying flexible on everything else, and having the courage to move even when the market is telling you to stay put.

We’ll cover:

• How she made bold career moves without having all the answers

• The real reason high performers stay stuck in jobs they’ve outgrown

• What actually goes through your mind when you leave a “safe” job

• Why most people struggle to make a career change, and what to do instead

• The mindset and tools that help you move from confusion to clarity

Learn more about ChangePath here: https://www.changepath.ai/en Discover the career path and job that truly fits YOU with this pocket self-coaching app. Connect with Maritza on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maritzabonano/

Connect with your host:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannawong-chasingwaves

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasingwaveswithjo/

Enjoyed the show? Hit "Follow" and leave a review to help others find us!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.