Too often, the traits we’re taught to tone down are the very ones that can drive our boldest breakthroughs. In this powerful episode, we explore what it truly means to lead and live with wild courage. Dismantling conventional career advice, Jenny Wood champions a more audacious path to success, one built on traits long considered too disruptive or inappropriate to embrace.
Jenny Wood is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and former Google executive who built one of the company’s largest career development programs. Her new book, Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It, dives into nine controversial traits, from reckless to bossy, that ambitious professionals can reclaim and reframe to be better leaders and reach their full potential. With a background in research at Harvard Business School and features in Forbes, HBR, and Bloomberg, Jenny brings both insight and irreverence to the table, along with a serious talent for cutting through the noise.
Through stories both personal and professional, Jenny illustrates how fear of failure, uncertainty, and judgment often keeps us playing small. Whether it’s chasing down a stranger on a subway (now her husband), asking a C-suite executive for mentorship, or launching a career-defining program at Google, she shows how reclaiming so-called negative traits like "shameless" or "reckless" can become a source of power and clarity.
This episode is a candid, empowering reminder that growth begins on the edge of discomfort. Jenny shares tools to rewrite the internal stories that hold us back, and reframes boldness as a skill that can be practiced, not just a trait you’re born with.
If you’re ready to stop waiting for permission and start leading with more courage in your career and life, this conversation is a must-listen!
Listen → https://findingbrave.org/309
Jenny’s Site → www.itsjennywood.com
Watch us on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/kathycaprino
#inspiration #motivation #career #professionaldevelopment #careerdevelopment #courage
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Most Powerful You Book →https://www.amazon.com/Most-Powerful-You-Bravery-Boosting-Career/dp/1400217520/
Most Powerful You Course → https://mostpowerfulyou.com/videotraining
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https://KathyCaprino.com
https://amazingcareerproject.com/video-series/
https://mostpowerfulyou.com.
Thank you for making #FindingBrave a Top 100 Show in Apple Career Podcasts!
For more about Kathy’s latest book, visit https://kathycaprino.com/mostpowerfulyoubook
For this episode's show notes, highlights, and key quotes visit Listen → https://findingbrave.org/309
For more information on Kathy Caprino's Finding Brave podcast, and to subscribe to receive weekly episodes, visit https://FindingBrave.org.
And for hands-on career and leadership support from Kathy Caprino, visit https://KathyCaprino.com. https://mostpowerfulyou.com , and https://amazingcareerproject.com/video-series.
And hire Kathy to speak at your next career and leadership growth event!
Thank you for making Finding Brave a Top 100 Show in Apple Career Podcasts!