“Unstoppable” Podcast Month-in-Review: Executives and Entrepreneurs Answer the Big Question, “How Do We Move Forward?”

No one’s sure when the pandemic will be over, but I’ve noticed that people have started to look towards the future. 

I'm asking myself some big questions: How do we move forward after this? In light of all this hardship, how can I best use my skills to serve the world? What do I want my life and work to look like when we get to the other side? (Related: How to Inspire Your Team From Afar During a Pandemic)

The entrepreneurs, executives, and business experts who I spoke to this April on my podcast, Unstoppable with Kara Goldin, seemed to be on the same wavelength. They shared how they’ve overcome challenges and built thriving businesses—and how they’re applying those lessons to this unprecedented moment. If this pandemic has inspired you to build a career more aligned with your passions, their advice should help you create a roadmap for making it happen.  

Get the highlights, and then listen to the full episodes for more guidance.

1. Don’t guess the future; create it.

Tina Hay never would’ve guessed that she’d one day own the personal finance education company Napkin Finance. After all, she studied liberal arts in college. When Tina arrived at Harvard Business School, she struggled with some of the numbers and jargon in her finance classes. To help her study, she started sketching out different concepts to engage the visual-leaning part of her brain. The idea eventually became her company, which explains complex financial topics through simple, napkin-sized graphics. 

The idea has even spawned a bestselling book. "You just never know how your business will evolve," Tina says. "I would never have predicted I'd be in finance and content education, but it's been amazing to see what has resonated and what people want…I could never have started this company knowing that this is where we'd end up, which is the beauty of it."

The future is always uncertain, especially right now. If you’re feeling overwhelmed (who isn’t?), try making only the moves you’re inspired to do right now. You might be surprised where they will take you. (Related: Can’t Focus While Working From Home? Try These 5 Mindsets to Put You in a Better Headspace)

Listen to the full episode.

2. Ask yourself: ‘Why am I unique?’

Lisa Sasevich is a business coach dubbed “The Queen of Sales Conversion.” She helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into profit and build a career doing something they love. Her new book, Meant for More, distills her coaching formula into something you can do from home. Your task is to figure out what your unique gift is—and how to monetize it. 

“If you're holed up and looking for a way to grow, looking for a way that you'll look back in three months and say, ‘I'm really happy with what I did with that time,’” Lisa suggests that spending 30 minutes a day doing the activities in her book are a great starting point. “Figuring out the unique value that you offer to the world is one of the best assets that you have. It will be something that will pay you forever, not just in the monetary possibility, but in the fulfillment that you have.”

How to hone in on your special sauce? “Look for things that are easy for you, but other people struggle with,” she says. In the episode, she shares a few easy exercises to get you going, as well as free goodies that you can use to determine where you’ll take your career next. 

Listen to the full episode.

3. If people are clamoring for more, find a way to give it to them. 

Maybe you’ve come across Ainsley Rodriguez while searching for effective online workouts. This fitness influencer helps people eat well and stay fit with digital nutrition and training programs, along with a new line of healthy snacks like nut butter “frostings” and collagen-packed cookies.

But her empire started by accident. She was working part-time for a supplement company that required her to have an Instagram account. Ainsley started posting her day-to-day workouts and meals. Before she knew it, she had a massive following that kept asking for more, like ebooks of recipes and digital personal training programs. Even though Ainsley had no prior experience, she figured it out. “I Googled ‘ebook’ and, lo and behold, to me, it looked like a PDF,” she recalls. “So that’s what I did. I took 15 recipes, popped them in the PDF, and manually PayPal-invoiced people for $10.”  

A lot of us are sharing more and more of our daily habits and hobbies online right now. If you find people asking for more of a particular area of expertise from you, pivot fast and see what you can offer. 

Listen to the full episode.

4. Repeat this mantra: “I already have everything that I need.” 

Maria Shriver says that phrase has carried her through bad times. And it has lifted her even higher during good times, like working as an award-winning journalist to starting The Women’s Alzheimer's Movement. 

“I’m far stronger than I ever realized,” she shares. “Everything I was searching for outside…actually existed within me. And I think that’s the case for 100% of people.” She wants to inspire older women who may think that it’s too late for them to make an impact. “My mission is to educate and to share my journey, but also to remind women at different junctures of their lives who they are and what they’re capable of,” Maria says.

If you're feeling down on yourself or your ability to achieve your vision, our conversation packs a much-needed punch of inspiration.

Listen to the full episode.

5. Know that you don’t have to do this alone; in fact, it’s way better if you don’t.

Let’s just assume whatever professional leap you take during or after this pandemic is going to take off—and when it does, you can’t be afraid to delegate the things you’re not great at ASAP. 

Designer Rebecca Minkoff did just that when her clothing brand started booming. She had to quickly get comfortable with delegating so she’d be able to scale faster. 

“I do not do this alone,” says Rebecca, who completed her 20th fashion week show in NYC in February (Hint was there to support her!). “I have an amazing team. I don’t have to make those micro-decisions anymore. When I [hired help], I had like 50% more time. So I could be the face, I could launch a podcast, I could start the Female Founder Collective. It's about finding those right people, then getting them to help you lay the bricks.”

Listen to the full episode.

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How I Know Who to Trust in Business

How to Manage Your Anxiety When the World is in Crisis Mode

How to Stay Focused on Your Career When You’re Working From Home During a Pandemic

Kara Goldin is the founder and CEO of San Francisco–based Hint, a healthy lifestyle brand known for its delicious unsweetened flavored water. Since launching in 2005, Hint has introduced an oxybenzone- and paraben-free sunscreen collection using its signature fruit essences, and most recently, a plant-based, aluminum-free eucalyptus + lemon deodorant. Kara produces and hosts her own podcast, Unstoppable with Kara Goldin, where she interviews founders, entrepreneurs, and disruptors across various industries. Keep up with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.