Shift Careers & Dominate Gracefully, Isabel White

10,000 NOs

Isabel White's resume reads like something out of a superhero comic book for professionals: After losing her mother to breast cancer as an early teen, she went on to play Division I Field Hockey and Softball at Yale, despite having blown out her knee in High School. She worked for Bill Clinton in the White House, Harvey Weinstein at Miramax, and then spent two years in Costa Rica, where she discovered Yoga... and a husband... temporarily. Complacent, she is not (the list of her other various careers is extensive, but you'll have to listen to find out). Luckily for us, the self-deprecating humor she employs throughout our conversation also makes her accessible to the average human. She doesn't take any of her accomplishments too seriously, which is quite possibly the exact reason she has been able to pivot so gracefully again and again.

SHOW NOTES:

Dealing with her mother's breast cancer diagnosis at 9 years old, (4:24). Her mother's brief stint seeking treatment in the woods of Oregon with the Cult leader of the popular Wild, Wild Country in the late 1980's, (5:26). Sitting with her mother as she died, the day Isabel was supposed to get her driver's license, (8:36). What she said to her mother as her mother lay in a hospice bed in their basement and how it was the best thing for her, (9:55). Why Isabel was much more prepared for her mother's death than her father's, later on in life, (12:00). Blown out ACL knee injury was a big "no" to her athletic aspirations, (15:07). First job out of college, in 1996, is advance work for President Clinton, (17:28). Isabel's best traits that have led to all of her success in so many varied fields - collaboration & competence are top, (20:23). Where and why Isabel has NOT always succeeded, (21:29). Maturing and figuring out what you're willing to put up with, and where you can thrive, (24:24). Working at Miramax, (24:43). Why she chose to leave the entertainment business after achieving a relatively high level of success, (25:24). Working on the political show, Cross-fire, (27:53). Working for Harvey Weinstein at Miramax in 2001, (31 :56). How a vacation to Costa Rica at age 29 led to a marriage and a two year dropping out of society, (34:20). A difference of opinion with the "millennials" who worked for her when she returned to politics, (41:35). Nightmare story with her idol, Bruce Springsteen, (44:25). Becoming a certified yoga instructor, despite already having a fulltime job, (48:37). Examining the inability to relax and the drive that causes Isabel to pursue such a vast array of expertise, (49:46). How being competent - a.k.a. having the ability to get sh*t done - can be a lure into too many pursuits, (51:09). Becoming an equal partner in an incredibly successful personal stylist business, Dressed Inc., from home, after having children, despite being overwhelmed by it, (54:09). The importance of relationship building, and its effect on Isabel's success, (59:58). Isabel's latest position, alongside her stylist company, with news media company, Axios, from the people who created Politico, (1:00:43). The importance of having reliable friends around who can give you counsel, combined with passion, (1:07:55).

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