E159 | Don’t Chase your career. Coach It. | Shyam Sadasivan

Career growth doesn’t have to look like a ladder to the top. We unpack what it means to build a lattice—moving sideways, going deeper, and sometimes stepping down to step forward—with practical tools you can use today. With coach and speaker Shyam Sadasivan, we challenge the labels that box us in, celebrate the “deep generalist” who has breadth with chosen depth, and replace prestige metrics with a new currency: Impact, Network, Renewal. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to pivot or feared losing what you’ve built, this conversation will give you a grounded path forward.

We start with identity and momentum: “I’m starting from zero, I’m not zero.” From there, Shyam shows how to separate an itch from a true direction by giving ideas time to prove their stickiness. Test-drive change through two-way doors—reversible experiments like pro bono projects and informational interviews—while managing risk like snakes and ladders: avoid big mistakes, keep your downsides small. When promotions stall, we explore how to create real progress through better conversations, adjacent roles, and richer mastery.

Decision-making gets sharper with the head-heart-gut model. You’ll learn simple ways to hear each voice, use premortems to anticipate failure before it happens, and wield the power of “yet” to turn fear into a learning plan. We also dig into the traps that keep people stuck—golden handcuffs, sunk cost bias, and envy—and offer a life-first prioritization: who you’re with, where you live, and what you do. Expect practical micro experiments, candid stories, and book picks that balance specialist excellence with generalist range. If you’re ready to redefine success on your terms, press play and tell us the one experiment you’ll start this week. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show.