Nonlinear
33 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsEveryone's career path is different, built by pivotal moments and choices. We're on a mission to amplify those stories and examine how our decisions shape our careers.
Nonlinear is hosted by Dave Fano, Founder & CEO of Teal—a genuinely consumer-first platform designed to help people grow and manage their careers. Our goal is to empower people to land jobs they love with free tools that guide and automate the process. Learn more at tealhq.com.
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Episodes
From Statistician at Capital One to CMO at Ed-Tech Startup 2U, Jeff Rinehart's Career Means Lifelong Learning
June 14, 2022 09:00 - 44 minutes - 61 MBJeff Rinehart, now a partner at venture capital impact firm City Light Capital, is a self-proclaimed linear thinker with a nonlinear career. From his 11-year tenure at Capital One, where he started as a statistician and ultimately oversaw the company's marketing strategy for the U.S. consumer credit card function. He then went on to join early-stage ed technology startup 2U as their chief marketing officer, and, two years after taking the company public, became a full-time professor...
After Applying to 80+ Roles, This Customer Experience Leader Carved His Own Career Path
June 01, 2022 09:00 - 39 minutes - 54.9 MBThe second-oldest of 10 children in an Orthodox Jewish family, Eli Weiss didn't set out to pursue a career in customer experience—but his love of travel led him to work for a luggage Kickstarter campaign, where he leveraged his skills as a generalist to transform the business and its customer service philosophy. In this episode, Eli—now the Senior Director of Customer Experience and Retention at Jones Road Beauty—reveals his many career learnings, including how to present yourself...
Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro, on Her Recipe for a Nonlinear Career
May 24, 2022 09:00 - 47 minutes - 65.8 MBAmanda Natividad, now the VP of Marketing at SparkToro, has always been a content creator of some kind, whether that meant writing short stories in kindergarten or setting out to be a journalist. After graduating from UCLA, Amanda’s career took an unexpected pivot in her mid-20s: she chose to attend culinary school—which then led her to become a test-kitchen cook and, ultimately, a content marketer. In this episode, Amanda opens up about feeling like college wasn’t for her at first;...
A Former WeWork and Goldman Sachs Exec on Mentorship, Portfolio Careers, and the Future of Work
May 17, 2022 09:00 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBEntrepreneur, investor, and advisor Sam Lee has embraced a portfolio approach to both his career and his life, pursuing experiences that allow him to grow and contribute, whether at Fortune 500 companies like Goldman Sachs, turnaround success companies like AOL, or hypergrowth startup companies like WeWork. In this episode, Sam—now the Founder & CEO of IndeCollective, which focuses on the future of work and empowering independent workers to supercharge their careers—opens up about ...
Microsoft Talent Sourcer Kristi Kennebrew on Persistence and the Power of Transferable Skills
May 10, 2022 09:00 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBKristi Kennebrew's greatest mission in life is to help people land the dream jobs that they’ve always wanted—and now, as a talent sourcer at Microsoft and the founder of Get Me Hired Kristi, she's doing exactly that. A high school love of sports led Kristi to study sports management at the University of Texas, but after struggling with economics classes, she pivoted and went into health (kinesiology, specifically!) before taking a risk and applying for a post-graduation role in sale...
How a Career in Radio Led One Entrepreneur to Reshape the Live Tour Industry
May 03, 2022 09:00 - 47 minutes - 65.4 MBIn Jessi Sanfilippo’s life, the most important thing hasn't been worrying about a big, flashy award for her work, but rather, being herself through the process and learning from each new experience. In this episode, Jessi opens up about her first job in radio (inspired by her love of pop culture icons like the Backstreet Boys); balancing a career with raising a child; how being at home with her son enabled her to tap into her creativity; her “no regrets” mentality when it comes to h...
How Twitter and a Move to London Helped Build a Career in Real Estate
April 26, 2022 09:00 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MBDayle Zielentino, Managing Director at Penny Deer, grew up in Newcastle, UK, intending to be an architect, but after graduating at the tail end of a recession, doubled down on his technical skills to land a job and found himself moving away from the future he'd imagined. From a transformational move to London to a series of career pivots that led him to where he is now in real estate development, Dayle's tapped into the power of networking (both in-person and virtually through Twitt...
Creative Executive Rachel Gogel on Launching Story-Driven Experiences at Facebook, GQ Magazine, The New York Times, and Airbnb
April 19, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 97.3 MBParis native Rachel Gogel has a deep passion to use her voice to help create close-knit, inclusive communities, especially for women and the queer community. After her very first design class at the University of Pennsylvania, Rachel knew that she was where she needed to be and declared her major in design. Post-college, she took internships until she made her way into design work that kept her afloat and broadened her horizons. Not long after, she was given the opportunity to be th...
Risk and Bold Entrepreneurship with Javier Ramírez Lugo, Founder of Cuota
April 12, 2022 09:00 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MB16 years ago, Javier Ramírez Lugo—a native of Puerto Rico—flew thousands of miles from his family and everything else he’d ever known to pursue a dual major in finance and entrepreneurship in Boston, Massachusetts. In this episode, he talks about his journey post-college, from working more structured jobs in finance to taking the plunge and moving to California to help build a startup. From Standard & Poor's to Goldman Sachs, Zenefits to WeWork, here's how family influence, risky de...
Building Startups, Changing Lives Through Crypto
April 05, 2022 09:00 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBNick Mancini is a builder of brands and communities, specializing in their management, leadership, and growth. Beginning in finance, moving to entrepreneurship, then sliding back into the corporate world via cloud sales, he has always had a strong focus on startup companies. Nick jumped headfirst into crypto when it was only in its infancy due to his belief in the importance of understanding the goings-on in the innovation landscape; he then later returned to it post-Covid to build ...
Building Startups, Changing Lives through Crypto
April 05, 2022 09:00 - 46 minutes - 63.4 MBNick Mancini is a builder of brands and communities, specializing in their management, leadership, and growth. Beginning in finance, moving to entrepreneurship, then sliding back into the corporate world via cloud sales, he has always had a strong focus on startup companies. Nick jumped headfirst into crypto when it was only in its infancy due to his belief in the importance of understanding the goings-on in the innovation landscape; he then later returned to it post-Covid to build ...
How One Journalist-Turned-Entrepreneur is Closing the Gender Pay Gap
March 29, 2022 09:00 - 44 minutes - 61.3 MBWhen Meggie Palmer was working as a journalist several years ago, she found out that her male counterparts were making significantly more than she was, and approached HR to inquire about the difference. She was told she had two choices: quit her job if she was unhappy, or hire a lawyer. So she hired a lawyer. Though Meggie’s since pivoted from her career in journalism, she’s still passionate about leveling the playing field for women across industries, helping them push for equality...
From Camp Counselor to Venture Fund Founding Partner, Jessica Peltz Zatulove Invests in the Future
March 22, 2022 09:00 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBOriginally from Minnesota, Jessica Peltz Zatulove moved to New York post-college and began her career doing media strategy for large brands like Gucci, Puma, 20th Century Fox, H&M, and Verizon. Fairly early in her adventure in the corporate world, she became fascinated with startup companies and formulated a plan to begin working with them. She ended up joining one of the first innovation boutiques as their second employee, helping startups find their first customers and helping big...
Small-World Connections, Big Career Dreams
March 15, 2022 09:00 - 40 minutes - 38 MBJennifer Bangoura is a huge believer in finding small-world connections wherever she is in life. Starting her professional life as an Art History and French major in college, she grew very interested in West Africa and later moved to Mali as a Peace Corps volunteer. While she was in Africa between Mali and Bamako, she fell in love with not only the man who would become her husband but also the pursuit of a career path in education. From schooling in Vermont to becoming a travel coor...
How a Life in Theater Birthed a Content and Branding Executive
March 13, 2022 10:00 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBLia Zneimer, now Head of Brand & Content Marketing at Teal, began her professional career in a totally different field. In college, she double majored in English and theater, then post-college she worked professionally in theater in New York. She loved her time doing that, but it was a tiring lifestyle, and she wanted something more stable financially. Through a great deal of self-reflection, she ended up stepping away from theater and moving toward something new—a complete 180° car...
Finding Your Match in Your Career Journey
March 12, 2022 10:00 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBLakshmi Rengarajan is fascinated by how people meet and get to know each other. First honing her people skills as a bartender, she later jumped on an opportunity and got a master’s degree in marketing at her local college. Not too long after, inspired by the recent growth of online dating, she ended up creating her own company, which held singles events modeled after TED Talks. Through time and her unending dedication and commitment, Lakshmi has become an in-demand, professional peo...
The Unexpected and Perfect Journey from Startups to Investing
March 11, 2022 10:00 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBEmily Kramer has spent most of her life in the field of marketing. Through multiple marketing jobs—from her very first at an ad agency in San Francisco to roles at both startups (like Asana) and larger corporations (like Carta)—she realized her love for helping startups grow into flourishing companies. Emily also discovered she enjoyed hiring and building teams, which fit cleanly with her interest in investing in startups. Listen as Emily speaks about the amazing passage of her life...
How a Global Career Path from Within WeWork Led to Growth and Purpose
March 10, 2022 10:00 - 44 minutes - 41 MBAfter graduating with a psychology degree, Lara Perlstein wasn’t really sure where to go next. She decided to take a job in retail and worked her way up to store manager. Over the next few years, she worked multiple different jobs as office managers and administrative assistants, believing that all of the unique experiences she was having would only help to benefit her future. Eventually, she found herself running out of ways to gain new experiences in the corporate world and began ...
From Intrapreneur to Entrepreneur: Taking Initiative to Grow Your Career
March 09, 2022 10:00 - 49 minutes - 45.4 MBRebekah Bastian, the Co-Founder and CEO of OwnTrail, started off her professional life with a mechanical engineering degree because she wanted to be an inventor. She ended up realizing it wasn’t what she expected, and later got a job with Microsoft as a program manager. After about three years there, she sought something different from a large, corporate environment. That’s how she ended up at a new startup called Zillow, where she worked for the next 15 years, essentially touching ...
How Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Leads to a Stronger Career
March 08, 2022 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MBAfter graduating from college with a degree in English, Natalie Sportelli took on a series of internships—most notably at Forbes, where she later accepted a full-time position as an editor (and the first under the age of 30). She found herself especially inspired by founders and startups and got to work more directly with them when she moved from journalism to venture capital. Through multiple career pivots, she has had to re-establish her personal brand with her expertise in each n...
Deliberate Professional Pursuit in an Uncertain World
March 08, 2022 07:00 - 44 minutes - 41.6 MBShay Loko began her professional life pursuing a law degree because it made sense to her—but near completion of the degree, she realized what she actually wanted was something that would help her create connections through her day-to-day life. From sales to a consulting job out of Ireland, to where she is now as a senior account manager in a tech company helping others find jobs in their fields of passion, she’s learned that you should be deliberate, clear, and confident in planning...
Building a Career in Tandem with Self-Exploration
March 08, 2022 07:00 - 35 minutes - 33 MBSally Rogers has gone through multiple major career shifts in her professional life—from academia to banking, consulting, and, most recently, entrepreneurship. Through it all, she began to understand her own interests and motivations, and began to see building a career as an effort existing in tandem with self-exploration. Through this introspection, she ended up leaving behind the corporate world and creating her first startup company, finding herself happier and more unshackled th...
How a Career in Branding Can Take You to the White House
March 08, 2022 07:00 - 45 minutes - 42.3 MBLaura Brounstein is a storyteller, having taken up a deep interest in stories through books and other mediums from a young age. She found her way to her career path through politics, television, magazines, real estate—and now tech. Her life’s through-line is that she was able to propel herself from editing stories to helping brands (and even presidential campaigns) find unique, fresh ways to tell their stories. Join Laura as she details the major turns in her life that led her to be...
Jumping From the World of Sales to Mental Wellness
March 08, 2022 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26.8 MBAlexa Meyer, the Co-Founder and CEO of Coa, has approached her career from the mindset of wanting to build something herself someday. Early in her career, she was recruited into a sales role, which later led her to work for Interbrand, the world’s largest brand strategy company. That experience gave her an understanding of how Fortune 500 companies build brands and marketing strategies that keep them relevant in our constantly changing world. Later, Alexa used her network to find ...
Jeff Bussgang
November 09, 2020 13:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBDave Fano talks with Jeff Bussgang, general partner at Flybridge about evaluating startups both as an investor and an employee. When it comes to a startup, the focus is almost always on the founder ... but together, David Fano and Jeff Bussgang explore the roles and significance of the "joiners." The joiners are the ones that come onboard a company shortly after its conception and often become a tremendous and vital part of the company. Bussgang shares his experience as an entrepren...
Mary Jantsch
November 02, 2020 13:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBDavid Fano talks with Mary Jantsch, People Operations & Remote Work Consultant on a variety of topics related to today's workforce. Together, they discuss how the hiring process is changing as more and more people work from home. They explain the importance of sharpening your communications skills in this remote environment and discuss the distinctions between Human Resources and People Operations. Additionally, they address the new challenges and opportunities that arise with this ...
Craig Robinson
October 05, 2020 12:00 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBIn this episode of Career Paths with Teal, Dave Fano chats with Craig Robinson, who successfully transitioned from tech consulting to real estate about the power of positive thinking, the importance of mentors and the key elements needed to change course in your career. From practical advice to spiritual insights, Craig Robinson pulls from his own experience to provide guidance into ways one can pivot professionally without having to take any major steps backwards. Through their dis...
Kevin Varadian
September 28, 2020 12:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBIn this episode of Career Paths with Teal, guest co-host Erik Martin chats with Kevin Varadian, VP at Cutover and former VP of North American Sales at WeWork, who has one main goal and priority: to fail more often and frequently. By revisiting the earlier years of his career, he explains how failures can be reframed and used to help you maximize your career. With a strong focus on sales, Kevin marks the distinction between a company that focuses on quotas versus one that strives to ...
Stephanie Manning Cohen
September 21, 2020 12:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBIn this episode of Career Paths with Teal, Dave Fano chats with Stephanie Manning Cohen, Senior Director of Platform at Lerer Hippeau, a venture capital firm. When Stephanie landed this role, she said she found her dream job and speaks about the significance of gaining clarity in your career to yield success. Through her own experience, Stephanie identifies the questions one should ask when considering a new role and compares the benefits of working at an early stage company versus ...
Jason Shah
September 16, 2020 16:38 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBIn this episode of Career Paths with Teal, Dave Fano chats with Jason Shah, Product Lead at Airbnb. Jason began his career by launching his own company at just 15 years old, but has a surprising bit of advice for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit: don't be afraid to work for someone else. Reflecting on his own career path, which includes years spent at companies like Microsoft and Amazon, he says it is important to treat a career like a road map, rather than a ladder you're look...
Evelyn Lee
September 08, 2020 14:00 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBThis week on Career Paths with Teal, Dave Fano chats with Evelyn Lee, Senior Experience Designer at Slack; whose career journey has been far from linear. She discusses her journey into architecture, from drawing a floor plan in the fourth grade to now being on the board of the American Institute of Architects. Evelyn addresses transitioning roles and also provides words of advice for those who may want to switch fields and explore other aspects of their expertise. To learn more ab...
Robin Daniels
August 25, 2020 15:26 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBIn an ever-changing job market, the best way to succeed is to approach your career not as an employee, but as an investor. Robin Daniels, current Chief Marketing Officer at Matterport, has worked at some of the biggest tech companies globally, including WeWork, Box, LindkedIn and Salesforce, but never for more than four years! Through conversation with Teal's host Dave Fano, we learn that growth is not always linear and the best job for you might not always translate to the highest ...
Career Paths with Teal | Trailer
August 21, 2020 23:27 - 2 minutes - 1.86 MBWelcome to Career Paths with Teal! Check out our trailer and stay tuned for our first episode. For more information on Teal, visit TealHQ.com.