Caroline Wanga on the Career Path No One Tells You About | from Hello Monday
5/28/202630 min
Careers rarely move in a straight line, and for many people, the old roadmap no longer works. In this special feed drop from LinkedIn’s Hello Monday, host Jessi Hempel sits down with Caroline Wanga for a conversation about building a career with intention, authenticity, and room to evolve.
As president and CEO of Essence Ventures and co-founder of Wanga Woman, Caroline has spent years helping people rethink success on their own terms. Before leading Essence, she spent 15 years at Target, rising from intern to the C-suite — a journey that taught her the value of continuously revisiting, reshaping, and even reinventing your career map.
Jessi and Caroline discuss:
- Why your “next right move” may not look like anyone else’s
- Why playing with your career map, not perfecting it, leads to clarity
- How, and when, Caroline has created her own career maps
- The role of authenticity in leadership and life
- What it really takes to live and work with personal purpose
- Tools and mindsets for building a meaningful career in today’s world
Caroline also shares insights from her memoir, I’m Highly Percent Sure, and offers a refreshing perspective for anyone questioning what comes next.
Follow Jessi Hempel and Caroline Wanga on LinkedIn, and listen to more Hello Monday wherever you get your podcasts
For the full text transcript, visit https://www.ted.com/podcasts/worklife-transcripts
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAdam Grant· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hey Worklifers, I'm bringing you something special today that I think you're gonna love. My friend Jessi Hempel hosts a podcast called Hello Monday. It's one of my favorites, and if you don't already listen, you should. What I love about her show is how wide she casts the net. Leaders, authors, thinkers all circling the same question: What does work actually mean to us? This episode featuring Caroline Wanga, president and CEO of Essence Ventures, tells the story of how she figured out what kind of career she actually wanted and how she knew when it was time to make a move. It's the kind of conversation where someone's specific experience ends up feeling really universal. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and if you want more, you can find Hello Monday wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 20:53
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