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The Courageous Choice

The Courageous Choice

By: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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Summary
 Every breakthrough begins with a decision — a moment of hesitation followed by a leap. “The Courageous Choice” is the podcast that explores those defining moments when leaders, entrepreneurs, changemakers, and individuals bet on themselves, defy expectations, and step into the unknown. Hosted by Jamie Jacobs, founder and CEO of Gig Talent, each episode explores bold career moves and industry-shaping innovations. We dive into the risks, the resilience, and the rewards that come with making the courageous choice.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Leading Without the Mask

    Leading Without the Mask
    Nov 10 2026
    What would it take to leave a job you love, with steady pay and great people, to bet on yourself? Tacy Riehm, Founder of Vos Consulting, joins Jamie Jacobs to share how her family's adoption of their fourth child pushed her to leave the company where she had spent 15 years and start the consulting, coaching and keynote practice she has now run for 11 years. She talks about the feedback that urged her to fit a corporate mold, why she chose to show up as herself instead, and why leaders today earn more trust by dropping the mask than by pretending to have every answer. Tacy also explains why mid-level managers carry the weight of misaligned leadership teams, how assuming positive intent changes hard conversations, and why most people who feel stuck have more agency than they realize. Key Takeaways A personal catalyst can push you past comfort. Tacy left a corporate job she loved when her family was adopting their fourth child, a risk she says she would not have taken otherwise and has never regretted. A new consulting practice needs a clear focus. Offering to do everything on the human side of business got Tacy nowhere at first; a narrow, targeted offer came first and the broader scope came later. Being yourself is a business decision. Tacy accepted that she is not the right fit for everyone, which lets her have harder and more honest conversations with clients. Leaders no longer need to have all the answers. People can tell when a leader is struggling behind a mask, and leaders who admit what they don't know and co-create with their teams keep their trust. Cross-functional work needs cross-functional alignment. As AI and other changes cut across departments, Tacy spends more of her time on team dynamics than on individual leadership development. Alignment starts with the first team. Using Lencioni's first team model, Tacy shows how unresolved tension among executive peers turns into conflict between the teams below them. Mid-level managers carry the weight of misalignment above them. They are asked to deliver results and keep their teams happy without clear ownership, decision rights or agreements on how peers work together. Before you leave a role, look in the mirror. Tacy asks clients whether they have done everything on their side of the fence, because unresolved patterns follow people to the next job. Assuming positive intent and asking "What am I missing?" takes courage. Curious questions replace the stories we tell ourselves and help teams say what needs to be said. You have more agency than you think. Tacy's arrow tattoo reminds her to pause, ask whether her work and life are still serving her, trust her own direction and correct course when she needs to. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction and guest background 1:54 Leaving corporate: the courageous leap 4:33 Focusing your consulting offerings 6:48 Redefining success through authenticity 13:04 Co-creation replaces having all answers 15:09 How leadership development is evolving 17:06 Cross-functional team alignment challenges 24:09 When to stay vs. make a career move 27:54 What courage looks like across the workforce 31:37 One courageous choice to make this year Connect with Tacy Riehm LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tacy-riehm-41924210/ Website: https://www.vosconsulting.com Thanks for listening to The Courageous Choice. Be sure to leave us a review and subscribe so you don't miss any conversations. For more information, visit gigtalentagency.com or email us at podcast@gigtalentagency.com if you have any questions. #StartupCulture #OrganizationalTransformation #StrategicLeadership
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    35 mins
  • Betting on Yourself: From Junior Engineer to CEO

    Betting on Yourself: From Junior Engineer to CEO
    Oct 27 2026
    What would it take to leave a well-paid job and start over as a student with barely enough money for tuition? Sri Peruvemba, CEO of Marketer International Inc., joins Jamie Jacobs to share the choices that took him from an engineering career in India to helping grow E Ink and advising technology companies. He describes the bosses who gave him room to advance, the spreadsheet he uses to weigh career moves, and what he has learned from helping hundreds of people with their job searches. Key Takeaways Promotion rules based on tenure can hold back strong performers. Sri left a successful career in India after realizing that better results would not be enough to move him forward. Leaders who support ambitious employees can help them grow quickly. Sri credits bosses who recognized his ability and gave him opportunities, including four promotions in roughly a year at his first U.S. employer. Taking on neglected work can open unexpected doors. Clearing his boss's backlog of "fish files" helped Sri move from engineering into product management. A weighted spreadsheet can clarify a difficult choice. Sri compares his current role, a new opportunity and an ideal job against the factors that matter most to him. A prestigious role can still leave you feeling like a number. The chance to contribute directly helped Sri choose E Ink over an established position at Sharp. Building a new market takes close collaboration with customers. Sri describes how E Ink and Amazon worked through early product problems together as the Kindle took shape. Mentoring works best when people can apply the lesson to their own circumstances. Sri shares personal examples and helps mentees work out their next steps. A goal bigger than your current circumstances can create motivation. Sri encourages mentees to identify what they want to accomplish and use it as a guide. Focus requires turning down opportunities. Sri advises founders to be selective and job seekers to communicate one clear area of expertise. Revisit your goals and the assumptions behind your choices. A smaller title or a move to another city may help you reach the future you want; taking responsibility for your own development can also benefit the people around you. Timestamps 0:34 Jamie introduces Sri Peruvemba and his career 1:50 Sri hits the glass ceiling in India 4:00 He leaves for the US as a student 11:36 The CEO calls and promotes him to VP 19:16 The decision to join a startup and what felt different immediately 23:12 Amazon, the Kindle and E Ink's growth to over $1B 30:50 Hunger to succeed and how a North Star goal is important 38:57 Closing advice: set goals and focus on yourself Connect with Sri Peruvemba LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peruvemba/ Website: https://www.marketerinternational.com Thanks for listening to The Courageous Choice. Be sure to leave us a review and subscribe so you don't miss any conversations. For more information, visit gigtalentagency.com or email us at podcast@gigtalentagency.com if you have any questions. #StartupCulture #OrganizationalTransformation #StrategicLeadership
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    42 mins
  • The Courage Behind a Deep Tech Breakthrough

    The Courage Behind a Deep Tech Breakthrough
    Oct 13 2026
    Why are AI data centers using so much power, and could computers move data with light instead of electricity? In this episode, scientist, inventor and entrepreneur Dr. Raj Dutt talks about more than two decades of work in integrated photonics. His technology replaces copper wiring with light to move information faster, with less energy and in smaller systems. He covers the path from a childhood in India, and a family connection to Satyendra Nath Bose of Bose-Einstein fame, to defense research for DARPA and the Joint Strike Fighter. He also shares what it costs personally to stay with a breakthrough that arrived before the market was ready for it. Listeners will learn how the energy problem behind AI developed, why systems thinking matters more than solving one isolated problem, how leaders can build teams that ask better questions, and why AI is more likely to move people up the value chain than replace them. Key Takeaways Copper wiring between chips creates resistance and heat. Photonics uses light to move data with far less energy. How the photonic system discussed cut power, latency and size by about a factor of 20 each compared with the systems available at the time. AI data centers may need two to three times today's US power generation, so energy efficiency has become a national priority. Breakthroughs usually come as a chain of problems. Solving the chip leads to solving the manufacturing equipment behind it. Systems thinking, which Dr. Dutt calls a system of systems, produces bigger results than improving one process. Deep tech entrepreneurship takes years of sacrifice, personal financial risk and the belief that the science will hold up. Money alone does not keep top talent. Challenging work and shared ownership do. Good leaders invite disagreement, avoid surrounding themselves with yes people, and treat every idea as worth hearing. AI will change jobs but will not replace human judgment. People move up the value chain as machines handle repetitive trial and error. Questioning assumptions can lead to unexpected discoveries, such as detectors that turned out to work at quantum temperatures. Timestamps 00:55 Welcome and introduction 03:07 Growing up in India and early education 05:54 Family ties to Bose-Einstein physics 09:46 Coming to America with eight dollars 11:58 From scientist to entrepreneur 17:16 Seeing the limits of Moore's Law early 20:05 How photonics cuts AI energy use 24:54 The real cost of entrepreneurship 32:15 Will AI replace human workers 45:02 Motivating talent beyond money Connect with Dr. Raj Dutt https://www.linkedin.com/in/birendra-dutt-3122761/https://www.linkedin.com/company/apic-corp Thanks for listening to “The Courageous Choice.” Be sure to leave us a review and subscribe so you don’t miss any conversations. For more information, visit gigtalentagency.com or email us at podcast@gigtalentagency.com if you have any questions. #StartupCulture #OrganizationalTransformation #StrategicLeadership
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    58 mins
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