We may feel powerless at times like these, but we are not.

Over 70M people in the U.S. didn’t want the outcome we are dealing with now. Millions more are now regretting choices made that enabled what is happening.

However, if we unite, we become powerful. The coordinated focus of our time, energy, and money would have a massive impact on those who think we have no voice.

We are familiar with the idea of voting with our dollars. We change our spending habits to favor one business over another, to show that we reject a corporation’s policies, and to influence a company’s actions. It happens all the time.

But we also live in an online world that isn’t about the money we spend with a company. Instead, it’s about the time and attention we give to their platforms, services, and apps. We are the product. Our data, behavior, and clicks are harvested to feed their advertising platforms. We don’t pay Meta to use Facebook, for example. But that corporation sure makes a significant profit from our time spent in the app.

So, we can vote with our time and attention, too, not just our dollars. By deactivating or deleting our accounts, we can starve specific platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X). We can also feed other platforms that represent the values we believe in (e.g., Bluesky).

Money talks. When a company loses enough advertising revenue, they take notice. They may decide to change their policies and actions before it’s too late, and they lose everything. We have the power to make that happen if we are willing to redistribute our time and attention.

We can decide how we spend our money, time, and attention. We get to choose the companies that we feel are aligned with our values. But there is another way to live your values and influence policy that we don’t talk about as often:

Where you work.

You can also “vote” with your blood, sweat, and tears. Our jobs are where we spend a significant portion of our adult lives. Of course, we need to work to live. We must cover our bills, buy groceries, and pay for housing.

But work is already hard enough without being completely miserable while we are doing it. And working for an employer that doesn’t align with your values adds another layer of pain to the misery.

Being selective about choosing an employer is undoubtedly a privilege that not everyone can enjoy. If you live in a small community with few employers and no options for remote work, you are stuck with few choices. I grew up in a tiny farm town like that. The online world hadn’t been created yet, and few local employers existed. You took any job you could find.

However, those who do have more options for their career paths can use this opportunity to research, plan, and select employment that:

* Aligns with their values.

* Supports their belief system.

* Positions them for the future.

* Gives them flexibility and resilience.

This podcast episode discusses these points in more detail, so scroll up, hit play, and listen.

In summary, you have more power than you think to help change this world and right wrongs.

* You can vote with your dollars to help influence policy.

* You can vote with your time and attention to make change happen.

* You can vote with your blood, sweat, and tears to reward the right kind of employers with the precious remaining time in your career.

You deserve a career and a job that makes you feel good about waking up on Monday mornings!

📖 Get your free chapter from the book I’ve been writing for the last few years, Becoming Invincible in Life: A Guide to Reclaiming Your Power, Freedom, and Future. I’m in the editing phase right now, so I’ll hopefully be able to publish it later this year!

I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” My wife and I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe.

My guest for this episode is Sarah JanTausch, the Founder of SRJ Coaching and Consulting and creator of the Values-Based Career method. This method helps individuals unlock the hidden job market and ditch burnout while creating a career move rooted in their core values, ideal work style, and goals.

Before starting her own business, she worked in politics and government, serving Ohio’s Governor and lieutenant governor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University.

About Sarah

“I’m a speaker, trainer, and coach who works with individuals to create values-based careers. I also partner with organizations serving both students and job-seekers for the job market of the future. My specialties include career-pivots and generosity-based networking that makes creating genuine connections and growing your network feel almost completely effortless.

Previously, I crafted my dream career working in politics and government. While serving Ohio’s Governor and Lt. Governor in various leadership roles and advocating for effective public policy, I ran multimillion dollar programs and I led a team while overseeing statewide outreach. I earned my Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University where I majored in Politics & Government. As a mid-career professional, I went back to school to earn my Master of Science in Management and Leadership at Western Governors University. I am a member of the National and Ohio Career Development Associations (OCDA) and I currently chair the OCDA’s government relations committee.

Our total vocational impact includes more than just our day-to-day work. I love exploring and helping my clients define the impact they want to make on the world. For me, this includes a variety of volunteer roles I’ve held in my community, from volunteer board positions to spending approximately 15 years on political campaign work. I’ve worked on key issues including healthcare, substance abuse, education, and recreation. When I’m not working or volunteering, you can find me hanging out with my husband and our two cats Peanut Butter and Blaze or hitting up a local coffee house.”

We talk about

* How and why she pivoted her career even though she thought she had landed her dream job.

* The surprising connection between a childhood passion and her solopreneur business.

* A common mistake that many job seekers make.

* How she works with her career coaching clients to uncover their values and find a job that is aligned with them.

Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.

Where to find Sarah

* Her website

* LinkedIn

30 for $20! ☎️

Schedule a call and get 30 minutes of coaching for just $20 on any career topic you want to cover. Save $177 off the regular price! Note: This offer is only available for new clients who haven’t worked with me before.

I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.

My guest for this episode is Isabel Sterne, a writer, designer, and brand strategist who helps entrepreneurs and professionals build aligned brands. She offers LinkedIn visual design, content writing, marketing clarity calls, and monthly and project-based marketing and branding support.

I always talk about treating your career like a business that sells a product called “you.” As such, you should invest in your professional brand and leverage LinkedIn to attract new opportunities.

Before starting her own business, she worked for 12+ years in marketing and communications for global brands like Condé Nast and Effie Awards. She also has a B.Sc. in Communication from Cornell University.

When I encountered Isabel on LinkedIn, I first noticed how funny her posts are. Then, I noticed how much engagement she was getting on those posts. She’s humble about this, but I like to say that she’s conquered LinkedIn. If you’re not following her there, you should be!

About Isabel

​Isabel Sterne helps founders and solopreneurs develop their reputations and attract more opportunities on LinkedIn and beyond.

She provides design, ghostwriting, and strategy support for those looking to level up their LinkedIn presence and be seen as the experts they are.

Late identified as neurodivergent, she's also passionate about neurodiversity advocacy and raising awareness about the challenges and advantages of thinking differently.

We talk about

* How she became more active on LinkedIn after being burned out by layoffs.

* Why she decided to start her consulting practice doing what she had always been doing for her employers (e.g., creating marketing content).

* How she would have told her younger self to put herself out there more.

* What she does to be so successful on LinkedIn by being more human and authentic.

* The role of AI in content creation and mistakes people make with it.

* How she helps her clients get more out of LinkedIn and social media.

* The challenges of being neurodivergent in the workplace.

Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.

Where to find Isabel

* LinkedIn

* Substack

* Her website

30 for $20! ☎️

Schedule a call and get 30 minutes of coaching for just $20 on any career topic you want to cover. Save $177 off the regular price! Note: This offer is only available for new clients who haven’t worked with me before.

I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you take complete control of your work and life so you can become a more “Invincible You.” I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.

My guest for this episode is Emily Schneider, a visual storyteller specializing in presentation design. She helps businesses and corporate leaders confidently transform their messages into beautiful, effective presentations that genuinely resonate with their intended audiences.

If you give talks and presentations, her advice is invaluable. Becoming comfortable with public speaking is one of the best investments I have made in my career. I was also lucky enough to receive advanced media training and present a lot during my last few years as a corporate executive. Learning how to tell a compelling story through your words and slides is essential if you want to persuade and inspire others.

About Emily

“​My passion for simplifying complex content has become a bit of a magical knack — blending storytelling with a keen design eye. I'm not just a designer; I'm a strategic collaborator, dedicated to helping businesses confidently transform their messages into beautiful, effective presentations that truly resonate with their intended audiences.

​What started with pink pixelated swirls and a questionable font choice as the invitation for my sweet sixteen luncheon has morphed into a creative business venture. My nearly two decades spent in the marketing and branding space, combined with my passion to help simplify information for clients in a vibrant and compelling way, make me a perfect partner for your presentation needs.”

We talk about

* Her background as an art director, creative director, and director of brand strategy and marketing.

* Why she decided to start her consulting practice.

* How she helps companies with presentation design and storytelling consulting.

* What people struggle with the most with presentations.

* Where she focuses her business.

* How she finds new clients.

Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.

Where to find Emily

* Her consulting website

* Emily’s LinkedIn

During our conversation, I mentioned the book Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (Voices That Matter) (my Amazon affiliate link). Check it out!

30 for $20! ☎️

Schedule a call and get 30 minutes of coaching for just $20 on any career topic you want to cover. Save $177 off the regular price! Note: This offer is only available for new clients who haven’t worked with me before.

I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.

My guest for this episode is Maureen Wiley Clough. Maureen is the host of It Gets Late Early, a podcast and community of tech employees bringing awareness to the issues facing experienced workers and striving to create a better working world for all.

I’ve talked about the issue of ageism in the tech industry before. I faced it myself a few times, and I witnessed discriminatory behavior during my decades-long career (e.g., during job interviews). I wrote a post on LinkedIn about embracing aging, which is how I met Maureen and got invited to her podcast. So, now she has returned the favor and joined me for this episode to talk about her mission to shine a light on ageism and find a better way to move forward in the working world as we all grow older.

About Maureen

Maureen built a successful career in tech. But as she looked around the Zoom room at her last early-stage startup, she was struck by the fact that the number of people over 40 were slim to none.

When she realized she had observed a similar demographic makeup in her past roles at more mature organizations, she began to wonder about her ability to chart her own course in this sector for as long as she wanted - or needed - to be employed. She also recognized that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs had not focused on the issue of age, the one “ism” coming for all of us (and that’s if we’re lucky).

So, she set out to start conversations with her peers and conduct research to understand reality and build towards a better, more inclusive future for all - no matter what your age.

We talk about

* When Maureen first encountered ageism in her career

* Why she started her podcast “It Gets Late Early”

* How ageism will affect all of us (if you’re lucky to live long enough)

* How age discrimination negatively impacts corporations

* The unexpected ways ageism creeps into recruiting, hiring, and promotion practices

* Why return-to-office hurts parents and older workers

* What you can do to be better prepared as you advance in your career

* How Maureen can help companies improve their recruiting practices, hiring policies, organizational policies, and more to help find and nurture great talent, regardless of age

Scroll up and hit play to listen to our full conversation.

Where to find Maureen

* It Gets Late Early (website, podcast episodes, and newsletter)

* LinkedIn

* Instagram

* Threads

I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.

Do you have an enemy at work?

Okay, maybe that’s too strong of a word. 😂

How about people who make your life harder than it needs to be, react to everything you do with some negativity, and generally make you wish they weren’t in your life?

I often talk about using a pull to draw you toward better opportunities in your career.

* Growth opportunities

* Professional challenges

* New jobs that offer a promotion or significant raise

* A chance to work on something exciting

* An opportunity to work with talented people

* A role that will teach you something new

However, sometimes a push is helpful or even necessary. For example, when you:

* Are too comfortable with a job and no longer growing or learning

* Get stuck in a rut but don’t know how to get out of it

* Are fearful of taking a risk and embracing change that will take you to the next level

* Have lost confidence in yourself and are settling for less

* Need someone to speak an uncomfortable truth you’ve been avoiding

In this podcast episode, I explore the concept of having a yin-yang of positive and negative people in your personal and professional life. I’ll share a few times when I needed a hard push to get back on track, which made me accept and appreciate the role haters have played in my life.

Want to get some advice from me, but you’re nervous about spending money on a full coaching package? Well, you’re in luck! Check out my Introductory Coaching Call → 30 minutes for just $20! Note: This service is only available for a onetime initial call. Check it out!

I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.

Have you experienced one of those one-way video interviews during a job search? It can feel a little intimidating to talk into your laptop camera, knowing it’s recorded and you’re not speaking live with another human being.

I recently helped my son prepare for one of these interviews. We focused on three main strategies to ensure his readiness.

* Analyzing the job description

* Talking with current and past employees

* Preparing for this new type of interview

In this podcast episode (scroll up and hit play), I discuss each of these strategies in more detail.

By the way, I recently launched a new Introductory Coaching Call → 30 minutes of coaching for just $20! Note: this service is only available as a onetime initial call. Check it out!

I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.