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Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel

Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel

Written by: Dr. Cynthia Mercer
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 Tailored for ambitious professional women, this show features candid conversations with powerful business leaders sharing their real stories of success and failure. If you're ready to look up and step up, you're in the right place. Join us and invest in your future today!2025 Careers Economics Personal Success Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • Human Capital Is the Strategy: Why Leaders Must Invest, Not Just Manage | BONUS

    Human Capital Is the Strategy: Why Leaders Must Invest, Not Just Manage | BONUS
    Jan 30 2026
    Join Dr. Cynthia for a solo episode focused on the belief that human capital is the business strategy. Drawing from her new book, Human Capital Investment Strategy, she addresses ambitious professional women, both those still navigating their careers and those who are informal or formal leaders. The episode argues that organizations have often failed to invest in their people, leading to women leaving the workforce at disproportionate rates and to high performers disengaging. Dr. Cynthia introduces a "simple but radical shift": treating people and their collective human capital like investment portfolios, not positions. This means applying intentional allocation, risk assessment, diversification, and long-term planning. She challenges listeners to recognize their influence, even without a title, and to model strategic investment. The real work of climbing the corporate ladder is making it "sturdier, wider, [and] making sure others don't fall through the rungs". Purchase Human Capital Investment Strategy by February 6th to help advance it to bestseller status and strategically expand its reach. Use discount code CCL at checkout. Connect with Dr. Cynthia:
    dr-cynthia.com | @DrCynthiaBentzenMercer | LinkedIn
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    16 mins
  • The One Advantage AI Can't Steal with Josh Linkner | #22

    The One Advantage AI Can't Steal with Josh Linkner | #22
    Jan 27 2026

    In a world where technology is accelerating and traditional advantages are quickly becoming commoditized, what actually sets leaders apart?

    In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel, Dr. Cynthia sits down with Josh Linkner, two-time New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, venture capital investor, professional jazz guitarist, and globally recognized innovation expert.

    Together, they explore why human creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage in the modern workplace. Josh challenges the fear-based narrative around AI and automation, offering a powerful reframe: the goal is not to outpace machines, but to out-human them. While technology can scale tasks, humans bring empathy, judgment, imagination, and meaning, qualities that cannot be replicated or commoditized. Using the vivid analogy of classical versus jazz musicians, Josh explains why today's leaders must move beyond rigid playbooks and learn to improvise, adapt, and think creatively in real time. He also breaks down the difference between imagination, creativity, and innovation, and shares how small, everyday "big little breakthroughs" can transform teams, cultures, and results.

    You'll also learn:

    • Why creativity is not just for artists, but for finance, legal, operations, and customer service
    • The biggest blocker to creativity at work, and how leaders can remove it
    • How to build a culture that unlocks the creative potential already inside your people
    • Why creativity is the foundation of every solution, opportunity, and advancement in human history

    If you want to future-proof your leadership, elevate your impact, and build organizations that thrive in uncertainty, this conversation is your playbook, with a little jazz mixed in.

    Pre-order your copy of Human Capital Investment Strategy: bit.ly/BUYHCIS

    Connect with Josh:

    joshlinkner.com | LinkedIn

    Connect with Dr. Cynthia:
    dr-cynthia.com | @DrCynthiaBentzenMercer | LinkedIn
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    39 mins
  • The Future of Work Is Human (and AI Can't Replace That) with Heather E. McGowan | #21

    The Future of Work Is Human (and AI Can't Replace That) with Heather E. McGowan | #21
    Jan 20 2026

    In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel, Dr. Cynthia sits down with Heather McGowan (named one of Forbes' top futurists), a sought-after strategist, keynote speaker, and two-time bestselling author, to unpack what the future of work actually looks like and why our most valuable advantage isn't technical… it's human.

    Heather challenges the fear-driven narrative that AI is "coming for everyone's jobs," explaining that artificial intelligence works best when humans stay in the loop and workflows are redesigned to optimize both human intelligence and machine capability. The real shift ahead isn't jobs disappearing, it's work transforming, faster than most organizations are prepared for.

    Together, Dr. Cynthia and Heather explore why adaptability is becoming the most important leadership competency, how the COVID era proved we're capable of extraordinary change (and deeper compassion), and why it's time to stop hiring for old skills and start hiring for capacity: learning agility, curiosity, resilience, and comfort with not knowing.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why AI won't replace humans, but leaders who adapt will win

    • How media habits increase stress and distort uncertainty

    • Why hiring must shift from skills to learning capacity

    • How to use AI without "giving up control"

    • The mindset shift leaders need to embrace dissent and collective intelligence

    • Heather's "Start, Stop, Continue" framework for thriving now

    Connect with Heather McGowan:
    HeatherMcGowan.com | LinkedIn | YouTube

    Connect with Dr. Cynthia:
    dr-cynthia.com | @DrCynthiaBentzenMercer | LinkedIn
    Her new book, Human Capital Investment Strategy, is available for pre-sale: bit.ly/BUYHCIS.
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    53 mins
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