Isaac Sundsted took an unconventional path into tech and gaming. In this episode of Your Career, Unscripted, Isaac shares his journey from sign language interpreter in courtrooms and emergency rooms to strategy consulting at Accenture, business development at Xbox, and now leading gaming partnerships at Samsung. We talk about career pivots, learning to navigate corporate environments, building resilience in the face of rejection, clever job search strategies, and what it really means to do zero-to-one business development inside large organizations. Isaac also breaks down what business development actually looks like day to day, how to think about scale and impact, and why owning—and loving—your non-linear story is one of the most powerful career advantages you can have.

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Sarah Bond is the President of Xbox, and I am beyond honored to have her as this week’s guest on Your Career, Unscripted!

For some context: when I was brainstorming dream guests, Sarah immediately came to mind. I had seen many of her talks on gaming, leadership, and empathy, and found them deeply impactful. Reaching out felt like a stretch, but I’ve learned it’s always worth pushing yourself to try to make a connection anyway.

Huge thanks to Shawn Layden for the intro—and to Sarah for graciously joining me to share her story.

Sarah discusses:

• How the only person you can ever beat in life is your younger self
• The lightbulb moment she had after her daughter was born—and how it drove her to impact the world her daughter was walking out into
• The importance of recognizing that every single day, you re-earn credibility with your team
• Her experience getting the Activision Blizzard King deal confirmed—how she led the team through the process, wrote them a note before the decision came out, and ensured the sentiment of their work would persist no matter the outcome
• A moment with Satya Nadella that influenced her leadership style
• Career advice on taking up space

I learned so much from Sarah before I ever met her—and had a lot of self reflection and sharing to do after we spoke. I highly recommend listening to this episode if you’re looking for career inspiration, advice on self-confidence, stories on leadership and negotiation, and insight into the different chapters of her career—alongside so much unique and helpful advice.

Sarah - thank you for the kindness, time, inspiration, and advice. It was an honor. Listen below and follow me @Jane Bernhard for more career stories!

Hamilton hits theaters this Friday! On this week’s episode of Your Career, Unscripted, I spoke with Broadway Producer Jill Furman, who was there from the very early days of Hamilton. She shared what it was like recognizing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius early on in 2003 when she saw an early version of In the Heights for the first time, to the beginning days of Hamilton, to the unforgettable White House moment with Chris Jackson as George Washington singing to President Obama in his final term in office.

This interview was a bit surreal for me. Hearing the personal stories behind the creation of my favorite shows—and getting advice on career uncertainty, confidence, and pushing beyond your comfort zone—from Jill - a person whose career I could not admire more - meant so much.

🎧 Listen to hear her story, the journeys behind In the Heights and Hamilton, and career wisdom from a truly generous, authentic, and compelling voice - who was in the room where it happened.