Giant Steps with Leilani Brown (formerly Your First Job)

Giant Steps with Leilani Brown (formerly Your First Job, the podcast)On each episode, author, speaker, and CEO Leilani Brown sits down with leaders, innovators, creators, everyday people, and trailblazers to uncover the pivotal decisions, bold reinventions, and daring choices that turned ordinary careers into extraordinary lives. Whether you’re just starting out, ready to make a career move, or looking to reinvent yourself, you’ll find both information and inspiration here.Big change doesn’t happen overnight—sometimes it starts with a single step, a small spark, and one amazing conversation.

Giant Steps with Leilani Brown (formerly Your First Job) is a business podcast hosted by Leilani Brown, with 34 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Leilani Brown hosts Giant Steps with Leilani Brown (formerly Your First Job), a business show with 34 episodes published.

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  Giant Steps with Leilani Brown (formerly Your First Job)

  After 20 Years at Hallmark, She Bet on Herself — Kim Alexis Newton

  Sep 23, 202646 min

  I've known Kim Alexis Newton for years. I pulled her aside once, a while back, and asked her what she was doing next. She told me she was building a portfolio career. I didn't fully understand what that meant then. I do now. For two decades, Kim ran a piece of a billion-dollar business inside Hallmark Cards. On paper, nothing was wrong. She just didn't feel like she was meeting her full potential — so she bet on herself. What she'd been doing quietly on the side for twenty years, taught to her by her grandmother, turned out to be the thing: quilting. A chance introduction to former WW International CEO Mindy Grossman led to her first sale — a piece that ended up in Oprah Winfrey's collection. That moment became a fine art practice, a book ( The Intentional Pause ), a framework she calls F.O.R.E.S.T. for facing the fear that keeps people stuck, and a return to the boardroom, on her own terms. This season I'm asking every guest the same question: what became possible? For Kim, it's a gallery show, a business, a board seat, and a body of work that outlives any single job title. Let's press play. —Leilani Links: kimalexisnewton.com · alexisgiftquilts.com

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  Episode #1

  Betting on Myself at 50: The Rest That Turned Into a Reset | Leilani Brown

  Sep 9, 202647 minS4

  In this milestone episode, the host becomes the guest. To mark five years of Giant Steps, Leilani Brown hands the mic to Sarah Macdonald — her friend and coach of more than 35 years — for an honest look back at the decision that started it all.Five years ago, Leilani planned to rest. Two weeks into that break, a phone call in a Trader Joe's changed everything. What followed — the Time's Up project, 85 confidential interviews, and the choice to bet on herself at 50 rather than return to corporate — became the foundation of the company she runs today. This is a conversation about reinvention, the euphoria and terror of working for yourself, choosing the people who get a front-row seat to your life, and the giant step she's still afraid to take.This season is called What Became Possible. Because sometimes a small decision leads to a giant step.Chapters:00:00 The one time Leilani is the guest00:32 Friends since 1993 — knowing someone over time02:03 The one thing that hasn't changed05:17 What she never would have believed07:55 Rest and nest — the break that lasted two weeks09:36 The Trader Joe's call — Time's Up11:08 85 interviews and what they taught her13:47 The decision to run at it18:51 Euphoria and terror — five years in business24:26 Choosing your people29:28 Why clients hire her — the greatest amount of care36:49 What she's most proud of40:03 Running her own race — success to significance43:33 The giant step she's afraid to take — Journeys Home45:14 Where to find Giant StepsConnect & keep stepping:Substack: giantstepsllc.substack.comYouTube: @giantstepsllcListen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Audible, and Amazon MusicGiant Steps with Leilani Brown features in-depth conversations with executives, founders, and leaders about the pivotal decisions and bold reinventions that shape meaningful work. New episodes drop biweekly on Wednesdays.#GiantSteps #LeilaniBrown #Entrepreneurship #CareerChange #Reinvention #WomenInBusiness #BettingOnYourself #WhatBecamePossible

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  Episode #11

  SEASON 3 BONUS EPISODE - How to Make Any Application Stand Out — The MATCH ME Formula with Dr Vicki Johnson

  Apr 15, 202637 minS3

  <p>If you've ever been told your goals are too high, your credentials aren't strong enough, or you should have a backup plan — this episode is your answer.</p><p><br></p><p>Dr. Vicki Johnson, founder of ProFellow and author of Pitch Your Potential, built a 7-part formula for winning competitive opportunities that has helped her community secure over $500 million in merit-based awards. In this conversation, she breaks down the MATCH ME Formula® and shows you how to apply it to jobs, fellowships, promotions, board seats, and any opportunity where you need to make a case for yourself.</p><p><...

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  Episode #10

  Meeting the Moment - The Best of Season 3 | Giant Steps with Leilani Brown

  Feb 25, 202624 minS3

  <p>In the Season 3 finale of Giant Steps with Leilani Brown, host Leilani Brown looks back at a season intentionally built to meet the moment of mass layoffs, AI disruption, and career uncertainty. </p><p><br></p><p>This best-of episode features curated clips and the six key lessons from Season 3’s most impactful guests.  </p><p>Dr. Helen Riess, a Harvard psychiatrist, explains why self-compassion—not self-criticism—is the strongest foundation for rebuilding after job loss. </p><p>Career strategist Rachel Tully introduces the Boa Constrictor Approach, a targeted job search method she used to land a role at Tesla. <...

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  Episode #9

  Why This Leadership Expert Says the Black Church Is the Most Overlooked Leadership Incubator in America | L. Michelle Smith

  Feb 18, 202635 minS3

  <p>What if the most powerful leadership development program in America isn’t at Harvard or McKinsey — but has been operating in Black churches for centuries?</p><p>L. Michelle Smith — award-winning author, Fortune 100 C-suite advisor, ICF certified executive coach, and CEO of No Silos Communications — joins Leilani to make the case that the Black church is the most overlooked leadership incubator in this country. Her new book, Call and Response: 10 Leadership Lessons from the Black Church, draws on cultural history, applied neuroscience, and positive psychology to show how the skills forged in that experience — communication, resilience, community building, and purpose —...

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