You're highly capable. So why does your next move feel so unclear?
For senior leaders at a career inflection point — whether navigating a layoff, a values misalignment, or a long-overdue pivot — the problem is rarely a lack of skill. It's a lack of perspective.

In this episode, executive coach and strategic advisor Karen Kunkel Young joins host Lori Adams-Brown to talk about what high-performing leaders consistently miss when they're standing at a crossroads — and what it actually takes to move forward with clarity, agency, and intention.

In this conversation, you'll discover:



• Why the habits and communication styles that made you successful may now be holding you back — and how to see that shift before it costs you


• How to reclaim ownership of your career narrative, especially when external forces (layoffs, leadership changes, industry shifts) have made you feel like a passenger


• The critical transition from expert executor to strategic leader — and why skipping the mindset shift is a lose-lose for everyone


• How to advocate powerfully for your impact without it feeling like bragging — including the storytelling framework that connects your achievements to business outcomes


• A practical approach to fear in high-stakes transitions: how to name it, feel it, and use it as a launchpad rather than a brake

About Karen Kunkel Young:
Karen Kunkel Young is an executive coach and strategic advisor known as "the telescope in the room" — helping senior leaders step back far enough to see the blind spots, shifting influence, and hidden opportunities their current vantage point obscures. With nearly 30 years of experience as a global media showrunner (including Project Runway and Tim Gunn's Guide to Style), Karen brings a master storyteller's precision to leadership transitions, executive presence, and career pivots.

Timestamps:



• 00:00 — Introduction & why this moment demands perspective over pace


• 01:12 — What highly capable leaders aren't seeing clearly right now


• 03:51 — You are the CEO of your career: reclaiming agency


• 07:30 — The expert-to-leader transition: why it's a lose-lose without support


• 10:04 — What the telescope reveals: the hard truth that changes how leaders lead


• 13:42 — Naming unspoken fear in high-stakes transitions


• 18:46 — How your narrative expands or limits your future influence


• 23:02 — Advocacy without bragging: the storytelling framework that works


• 28:14 — Coaching leaders through emotionally difficult career transitions


• 33:57 — Advice for high-performing women in a slow, painful job search


• 38:30 — Where to find Karen Kunkel Young


• 39:44 — Lori's closing reflection on perspective, resilience, and sustained impact

Find Karen Kunkel-Young at:
🌐 karenkunkelyoung.com (%E2%81%A0www.karenkunkelyoung.com%E2%81%A0)
💼 LinkedIn: Karen Kunkel Young (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenkunkelyoung/)

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Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources, tools, and episodes designed for globally-minded leaders.

Watch this episode on YouTube here (https://youtu.be/KDXN4i9pQVw) .

Join us for an exclusive with Karen on Patreon here (https://www.patreon.com/posts/exclusive-with-151052648?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link) .

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