About the show
We explore the intersection of Tech Leadership & Dream careers. We do this by creating inspiring podcasts - including interviews with amazing individuals in the tech leadership space.
Dr. Jen Bunk earned her Ph.D. in I/O Psychology (a.k.a. The Science of Work). She is a retired Associate Professor and an accomplished speaker & researcher. As the CEO of the People Stack, she’s used her decades of experience to coach hundreds of tech leaders to create their dream careers - and the dream lives that go with them.
Rob Allen (Jen’s husband) is a 20+ year software industry veteran who moved from IC to Leadership in 2010, where the focus has always been on helping the technical folks who worked for him live their best lives. In 2019, he broadened that to the tech community as a whole by joining Jen full-time at The People Stack as her Co-CEO.
The People Stack Podcast on social media
Episodes
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Episode 237: 5 Lessons We Learned From Helping Tech Managers Build Their Dream Careers
June 21st, 2021 | 28 mins 59 secs
At The People Stack, it’s been a humbling honor to coach hundreds of tech managers on their journeys to creating their dream careers.
They’ve landed 30%, 40%, 50%+ raises…
They’ve landed their dream roles at dream companies…
They’ve upleveled their impact…
They’ve upleveled their freedom, joy, and balance!
So, what have we learned in being their guides? In other words, what are the shifts YOU need to make so follow in their footsteps?
Check out this episode right now!
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Episode 236: The #1 Reason Why Our Clients Were Failing to Upgrade Their Tech Careers
June 16th, 2021 | 7 mins 16 secs
The number one reason why our clients were failing to upgrade their tech careers was because they were not evangelizing their excellence.
They were not promoting themselves.
Most of them were doing a lot of hard work on building their excellence as leaders.
But they were doing zero in terms of evangelizing their excellence.
So here's my question to you -
Are you evangelizing your excellence?
And are you doing it confidently, consistently, and with integrity?
No matter what your answer is, I want you to watch this 5-minute video right now.
It’s the first in our Quick Shift series where we’ll share quick mindset and strategic shifts to help you build your dream tech career.
And this is one of the most important shifts.
Because if you don’t effectively evangelize your excellence, there’s no way you’re going to make the impact and earn the income you deserve.
Check it out right now!
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Episode 235: 3 Steps to Landing Your Dream Tech Leadership Job (w/out applying through LinkedIn)
June 14th, 2021 | 27 mins 58 secs
If you’re reading this, you’re either actively on the job market looking for your Hell Yes tech leadership job…
...or you’re thinking about it.
Either way, I know you want proven strategies that won’t waste your time applying for every job you see on LinkedIn, Indeed, or those other sites.
In this episode, I talk about the 3 steps you need to take in order to land an amazing leadership role that fits all of YOUR criteria for “Hell Yes!”
Do not miss this one!
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Episode 234: Are you ready to compete?
June 9th, 2021 | 16 mins 58 secs
Let’s be real for a moment: Right now, there is more competition for tech leadership jobs than ever.
There is more competition for raises and bonuses than ever.
We are sailing through a massive storm together and the only tech leaders who are going to win are the ones who are ready to compete.
In this episode, I talk about what it takes to compete for jobs and bonuses in the tech world right now - and what you need to do to be one of the winners.
Do not miss this one!
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Episode 233: HWPO
June 7th, 2021 | 26 mins 55 secs
Five-time Fittest Man on Earth Mat Fraser is an unstoppable force.
He’s human (we’re pretty sure) - so what’s his secret?
In a hashtag: #HWPO
Hard Work Pays Off
But does it? How does Mat turn this hard work into an amazing life with impossible victories?
And how does this relate to creating impossible victories in your tech career?Tune in now to find out!
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Episode 232: Why Reading Leadership Books is Ruining Your Tech Career
May 31st, 2021 | 27 mins 32 secs
I have nothing against leadership books. But the thing is…
...they’re very likely ruining your career.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that one of our core beliefs is that reading books, watching podcasts, and talking with friends on Slack are the WORST tactics to follow if you want to upgrade your tech career.
In this episode, I explain exactly why and what to do instead so that you can intentionally escape a career where you’re overworked, underpaid, and under-recognized…
..and build a career full of impact, joy, and freedom.
Check it out right now!
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Episode 231: Career Doubts Confirmed
May 26th, 2021 | 27 mins 27 secs
We all have doubts. Doubts about ourselves, other people, the external world.
That’s normal and natural.
What I don’t want is for your doubts to continue to get confirmed.
I don’t want your self-doubt to turn into a stagnating salary or getting fired.
I don’t want your doubts about others to turn into relationships destroyed.
I don’t want your doubts about the world to turn into you staying stuck in a mediocre career.
How do you prevent this so you can build your dream tech career - even amid some doubts and challenges?
Check out this episode immediately!
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Episode 230: Coping with extraordinary career struggles
May 24th, 2021 | 35 mins 22 secs
More than ever, we’ve been talking with tech managers who are coping with extraordinary career struggles.
Out of work for months on end and if they haven’t declared bankruptcy yet, they’ll have to.
Stuck in a dead-end job and, every day, it feels like a little piece of them is dying inside.
On top of that, they’re dealing with massive health and relationship issues too. Hospital beds and divorces are part of these stories.
How do you cope with these extraordinary career and life struggles?
I talk about how and - even more importantly - how NOT to do that in this episode.
Tune in right now!
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Episode 229: You can have any career you want
May 19th, 2021 | 33 mins 33 secs
Yes, you CAN have any career you want!
This is the truth we’ve discovered after thousands of conversations with hundreds of tech manager clients.
Here’s the thing…
We get in our own way. We block ourselves from creating the careers we want!
What are some of the biggest blockers? And how do you overcome them so you can build your dream tech career?
Check out this episode immediately!
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Episode 228: What To Do When Your To-Do List is Filling You with Shame (and it’s destroying your tech career)
May 17th, 2021 | 14 mins 56 secs
You’re procrastinating. You’re putting things off…
That conversation with your boss, updating your resume, reading that leadership book, sending that follow-up email…
And it’s filling you with shame, doubt, an endless spiral toward a permanent residence in Negative Town.
It’s so ironic, isn’t it? Those things on your to-do list are supposed to empower you.
But you have to get them done first.
In today’s episode, I talk about overcoming procrastination so that you can finally tackle even the most uncomfortable actions -
And use this as a catapult to upgrading your teams, your paychecks, your career, and your life.
Check it out right now!
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Episode 227: Why Integrity is the Key to You Career Success
May 12th, 2021 | 16 mins 1 sec
I’m sure you’ve seen disingenuous folks getting ahead and wondered when their reckoning will come. That’s not license though to trade away one of your most valuable assets to get further faster though.
In this episode I talk about why Integrity is the key to making your career dreams possible and what’s at stake when you don’t bring it to the forefront.
Listen now to see how doing what you say, and saying what you mean will propel you not just to a short term gain, but a career full of wins.
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Episode 226: The 5 Lessons We Learned Helping Our Tech Manager Clients Land EPIC Job Offers (even in a pandemic)
May 10th, 2021 | 24 mins 17 secs
There is a massive number of tech managers on the job market right now, so competition is fierce.
Even if you have a shiny resume & LinkedIn profile along with stellar interviewing skills, that is not enough to be able to thrive in this market.
In this episode, I share the 5 lessons we learned to help our tech manager clients thrive on the job market and earn 30%, 40%, even 50+% raises at dream roles.
Check it out immediately!
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Episode 225: Why You’re Scared to Leave Your Job (and how it’s destroying your tech career)
May 5th, 2021 | 28 mins 12 secs
Right now, lots of tech managers are thinking about leaving their jobs.
They want to spread their wings, go on the job market, and find even better opportunities at new companies.
And right now, lots of tech managers are scared to take this leap.
They’re filled with worry, doubt, and uncertainty about jumping into the unknown.
If this is you, I absolutely understand and I want to help.
I also want you to get how this fear is destroying your career.
Check out this episode to find out how to rise about the fear and finally create a career - and a life - full of impact, freedom, and balance.
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Episode 224: The Weird Reason Why “Not Bad” is the Most Dangerous Place to Be Career-Wise
May 3rd, 2021 | 34 mins 47 secs
How’s your career right now?
If you’re like a lot of our potential clients, it’s “not bad.”
As in - it could be better but I’m okay. I’m not ecstatic with joy and in my dream job, but who is really?
I have a stable job, with stable pay, and I’m able to pay the mortgage comfortably every month.
Really, it’s not bad. I can’t complain....
If this is the way you feel about your career right, I want you to check out this episode immediately.
Because “not bad” is dangerous. It’s actually the most dangerous place to be in your career.
Listen now to find out exactly why - and how to fix it!
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Episode 223: A Call to Tech Managers to Get Serious about Evangelizing Your Excellence
April 28th, 2021 | 29 mins 54 secs
The number one reason why most of our clients were failing to upgrade their tech careers…
...was because they were not evangelizing their excellence.
They were not promoting themselves - they were not marketing themselves.
Most of them were doing a lot of hard work on BUILDING their excellence as leaders.
But they were doing ZERO to EVANGELIZE their excellence.
Are you evangelizing your team's excellence?
And are you doing it confidently, consistently, with integrity, and with the right people?
If the answer is no, you owe it to yourself, your team, and your loved ones to fix it right now!
Because you know as well as I know that there's no way that you're gonna get to that next level in your technical career…
There’s no way you’re going to earn that promotion, that raise, that Hell Yes job - without effectively evangelizing your excellence.
Tune in to this episode to learn the 3 keys to evangelizing without sacrificing your integrity or authenticity!
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Episode 222: The Death of Your TO DO List
April 26th, 2021 | 33 mins 27 secs
Take a look at your to do list. What emotions come up for you?
If you’re like a lot of our clients - it’s probably one or more of the following: overwhelm, dread, worry, guilt, shame, apathy.
It’s that “omg I can’t even” feeling.
Your to do list is dying.
Or….maybe you don’t HAVE a to do list. You’re constantly fighting fires without the right tools.
So, your to do list is dead already.
Either way this is wreaking havoc on your career.
Because if you can’t manage your day-to-day tasks, there’s no way you’ll have the time, energy, and focus to build your career.
Right now, your career is DOA.
So let’s fix this!!!
Check out this episode so you can learn how to make your to do list work FOR you instead of AGAINST you - and harness this power to finally earn that raise, promotion, or new job.