From Idea to Impact: Our First Season of Careers & Character
What started as a fun experiment, a simple idea to record interesting conversations, has turned into a meaningful project for us. In one month, weโve sat down with nine remarkable guests: Olympians, hostage negotiators, investors, military officers, performers, and more. Each shared a piece of themselves that challenged, inspired, and taught us something new.
In this review episode, we reflect on the common threads that surfaced again and again. Here are our ten favourite lessons from Season One.
Key Takeaways and Highlights
๐ข๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ: โThe best day of your life is the one where you realize your problems are your own.โ That quote, by cognitive-behavioral therapist Albert Ellis, became a refrain. From Anton leaving law, to Katinka creating her own role, to Kilian inventing a job that didnโt exist, each guest took radical responsibility for their path.
๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐: Fabianโs turning point came when he stopped chasing medals and started enjoying the grind. โWhen I fell back in love with the process, the results followed.โ From controlling the controllables to doing the basics well, our guests reminded us: itโs the day-to-day discipline that makes the difference. โThe score takes care of itself.โ
๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต: George V. overcame a childhood stutter by throwing himself into the deep end in the military. Olli gave up elite swimming at 20 to start a completely new sport and went on to win Olympic gold. As John reflected, โYou donโt get the reward unless you take the risk.โ Whether it was a career pivot or a major life change, growth lived just outside the comfort zone.
๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐: โWe become the average of the five people we spend time with.โ Connor brewed coffee for his neighbours in class. George Vind pushed classmates with tactful questions. Professor George Kohlrieser taught us that real leadership is โ100% caring and 100% daringโ and that bonds must come before boldness. โCreate the psychological safety first, then dare to challenge.โ
๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ: โTherapy is not for fixing something broken. Itโs like brushing your teeth,โ according to Konsti. Connor uses long runs to think. Katinka journals. Ollie worked with a psychologist after Olympic disappointment. This season reminded us that taking care of your mind is not a sign of weakness, but a foundational strength.
๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐: Whether negotiating hostages or handling group projects, the lesson is the same: people respond to agency. โStart a dialogue. End every sentence with a question,โ as Prof Kohlrieser said. From difficult conversations to team feedback, creating options (not dictating solutions) leads to better outcomes.
๐ง๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ: Mozart, Nadal, Hirscherโnone of them were born great. They were coached, trained, and refined. โ95% of skills are learnable,โ as George Lauritsen pointed out. Even the most โgiftedโ people we interviewed succeeded through practice, coaching, and grit.
๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ธ: As George Vindโs grandmother said,โIf you look closely enough, everything can be interesting.โ That curiosity led us down new paths each episode. โWeโve learned lessons from our guestsโ teachersโpeople we may never meetโbecause they shared them with us.โ Podcasting, we discovered, increases your surface area of wisdom.
๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐: โIn a world thatโs fast and loud, podcasting has been single-tasking at its best,โ said Konsti. โLaser focus. One hour. No phone. No distractions.โ In an age of multitasking and noise, we learned to slow down, listen, and embrace the silence between words.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: โNo oneโs ever asked us to make it longer,โ we laughed. And yet, every episode brought joy. Each guest arrived nervous, and left proud. โItโs funny how often we learn more on the second listen than the first.โ The real gift? As Konsti says, โMy favorite episode is always the next one.โ
Season 1 Episode List
Thank you for listening, sharing, and supporting Careers & Character. Weโre excited for the next chapter, with more inspiring guests, deeper conversations, and new lessons.
Got feedback or ideas? Weโd love to hear from you! Drop us a note or leave a comment below.
