Career Sessions

Most professionals assume great work speaks for itself, but solid Product Positioning proves that value never communicates automatically. When competitors offer flashy feature checklists or when crowded markets blur real differentiation, buyers and hiring managers get confused quickly. Host JR Lowry sits down with April Dunford, leading positioning expert and bestselling author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch, to unpack why building something valuable is only half the battle. They walk through actionable frameworks to move past surface features, clarify unique value themes, and align internal teams before ever pitching external buyers. Together, they break down how individuals can treat their career journeys like high-stakes B2B products by narrowing focus, embracing natural strengths, and knowing exactly when to walk away from poor-fit opportunities. Finally, they tackle the rise of artificial intelligence, outlining why automated tools raise the bar for genuine business strategy rather than replacing it.

Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/april-dunford/.

For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io

What's the real job of a leader?

According to Dave Ulrich, it isn’t having all the answers, building your own reputation, or even telling a compelling story about where you’re going. Great leaders help the people around them build their stories—and create value for others.

In this episode of Career Sessions, J.R. Lowry sits down with Dave, one of the world’s most influential thinkers on leadership, talent, and organizational effectiveness, for a wide-ranging conversation about what great leadership looks like in a rapidly changing world.

They explore why many of the fundamentals of leadership are timeless, even as technology and workplace expectations change dramatically. Dave explains the critical distinction between values—what matters to you—and value—what your actions create for someone else. He also shares a simple question leaders can use to rethink how they spend their time: What will happen in someone else's life because of what I do today?

Dave and J.R. also discuss the choices and trade-offs that come with ambition, why our definition of success should change at different stages of life, and what Dave learned from deliberately stepping back from his own career while raising his children.

And, inevitably, they tackle AI. Dave argues that AI makes distinctly human capabilities more important, not less. As information becomes ubiquitous, leaders will increasingly differentiate themselves through vision, innovation, emotion, judgment, and wisdom.

The conversation also explores learning agility, navigating uncertainty, admitting when you don’t know the answer, and becoming comfortable figuring things out alongside the people you lead.

Whether you’re a first-time manager or an experienced executive, this episode is a reminder that leadership ultimately isn’t about you. It’s about what becomes possible for other people because you were there.

Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/dave-ulrich/.

For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io

Finding a job has never been easy, but today’s hiring process can feel particularly frustrating. Hundreds of applicants compete for a single role, AI is reshaping how candidates are screened, and qualified people often struggle to get noticed. At the same time, employers insist they can’t find the talent they need. So what’s really going on?

In this episode of Career Sessions, J.R. Lowry talks with Lorena Prego, founder and CEO of Prometeo Talent, who has spent two decades in recruiting and helped companies make more than 5,000 hiring decisions.

Lorena takes us behind the scenes of the hiring process to explain what recruiters and hiring managers actually look for—and what separates candidates who consistently land opportunities from those who struggle to break through.

They discuss why applying to hundreds of jobs may actually hurt your search, how to take more control of an interview, what recruiters notice when comparing your resume and LinkedIn profile, and how to build productive relationships with search firms. They also explore how AI and remote work are transforming recruiting and why communication, critical thinking, adaptability, and the ability to keep learning will become even more important.

Whether you’re actively looking for a job or simply want to position yourself for your next opportunity, this episode offers a practical insider’s guide to getting noticed, telling your story, and managing your career for the long term.

Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/lorena-prego-ojeda/.

For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io

AI can already draft, summarize, analyze data, write code, and find patterns faster than most of us. So as these capabilities become increasingly commonplace, what will make you valuable?

In this episode of Career Sessions, J.R. Lowry talks with Liat Ben-Zur, former senior executive at Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Philips and author of The Bias Advantage, about how AI is changing the skills that matter most—and why some of the experiences that once made your career harder may actually have prepared you for what's coming next.

Liat argues that the answer isn't trying to compete with AI at what it does best. Instead, we need to double down on capabilities machines struggle to replicate: judgment, adaptability, empathy, ethical decision-making, creativity, influence, and the ability to see what others miss.

They also discuss why hard work alone isn't enough to advance your career, how to make your impact visible without becoming overly self-promotional, why nonlinear careers may become increasingly valuable, and how to use AI to strengthen your thinking rather than replace it.

In this episode, you'll learn:
Which human capabilities will become more valuable as AI gets better
Why career setbacks and being an outsider can build unexpected advantages
How to make sure your contributions are recognized—not just delivered
Why career range may be more valuable than narrow specialization
How to use AI as a thinking partner without weakening your own judgment
What leaders will need to do differently as AI reshapes organizations

If you're wondering how to remain relevant, differentiated, and valuable as AI transforms the workplace, this conversation offers a practical roadmap.

Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/liat-ben-zur/.

For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io

AI can write, analyze, summarize, code, and create—and its capabilities are advancing at a remarkable pace. So as machines become more intelligent, what will keep humans indispensable?

Johan Roos believes the answer lies in what he calls “human magic”: the distinctly human capabilities that technology can support, but never replace. Johan is an internationally recognized strategy scholar, former business school dean, co-creator of LEGO Serious Play, and author of Human Magic.

In this episode of Career Sessions, Johan and J.R. explore why our advantage in an AI-powered world comes not from trying to compete with machines, but from becoming more human as AI gets smarter.

They discuss the five capabilities at the heart of human magic—curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration—and why practical wisdom and sound judgment are becoming increasingly valuable. They also examine the danger of “cognitive offloading”: relying so heavily on AI that the very skills that differentiate us begin to atrophy.

Johan shares what leaders should be doing differently in the AI era, including asking better questions, creating the conditions for their teams to think deeply, and focusing the AI conversation on transforming tasks rather than eliminating jobs.

The conversation also revisits the origins of LEGO Serious Play and what Johan learned about creativity, collaboration, and better decision-making by getting people out of conventional meetings and thinking with their hands. Those lessons may be even more relevant as organizations figure out how humans and AI should work together.

The takeaway: use AI intensely to prepare—but when the room is watching, show up as a human.

Check out the full series of “Career Sessions, Career Lessons” podcasts here or visit pathwise.io/podcast/. A full written transcript of this episode is also available at https://pathwise.io/podcasts/johan-roos/.

For more career guidance and resources, subscribe to my member community at https://community/pathwise.io