I am Dawn Kirk. Thirty plus years in corporate America, most of it inside Fortune 100 companies, and I am a senior HR executive today. I have been married to my husband Tony for thirty two years. We have three sons and two grandkids. And I have been an entrepreneur since I was twelve years old, when I started a lawn mowing business. I have been juggling all of it for a long time, and I have gotten it wrong plenty of times.

In this first episode, I am taking you back to the moment my career, my family, and my faith all collided at once. I am telling you what my father said to me that stopped me cold, why my own pride kept me stuck far longer than it needed to, and the three steps I used to get back into the driver's seat.

Here is what I want you to know up front. "Jesus, take the wheel" is not a career strategy. He is walking right alongside you. But he is waiting on you to take the first step.

So grab a pen and paper. We are not just talking today. We are doing the work together.

WHAT YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITH

How to recognize drift before it costs you years
Why admitting something is not working is not the same as failing
The one exercise that shows you exactly what you are carrying and what you can put down
What to do when the conditions are never going to be perfect

CHAPTERS

0:00 Jesus take the wheel is not a career strategy
0:24 Who I am: 32 years married, three sons, two grandkids
1:02 Corporate executive and entrepreneur since age 12
1:43 The book I never planned to write
2:36 How you become a passenger in your own life
3:09 Point 1: Drift does not announce itself
3:43 My story: the move my gut told me not to make
4:10 When career, family, and faith collide at the same time
5:32 What my dad told me: pride comes before destruction
6:37 Admitting it is not working does not make you a failure
6:55 The conversation I finally had at work
7:36 How I got back into the driver's seat
8:09 Point 2: Name what you can no longer carry
8:47 The yeses that quietly cost you the wheel
9:28 What to stop, delegate, or renegotiate at home and at work
10:58 Exercise 1: Say it out loud with me
11:48 Exercise 2: The reflection list
12:42 Point 3: You will never get perfect conditions
13:36 He is not going to do it for you
14:35 Exercise 3: Pick one thing and move on it today
15:30 How I walk alongside you in the Aligned Executive Network
16:24 Take the first step

BEFORE YOU GO

I read every single comment, so do this for me. Drop the one most impactful change you can make to move yourself from the passenger seat back into the driver's seat. Not five things. One. I will be right there with you.

And if this episode was for you, subscribe. We are going on this journey together.

COME FIND ME

Website: https://dawnskirk.net
My book: http://heartbeatleadershipbook.com/

Follow me on all socials so you do not miss what is coming next.

#EARNEDPodcast #DawnKirk #CareerGrowth #WomenInLeadership #ExecutiveWomen #WorkLifeIntegration #FaithAndWork #CareerChange #LeadershipDevelopment #TakeBackControl #ChristianWomenInBusiness #CorporateLife

MUSIC

Additional Music by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au