Dear Person Who Feels Like Everyone Has Their Life Figured Out, But Then …

If you’re unsure of your next career move and feeling those growing pains, welcome to the club everyone belongs to, but few talk about.

After speaking with people at every career stage, we’ve noticed a common theme: everyone is navigating their next move, and no one arrives at it without their fair share of struggle. We’re here to remind you that clarity, direction, and confidence are more elusive than they may seem — and that’s perfectly normal.

We’ll share insights from business leaders on the Your Career, Unscripted podcast — an exciting new show created by Jane Bernhard, Industry Fellow, in collaboration with the Texas Immersive Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.

We hope these insights ease some of the pressure you feel to “have it all figured out.” You’re in great company, and you can have a fulfilling career — whatever that looks like for you — even if you don’t know what’s next, didn’t get into your dream school, or haven’t landed that first interview yet.

Stacey Strickland, Director, Customer Success Modern Work/Converged Communications | Americas Enterprise Microsoft

It might be easy to look at Stacey Strickland’s LinkedIn profile and assume her path has been smooth. But what does Stacey say?

“I think social media has been a hindrance because all you see is people’s highlight reels… all someone sees when they refresh all day long is this promotion, this wonderful trip that they got to take because they were a top performer, or they look at my stuff, and they’re like, ‘she’s just had it made.’ She has not. The outcomes have been fantastic. The journey to get there, we were off roading most of the time.”

We love this quote because, in truth, we’re all off-roading. With persistence, curiosity, and resilience, Stacey transformed difficult moments into catalysts for growth, leading her to where she is today.

Victor Piñeiro, Director of Digital Innovation at HBO | Max.

Victor Piñeiro has a uniquely creative career as an award-winning digital marketer, author, filmmaker, and game designer. Looking at his profile, you might assume he never struggled. But Victor shared:

“…Nobody knows what they’re doing. Everyone is faking it. Everybody has raging imposter syndrome most of the time. So the “fake it till you make it” thing is so much more valid than I realized… I am very not confident, and I’ve struggled with it. I see confident people all the time that I’m like, I can’t believe you are where you are, and they’re there because they’re super confident…The idea of fail forward, I think, is always super valid.”

Confidence may appear effortless in others, but everyone has doubts. Victor’s experience reminds us that even those at the top grapple with uncertainty and that growth often comes from embracing risk.

Shawn Layden, Former Chairman of Playstation Worldwide Studios for Sony Interactive Entertainment and former CEO of SIE America

Shawn Layden spent 32 years at Sony, yet he still experienced imposter syndrome — even as Chairman.

“All of us, myself included, till my last day with Sony, 32 years on, still have imposter syndrome. I was always waiting for someone to come in and go, ‘you’re not running this like a real chairman. Get out of that chair.’ And so I always had a little bit of that, but don’t let that overpower you.”

If a top industry leader can feel like an imposter, maybe it’s okay for you to feel that way too.

Shelley Zalis, Founder & CEO, The Female Quotient

Shelley Zalis founded and sold her company OTX (Online Testing Exchange) to Ipsos for $80 million, and today, she runs The Female Quotient. But her confidence came with time.

“I shouldn’t have had confidence that I was right because everyone has always told me what to do, how to do it, when it’s the right time, what is possible, I’m not good enough, I’m not ready… I need to wait, I need to watch, and I decided, boom, I need to trust my gut and I am gonna be the CEO of my life.’”

Shelley’s story shows that self-doubt is a choice and doesn’t have to stop you. If you have a vision, take your uncertainty along for the ride and make your own rules.

Pearlé Nwaezeigwe – Founder- Wae Collective

Pearlé Nwaezeigwe has worked in Law and Trust & Safety for over seven years, holding strategic roles at industry giants like TikTok, Twitter, and Meta’s Oversight Board. Now she is the founder of Wae Collective, empowering female professionals to make their mark by building strong personal brands and expansive networks. Talk about someone who is no stranger to a pivot.

“You’re allowed to change as many times as possible. We have only unlocked 0.5% of our brain capacity. So whoever you decide to be… it’s all up to you.” Pearlé is currently building a community for anyone who feels like an outsider – and is helping them “turn from outsiders to icons.”

She is inspiring people to unapologetically pursue their own path – so if you need motivation on that, you know where to find it.

Nanea Reeves, Founder & CEO, TRIPP

Nanea Reeves founded TRIPP, an XR wellness company, after a period of tremendous personal loss. She shares her resilience:

“Sometimes I’ll just step back and go, okay, Reeves. Let’s see how you handle this one…If I don’t know how to do something…let me figure it out.…I’ve been knocked about my whole life in many ways, having to fight for just the right to be here. Let’s find out what else I can do”

If you’re feeling “knocked about,” know you’re not alone. Nanea’s story is a powerful reminder that resilience can carry you through.

Society rewards confidence, but often, it’s a performance. What if we were all honest about not knowing what’s next? What if we asked people the questions we want to ask, even if we’re self-conscious? What if we are all confident about being uncertain – because…it’s okay.

We hope these stories remind you that everyone has insecurities — and that there’s no “right timeline” for success. So, the next time you scroll through LinkedIn or Instagram and feel intimidated, remember: you don’t see the obstacles others have faced. Instead of comparing, consider that their path may not be yours, and that’s okay.

In the end, what matters most is staying present for the journey. Big or small, just take the next step. So, what’s your next move?

Jane Bernhard is the host & creator of Your Career, Unscripted in collaboration with Texas Immersive Institute, as an Industry Explorer. She spent her early career as a television and theater actor, before pivoting to get her MBA from Columbia. She is currently the Communications Director of the NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (CosmicAI) at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the The University of Texas at Austin. She has interviewed hundreds of CEOs and executives at top tech and entertainment companies and she shares insights from these conversations on her free Substack, and recently on CNN Opinion.

Erin Reilly is the Founding Director of Texas Immersive Institute (TXI), part of The University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication. The institute offers a curriculum, events, and client-based projects focused on immersive storytelling, audience engagement, and human-centered design. Through an interdisciplinary approach, TXI prepares students to tackle real-world challenges by exploring the latest digital, physical, and spatial technologies, fostering future leaders across industries.