How To Turn Career Failure Into Your Biggest Breakthrough w/ Lyndsay Dowd

How To Turn Career Failure Into Your Biggest Breakthrough w/ Lyndsay Dowd

March 18, 2026 · 39 min · Season 1 · Episode 311

About this episode

Lyndsay Dowd shares her journey from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship, discussing the lessons learned from career failure and the importance of leadership evolution.

Lyndsay Dowd is a speaker, two-time bestselling author, leadership expert, and founder of Heartbeat for Hire. After spending 23 years in corporate leadership at IBM, she now helps organizations dismantle toxic leadership and build cultures where both people and performance thrive. In today’s episode, Lyndsay joins us to share the story of her unexpected career relaunch from corporate work to entrepreneurship. We dive into the pivotal moment of being fired that changed everything in Lyndsay’s life, the identity crisis that followed, and the three powerful questions that helped her rebuild and eventually start her own company. Lyndsay also explains the evolution of leadership and the importance of soft skills in driving performance and loyalty. She shares practical leadership strategies that anyone can use to create stronger teams and healthier workplaces. Our discussion also covers the importance of career security rather than job security, why everyone should consider starting a side hustle, how to use AI as a tool rather than a crutch, and how to surround yourself with the right community to accelerate your success. Join us as we explore rebuilding after failure, becoming the…

People in this episode

Host: Hilary DeCesare

Guest: Lyndsay Dowd

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IBM, Heartbeat for Hire

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