212. Break It to Make It: Disrupt Your Way to the Perfect Job Fit

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart

Communicating, Influence, Career Skills, Career, Business, Education, Leadership, Careers, Communication, Career Growth, Public Speaking, Language Learning, Improv

4.7 • 711 Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Career growth starts with stepping outside your comfort zone.

Building a successful career isn’t about following a set path—it’s about knowing when to evolve and embracing change. Whitney Johnson believes that success comes from disrupting yourself—challenging routines, stepping into discomfort, and continuously evolving. “People think staying in their comfort zone is the safe choice,” she explains, “but real growth happens when we take intentional risks.”
As a bestselling author and leadership expert, Johnson has spent years helping individuals and organizations navigate change. She breaks down the S-curve of learning, a framework that helps professionals recognize when it’s time to move on, pivot, or double down on their current path. From identifying signs of stagnation to developing strategies for career reinvention, she shares practical tools for making bold moves with confidence.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Johnson joins host Matt Abrahams to explore why mastery can be a sign that it’s time for a change, how to manage the discomfort that comes with growth, and why personal disruption isn’t just a challenge—it’s the key to long-term success.

To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium

Episode Reference Links:

Whitney Johnson
Whitney’s Books: Disrupt Yourself / Smart Growth
Ep.147 Disrupt Yourself: How to Innovate Who You Are and Become Who You Can Be

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Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(01:36) - What Is Personal Disruption?
(04:41) - Signs It’s Time to Disrupt Yourself
(07:03) - Getting Comfortable with Discomfort
(12:00) - Finding Your Next Career Move
(15:49) - Ensuring Fulfillment After Disruption
(21:04) - Best Career Advice Received
(22:37) - Career Regrets & Lessons
(24:08) - Conclusion

*****
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Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we get started, I'm excited to share that our June newsletter is now available.
0:05.5	Not only does it contain our new book reading list for the first part of 2025,
0:11.5	but it also has an expert article on how to participate in and moderate panels.
0:16.5	You can find our newsletter on LinkedIn or at FasterSmartter.io under resources.
0:29.0	Mastery can be motivational. When you know something so well, it could be a signal that it's time to change and disrupt yourself.
0:40.3	My name is Matt Abraham's. I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of
0:45.9	Business. Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. Today I'm excited to once again be
0:52.8	joined by Whitney Johnson. Whitney joined me for episode 147. As a reminder, I'm going to once again be joined by Whitney Johnson. Whitney joined me for episode 147.
0:57.5	As a reminder, Whitney is a globally recognized thought leader, keynote speaker, and executive
1:02.3	coach. Whitney is also the award-winning author of Disrupt Yourself, putting the power of
1:07.3	disruptive innovation to work and smart growth, how to grow your people to grow your
1:12.6	company. Finally, Whitney hosts the aptly named podcast, Disrupt Yourself. I was fortunate to be a guest
1:19.3	on her show, and we had a great conversation as we do here. Welcome, Whitney. I loved our prior
1:25.8	conversation where we talked extensively about how to use disruption to further our careers and our goals. Thanks so much for being here.
1:33.2	Happy to be here. Excellent. Shall we get started? Let's do it.
1:37.7	We'll be right back in just a moment. But first, a quick word from our sponsors.
1:42.4	This episode is brought to you by Stanford University.
1:45.9	Stanford researchers are constantly working to improve the world around us.
1:50.2	Bioengineer Stanley Chi is developing advanced gene editing tools to treat life-threatening diseases
1:56.4	and slow the onset of neurological aging.
1:59.6	His research focuses on refining CRISPR applications,
2:03.0	which have the potential to revolutionize medicine by correcting diseases at their DNA roots,
	...

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