Below is a distillation of some of the great advice that our guests have shared in the most recent 25 episodes of the Advice to My Younger Me podcast. Stay tuned for more great advice in the episodes to come. 

1. YOU ARE ENTITLED TO MAKE MISTAKES. If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t growing and learning.

2. BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THE VALUE YOU ADD. Help others see the contributions you make. Most decisions about your career are made in rooms you aren’t in.

3. ASK FOR CRITICAL FEEDBACK. You need it to develop in your career. Women are less likely to get critical feedback than men.

4. HAVE A VISION OF WHAT YOU WANT YOUR LIFE AND WORK TO LOOK LIKE. Use that as a guidepost to look at the opportunities you are presented with – whether at work, at home or in your volunteer activities.

5. DON’T LET YOUR JOB BE THE ONLY THING THAT DEFINES YOUR SELF-WORTH. You are much more than what you do at work.

6. LIKING WHAT YOU DO IS ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL ELEMENTS IN CAREER SUCCESS. Find work that you find engaging.

7. BE PROTECTIVE OF YOUR TIME. Think carefully about how you are going to spend it. It is a limited resource; don’t just give it away.

8. REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. Build your network and use it.

9. APPROACH CONVERSATIONS WITH “BEGINNER’S EARS”. Listen to learn, not to respond.

10. BUILD A NETWORK OF BOTH WOMEN AND MEN. Networks are important for progressing in your career. Since most senior positions are held by men, you need men in your network.

11. HAVE A GAME PLAN FOR SURVIVING NETWORKING EVENTS. Have a goal, make a plan, execute it and then leave.

12. STOP USING FILLER WORDS – “LIKE”, “UH”, “YOU KNOW”, “ACTUALLY”. They undermine your credibility. If you spend one minute a day for two months focusing on eliminating them, they’ll be gone.

13. LISTENING IS A SKILL TO BE CULTIVATED. Bring your full and complete attention to what the other person is saying.

14. TAKE RISKS EARLY ON IN YOUR CAREER. That’s a time when you can experiment, with little downside risk.

15. DON’T TAKE THINGS SO PERSONALLY; most of the time it’s not about you.

16. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF BEFORE TAKING ON THE WORLD’S CHALLENGES. Get enough sleep, eat well, exercise and laugh.

17. MAKE GOALS FOR EACH SLICE OF YOUR LIFE: your career, your family, your significant other, your health, your friends, your hobbies, and your community.

18. DEEP DOWN, YOU KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU. Trust your instincts.

19. GRACIOUSLY TAKE A COMPLIMENT. Just say, “Thank you”. We’re too quick to explain why we don’t deserve the compliment. Stop doing it!

20. “WORK HARD AND YOU’LL BE RECOGNIZED” IS LOUSY CAREER ADVICE. The workplace isn’t the meritocracy it claims to be. You need to advocate for yourself.

21. IF YOU HAVE ONE FOOT IN THE PAST AND ANOTHER IN THE FUTURE, YOU’LL MISS A LOT. Be focused on the present.

22. HAPPINESS AS A GOAL ISN’T ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE. What actually brings fulfillment and helps get us through adversity is meaning.

23. INVEST TIME IN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. Your network can serve you in lots of ways – both personally and professionally.

24. PRIORITIZE SPENDING MONEY ON RELATIONSHIPS AND EXPERIENCES. It will make you happier than spending money on things.

25. WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, SAY YOU’RE SORRY, FIX WHAT YOU CAN AND MOVE ON. Don’t dwell on it.