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Breaking the Mold: Nonlinear Careers, Climate Impact & Bold Moves

🎧 In this episode, I sit down with the ever-curious and deeply accomplished Kirthika Padmanabhan—an operator, strategist, and climate-focused investor whose career journey spans continents, industries, and disciplines. We talk about what it means to embrace a nonlinear path, take bold leaps, and build a meaningful career rooted in impact. From hedge funds to YouTube, startups to climate tech, Kirthika’s story is a reminder that the best paths are often the ones we didn’t even know we could take.

🗣️ What We Talk About:

  • What a rhizome (yeah, I had to look it up too :) has to do with your career
  • Moving from engineering to finance, tech, and eventually climate
  • How imposter syndrome shaped her early decisions—and how she worked through it
  • The value of generalists in a world of specialists
  • How women are disproportionately affected by climate change and essential to solving it
  • The signals that tell you it's time to move on from a role
  • Being comfortable in uncertainty and building from scratch
  • Her new role investing in early-stage climate tech at Climate Capital

đź’ˇ Key Takeaways

  • Your career doesn’t have to follow a straight line. Growth in any direction is still growth.
  • Confidence often comes from others first—borrow it, then build your own.
  • Everyone has a role in climate action. You don’t need to be a scientist (or a sustainability lead) to make an impact.
  • Generalist skills are powerful. The ability to connect ideas is a superpower in complex, fast-evolving spaces.
  • Learn to fail fast. Staying too long in misaligned roles can drain your energy and momentum.

🧠 Memorable Quotes

“Sometimes the best paths are the ones you didn’t know you could take.”

“The future favors the bold. Build the bridge as you’re crossing it.”

🎯 Listen to This If You Are:

  • Exploring a career pivot and feeling uncertain about it
  • A generalist trying to find your place in a specialist-driven world
  • A woman (or ally) curious about the intersection of gender equity and climate
  • Someone trying to break into the climate space from a nontraditional background
  • Building something new, from scratch, and looking for inspiration

đź”— Links You Might Want to Check Out:

Music by Lidérc.

#careeradvice #careerpivot #climatetech #investor #nonlinearcareer #operator #strategy