Around the Ladder
Around the Ladder
Podcast Description
Welcome to Around the Ladder – the podcast where we explore the twists, turns, and unexpected detours of career journeys. Many of us are familiar with the phrase ”climbing the corporate ladder,” but what happens when your path doesn’t follow a straight line?
I became fascinated by the idea of going around the ladder – carving out a different kind of career path. My own journey took this route. After 25 years as an employee, I stepped away for a year and emerged as a consultant and business owner. And along the way, I realized I’m not alone. There are so many people out there whose careers have taken unconventional, surprising, and inspiring directions.
In this podcast, you’ll hear conversations with people who have traveled paths of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes you backtrack or move sideways; other times, you need someone to lift you up or simply sit with you right where you are.
No matter where you are on your journey, you’re not alone.
So, whether you’re rethinking your next step or just curious about the many ways a career can unfold, you’re in the right place.
This is Around the Ladder – let’s explore the journey together.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes of career development, personal growth, and entrepreneurship, with episodes discussing topics such as career pivots illustrated by Anne Ryan's transition from tech to coaching, the importance of reframing resumes, and creating supportive environments for personal development.
Welcome to Around the Ladder – the podcast where we explore the twists, turns, and unexpected detours of career journeys. Many of us are familiar with the phrase ”climbing the corporate ladder,” but what happens when your path doesn’t follow a straight line?
I became fascinated by the idea of going around the ladder – carving out a different kind of career path. My own journey took this route. After 25 years as an employee, I stepped away for a year and emerged as a consultant and business owner. And along the way, I realized I’m not alone. There are so many people out there whose careers have taken unconventional, surprising, and inspiring directions.
In this podcast, you’ll hear conversations with people who have traveled paths of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes you backtrack or move sideways; other times, you need someone to lift you up or simply sit with you right where you are.
No matter where you are on your journey, you’re not alone.
So, whether you’re rethinking your next step or just curious about the many ways a career can unfold, you’re in the right place.
This is Around the Ladder – let’s explore the journey together.
What do you do when the career you prepared for disappears before it even begins?
In this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg talks with entrepreneur Viktor Popovic about a life shaped by uncertainty, reinvention, and a willingness to keep moving forward even when the next step is unclear.
At 17, Viktor left the former Yugoslavia rather than take part in the war. What he expected to be a short stay in Budapest became more than four years, before he and his wife immigrated to the United States with no real network, no clear roadmap, and a shared belief that they had more opportunity ahead of them than behind them.
Viktor studied aviation, only to graduate in 2002, shortly after 9/11 reshaped the industry he had planned to enter. When a friend invited him to start an e-commerce business, he said yes before he had all the details. That unexpected decision led to a 21-year business selling pressure washers online, built at a time when online selling and keyword research were still new enough that manufacturers did not know quite what to make of it.
But entrepreneurship did not become easier just because the business succeeded. Viktor shares how he navigated a major Google algorithm change, a pivot to Amazon, a dramatic increase in inventory, buying out a business partner, and the constant need to adapt without losing sight of the larger goal. In 2024, he sold the business, expecting to take a step back. Instead, his attorney son brought him a 400-page PCI compliance document, and together they began exploring a new idea in the complex world of payment processing.
Viktor’s story is a reminder that a career does not have to follow the original plan to be meaningful or successful. Sometimes the path forward is less about having certainty and more about staying open, making thoughtful adjustments, and trusting yourself enough to keep going.
A moment to remember
“You know that ladder will, at some point, end. You’ll get to that top where you need to go. It’s just a matter of repetition. Keep working at it.”
No matter where you are on your journey, you’re not alone.
Connect with Viktor Popovic
LinkedIn: Viktor Popovic
Website: Avendo
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