You built the title, the reputation, and the results. Then a harder question shows up. Who am I without my job? Most high achievers treat that question as a threat. Jill Nykoliation treated it as a starting point.

Jill founded Juniper Park\TBWA and built it into an award-winning agency with clients including PepsiCo, Nissan, and Apple. In 2015, she was at the height of her professional success, but behind the scenes, her marriage was ending, her business partnership was fracturing, and her health was suffering. She joins Bryan B. Sanchez and Divya Brown on still Ambitious to talk about that season of high achiever burnout and a piece of advice from her coach that has stayed with her for 11 years.

Every leader eventually has to decide how long to wear the armor that helped them climb. Jill explains how letting go of that armor allowed her to lead more authentically and why stepping away from the agency she built actually felt like an exhale. She also shares the story behind the highly successful and deeply meaningful advertising campaign that gave her the peace to know it was time to move on professionally. Divya recognizes her own experience in the masculine language many women leaders learn to speak fluently. Bryan, who stepped away from a career in private equity, opens up about his own executive identity crisis and the archetype he had shelved for 25 years.

For anyone questioning what comes after professional success, Jill offers a different way to think about identity, ambition, and fulfillment. Her story is a reminder that your next chapter may be your most meaningful one yet.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Meet Jill Nykoliation and the Still Ambitious Mission

03:41 Kraft, PepsiCo, and Codifying the Lululemon Brand

09:48 The 2015 Lifequake Nobody Saw From Outside

14:57 Taking Off the Armor in a Masculine Industry

22:59 Leading With Kindness Through Divorce and Lockdown

31:45 Wholeheartedness, Authenticity, and the Pull of Attachment

38:00 The Story Behind The Creation of the Universal Sign For Help

45:46 Who Am I Without My Job? Rebuilding Identity

51:11 Jungian Archetypes and the Outlaw Bryan Buried

57:17 What Jill Knows Now About Ambition and Armor

Connect with Jill Nykoliation:

Know more about Jill

Connect with Bryan and Divya:

Visit the still Ambitious website

Connect with Bryan B. Sanchez on LinkedIn

Connect with Divya Brown on LinkedIn

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