If you’re job hunting, eyeing a promotion, or just feeling burnt out—this conversation will remind you that your path doesn’t have to be traditional to be powerful. From bossy kid to bold career coach, Sam DeMase is redefining what leadership and success really look like—with empathy, authenticity, and purpose. In this episode, Sam shares her unconventional journey: from managing 70 people at a fast food chain straight out of NYU to building a business that empowers women to ask for more—more money, more respect, and more balance.Shaped by her experiences with toxic bosses, anxiety, and corporate pushback, Sam empowers others to navigate their careers with confidence, clarity, and self-trust.We dive into bridging generational gaps, debunking myths about Gen Z, and why empathy is essential in today’s workplace. Sam introduces “parallel pivoting,” the power of side hustles, and how to turn nontraditional paths into professional superpowers.Show Notes: Guest: Sam DeMase, Career Coach, author, and public speaker public speaker with a fast-growing community of 800,000+ followers on social mediaFollow Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samdemase/Follow Sam on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@apowermood?lang=enFollow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apowermood/Topics Covered: Growing up with strong female role modelsBeing called a bossy kid was her being a leaderA good manager means showing up authentically, making connections and having empathyWorking for One Fine Day, she moved into HR and found her superpower in peopleParallel PivotingFind your superpower - ask your friends/family and take assessment testsMessy Part of management is letting friends down if you can’t make change or firing peopleSam bridges the gap between Gen Z and Gen XSam starts a side hustle and gets written up for urging people to fight for equalitySocial Media as a job - being authentic garners the right audience and clientsNot forcing yourself to push through, and instead being honest makes people feel seen Job hopping is common - what matters is your impact at a company, not amount of timeJourney with anxiety and depression showing up in insomnia and trouble breathingSide hustles are a great way to build your dream career while having security Dealing with Toxic Bosses - document everything and focus on communicating what will make your work betterMentioned: Gap, One Fine Day, NYU, Columbia, StrengthsFinder Assessment, Clifton Strengths, authenticity, leadership, HR, TikTok, Instagram, ZipRecruiter, Forbes Business Insider, NBC Time, toxic bosses, Send us a textEmail us: [email protected] To stay up to date with The Messy Parts and get all the behind-the-scenes content, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.Thank you for listening.

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