Sarah Bond is the President of Xbox, and I am beyond honored to have her as this week’s guest on Your Career, Unscripted!

For some context: when I was brainstorming dream guests, Sarah immediately came to mind. I had seen many of her talks on gaming, leadership, and empathy, and found them deeply impactful. Reaching out felt like a stretch, but I’ve learned it’s always worth pushing yourself to try to make a connection anyway.

Huge thanks to Shawn Layden for the intro—and to Sarah for graciously joining me to share her story.

Sarah discusses:

• How the only person you can ever beat in life is your younger self
• The lightbulb moment she had after her daughter was born—and how it drove her to impact the world her daughter was walking out into
• The importance of recognizing that every single day, you re-earn credibility with your team
• Her experience getting the Activision Blizzard King deal confirmed—how she led the team through the process, wrote them a note before the decision came out, and ensured the sentiment of their work would persist no matter the outcome
• A moment with Satya Nadella that influenced her leadership style
• Career advice on taking up space

I learned so much from Sarah before I ever met her—and had a lot of self reflection and sharing to do after we spoke. I highly recommend listening to this episode if you’re looking for career inspiration, advice on self-confidence, stories on leadership and negotiation, and insight into the different chapters of her career—alongside so much unique and helpful advice.

Sarah - thank you for the kindness, time, inspiration, and advice. It was an honor. Listen below and follow me @Jane Bernhard for more career stories!