You are not your job title. That’s where this conversation begins.

Today on Experience Over Expectation, I sit down with Theresa Hummel-Krallinger (Theresa H.K.)—two-time Emmy winner, author of Make Waves, President & Chief People Officer at High Five Performance, university professor, and a stand-up comic of 20+ years. She’s helped job seekers since 2003, and she’s seen every season of the market—hot, cold, and confusing.

Theresa’s “Boat Model” is the kind of simple, sturdy thinking we need right now:

• Rudder – your direction
• Hull – your skills/experience
• Sails – your reputation and brand (degrees, certs, public work)
• Motor – your network that moves you even when there’s no wind

It’s humane, practical, and—most of all—doable.

Watch on YouTube: Two-Time Emmy Winner Theresa H.K.: The Playbook to Beat a Cold Job Market (paste your YouTube link here)

Pre-order my book: Experience Over Expectation — Let Go of the Plan, Live on Your Terms →

https://www.marymccorvey.com/

• Why we confuse identity with employment—and how to separate them
• How a comic’s eye for everyday life makes you a better communicator at work
• The Boat Model and how to sketch your own “career vessel”
• Networking for introverts (relationship-first, not schmooze-first)
• What leaders get wrong about retention (hint: tell people they’re top talent)
• Financial right-sizing so a job loss isn’t a life collapse

• Don’t park your soul at the door. You bring your whole self to the work—humor included.
• Tend the garden year-round. Help others before you need help. That’s real networking.
• Stay out of complacency. Keep learning, keep building reputation signals, keep showing your work.
• Live within your means. Overextension turns a layoff into a crisis.
• Leaders: say the quiet part out loud. If someone’s top talent, tell them. It matters.

Draw your boat, honestly.

• What’s your rudder pointing toward? If unclear, write what good looks like for you.
• Is your hull strong? Which skills need reinforcement?
• How full are your sails? List visible proof of credibility (projects, posts, certs, talks).
• Does your motor start? Name 10 people you could help this month—then do it, no asks attached.

Save your sketch. Revisit quarterly.

• 00:00 – Why identity ≠ employment
• 02:00 – The origin of Make Waves and helping job seekers since 2003
• 04:00 – Stand-up comedy for work: building the “humor muscle”
• 10:28 – The Boat Model: rudder, hull, sails, motor
• 15:45 – The twin traps: complacency and overextension
• 18:18 – Networking that feels human (and works for introverts)
• 23:07 – Retaining top talent: tell them they’re top talent
• 26:21 – Making waves by leaving corporate to build your own thing
• 27:58 – Ikigai: joy, skill, need, and pay—finding the overlap