Episode Details

Change is unavoidable. But what determines whether we become stuck by uncertainty or find a way to move through it?

Today’s guest is Carlee Wolfe, a leader, strategist, talent advisor, and coach who has spent more than two decades working across talent, culture, organizational transformation, and leadership.

Carlee has worked with organizations including Under Armour, Hyatt Hotels, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. She has also coached volleyball for about 20 years and currently focuses on adaptive sports.

Having moved around the United States throughout her career, Carlee has developed a particular interest in how people navigate change, uncertainty, performance, community, and the future of work.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why change can feel difficult even when it creates new possibilities
• How uncertainty affects the way people navigate work and life
• Why identity can become tied to our jobs
• How chosen change differs from change that is imposed on us
• Why Carlee believes clarity is where everything begins
• How getting clear on even one small thing can help us navigate a larger period of uncertainty
• Why curiosity can be particularly valuable for leaders
• Why leaders sometimes avoid curiosity because they believe they are expected to already know the answers
• How curiosity can create more imaginative and inclusive leadership
• Why healthy skepticism can be useful in a rapidly changing environment
• The consistent human desire for connection
• Why laughter and levity can cross boundaries and create shared experiences
• What the changing workplace might mean for communities and society
• What AI and automation can teach us about what remains uniquely human
• Why human-centered design and testing still matter
• The importance of feeling seen and supported
• How technology can create capacity for more meaningful human interaction
• Why Carlee believes career growth shouldn’t be defined solely by promotions or titles
• How to think about your skills, craft, passions, and the impact you want to make
• Why defining yourself by a job description can limit your career mobility
• The role of humility in leadership
• Why leaders who admit they don’t know everything can create stronger communities
• How humility can support innovation, creativity, effectiveness, and collaboration
• Whether purpose is something we discover or something we create
• Why Carlee sees purpose as both something innate and something we shape throughout our lives
• How thinking about life as an evolving story can make room for possibility
• Why moving from scarcity toward possibility can change how we navigate uncertainty
• Why Carlee believes curiosity can help people when they feel stuck
• How curiosity can help us understand ourselves, our relationships, our communities, and the changing world around us

Carlee’s final message is simple:

Stay curious.

Curiosity can lead to exploration and opportunity, but it can also give us the pause needed to be intentional about where we’re going.

🌍 Thought Atlas

https://joinpodmatch.com/thoughtatlas

🌐 Connect With Carlee

Website:
Carlee Wolfe⁠

Carlee explicitly gives carlywolf.com in the transcript.

She says that LinkedIn is another good place to connect with her. She says she is very active there, responds to messages, and is happy to connect.

The transcript does not provide her LinkedIn profile URL, so I have not guessed it.

📚 Books

Carlee identifies two book projects:

Focus

She says she is a co-author of Focus, written through