In life, there seems to be two polar methods to finding your way along your journey:: You can follow your "passion"... Or, you can do what's "practical." Our guest today blows the lid off this idea by proposing an alternative: Live a life of "practical passion." If you're wondering what that means, I don't blame you. I was just as confused as you are before I had this amazing conversation with today's guest, Nina Godiwalla. In addition to being a dear friend and a previous business partner, Nina Godiwalla is an expert in leadership, diversity, and women in the business world. She is the best-selling author of Suits: A Woman on Wall Street, which I had the pleasure of reading while I was working at an investment bank myself. The New York Times describes that book as "the Devil Wears Prada of investment banking." That is not an exaggeration. Previously, Nina has worked for Fortune 500 corporations, founded and ran her own leadership and management training company, taught for the University of Texas MBA program, keynoted at places like NASA, the White House, and a TEDx Conference, and she has advanced degrees in liberal arts from Dartmouth and her MBA from Wharton. No. Big. Deal. Nina and I crossed paths in 2013, a year after I had read her book and written her an email asking for some advice. One year later, Nina emailed me back, and an hour and a half after that, I had a job working for her start-up company. It was a whirlwind, to say the least. I've learned so much from this phenomenal woman, and I'm so excited to share her story here with you, today. Enjoy, as Nina and I talk about the practical ways you can take baby steps (and even giant leaps) toward living your passion. Play by play: 1:00 Happy Mother’s Day 1:30 Nina Godiwalla’s introduction 2:45 The crazy way that Nina and I happened to cross paths over 5 years ago 3:30 The story of my Hail Mary Email 5:00 When passion and skill and money come together… 5:30 Nina’s welcoming 5:45 Nina’s background story 8:30 Nina’s vision for her life and how her journey changed along the way 9:00 How to take advantage of jobs you don’t enjoy 10:00 How to find the best mix of playing to your strengths and growing in your weaknesses 11:00 How to play to your strengths, find something you’re passionate about, and make money doing it 11:30 What to do if you’re not super passionate about one thing in particular 12:00 Does everyone have a “passion”? 12:50 Should I chase what I’m passionate about or what’s practical? 13:30 The catch-22 of having too many choices 14:15 The peanut butter problem 14:35 To get a masters degree or not to get a masters degree? 16:30 The wrong reason to go to business school 17:00 What it’s like to write a best-selling book 18:30 What to do when your job becomes disheartening and you feel jaded 19:00 How to leave your job in a classy way 20:15 How are we doing with the whole “diversity” thing in Corporate America? 20:40 The difference between thought leadership and implementation 21:45 How to realize how far you’ve come every day even when life feels slow 22:15 How Nina found her optimal work environment by taking calculated risks 23:30 Nina shares how to find a balance between her practicality and her creativity 25:00 The importance of feeling pushed to be independent 25:30 Balancing activity and reflection throughout your career 26:30 How to use a simple list to figure out your passions and strengths 27:30 What happens when a best-selling author doesn’t seem herself as a good writer 28:10 Nina’s #1 piece of advice for you in your journey 29:10 Get in touch with Nina at ninagodiwalla.com 29:30 Connect with me @thetracytimm 29:45 Subscribe, rate, and review—get involved!