From TV News Anchor to Venture Capital & Entrepreneurship Journey | Caitlin Hansen’s Career
What happens when the career you built your identity around is no longer the life you want?
In this episode, Caitlin Hansen shares her career transformation from broadcast journalism and TV news to executive communication, venture capital, startups, and entrepreneurship. After spending 15 years building a career in journalism, she opens up about leaving television, navigating a major career change, overcoming self-doubt, redefining success, and discovering how communication skills can transfer across completely different industries.
The conversation explores career change, career pivots, career growth, entrepreneurship, startup life, venture capital, leadership, executive communication, executive presence, public speaking, communication skills, personal branding, confidence, professional development, and personal growth.
Caitlin also discusses the challenges of public speaking anxiety, managing nerves, building confidence on camera and on stage, communicating as a leader, and developing stronger executive communication skills. Her experience eventually led to Barefoot Communications, where she helps executives, leaders, and professionals improve their communication and public speaking.
The episode then dives into Caitlin’s transition into venture capital and the startup ecosystem, what she learned about fundraising, entrepreneurship, business, and career reinvention, and why she ultimately decided to leave venture capital and take the risk of building something of her own.
That journey led to Mindless Lab , a mental health and wellness company focused on helping people manage anxiety, stress, mental wellness, therapy, breathwork, meditation, and mental health support while helping people feel less anxious and more radically alive.
Caitlin also shares her perspective on money, financial success, career freedom, work-life balance, taking risks, entrepreneurship, betting on yourself, finding purpose, and building a career around your personal values.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Career Change, Money, Risk & Identity
04:35 – Choosing Journalism & Finding Her Career Path
19:24 – Building a Career in Broadcast Journalism
26:25 – Leaving Television & Starting a New Chapter
35:17 – Executive Communication & Public Speaking
42:25 – From Barefoot Communications to Venture Capital
45:49 – Leaving Venture Capital & Starting Mindless Labs
50:31 – Anxiety, Mental Health & Mindless Labs
01:04:19 – Money, Freedom & Redefining Success
01:07:32 – Entrepreneurship & Betting on Yourself
Watch the full episode on YouTube - https://youtu.be/s10T48wEoZ0
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