Welcome to another episode of the People Leader Accelerator Podcast, where we get practical about leadership, culture, and building organizations that work. Our guest today is Marie Szuts: executive coach, consultant, and co-director of the People Leader Accelerator. Marie brings a unique, multifaceted background, including early career experience in food journalism, entrepreneurship in education technology, and transformative leadership roles at high-growth startups like Figma. Marie shares her career journey, lessons learned from leading through hypergrowth, and insights on what it means to carve a non-linear path in people leadership. In this conversation, we explore the real-world challenges of scaling a company, the human side of working alongside founder CEOs, and the realities of moving into executive coaching and consulting. Marie Szuts also opens up about learning to experiment with new career directions, the role creativity plays in leadership, and how she now works with leaders facing major transitions. We discuss: The winding path from editorial work and medieval history to people leadership roles What it’s like to join Figma at employee #48 and navigate 10x organizational growth Building trust and influence with first-time founder CEOs and the lessons learned along the way Strategies for deciding what to focus on during periods of rapid change and organizational chaos Balancing ambition, rest, and the realities of personal sustainability as a leader The transition from in-house HR roles to executive coaching and consulting, and the challenges of building a portfolio career Honest advice for HR professionals considering the leap to consulting Why being a “colander, not a sponge” is key for people leaders Practical tactics for experimenting with career transitions while maintaining financial and personal well-being If you’re thinking about how to accelerate your career, embrace new challenges, or explore coaching and consulting, this conversation offers clear-eyed, actionable perspectives from a leader who’s walked the path. For show notes, bonus resources, and more, visit www.PeopleLeaderAccelerator.com/podcast. About The People Leader Accelerator Podcast Our goal with this podcast is simple: to help people leaders navigate the messy, complex, and deeply rewarding work of leading teams and organizations with more clarity, confidence, and community. Whether you’re the first HR hire at a startup or an experienced executive at a company with scale, you’ll find actionable insights you can use right away. We can’t wait to share these conversations with you. Welcome to the journey! Listen, learn, and connect: 🎧 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). 💡 Find show notes and bonus resources at peopleleaderaccelerator.com/podcast. 📬 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to level up as a people leader. 🤝 Connect with your hosts: Jessica Yuen: linkedin.com/in/jessicayuen | jessyuen.com Andrew Bartlow: linkedin.com/in/bartlow | peopleleaderaccelerator.com