Jenny Wood

Author. Speaker. Founder, Google’s Own Your Career Program. Google Executive, America's Media Operations.

Order my NYT bestselling book: itsjennywood.com/book. WILD COURAGE: Go After What You Want and Get It will help you get seen, get heard, and get ahead.

Join 70K+ others who read my newsletter at itsjennywood.com/newsletter. It’s full of free tips to get what you really want in life.

18 years ago, I was an anxious, entry-level employee at Google. 

Then I chased my future-husband off the subway and gave him my number.

That moment made me realize the life I want won’t just happen to me. 

I have to chase it. And so do you! 

That mentality led me to become an executive at Google running a large operations team that helps drive tens of billions in revenue a year. I also founded Own Your Career, a large career development initiative at Google with tens of thousands of people benefitting.

After climbing the ranks from entry-level to executive, I realize something. What if the traits you need to get ahead are the exact opposite of what you’ve been told? To be successful you need to be:

Weird
Selfish
Shameless
Obsessed
Nosy
Manipulative
Brutal
Reckless
Bossy

And that takes courage. Wild amounts of it.

So I wrote a book! It’s called, WILD COURAGE: Go After What You Want and Get It, and it became an instant New York Times bestseller. 😮

I’m so excited for you to order it at itsjennywood.com/book and be more bold, persuasive, and successful. 

Follow me for advice to achieve your goals and get what you want. Unapologetically. 

The opinions I state on LinkedIn and other public forums are my own, not those of any past or present company.

Director, Americas Media Operations, Technical Service Managers

Lead large team across North and South America that helps F500 companies implement, optimize, and troubleshoot media campaigns.

This 5-word question has opened MANY doors for me: 

“Who else should I meet?” 

I used to go to conferences thinking: How do I impress this person? How do I make this conversation count? How do I make sure they remember me?

So I’d talk about me, me, me. My work, my projects, blah blah. 

Then I stopped trying to extract value…

 …and started trying to expand the room.

📌 Now, at the end of a good conversation, I ask: “Who else do you think I should meet while I’m here?”

They pause. They think. They scan the room differently.

You’re no longer a random person they chatted with. You’re someone they’re actively helping.

👉 And the psychology is powerful:

When someone introduces you, they’ve PRE-ENDORSED you. You walk into the next conversation warm.

It also signals something subtle: You’re here to build a network. 

So at your next conference, offsite, or networking event, don’t close with “Great to meet you.”

Close with: “Is there anyone here you think I should connect with?” 🤝

For more career tips — including the actual scripts and tips I used to grow from entry-level to executive at Google — check out my newsletter. Get the link in the comments.

New York Times bestselling author. Keynote speaker. Former Google exec. Former Harvard Business School researcher. Founder, Google’s Own Your Career Program.

I drove home and cried.

Let me share the story…

Last year, I had a big speaking event.

So I hired a coach, studied my delivery, practiced like crazy, and pushed myself to apply every piece of feedback she gave me.

It wasn’t about getting better anymore. 

It was about doing the job PERFECTLY.

If I didn’t incorporate all 15 things she told me right away, I’d be a failure.

So I prepped for 20 hours. 😅

And in the process, I neglected everything else: the other parts of my job, my husband, and my kids.

I gave the speech. The crowd applauded. My coach was thrilled.

But me? I felt awful 😳

Drained. Disconnected. Burned out.

All for a talk I could’ve crushed with half the effort.

Here’s what happened:

I wasn’t being excellent. 
I’d become TOO obsessed.

In my book Wild Courage, I define “Obsessed” as the courage to care deeply and pursue excellence.

But when left unchecked? 

Obsessed becomes overkill.

And at work that looks like:

❌ Writing 15 options for a Slack message
❌ Reworking a deck no one will remember next week
❌ Spending 2 hours giving feedback on a 20-minute task

Obsession isn’t bad. But it needs limits. ✋

Here are 3 rules I live by now: 

1️⃣ Pick 3 things to get an A+ on. Let the rest be a B.

Your client pitch? A+. 
Your quarterly business review? A+. 
Your team 1:1s? A+.
That internal doc? B is just fine.

2️⃣ Add margin to your calendar before you burn out.

Block 5 minutes between meetings.
Protect one afternoon a week for 2 hours of deep work.
Schedule your workouts like they’re your most important meetings.

3️⃣ Give yourself permission to care — without overdoing it.

Care enough to give feedback. But not so much you rewrite someone’s entire deck at 10 p.m.

If the deck is 30 slides, add your 5 most important comments throughout the whole thing. 

(Don’t add 2 comments per slide.)

Being Obsessed can drive excellence.

But only if it doesn’t drive you into the ground.

I had to learn that the hard way.

Be honest: What are you over-doing right now?

P.S. The photo is from last week at the Keller Williams Realty, LLC's CEO Summit — a full house of high-energy leaders who embody Wild Courage. And yes, this time I flew home fired up … not in tears. 😅

I made $10K more — without asking for $10k more. 🤯

A company recently hired me for a 45-minute keynote.

Then they asked: “Can you also do a 90-minute workshop for 200 VIPs?” — for less money than I quoted.

The workshop alone would’ve been 20+ hours of prep.

I had two options👇

#1: Walk away
#2: Negotiate differently

So I asked 6 words: “What else is easy for you?”

Most people think negotiation = asking for more money. That’s lazy negotiating. Instead, I got creative.

Here’s what I asked for:

1️⃣ Timing flexibility.

The event conflicted with my son’s first week of middle school. I asked if they could shift the welcome reception 30 minutes so I could catch a later flight. Zero cost to them. Huge value to me.

2️⃣ 200 books for VIPs.

Came out of their swag budget, not their speaker budget.

3️⃣ A professional speaker reel.

They already had an in-house videographer. Would’ve cost me $5K+ on my own.

4️⃣ A small fee bump.

Once we’d expanded the value, that ask felt easy.

Total upside? Over $10K in value.

Here’s the lesson: When you only negotiate on price, you trap yourself in one variable.

When you ask, “What else is easy for you?” you unlock:

– Flexibility
– Visibility
– Assets
– Exposure
– Time
– Relationships

Job offer? 
Ask about remote days, signing bonus, development budget.

Freelance deal? 
Ask about referrals, testimonials, footage.

Personal life? 
Ask to swap kid pickups with another family, meet for a 30 min walk instead of a 2-hour dinner, or bring store-bought instead of homemade. 

Try these 6 words this week: 

“What else is easy for you?” 👀

How have you been creative in negotiations?

I’m bringing a little WILD COURAGE to SXSW this week.

I’ll be speaking about the unconventional traits that actually help people get ahead — the ones we’re often told to dial down.

Things like being a little more:

• Weird
• Selfish
• Shameless
• Obsessed
• Nosy
• Manipulative
• Brutal
• Reckless
• Bossy

Turns out those traits are rocket fuel for your career. If you'll be there, come check out my session:

SXSW SESSION:
🗓 March 14 | 11:30 AM
📍 Hilton Austin Downtown — Salon A

Right after the talk, I’ll be doing a book signing:

BOOK SIGNING:
🗓 March 14 | 12:45–1:05 PM
📍 Hilton Austin Downtown — Level 6 Foyer

I’ll also be part of the SXSW 7-Minute Book Giveaway hosted by Rohit Bhargava and The Non-Obvious Company — where 25 authors will be giving away signed books.

SXSW 7-MINUTE BOOK GIVEAWAY:
🗓 March 15 | 12:30 PM
📍 Brazos Hall — Innovation Clubhouse

You can find my session details here:
https://lnkd.in/gQ9f2p9h

If you're heading to SXSW, let me know below. I’d love to meet you there.

In 2011, I spotted a cute guy on the subway.

I wanted to talk to him, but I froze. Then he got off the train.

Just as the doors closed, I chased him down the platform and gave him my number.

We got married three years later. The New York Times wrote about us.

If I had believed “I’m not the kind of person who does that,” I wouldn’t have my husband, Jon, or my two kids.

People tell me I got lucky that day. But that’s not what happened.

Meeting Jon. Getting a job out of college at Google and becoming an executive. Writing a New York Times bestselling book. Building a premium coaching and speaking business. 

NONE of that was luck.

Every single milestone in my life happened because I rewrote a limiting belief and took action.

My friend Nir Eyal’s new book Beyond Belief is all about this — how limiting beliefs keep us stuck and how to replace them.

Here’s what this looks like in practice:

📌 Want a promotion?

Limiting belief: “I’m not ready yet. I need more experience.”
Liberating belief: “No one feels 100% ready. I can grow into the role.”

📌 Want to speak up more?

Limiting belief: “I’m not senior enough. No one wants to hear from me.”
Liberating belief: “I have awesome ideas and my perspective has value.”

📌 Want to change careers?

Limiting belief: “It’s too late to start over. I’ve invested too much in this path.”
Liberating belief: “Skills transfer. I can build on what I know.”

The only thing between you and what you want is the belief you haven’t rewritten yet.

What’s one limiting belief you need to rewrite this week?

P.S. Check out Nir’s new book Beyond Belief here: https://amzn.to/3Oq7KgR

It was 7:00 a.m.

I texted my Chief of Staff, Carlina: 

“You should come on this podcast with me. We record at noon.”
😳

It was a big podcast with thousands of reviews. Massive audience.

Carlina works behind the scenes. She is brilliant and strategic — and not usually the one holding the mic.

This was her FIRST podcast ever.

She texted back: “Let’s do it. I’m going to be reckless.” 😅

(Reckless is one of the nine traits I write about in my new book Wild Courage. It means having the courage to err on the side of action. Better to learn from your mistakes than waste time analyzing every decision.)

Five hours later, Carlina crushed it.

Extra time rarely builds confidence. Instead, it helps you spiral and overthink. 

📌 That’s why I love the 24-Hour Rule: 

If something scares you (and it’s aligned with your goals), give yourself less than 24 hours to act.

👉 Schedule the hard conversation for tomorrow morning.
👉 Submit the application tonight.
👉 Tell someone you’ll speak up in the meeting tomorrow — so you have to.

Short timelines force action before fear gets too loud.

After the episode, Carlina said: “I’m so glad I just did it. Doing it increased my confidence.” 

That’s the secret.

Confidence comes from DOING the thing. Not just thinking about it. 

This week, pick one scary thing you’ve been avoiding. Give yourself less than 24 hours.

Then do it. 

P.S.: Check out our episode on Ian Morgan Cron's Typology podcast — one of the biggest I'd done and Carlina’s very first.

https://lnkd.in/gPTT5x2h

You don’t have a calendar problem. 

You have a courage problem. 😬

Every “Sure, I can make that work,” 
“Let me try to squeeze it in,” 
“I’ll see what I can do…”

…is you volunteering your future resentment.

Every unnecessary yes trains people to treat your time like it’s flexible.

If you want to operate at a higher level, your calendar has to reflect your priorities. 

Here are 5 easy ways to say no without the guilt:

📌 Low-priority meeting:  
“I’m not the right person for this one. Happy to weigh in async if helpful.”

📌 Someone wants to “pick your brain”:
 “Candidly, my schedule is at capacity right now, so I need to pass. I appreciate you thinking of me. Let’s stay connected on LinkedIn.”

📌 Optional dinner/event:
 “Thanks for the invite! I have a conflict that morning, so I need to pass. I hope it goes well.”

📌 You get added to a project you didn’t agree to:
 “I don’t have bandwidth for this. What should I deprioritize if this needs to move forward?”

📌 A vague “quick favor”:
“Can you clarify the outcome you’re looking for? I want to make sure it’s the best use of my time.”

Respect your own time first.

Everyone else will follow.

Get the scripts I actually use to say no to projects, meetings, and favors (without feeling like a jerk): 

https://lnkd.in/gjQaaQ87

SXSW, here’s your chance to grab a free copy of my New York Times bestseller Wild Courage (and 24 other amazing books).

It's part of the SXSW 7-Minute Book Giveaway this weekend, hosted by Rohit Bhargava and Non-Obvious Company, featuring 25 authors inside the Innovation Clubhouse.

Show up on time. Books go fast.

🗓 Sunday, March 15 | 12:30 PM
 📍 Brazos Hall — Innovation Clubhouse

Honored to be included — especially after Wild Courage was named Most Useful Book of the Year in the Non-Obvious Book Awards.

And if you want the ideas behind the book live, I’m speaking Saturday at SXSW:
Wild Courage — Go After What You Want & Get It

 🗓 Saturday, March 14 | 11:30 AM
 📍 Hilton Austin Downtown — Salon A

Book signing right after.

https://lnkd.in/gra2ShtA

Google

Google Cloud Platform | Google Kubernetes Engine | Anthos
• Config Sync
• GKE Enterprise 
• Kubernetes maintainer
• Kubernetes SIG (Special Interest Group) Apps chair

Staff Software Engineer

The Linux Foundation

Co-chair of KubeCon 2018-2019:
• KubeCon Europe 2019, with 7,700 attendees
• KubeCon North America 2018. Biggest KubeCon yet, with 8,500 attendees
• KubeCon China 2018. First KubeCon in Asia, with 2,500 attendees
• Delivered 4 KubeCon keynote speeches

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