Episode 7: Partnering with Execs with Christa Johnson-Perkins

If you are anything like me, you have FOMO when not invited to meetings with execs. But at the same time, when you are invited to present, you find yourself falling apart. I suffered through this no-win situation for a while. In retrospect, I realized that I was I putting too much stock in what presenting to senior audiences meant for my product and career. But I am working on reframing presenting to execs as partnering with execs to get to a common goal. Thinking of it as a partnership rather than as an opportunity to impress removes the pressure to “perform” and I can actually be myself.

I was really glad to find my friend, Christa Johnson-Perkins, had a similar journey herself. In this episode, Christa shares a key presentation from her career that did not go as planned, and important lessons that she walked away with.

Christa has spent over 15 years in the EdTech industry, engaging in product management and marketing roles around products that support learners of all ages. From Rosetta Stone to K12 to the makers of the GMAT exam, she helps companies build and market products that delight and (with luck!) change the world just a little. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the College of William and Mary, and an M.Ed. in International Education from George Washington University. Her COVID hobbies have been primarily planning a new home build in Virginia and pursuing an Executive MBA at Columbia Business School.

Connect with her on LinkedIn.

If you have any comments about the episode or would like to share your own story, please share below. I would love to hear from you!