Finding the Right Fit: Career Pivots, Workplace Culture, and Standing Out in the Age of AI with Ana Altchek
About this Episode
What happens when the career you thought you wanted no longer feels like the right one?
In this episode, Ashley sits down with Ana Altchek, a reporter at Business Insider, to talk about career pivots, uncertainty, workplace culture, and what it takes to build a career that actually fits.
Ana shares how she went from planning for law school to pursuing journalism, including the unexpected experiences that helped her realize what she did - and did not - want from her career. She reflects on applying to dozens of jobs before landing at Business Insider, why the right opportunity can sometimes feel surprisingly natural, and what she has learned from interviewing CEOs and other successful leaders.
Together, Ashley and Ana also explore the changing workplace, what employees increasingly expect from company culture, how AI is reshaping entry-level careers, and why building a body of work and a personal brand may matter more than ever.
This episode is for early-career professionals, students, emerging leaders, career changers, and anyone trying to figure out what comes next without having the entire path mapped out.
They talk about
Ana’s original plan to attend law school and what changed
Making the pivot from pre-law to journalism
Working on a Netflix film in Pittsburgh and learning what she did not want from a career
Applying to nearly 70 jobs before finding the right fit at Business Insider
Why career paths do not always need to unfold according to plan
Recognizing when an opportunity feels like the right fit
The role networking played in Ana’s Business Insider journey
What Ana has learned from interviewing CEOs and successful leaders
Why taking risks earlier in your career can matter
The connection between passion, ambition, and long-term success
How expectations around workplace culture are changing
Why companies need to give employees meaningful reasons to invest in office culture
How AI could reshape entry-level jobs and traditional career paths
Why adaptability is becoming an essential professional skill
Building a portfolio, newsletter, blog, or personal brand that demonstrates what you can actually do
Moving from early-career anxiety toward confidence
Unleashing your inner queen by doing work you are proud of
Show Notes
The Career You Planned May Not Be the Career You Choose: Ana originally expected to attend law school, but she increasingly realized that the path did not excite her. After an unusual LSAT experience and an unsuccessful paralegal job search, she applied to NYU’s journalism program almost on a whim. Receiving a nearly full scholarship helped turn that possibility into a new direction.
Sometimes Experience Tells You What You Don’t Want: After college, Ana spent eight months working on a Netflix production in Pittsburgh. While the experience itself was exciting, it also gave her clarity. She realized that the long editing process and scriptwriting side of the industry were not where her passion lived. That realization helped move her closer to journalism.
Finding the Right Fit: Ana applied to roughly 70 jobs as she prepared to graduate, but Business Insider was the opportunity that ultimately opened. She had already connected with people inside the company and felt aligned with the way Business Insider approached stories. For Ana, one sign that something may be the right fit is when the challenges feel manageable because you genuinely want the opportunity.
What Successful Leaders Have in Common: Through interviewing CEOs and other leaders, Ana has noticed that many successful people did not necessarily follow elaborate master plans. They kept moving, took risks, accepted additional responsibility, and genuinely enjoyed the fields they were working in. Often, their ambition came from an internal desire to keep learning and doing more.
Workplace Culture Has to Offer Something Real: Employees are increasingly asking what they actually gain from participating in office culture. Ana discusses how companies are reconsidering everything from workplace design to accommodations for neurodivergent employees. Creating a strong culture requires more than asking people to come into an office - employees need meaningful reasons to engage.
AI Will Change Early-Career Work: Ana encourages young professionals to expect their roles to evolve. As AI becomes capable of handling more entry-level tasks, adaptability will become increasingly valuable. The job someone accepts today may look very different several years from now.
Your Work Has to Speak Beyond the Resume: When AI can help almost anyone create a polished resume or cover letter, demonstrating what you can actually do becomes even more important. Ana recommends creating something tangible - a portfolio, newsletter, blog, project, or body of work - that gives employers a clearer sense of your skills, perspective, and initiative.
Confidence Comes From Doing the Work: Early in her career, Ana experienced the uncertainty and anxiety that come with trying to establish yourself professionally. Over time, doing work she was proud of, becoming stronger at her job, and receiving recognition from colleagues helped build her confidence and shape the way she saw her own future.
Unleashing Your Inner Queen: For Ana, unleashing your inner queen is connected to doing work you are genuinely proud of and surrounding yourself with people who support you. Confidence did not appear all at once — it grew as she became better at her work, trusted herself more, and recognized that she belonged in the room.
Guest Appearing in This Episode
Ana Altchek: Reporter at Business Insider covering careers, workplace trends, executives, and the changing world of work. Through her reporting and interviews with business leaders, Ana explores how people build careers, how workplaces are evolving, and what success looks like across generations.
Know someone navigating a career pivot, entering the workforce, questioning their next move, or thinking about how AI will change their profession? Share this episode. It is a candid conversation about finding the right fit, staying adaptable, building confidence, and creating a career that feels like your own.
