If you're new here / or momentarily forgot why you're getting this email: Hi - I'm McKay. I'm a career coach for high performers in tech.
This email includes wisdom from peers you should know and career advice that my clients have leveraged in their pursuit of lifelong growth.
Leaders to learn from: Wisdom and reflections from people you should know
This week, we’re getting some stellar insights from Karina Mitrova ⬇ I worked with her a few years ago, and I’ve been so excited to hear about how she’s growing and crushing it!
Karina is currently scaling the product org at HP and is building sustainable practices that support long-term team success. She acts as a right-hand and strategic thought-partner to her VP as they continue to evolve the product into a platform, grow the org, and strengthen operational excellence. Her work spans partnering with product leaders to keep priorities aligned, shaping how they communicate the vision and strategy to executive leadership, and establishing best-in-class practices that enable the team to deliver exceptional products at scale. |
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💬What have you learned most about yourself this year?
I’ve learned that I’m a natural bridge-builder, someone who instinctively connects people, ideas, and priorities. And this year, I’ve been leaning more intentionally into that strength by asking for help instead of trying to carry everything myself.
I’ve also learned that kindness and compassion aren’t “nice-to-haves” in leadership; they’re powerful levers. They shift how people show up, how work gets done, and how teams feel in my presence. Choosing to lead with warmth is a strength, not a softness.
💬What’s something you’ve learned from someone you admire at work recently — and how have you leveraged it?
From Parnian—my dear friend who’s a new founder—I’ve learned to show up even when you’re scared. Even when things feel impossible. Even when you don’t know if you’re doing it “right.”
Her example reminds me on hard days that courage is usually quiet, and that I’m probably doing better than I think I am. The work compounds when you just keep showing up.
From my boss: I’ve learned to think bigger and bolder. To shape the narrative before someone asks. Her influence shifted how I approach every project:
→ What story do we want to tell?
→ What outcome are we trying to create?
I no longer wait for permission or direction to define what matters. I start with the vision and lead from there.
💬What’s something you’ve unlearned lately that’s made you a stronger leader?
I’ve unlearned the belief that progress must be linear or visible.
Instead, I’m embracing progress as a commitment—a practice of showing up for myself, especially on days when nothing seems to be moving. Mistakes, plateaus, small wins—they’re all stepping stones to the next milestone.
I’ve also unlearned the habit of making myself small. Shrinking helps no one. Owning my strengths, voice, and influence has made me a more grounded, expansive leader.
→ If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming edition of this newsletter, send me a note. It’s a great opportunity to highlight your work, your expertise, and the leadership insights you’re developing.
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Bro, you ok?
If you’re a human who has a job or wants a job in 2025, you probably need all the help you can get.
That’s why I recently rolled out the Legacy League: A members-only community for smart, kind people in Tech who want to create impact at work. It’s like a cooler, hipper, less problematic country club, sans the Grasshoppers.
More and more, I see high performers like you staying put, weary of the job market, but not quite satisfied with where they’re at.
It can be a really frustrating/annoying place to be when you’re neither staying nor going, but when you do, in your heart, want to keep growing (it’s who you are, after all!).
So, if you want to get back to feeling like your badass self at work but don’t want to burn it all to the ground, check out the Legacy League - there’s a tier of support that will meet you wherever you’re at.
In fact, the amount of support w/in each tier is probably too good to be true… so that’s why I’m only taking on 20 founding member spots before I raise prices next year - only 16 spots left!
More details on our MVP website. (50 bucks off if you can find anytypos)
