The Career Clinic Podcast
Host: Ronnie Dickerson Stewart
Welcome to Week Four — the final week — of The Career Clinic Podcast January Intensive Series.
This week brings together the core themes of the series: agency, design, decision-making, and forward movement.
In Episode 90, Ronnie names a pattern she sees repeatedly among capable, accomplished people: waiting for permission.
Permission to apply.
Permission to pivot.
Permission to leave.
Permission to want something different than what once made sense.
This episode is a grounded conversation about reclaiming agency, understanding the cost of waiting, and learning how to move forward with intention — even when certainty isn't available.
✔️ Why permission rarely arrives — especially later in your career
✔️ How "being prudent" quietly turns into self-delay
✔️ The difference between strategic patience and stalled movement
✔️ Why certainty almost never comes before action
✔️ How external validation slowly erodes leverage
✔️ What it looks like to design your next chapter on purpose
Ronnie breaks down common reasons people get stuck waiting:
Wanting certainty before moving
Seeking validation from others
Believing there is a "right" way to want success
Fear of undoing credibility already earned
Feeling bound to past decisions
At a certain point, waiting stops being thoughtful — and starts limiting momentum.
This episode names what waiting often costs:
Time
Time spent waiting is time not spent building toward what matters now.
Opportunity
Movement creates learning. Waiting delays it.
Leverage
The longer you wait, the more approval starts to matter.
Agency
Over time, waiting teaches you to defer your own judgment — and that's hard to reverse.
Ronnie shares her own experience leaving a successful corporate career to build OhHeyCoach — not impulsively, but intentionally.
She talks through:
How long the decision took
Why permission never came
What planning actually looked like
Why clarity followed action, not the other way around
The takeaway is practical: permission is something you give yourself — after thought, reflection, and design.
1. Name the Permission You're Waiting For
Be specific. Vague waiting is harder to move through.
2. Ask: "What Would I Do If I Already Had Permission?"
This question surfaces clarity quickly.
3. Design the Thing You're Waiting On
Draft the role, the pivot, the next chapter — even if it's rough.
4. Identify the First Two Steps
Not the full plan. Just the next right moves.
This is not a call to be reckless or impulsive.
It is a reminder that:
Thoughtful decisions don't require unanimous approval
Readiness often follows movement
You are allowed to evolve beyond old definitions
The next episode continues this theme with a focus on negotiation as self-advocacy — reframing negotiation as a life skill, not just a workplace tactic.
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You don't need permission to think clearly, plan thoughtfully, or move forward with intention.
You are allowed to decide — and design — what's next.
I'll see you in the next episode. 🤎
