You Can Walk Away – How Amanda Bickerstaff Found Her Way Back From Burnout

Amanda Bickerstaff had a plan and a goal.  When she transitioned from being a teacher in NY to working in Ed Tech, she knew she wanted to make it to CEO – and that the only jobs she’d take would be the ones that would get her one step closer to the C-Suite. In the fall of 2019, at only 39 years old, she moved to Australia to make that goal a reality as the newly minted CEO of an Ed Tech Company whose founding CEO had needed to step back from the role.

It was a dream job. Until it became a nightmare. Leading a startup is always a huge challenge, but Amanda found herself on the other side of the world, locked down during COVID, and caught between her role as an Executive CEO and the company’s founders who just couldn’t seem to let go and let her to do the job they’d hired her for.

So what did Amanda do? Like a lot of ambitious entrepreneurs, she threw herself even more deeply into the role. But 100 hour weeks, sleepless nights, and the lack of trust between her and the company’s founders soon became untenable. Amanda found herself having to choose between her own well-being and the position she’d been working so hard for.

How did Amanda find a way to turn a dream opportunity turned nightmare into the groundwork for the thriving, fulfilling, and successful role she has today as the Co-Founder and CEO of AI For Education? What did she learn about the value of making concessions … and the necessity of knowing when to walk away? And what does any of this have to do with advice on shoes, car leases, and PH.D programs? 

The answers are all in this episode of B The Way Forward.

For more, check out Amanda an AI for Education…

On Instagram – @AI_forEducation

On TikTok – @aiforeducation

On X – @AI_forEducation

AI for Education on LinkedIn – /aiforeducation

Amanda on LinkedIn – /amanda-bickerstaff-edu

AI for Education on the Web – www.aiforeducation.io

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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

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