WHAT IF? Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:07:42 -0400 https://whatifpodcast.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 WHAT IF? yes 77532b7b-d354-53fb-9d64-002f3e02bde8 whatifpodcast.hello@gmail.com Kate Wang episodic false What If is a podcast about non-linear careers, bold pivots, and the courage to build a life that feels true to who you are.


Hosted by Kate Wang, each episode goes beyond polished success stories to explore the decisions underneath them: the pivots, doubts, risks, identity shifts, setbacks, and moments when someone chose a path that wasn’t obvious.


Through candid conversations with women and cross-cultural thinkers building across industries, cultures, and continents, What If? asks the questions we often think about privately:


What if the “safe” path isn’t the right one? What if starting over is actually moving forward? What if the thing that once made you feel like an outsider becomes one of your greatest strengths?


We talk about turning international and cross-cultural experiences into perspective, resilience, adaptability, and an edge, and about learning to trust yourself even when your path doesn’t look like everyone else’s.


This is a show about choosing curiosity over convention, trusting yourself through uncertainty, and creating a path that actually feels like yours.

What if you chose differently? What if you took the leap? What if it worked?

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Kate Wang whatifpodcast.hello@gmail.com https://storage.buzzsprout.com/d6sxv5lbfaztonz0zqaq0gkif3jf?.jpg WHAT IF? https://whatifpodcast.buzzsprout.com How to Walk Into Any Room Like You Belong There: Lesley Li on Confidence, Career Pivots & Finding Your Voice as an International Woman How to Walk Into Any Room Like You Belong There: Lesley Li on Confidence, Career Pivots & Finding Your Voice as an International Woman In this episode, I sit down with Lesley Li, a strategic partnerships leader in the fintech industry, whose nonlinear career has taken her across computer science, finance, impact work, fintech, and strategic partnerships.

We talk about why she believes “humans are humans, not gods,” how she navigates high-stakes rooms without putting others on a pedestal, why authenticity matters more than pretending to know everything, and how career pivots helped her discover what she is actually good at. 

Lesley also shares her perspective on taking leaps of faith, building a sense of self-worth that doesn’t depend on one company or title, getting comfortable with failure, and turning the international student experience into a source of resilience. 

Beyond Lesley's day-to-day work, Lesley was selected as an instructor for the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), where she has educated more than 300 professionals across payments, fraud prevention, and e-commerce. She has also been invited to serve as a judge for innovation and entrepreneurship programs affiliated with Yale University, Harvard-affiliated initiatives, and Johns Hopkins University.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you belong in the room, or you are trying to build up your leadership presence in a new space — this episode is for you.

]]> In this episode, I sit down with Lesley Li, a strategic partnerships leader in the fintech industry, whose nonlinear career has taken her across computer science, finance, impact work, fintech, and strategic partnerships.

We talk about why she believes “humans are humans, not gods,” how she navigates high-stakes rooms without putting others on a pedestal, why authenticity matters more than pretending to know everything, and how career pivots helped her discover what she is actually good at. 

Lesley also shares her perspective on taking leaps of faith, building a sense of self-worth that doesn’t depend on one company or title, getting comfortable with failure, and turning the international student experience into a source of resilience. 

Beyond Lesley's day-to-day work, Lesley was selected as an instructor for the Merchant Risk Council (MRC), where she has educated more than 300 professionals across payments, fraud prevention, and e-commerce. She has also been invited to serve as a judge for innovation and entrepreneurship programs affiliated with Yale University, Harvard-affiliated initiatives, and Johns Hopkins University.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you belong in the room, or you are trying to build up your leadership presence in a new space — this episode is for you.

]]> Kate Wang Buzzsprout-19634089 Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:00:00 -0400 2211 #WhatIfPodcast, #CareerPivot, #InternationalWomen, #WomenInLeadership, #WomenInTech, #Fintech, #Leadership, #Confidence, #Belonging, #BetOnYourself, #NonlinearCareer, #CareerGrowth, #PersonalDevelopment, #ExecutivePresence, #InternationalStudents, #WomenI 1 2 full false Choosing a Career with Passion and Purpose: Victoria Lyu on Pivoting into Healthcare and MBA/MS Choosing a Career with Passion and Purpose: Victoria Lyu on Pivoting into Healthcare and MBA/MS What if you could experiment your way into a career that truly feels aligned?

In the very first episode of What If, Kate sits down with Victoria Lyu, a healthcare professional and international student from China who is currently pursuing a dual MBA and MS in Biomedical Science at the University of Chicago.

Victoria’s path has taken her from consulting and finance to healthcare strategy, and is now building the next chapter of her career at Oliver Wyman's Health & Life Sciences Practice.

Instead of following one fixed career track, she treated each step as an experiment — testing different roles, reflecting on what gave her purpose, and getting clearer on the kind of impact she wanted to make.

In this conversation, Kate and Victoria talk about career pivots, grad school, women’s health, and life as an international student. Victoria reflects on how being an international student has shaped her adaptability, broadened her worldview, and strengthened her ability to navigate different cultural and professional environments. Victoria also shares why she chose a dual MBA/MS and how she is building a career in healthcare that feels personally meaningful.

Sometimes, the biggest “what if” is giving yourself permission to explore.

]]> What if you could experiment your way into a career that truly feels aligned?

In the very first episode of What If, Kate sits down with Victoria Lyu, a healthcare professional and international student from China who is currently pursuing a dual MBA and MS in Biomedical Science at the University of Chicago.

Victoria’s path has taken her from consulting and finance to healthcare strategy, and is now building the next chapter of her career at Oliver Wyman's Health & Life Sciences Practice.

Instead of following one fixed career track, she treated each step as an experiment — testing different roles, reflecting on what gave her purpose, and getting clearer on the kind of impact she wanted to make.

In this conversation, Kate and Victoria talk about career pivots, grad school, women’s health, and life as an international student. Victoria reflects on how being an international student has shaped her adaptability, broadened her worldview, and strengthened her ability to navigate different cultural and professional environments. Victoria also shares why she chose a dual MBA/MS and how she is building a career in healthcare that feels personally meaningful.

Sometimes, the biggest “what if” is giving yourself permission to explore.

]]> Kate Wang Buzzsprout-19546680 Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400 2345 1 1 full false