Lisa 🇺🇸

People Operations

"What Do I Want My Life To Be?"

Lisa's Story

Lisa came into Remote Rebellion as an SVP of People Operations at a professional services company. Her job was already remote, but she wanted work-from-anywhere, and more than that, she wanted out of professional services entirely. She'd had her run through multiple industries at that point and knew the difference between one that speaks to you and one that doesn't. Hers didn't anymore, and she needed help getting unstuck.

She wasn't new to job searching mechanics. She was using tools like Teal to rework her resume and kept her LinkedIn current, but climbing the ranks had eaten the time she needed to actually pursue the roles that excited her. She'd apply anyway, without much expectation of landing them.

The tech piece ran deeper than she initially let on. She'd been in HR for fifteen years and had circled tech companies the whole time; edtech, adjacent industries, but never landed at a company that actually builds a product. Looking back, she says she'd wanted a tech role for fourteen years, not the six months to a year she'd have guessed if you'd asked her casually.

What moved the needle wasn't just tactical LinkedIn advice, though she got plenty of that, learning things about posting and positioning she hadn't picked up even after years leading recruitment teams herself. It was working through what she actually wanted with Michelle. She'd thought she knew, but kept defaulting to titles that matched how far she'd already climbed. It took several sessions to get underneath that and realize those titles weren't what she wanted at all. The question shifted from what she wanted from a job to what she wanted for her life.

The program also taught her how to actually vet work-from-anywhere roles, since plenty of companies claim "fully remote" without meaning it. Recruiter roundtables run by Michelle and Keem gave her the chance to build real rapport with recruiters directly, not just send applications into a void.

She's now stepping into a People Partner role at Circle, a work-from-anywhere tech company. Dream role, dream setup, and by her account, a fresh shot at designing her life rather than just her career.

Her advice to anyone on the fence: you'll learn things, you'll build real friendships, and you'll get out roughly what you put in. The community carries people through the parts of the search that feel discouraging, cheering on interviews and offers in real time, showing up when the market makes you feel passed over.