In this episode, we talk with Geoff Curtis, author of Embracing Your Own Purgatory, about what happens when the identity you built around your work disappears. Geoff describes the armor he built around his career, and how he used work to avoid dealing with harder things in his own life. We talk about destination addiction (always chasing the next achievement without stopping to ask why) and what he thinks the antidote is.
Geoff also shares why he believes productivity and progress aren’t the same thing, and how he’d approach a career transition today, in a job market where trust between companies and employees feels harder to build.
We close on authenticity at work, and whether most workplace cultures are actually ready for it.
Our Guest: Geoff Curtis
Geoff Curtis is former executive vice president, corporate affairs and chief communications officer at Horizon Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on researching and developing treatments for rare diseases. During his nearly 30-year health care communications career, he has worked in various roles on both the client and agency side. Geoff is a committed mentor and coach to young professionals and undergraduate college students, and an avid philanthropist committed to education equity and access. He and his wife recently launched Future Voices Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting first-generation college students pursuing careers in public relations and communications. Additionally, Geoff recently published his first book, Embracing Your Own Purgatory.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Lake Forest College, a Master of Arts from DePaul University in public relations and advertising and completed the Leadership and Society Initiative fellowship at the University of Chicago. Geoff currently serves on the board of trustees for Lake Forest College, is a member of the board of directors for Hope Chicago and the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization; is a member of the board of advisors for The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations; serves as Vice Chair for the Commission on Public Relations Education; is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the DePaul University School of Communications; serves on the advisory committee for the University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative and on the Graham Council for the University of Chicago Graham School.
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