{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Fit Happens: Why CEOs and Leaders Succeed or Fail","title":"Career Fit Beyond VC: Kara Nortman's Path to Women's Sports Leadership","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3034,"description":"She left a dream job at peak success — because she finally discovered what true alignment feels like.\n\nIn this episode of Fit Happens, Jason Baumgarten sits down with Kara Nortman, managing partner of Monarch Collective — the only investment platform exclusively focused on women's sports. Kara's career spans Morgan Stanley, IAC, Battery Ventures, Upfront Ventures, and co-founding Angel City Football Club alongside Natalie Portman. She talks candidly about what it took to leave a role she was thriving in to pursue a fit she didn't know she needed, the role of coaching and personality frameworks in her growth, and what she's learned about assessing people across decades of investing.\n\nKey Takeaways:\nTrue alignment feels different from just being good at your job — and recognizing that gap is a gift.\nFlow isn't something that arrives; it requires deliberately building the right container of habits and environment.\nWomen often take longer than men to recognize and fully own their natural strengths — and this has real career costs.\nUsing tools like the Enneagram and Human Design can help leaders identify patterns and lead more self-aware teams.\nThe victim, villain, hero framework is a powerful lens for reframing how you respond to difficult circumstances at work.\nJob crafting works: Kara's decision to write a venture blog in 2004 directly led to her role at IAC.\nThe best hires often have broken resumes and something to prove — perfection on paper can be a red flag.\nInterviewing is no better than a coin toss even for skilled practitioners — but starts improving when you define what you actually need.\nReference calls work best when referencers feel they're helping you succeed with the person, not judging whether to hire them.\nPartnering well — knowing what you're great at and building complementary teams around it — is the long-term driver of enduring companies.\nConnect with Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbaumgarten/ \nEmail the show here: fithappens.fm","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/0AtGMO0HN5UCZe2_wf8pfE5Ad7xGwtuc4BOCVD_dVlA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8yNTdl/MDY2MDQyMDAzMmFk/MWIzNjMwMzMwZjFh/NTRmMS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}