Ctrl Shift podcast
Shortcuts for building longevity.
Ctrl Shift is an interview podcast about the shifts people make in their careers and lives, and the shortcuts they pick up along the way.
The Real Cost of Leaving Director of AI
with Jeremy Abel
Jeremy Abel carried a graph pad through high school, drawing specs for buildings he wanted to put up in New York City. An 11th grade drafting class taught by a burned-out retired architect talked him out of it.
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Every conversation
The Real Cost of Leaving Director of AI
with Jeremy Abel
Jeremy Abel carried a graph pad through high school, drawing specs for buildings he wanted to put up in New York City. An 11th grade drafting class taught by a burned-out retired architect talked him out of it.
Trailer
Welcome to Ctrl Shift, an interview podcast about the shifts people make in their careers and lives, and the shortcuts they pick up along the way.
Every episode opens with the same question
“When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?”
Host and Pick 2 Solutions Founder DeVante Pickering sits down with seasoned leaders and traces the whole arc: where they started, what changed, and what they learned navigating the turns. No highlight reels, no pretending it was a straight line, just real conversations about the pivots that shaped a career and the lessons worth passing on.
Where they started
The first answer, the first job, and the plan that seemed obvious at the time.
What changed
The pivots, the detours, and the moments that forced a decision: when to pivot, and when to hold.
What they learned
The shortcuts picked up along the way, and the lessons worth passing on to whoever comes next.
The team behind the show
DeVante Pickering
Founder of Pick 2 Solutions. A St. Croix native with 10+ years building software across startups, Fortune 50 companies, and the public sector, DeVante knows firsthand that careers rarely run in a straight line.
Sierra Pickering
Chief Growth Officer at Pick 2 Solutions. Sierra built Urban One’s podcast network as Head of Podcasting, led podcasting at WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station, and served on the Executive Committee of The Podcast Academy.
About the podcast
What is Ctrl Shift?
Ctrl Shift is an interview podcast about the shifts people make in their careers and lives, and the shortcuts they pick up along the way. Host and Pick 2 Solutions Founder DeVante Pickering sits down with seasoned leaders and traces the whole arc: where they started, what changed, and what they learned navigating the turns. No highlight reels, no pretending it was a straight line, just real conversations about the pivots that shaped a career and the lessons worth passing on.
Who hosts Ctrl Shift?
Ctrl Shift is hosted by DeVante Pickering, Founder of Pick 2 Solutions, and executive produced by Sierra Pickering, Pick 2 Solutions’ Chief Growth Officer and former Head of Podcasting at Urban One.
How often do new episodes come out?
New episodes every other Thursday. Episodes are sized for a lunch break.
Where can I listen to or watch Ctrl Shift?
Ctrl Shift is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and in any podcast app through its public RSS feed. Full video episodes are on the Pick 2 Solutions YouTube channel.
How does every episode begin?
Every episode opens with the same question: “When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?” From there, the conversation follows the honest path from that first answer to now.
Is there a Ctrl Shift newsletter?
Yes. CTRL SHIFT is DeVante Pickering’s monthly newsletter on LinkedIn: thinking out loud on technology, business, culture, and whatever’s cached in my brain.
How can I suggest a guest for Ctrl Shift?
Reach out through the Pick 2 Solutions contact page with the guest’s name and the shift you think their story captures.
Know someone with a shift worth sharing?
We’re always looking for leaders whose careers took the long way around. Tell us who should be on the show.
Suggest a Guest