Corporate Recruiting Trainer and LinkedIn Top Voice Katrina Kibben recently released their second book, “The Bounce Back Factor: A Leader’s Guide to Liking Yourself While Leading Your People”. Drawing from their own story of resilience — including the experience of being laid off — Katrina shares practical insights on navigating uncertainty with confidence and compassion. Their lessons feel especially timely amid widespread tech layoffs and the accelerating influence of AI.
In this interview with TechTalents Insights, Katrina underscores a core principle of their leadership philosophy: meaningful leadership starts with how we treat ourselves. As they put it, “It’s really hard to be nice to anyone else when you’re not being nice to yourself.”
The author further reflects on their three years of living and traveling in a van — an experience that inspired their first book, “This Was All an Accident: Letters and Life Lessons”, and that they revisit in “The Bounce Back Factor.” One lesson in particular feels especially relevant in times of workplace anxiety: “There’s a lot of good in the world when you pay attention. Don’t let the headlines make you believe it’s all bad because it’s really not.”
Katrina also explains why becoming “better at being human” is the most powerful way to remain irreplaceable in an age of automation. “It starts by understanding what machines are good at and what humans are good at, then applying energy appropriately.”
Read on for the full conversation.
TechTalents Insights: Your new book explores how to lead through uncertainty. How can it help tech leaders navigate the current wave of mass layoffs?
Katrina Kibben: Our world, especially work, is more uncertain than ever. This book focuses on the skills we all need to navigate uncertainty with confidence, no matter the circumstances. It’s not just about leading other people. It’s also about changing how you treat yourself.
It’s really hard to be nice to anyone else when you’re not being nice to yourself. Hard things happen to all of us — layoffs, unexpected deaths, caregiving. Work doesn’t allow for a lot of space to heal from all of that. Hell, it’s hard to handle all of it. That turns into resentment, burnout, and beating yourself up. It’s important that a leader takes time to heal and mirrors that into their team. It could be something as simple as taking all your PTO or reminding your team to do the same. It’s not hard or abstract. It’s treating yourself well.
TechTalents Insights: In a recent article, “What AI Can’t Do: The 3 Skills Every Recruiter Needs to Learn Now,” you argue that the greatest investment today is helping recruiters become “better at being human.” What does that actually look like in the day-to-day life of a recruiter?
Katrina Kibben: It starts by understanding what machines are good at and what humans are good at, then applying energy appropriately.
For example, AI can sort those candidates, but a person should be the one making the decision about the next step. Accordingly, I need to train my team on deeply understanding skills and what clarifying questions to ask to get clarity from candidates quickly.
TechTalents Insights: You spent three years living and traveling in a van because, why not? For readers who haven’t followed your journey, what lessons or insights from that time have stayed with you the most?
Katrina Kibben: Two things. One, everything isn’t critical, and it’s ok to have some why-not energy. Testing and iterating are the fun parts of life and work.
Two, there’s a lot of good in the world when you pay attention. Don’t let the headlines make you believe it’s all bad because it’s really not.
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