She spent two decades climbing toward the titles, the raises, the next rung. Then she stepped off the ladder entirely, just to find out what she actually wanted. Jessica sits down with Virginia Johnson, Partner at Outside General Counsel (OGC), to talk about the relationships that built her career, the sabbatical that redefined it, and what she looks for now in a role, a founder, and herself.
Meet the expert
Virginia Johnson
Partner at Outside General Counsel (OGC), to talk about the relationships that built her career, the sabbatical that redefined it, and what she looks for now in a role, a founder, and herself
She spent two decades climbing toward the titles, the raises, the next rung. Then she stepped off the ladder entirely, just to find out what she actually wanted.
Key takeaways
01
Why she chose Weil Gotshal's securities litigation group for the mentors, not the law
02
The leap from litigator to Goldman-owned reinsurance business through a cold connection
03
Raising her hand for the messy assignments nobody else wanted to take on early on
04
How a mentee's tip about her CEO father led straight to the CLO role at Aspen Aerogels
05
What changes when you carry the added scrutiny and pressure of being a public company GC
06
Why she left her CLO role last summer for a sabbatical instead of chasing the next job
07
The two red flags that make her pass on a role no matter how good it looks on paper
08
Getting into VC investing through Mendoza Ventures and Bambelei Ventures as an advisor
09
What twenty years of mentoring taught her about giving without expecting anything back
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