Episode 3: Megan Panzer Kageleiry on Swimming Towards Something

The best career advice in recruiting and talent often gets shared in private conversations – insights that never make it to the broader community. We wanted to change that with Behind the Growth.

Episode 3 is now live with Megan Panzer Kageleiry, who shares her journey from jewelry buyer at major retailers to leading people strategy at Bain Capital Ventures.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Megan opens up about making the leap to an entry-level recruiting role after years in merchandising, and the question that reframed her entire approach to career moves: “Am I swimming away from something or towards something?” She also shares her framework for evaluating opportunities focuses on three overlapping areas: what you’re good at, what you enjoy, and what the business needs.

You’ll hear how structure in her personal and professional life creates space for both deep work and spontaneity, why consistently doing solid work builds the trust that leads to stretch opportunities, and her approach to interviews that reveals whether she can build honest, open relationships with the people she’ll work with.

This conversation is about following curiosity, creating structure, and building a career path that works for you—whether you’re just starting out or navigating your next transition.

Behind the Growth delivers the mentorship conversations that usually stay behind closed doors – practical wisdom from leaders who’ve built the talent functions we all study and admire.

New episodes drop every two weeks.

The Growth by Design Talent Team

This episode is brought to you by Gem — an AI-first, all-in-one recruiting platform where you get your ATS, CRM, sourcing, scheduling, and analytics in one place.