Adapted Ambitions

0206 Why Smart People Make BAD Career Choices

Ada Offonry explores why highly capable, intelligent people still make career decisions they later regret. She breaks down the hidden psychological traps that keep us over optimising for salary, security or titles, staying too long in roles that no longer fit, or leaping into new ones for the wrong reasons.
Today, you'll learn about:
Optimising for the wrong thing
Fear disguised as “safety”
A smarter way to choose what’s next
Data Sources:Job regret (72%): Joblist U.S. Job Seeker Survey 2024Staying too long out of fear (58%): CIPD UK Employee Outlook 2025High earners + comp-only decisions: Harvard Business Review, "The High Earner's Dilemma" 2024
 
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
For more from Ada: https://adaoffonry.com/
Follow Ada: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adaoffonry/
Find out more about Ada's new venture: https://www.inferencesearch.ai
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

0205 Reinvent Without Resigning - How to Pivot Your Career From the Inside

In this episode, Ada challenges the myth that reinvention requires quitting your job and starting again. Instead, she breaks down how you can strategically reshape your career within your current organisation, often with more stability, influence and financial upside.
From gaining clarity on what you really want, to navigating internal power structures and negotiating pay with confidence, this episode offers a practical, low-risk path to meaningful career change.
Highlights:
Reinventing without quitting.
Power mapping your organisation.
Negotiating scope and pay confidently.
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
Follow Ada: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adaoffonry/
 
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

0204 The Secret Rules of Hedge Fund Hiring

Ada Offonry reveals how hedge funds, AI labs and deep tech startups really hire. She breaks down the traits these fast moving companies value most, why traditional job hunting approaches no longer work, and how to position your experience so you stand out, even without a conventional pedigree.
Highlights:
Depth over breadth
Show, don’t tell
Specificity signals seriousness
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
Follow Ada: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adaoffonry/
Find out more about Ada's new venture: https://www.inferencesearch.ai
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

0203 Redundant at 40 : Reinventing Yourself After Redundancy

Ada Offonry reframes redundancy after 40 as an opportunity for strategic reinvention rather than defeat. Drawing on her experience supporting professionals through career transitions, she shares practical steps to regain control, clarity and confidence.
Learn how to:
Negotiate your exit : maximise your redundancy package and leave on the best possible terms.
Write your “never again” list :  identify what you’ll no longer tolerate in your next role or workplace.
Build your next chapter strategically:  focus on career design, nurturing your network, and embracing new forms of work like consulting or fractional roles.
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
Follow Ada: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adaoffonry/
Find out more about Ada's new venture: https://www.inferencesearch.ai
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

0202 The World of Work Has Changed have You?

Ada Offonry explores how the world of work is evolving, and why we must evolve with it. From the rise of AI to shifting definitions of success, she shares how to stay secure, relevant, and fulfilled in an unpredictable market.
Highlights:
AI makes mediocre work faster,  but great thinkers unstoppable
Success now means freedom, not just titles or tenure
Job security comes from adaptability, not loyalty
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
Follow Ada: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adaoffonry/
Find out more about Ada's new venture: https://www.inferencesearch.ai
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

0201 Your Career, Reinvented: Thriving in the Age of AI and Change

In this season opening episode of The Adapted Ambitions Podcast, Ada Offonry sets the stage for a new era of career reinvention.
Drawing on her 20+ years in top tier finance and tech, Ada shares how the world of work has transformed and why confidence and strategy now matter more than ever.
Listen for:
Insider hiring secrets from hedge funds and AI firms
Tactical frameworks for bold mid career moves
Confidence over 40 as your ultimate advantage
 
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
Follow Ada: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adaoffonry/
Find out more about Ada's new venture: https://www.inferencesearch.ai
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

13: Evolving Corporate Workplace Principles

In this episode, Ada looks into the evolving corporate workplace principles in the world.
Listen to this episode to discover more about: 
How you can use evolving principles to your advantage
Why evolving workplace principles are a good thing for us in the long run
Why there's always a way that you can grow in your business or your employment
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
 
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

12: 5 Career and Life Lessons

In this episode, Ada looks into a few life and career lessons that will be invaluable to you over the course of 2025.
Listen to this episode to discover more about: 
How you can use these tips to gain success in many areas in your life
Why having a personal board of directors can be such a valuable resource for you
Why there's always room for improvement and things can always get better for you
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
 
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

11: Leveraging AI for the Workplace

In this episode Ada looks into the idea of leveraging AI in your business and using it in the correct manner.
Listen to this episode to discover more about: 
How you can use AI to it's fullest potential
How to find a way around the stigma of AI
Why AI is such a valuable tool to use at the moment
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
 
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.

10: Mind the Gap

In this episode Ada looks into the reasons why women want to pivot in their careers and why it's happening so often.
Listen to this episode to discover more about: 
How you can take a career pivot
How to get the confidence to take the same dive that many other women are right now
Why sabbaticals are going to help you to no end
To be reminded of all future episodes, please FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE.
 
About your Host: Ada Offonry
Ada Offonry provides talent and career intelligence for quantitative finance and technology.
She spent four years as Global Head of Talent at Quadrature Capital, and over 20 years in executive search partnering with hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, and elite investment banks across New York, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Ada now works with firms building high performance technology teams, and with senior quantitative and engineering professionals navigating complex career inflection points, through Inference Talent Advisory.
Her work sits at the intersection of market intelligence, talent strategy, and career decision making in an increasingly volatile world of work.