An Inspired Chat with Julie Harris Oliver

We recently had the chance to connect with Julie Harris Oliver and have shared our conversation below.

Julie Harris, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Well, the most miraculous thing that happened since the last time I spoke with Voyage LA in 2020 is that I reconnected with my love from when I was 20 and we have since married (thus the name change.) I moved to the Nashville area to live with him and now split my time between Nashville and Los Angeles. So, being with my best friend and true love, who does nothing but make my life better, brings me a kind of personal joy I have never experienced before.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Julie Harris Oliver, a former entertainment industry executive and podcast host turned Executive, Leadership and Transformational coach. I spent years as a senior leader in the film and television financial services industry, helping creative people do their best work in an often chaotic, high-stakes environment. Along the way, I realized my true passion was less about closing deals and setting policy and more about the people — helping them grow, navigate pivots, and build careers that feel sustainable and fulfilling. The last corporate job I held was in diversity, equity and inclusion in a studio environment.

Today, I coach leaders and rising executives in entertainment and other fast-moving industries. My approach is grounded in both real-world leadership experience — I’ve been the SVP in the room making tough calls — and formal training as a Hudson-certified coach with an ICF credential. I help high-potential and high-performing people remove obstacles and get unstuck so they can level up and show up to their fullest potential, with purpose and on purpose.

While I was working in entertainment, I hosted a couple of podcasts, The Other 50% – a Herstory of Hollywood, where I talked with successful women of all kinds and heard their stories and explored the deep equity and inclusion advocacy work happening across the entertainment industry, and Catch a Break – the insider’s guide to breaking into and navigating Hollywood.

As I have pivoted into a new career, I am also pivoting to a new podcast that will launch in January 2026. Deep Work: Out Loud is a space where coaches come together to think out loud, to wrestle with ideas, and to discover new perspectives in real time. In each episode, I invite a fellow coach to explore a concept we’ve encountered in our work with leaders — something that’s complex, layered, and worth digging into.

This isn’t about quick tips or soundbites; it’s about modeling the kind of inquiry we challenge our clients to engage with: deep, purposeful conversation that leads to unexpected insight. My hope is that you leave with a spark — something you can apply in your leadership or your life right now.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that’s ready to be released is the one driven entirely by ambition — the version of me who believed that relentless output was proof of value. For years, I was that person: up at 6am, getting three kids ready for two different schools, fighting through 90 minutes of traffic, and arriving at work by 9 to lead a team, make decisions, and push big projects forward. Then, after a full day of leadership, I’d pivot into client mode — dinners, screenings, events — often late into the night. It was like running two full-time jobs, plus a podcast, and for a long time, I wore that endurance like a badge of honor.

But that kind of constant striving comes at a cost. Over time, I realized that my drive — the very thing that helped me succeed — was also keeping me from presence, peace, and creativity. I don’t want to live in survival mode anymore.

So, I’ve laid the sword down. These days, my work feels more purposeful, slower in the best ways — rooted in rest, discernment, and deep connection. I’m learning that ambition doesn’t have to roar; it can move with quiet confidence and intention. Letting go of that old identity has been its own kind of transformation — a return to who I am when I’m not proving anything.

When did you last change your mind about something important?
I arrived at the beginning of 2023 burned out, exhausted, laid off. Soon after, I broke my wrist and had surgery. I was also newly married, but long distance, so still effectively a single mother. I had a lot of time to sit still and contemplate my life. I have always had a side hustle, even when fully employed and especially when between jobs, so this was the first time I allowed myself to do nothing and take some space. I bemoaned to friends the fact that ambition dies and burnout sets up camp about a decade before retirement is a possibility. We still have to get these kids through college, which even in the best of circumstances is an untenable expense and exercise in the inequity we fight so hard against.

So that left me feeling I had to go once more into the corporate breach. Get everyone through college. My mantra was “it’s only for the money and it’s only for a while.” My criteria was “a job I’m good at, nice people, good salary.” I talked myself into going back into a former career I no longer had much passion for but knew I could do. I had the privilege of knowing I could make some phone calls and secure a good job. My husband and therapist were both quite relieved I had gotten my head around this plan.

So I made some inquiries,got an offer, but then some wild things happened and it all imploded before it started. The relief that flooded my body could not be ignored. What was I doing? Why was I trying to convince myself to take on a role that just wasn’t for me anymore? If I was that good of an actor, I would have been an actor.

I thought about all of the roles I’ve had – VP of Sales, trusted client advisor, production finance executive, DEI director, consultant, podcaster. What parts did I like? What did I care about? It became clear that the common thread was the people. As a podcaster, I get to have intimate conversations with all kinds of people, understanding what drives them and what gets in their way. What are their dreams and how are they reaching them? My favorite phone calls from friends are when they are negotiating a raise or a new job and want to talk it through. Seeing people step into their potential and their power brings me such joy. Helping people do their jobs better was always the best part of my job.

Many people over the last few years have asked me if I ever considered being an executive coach. The answer was always yes, but I couldn’t imagine how to find the time to make that happen. Well, life recently conspired to give me the time to make it happen. I am grateful for the privilege that has allowed this. So, here we are.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I hold tight to the original American ideal — that we are a nation committed to pluralism, where people with vastly different backgrounds and beliefs can still find common purpose. That all people are created equal. The cultural values I protect most fiercely are inclusion, empathy, and shared responsibility. The American experiment was never meant to be about uniformity; it was about the courage to live alongside difference while striving toward a greater collective good.

In my work, I try to carry that forward — creating environments where people are met with unconditional regard, where listening runs deeper than agreement, and where curiosity and compassion keep us connected. We’re living through difficult times, and it’s never been more essential to keep our humanity at the forefront — to value human dignity over profit and to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What light inside you have you been dimming?
For a long time, I dimmed the light of my own creativity. I’ve always been an artist at heart — drawn to story, beauty, and expression — but as my career and responsibilities grew, that part of me slowly moved to the backseat. Between raising kids, working hard, and running at full tilt in demanding environments, the creative impulse became something I promised I’d get back to “someday.”

Lately, I’ve been reclaiming it. Making things again — writing, throwing clay, recording, imagining — not for an outcome, but for the joy and wholeness it brings. That artistic part of me doesn’t compete with the leader or the coach; it feeds them. Reconnecting with it feels like coming home to myself after years of being in service to everyone else’s vision and needs. And the irony is my new husband knew me at a time when my only identity was that of an artist, so there is something very healing about being seen that way again now. It’s a quieter light, but it burns true.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.julieharrisoliver.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-harris-oliver/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/julieharrisoliver

Image Credits
Bailey Q Photo

Jonathan Everett