Ask5 Growing Your Career with Intention with Karen Eichner, '14

What does it mean to be intentional about your career—and how do you know when it’s time to take a chance on something new?

In Ask5: Growing Your Career with Intention with Karen Eichner, '14, SUNY Empire alum and HR leader Karen Eichner shares insights from her own career journey, including how her SUNY Empire degree has shaped her path and why embracing opportunities outside your original plan can lead to meaningful growth.

Karen also discusses what people often overlook when intentionally developing their careers and introduces The Intention Series, including her guided workbook designed to help people step out of autopilot, reflect on what matters, and take purposeful steps toward the life and career they want.

Whether you’re just starting out, considering a career change, or looking for your next opportunity, this conversation offers practical encouragement to pause, reflect, and grow your career with greater intention.

Bio: Karen Eichner is a 2014 graduate of SUNY Empire State University, where she earned her BS in Human Resources Management through the university's Cheektowaga location. That degree gave her the foundation to build a career in HR across a range of industries, taking on progressively senior roles and developing expertise in everything from employee relations to organizational strategy along the way. Today, she serves as Director of HR at Trusted Talent, a role that reflects over a decade of hands-on growth in the field. Karen lives in the Buffalo area with her two daughters.

In 2023, an unexpected personal loss reshaped how Karen thought about time, attention, and the way she was living her own life. That experience led her to create The Intention Series, guided self-reflection tools built around the idea of stepping out of autopilot and living with purpose, work she now brings alongside her HR career.