coaches STEM professionals to overcome workplace challenges so that they look forward to Mondays again. She is an executive coach, advisor, and speaker with decades of experience in natural and human sciences through university, industry, and continuing education. Executives hire her to develop and retain their top talent. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry, is a certified Executive Coach, and received her Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Corinna grew up struggling to succeed as a student and believing she wasn’t good with people, unlike her older sister, who earned top grades and was more extroverted. As a result of living in her sister’s shadow, Corinna told herself a story that she was ‘the different one.’  Fortunately, she had the support of her parents, who fostered her curiosity. Corinna persisted for ten years to earn her doctoral degree in chemistry, a program less frequently pursued at that time, which meant it had lower barriers to entry. Interestingly, Corinna was the first in her family to attend university.  After a year-long postdoc position at a university in Toronto, Corinna landed her first role in Germany at a Fortune 500 company developing automotive products. That job enabled her to travel globally and work cross-functionally over 18 years. Eventually, she was training others in processes where she had expertise, affording her experience in coaching and mentoring. Corinna was acknowledged as her company's Global Operational Excellence Leader for over 5 years. At the same time, the company was going through a major reorganization, and Corinna was losing her enthusiasm for her job. Corinna hired a coach to help explore her career options. As part of the self-reflective processes her coach guided her through, she discovered that she was, in fact, good with people! She also realized that she wanted to pursue a coaching certification. In 2022, Corinna left her corporate role to offer coaching on a full-time basis. Learn more and connect with Corinna here: 

Paula Caligiuri, PhD is a D’Amore-McKim School of Business Distinguished Professor of International Business and Strategy at Northeastern University and a Co-Founder of Skiilify. She is a work psychologist dedicated to helping companies, teams, and individuals become effective in today’s diverse, multicultural environment. Raised by blue-collar parents who had immigrated to the US as children, Paula grew up in Buffalo, NY. She attended college intending to study abroad. Paula went to Italy, and soon after her arrival, the stock market crashed, impacting the affordability of her study abroad experience. She stayed and worked to support herself before returning home. Once she returned home, she felt a little lost. Fortunately, Paula had a small circle of supportive faculty members who were tuned into her, and they provided the guidance she needed to reconnect. From there, she decided to attend graduate school and earn her Ph.D.  Paula has authored or co-authored several articles and books – including , , and , and others. She works extensively with leading organizations and universities on the development of individuals’ cultural agility. She has been a frequent expert guest on CNN and CNN International. She is an instructor for two LinkedIn Learning courses entitled "Managing Globally" and "Six Skills to Build Cultural Agility." In 2021 and 2023, Paula was named a semi-finalist for the Forbes “50 over 50” for co-founding a public benefit corporation, to help democratize the acquisition of critical soft skills. Paula holds a Ph.D. from Penn State University in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and is a Fellow in the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Academy of International Business. Learn more and connect with Paula here:  is a free resource to help people build their cross-cultural competencies

For more than two decades, worked with bands and artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks, The Beach Boys, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Billy Idol, and many more to create magical experiences for their audiences. Starting on music tour crews doing lighting installation and design, he became a trusted team member and built a solid career managing hundreds of high-profile tours worldwide. As a young Italian Catholic boy from the blue-collar Los Angeles port town of San Pedro, Leo Rossi tripped into an improbable dream when he was punished for taking off on his own from a school field trip. His penance was to work on the backstage crew for the school play, which turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to him. Leo Rossi shares his life story, reflects on the transformative experiences and values from his traditional upbringing, and balances the influence of faith with the rock-and-roll lifestyle. He discusses the technological advancements that allowed him to transition into management roles and highlights his involvement with Apple during the early years of the Macintosh. Now retired, Rossi focuses on the  initiative, which is dedicated to preserving the authentic stories of classic rock and supporting . Through his talks and storytelling, Rossi emphasizes the importance of dreams, learning from history, and giving back, urging listeners to follow their dreams and share their stories. Learn more and connect with Leo here: 

Dr. Ruth Gotian is the Chief Learning Officer and Associate Professor at Weill Cornell School of Medicine in New York City. She returns to the Work from the Inside Out podcast to discuss her new book, "" co-authored with Andy Lopata. They emphasize the importance of mentoring in professional development, highlighting that 61% of positive mentoring relationships are formed organically. Ruth stresses the need for diverse mentoring teams and shares insights on the benefits of mentoring, including higher salaries and reduced burnout, as well as the importance of engaging mentors outside one's organization. She has been hailed by the journal Nature and Columbia University as an expert in mentorship and leadership development. In 2021, she was selected by Thinkers50 as one of the eight people worldwide to be named an emerging management thinker. In addition to publishing in academic journals, she is a contributor to Forbes and Psychology Today, where she writes about ‘optimizing success’. Her research is about the mindset and skill set of peak performers, including Nobel laureates, astronauts, and Olympic champions. Her award-winning book, , came out in January 2022. Discussion on Mentoring and High Achievers Ruth stated that mentoring is not just for beginners but also for those looking to grow at all stages of their careers. Mentors provide guidance, support, and new perspectives. She discusses the importance of mentoring for high achievers and shares insights from interviews with top achievers, emphasizing the commonality of seeking mentors. Challenges in Mentoring Programs Ruth discuss the ineffectiveness of many mentoring programs in organizations, emphasizing that 61% of positive mentoring relationships develop organically, not through random assignments. She advocates for creating opportunities for people to organically meet, offering a resource on her website with 13 conversation starters to help people initiate conversations and create those organic connections. The Importance of Organic Mentoring Relationships Ruth shares that mentoring relationships can start with casual conversations and evolve over time. She explains that mentoring should not be transactional and should be about building strategic professional relationships. The Role of Mentoring in Career Development and Organizational Success Dr. Gotian highlights the benefits of mentoring, including higher salaries, promotions, and lower burnout. She emphasizes that mentoring is a valuable retention tool for organizations. Ruth discusses the importance of having a diverse mentoring team with various perspectives. She provides a worksheet on her website to help individuals develop their own mentoring teams. Ruth shares personal anecdotes of mentors who transformed her life and career. She emphasizes that mentoring is not limited to specific professions or industries and encourages individuals to seek out mentors who can offer different perspectives and expertise. Learn more and connect with Ruth here: 

From an early age, Harry Duran displayed a natural affinity for technology, tinkering with computers and embracing the latest gadgets. After briefly attending Syracuse University, Harry got distracted and lost his focus. He says he jumped around, never completing his degree, and then applied for a job at Chase Bank as a teller. Harry thought wearing a suit to work meant that he ‘made it.’ He was a quick learner and adapted well, moving up the ranks in the banking world. In 1999, Harry's innate curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit compelled him to explore opportunities in the dotcom boom, a venture that ultimately fell short. Undeterred, he went into construction with his half-brother in Atlanta, only to return home to his parents, tail between his legs. Harry took some time to self-reflect and realized that many of his choices were heavily influenced by other people. He recognized the importance of finding his own voice and taking responsibility for his future. Harry was always interested in electronic music and grew up DJing. That was his first passion. He wanted to start a podcast interviewing DJs because he was fascinated with the culture. Harry also built a mobile app for electronic music. A turning point came in 2014 when Harry attended the New Media Expo in Las Vegas, where he realized the power of podcasting as a platform to share stories and connect with audiences. Inspired, he launched Podcast Junkies, a show that enabled him to hone his interviewing skills and develop a deep understanding of the podcasting landscape. Harry's entrepreneurial spirit soon took over, and he founded Fullcast, a full-service podcast production and marketing consultancy. Leveraging his corporate experience and newfound podcasting expertise, Harry has helped over 110 clients launch their own shows. But Harry's journey didn't stop there. In 2019, he identified a niche that ignited his passion – vertical farming. Recognizing the potential to educate and inform audiences about this emerging industry, Harry launched the Vertical Farming Podcast, a show that has since become a leading voice in the space, securing high-profile sponsorships and opening doors to international conferences. Throughout his winding path, Harry's unwavering commitment to finding his voice and creating his own stage has been the driving force behind his success. From the corporate world to entrepreneurial ventures, his story is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and the pursuit of finding meaningful work from the inside out. Learn more and connect with Harry here:   

Joe Sprangel is the founder and principal consultant at , which helps organizations develop a hybrid sustainability strategy that enhances their longevity, profitability, and impact. His expertise includes strategic and tactical planning, change leadership, and humanist manufacturing, a framework that addresses the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit, as developed in his book . Joe is the founding dean of the College of Business & Professional Studies at . He leads the undergraduate departments of business, criminal justice, healthcare administration, and social work. He is also the architect of the Master of Business Administration degree there. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Lawrence Technological University. Joe has over 45 years of experience in various industries, including manufacturing, education, and consulting. He started his career in high school, cleaning and repairing heavy farm equipment and, soon after, rebuilding machines that manufactured auto parts. With a natural ability to figure how things work and to solve a wide range of problems, he was promoted to an industrial engineer role, which took him out of the plant and into the office. It also allowed him to earn a degree in mechanical engineering. At 40, he earned his MBA and his doctorate by 50. In this week’s learn more about Joe’s journey: Before joining the Mary Baldwin faculty in 2010, Joe taught undergraduate and MBA students at Ithaca College for three years, where his classes included Operations Management, and Decision Support Analysis and Sustainable Practices in Operations & Technology. Joe has run 18 marathons, completed an Ironman competition, and continues to compete today.   Learn more and connect with Joe here: https://twitter.com/JoeSprangel

When my clients need information, advice or help, I emphasize the importance and methods needed to proactively get the answers to move their goals forward. Yet, too often people hesitate, filling their heads with fear or self doubt, hampering their progress. I usually point out that if they do not make an inquiry or seek more information, then the answer is always NO. Not only is their progress stunted, they feel disappointed in themselves for not following through. My podcast guest this week,  believes in going beyond the NO to uncover answers to his questions. In our interview, André shares his educational journey, from a French community high school in Winnipeg to earning a PhD in management. His post-PhD career began at Michigan Tech and was followed by his return to Canada as a result of political constraints in the US. André delves into his interests in strategy, mentorship, and research, leading to the publication of his book on spinout ventures, . It covers the implications of spinout ventures, the academic and real-world perspectives on entrepreneurship, and the evolving regulatory landscape. Through personal anecdotes and professional insights, André emphasizes the importance of taking risks and continuous learning at any career stage. Today, as a Full Professor in Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, André studies and teaches entrepreneurship and strategy. He is interested in the competitive and institutional barriers preventing potential entrepreneurs from launching new ventures successfully. André has over a decade of experience working as a business and information technology consultant in corporate Canada. He has performed many roles, including business analyst, systems analyst, project manager, practice leader, and integration architect. In this week’s learn more about Andre’s journey: André is a frequent judge at entrepreneurship pitch competitions and an experienced entrepreneur, having launched a startup while in Michigan. His research has appeared in top journals like Human Relations, Journal of International Business Studies, and Journal of Business Research, among others. Learn more and connect with Andre here: 

(formerly Kelly James-Enger) has been writing for 20+ years as a full-time freelancer, and most recently, as a corporate content writer. In June 2024, she published her memoir, , an entertaining, honest account of what (and what not) to do when you make that corporate leap in midlife. As a kid, Kelly loved to read, write, and was an excellent student. In college, she majored in business because it was one of the more competitive programs. Day two of her sophomore year, Kelly had an anxiety attack and left school. She worked in a restaurant and returned to college the next term to study rhetoric, a writing major. A professor told her she would be a good lawyer. She took the LSAT exam, aced it, and went to law school. In 1997, Kelly “escaped from the law.” She practiced law for over five years, yet she knew it was not for her. Kelly began to write articles for major publications, later adding ghostwriting and authoring her own books. As a ghostwriter, Kelly has penned more than 30 books. She is also a novelist and author of writing-related books including , , and . In 2018, Kelly decided to go work for a small company. She was happily self-employed, yet she was also a single mom and worried about the cost of health insurance. In 2022, Kelly returned to the law to write legal content full-time for . In addition, she writes independently about health, wellness, nutrition, and fitness subjects. Her work has appeared in 65+ online and print publications, including Huffington Post, The Girlfriend, NextTribe, Next Avenue, Chicago Health, Vibrant Life, and other markets. In this week’s  learn more about Kelly’s journey: Kelly has written over 2,000 print and online articles for Family Circle, Health, Parents, Runner’s World, Continental, and NextAvenue, and has produced written content for agencies including MXM, StayWell, and Imagination. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer. Learn more and connect with Kelly here: 

When was six years old, she asked her father, “Why am I here?” He laughed but did not answer her. She interpreted this as a message to stop asking questions. Deep down, Rashmir knew she had a purpose. It wasn't until she was 40 years old that she leaned into her true purpose. Rashmir grew up in a traditional Sri Lankan family in Africa and the UK, with high, prescribed expectations. Attending university, she intended to prepare for medical school (her mom is a physician) but realized it was not right for her. Instead, Rashmir studied math and computer science and earned her chartered accounting credential while in her first job at Ernst & Young. Next stop: investment banking. From there, Rashmir navigated a variety of career moves, always seeking to learn new things and to make a meaningful impact. These two threads have been essential foundations in guiding her professional decisions and the quest for her true calling. Rashmir took her work from the for-profit sector to explore several nonprofit sector roles, including a 5-year engagement with the Gates Foundation on a newly formed team dedicated to identifying new areas of giving which became their Global Development Program. Today, Rashmir coaches leaders who have bold visions for change that they want to bring to the world. She also offers team coaching, strategic consultations, speaking, and custom professional development programs. Throughout all of Rashmir’s strategic career moves, she has emphasized: the importance of listening to one's inner voice the value of taking time off for reflection and growth taking a balanced approach to professional development that emphasizes learning, impact, and authentic living In this week’s learn more about Rashmir’s journey: Rashmir decided to pursue an MBA at Yale University to learn best practices in management and leadership as applied in social impact enterprises.  She found her experience living in the US to be eye-opening and transformative.  Rashmir highlights the power of meditation, coaching, and inner reflection in navigating career transitions and aligning work with purpose. Learn more and connect with Rashmir here: 

, is a man living many lives, who is good with numbers and likes to talk. At 15, he entered the banking industry as an apprentice in his home country of Lichtenstein, where he was introduced to the world of work while completing his secondary education. Like many young people who completed apprenticeships and opted not to go to university immediately, Roman went abroad to improve his language skills. Unlike most of his friends who went to English-speaking countries, he went to France to study French for four months and returned to Lichtenstein to work in banking in Lausanne, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. (For those of us in the US, this would be comparable to living in New Jersey and working in New York… well, sort of, kind of!) Over the next several years, Roman worked in banking elevating his roles into the global markets and relocating to Hong Kong and Singapore. His travels also took him to New Haven, CT, Vancouver, Canada, and Nicaragua for different purposes, but you will need to listen to our interview to learn more about that part of his adventures. Roman has carved distinct paths wherever he has gone in his career, and the arenas he has worked in are pretty varied. Yet he has navigated his journey with an internal compass that many of us might not be able to comprehend. Along the way, he earned a university degree, took Seth Godin’s alt-MBA program, and attended a five-day fool’s workshop that was a personally and professionally transformative experience. After working in several large global banking institutions, Roman explored various other avenues, including the hemp business, bread baking, coffee farming, coffee and pastry service, oat milk business, agriculture, and many more entrepreneurial ventures. His takeaway message points to the importance of relationships, curiosity, and adaptability. Roman's story is a testament to the value of continuous learning and the impact of personal relationships on professional fulfillment. In this week’s learn more about Roman’s journey: Roman involved his whole family, including his children, in his decision to transition from a more traditional career path to his entrepreneurial pursuits. He has co-produced a traveling exhibition on discrimination throughout Lichtenstein. More than a thousand schoolchildren have attended the program. Learn more and connect with Roman here:   

is an accomplished fundraising executive and the author of . A book aimed at helping unemployed professionals navigate the challenges of a sudden job loss, she shares her experiences working at the top of billion-dollar organizations, stories of accomplished women who were suddenly severed from their organizations, and how they navigated their way back to success. Robin examines the struggles of separating one’s identity from one's career and how one can rediscover and reconnect with one's value after job loss. Robin shared her journey from an early tough childhood in Philadelphia to a successful career in fundraising for institutions like NYU, Rutgers, and a leading New York hospital. She discusses the emotional and professional impact of job loss and the importance of maintaining one’s personal value and identity independent of one's career while offering insights on effective career reinvention. Robin provides practical strategies for anyone facing career transitions, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and continuous learning. She frequently speaks at national conferences on fundraising and women’s leadership. In this week’s learn more about Robin’s journey: Robin has served as a board member for three nonprofits in New York City, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), New York City Chapter; the New York Women’s Agenda; and Women In Development, New York (WID). Her short fiction has been published in various literary magazines. Involuntary Exit is her first nonfiction book. Learn more and connect with Robin here: 

Odd fact: I was the sports editor on my high school newspaper for a time. One assignment I had was to interview and write an article about a classmate who was emerging as a top boxer, headed for the Junior Golden Gloves competition. Fast forward 45 years later, the subject of said article, , tells me he almost skipped the interview because he felt unsure about doing it. I’ll admit that I felt intimidated because Chris seemed like a pretty tough guy and we hung out in very different crowds. The article won an honorable mention at the Columbia Scholastic Journalism Conference and it gave Chris a confidence boost in ways neither of us could ever have imagined. Gathering at our 45th high school reunion this past October, I learned that Chris was going to be installed in our hometown of Bay Shore, NY’s Hall of Fame for his achievements as a highly innovative and accomplished plaintiff attorney. After high school, Chris worked as a carpenter and continued to pursue boxing, but stopped competing in his early 20s. Working in New York City, he walked by Hunter College regularly. Chris decided to take a class, did well and decided to enroll as a degree granting student, discovering capabilities he never realized he had. Law school followed immediately afterward. Chris started his law career as a corporate defense attorney representing the interests of big business. Struck by the imbalance of power between corporations and the individuals harmed by them, he left to become a plaintiff attorney. A founding partner of , Chris is known for multidistrict mass torts and class actions involving drug injury, toxic injury and personal injury. His practice also handles product liability, property damage, antitrust, third-party payer litigation, and consumer, insurance, and securities fraud. Chris has led complex litigations in the U.S. representing plaintiffs and achieving landmark settlements in cases including the 3M Combat Arms Earplug Litigation, National Prescription Opiate Litigation, NFL Players’ Concussion Litigation, Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Litigation, Vioxx Litigation, and Syngenta AG MIR 162 Corn Litigation. In this week’s  learn more about Chris’s journey: Chris is regularly quoted in the New York Times, Wall St Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, USA Today, AP, Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, CNN, and ESPN. Whether working on a class action involving thousands of people against a multinational conglomerate or an individual case protecting one client’s rights, Chris fights with the same passion and conviction.   Learn more and connect with Chris here:   

is a Clinical Associate Professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She teaches a course, Personal Leadership Insights, and serves as the Director of Kellogg’s Women's Leadership Program. Ellen is an independent board director on three company boards and runs her own leadership advisory consulting, speaking, and coaching business.​ Growing up as the fifth of six siblings, Ellen recalled dinner table conversations where her father engaged them in brainstorming about his entrepreneurial challenges. Ellen loved those discussions, saying they influenced her interest in business. Her parents always told her and her siblings that they could do anything with an education, hard work, and a vision. At the same time, Ellen witnessed and experienced the financial instability of her father’s business pursuits. This was not discussed openly, as her parents maintained a never-ever-quit philosophy. While Ellen cherished her parents’ positive belief in herself and her siblings, she recognized the value of bringing more transparency into the conversation with her own children.​ Ellen spent 25 years at Fortune 500 companies in top brand management posts within PepsiCo, Royal Caribbean, and Whirlpool Corporation. In her recent award-winning book, , Ellen offers her vast experience to help women understand and navigate internal and external obstacles to create the careers and lives they desire. ​In this week’s  learn more about Ellen’s journey: Ellen has shared her insights on leadership, careers, advancing women, and inclusion through her writing and speaking in Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Insider, Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Kellogg Insight. In 2019, she delivered a TEDx talk, . Learn more and connect with Ellen here: 

Gena Scurry has dedicated her career to fostering human connection. She is a self-proclaimed introvert, and while she loves people, her alone time sustains her. Gena says she is quirky, and it takes a lot of effort to be social and be herself.  Gena’s formative years differed from most of the other kids in her Texas neighborhood. Crossing the border daily from her home, she attended a Montessori school in Mexico. Later, her thirst for adventure led her to take a year off from college and travel the world, camping and rock climbing. Gena loved rock climbing and traveling and was not sure what else she wanted to do with her life, so she worked hard outside of her classes to save money to support her trips. After completing her degree in Spanish, Gena embarked on her entrepreneurial journey with just $5 and a bicycle, teaching adults to speak Spanish. It started with one person asking her to teach them the language, and her business grew over the next 17 years, with a team of employees and contracts with large companies, which gave her steady revenue. Yet she felt terrified about income most of the time. Gena also got married and started a family during those years.  Nine years ago, Gena went through a major life transition, a divorce. She began meditating and focused on the question,  “What’s next in my life?” The answer: “Build a game.” It felt right to her. Eventually, Gena created , a card deck-based game designed to create deeper connections between people. The game challenges players to ask deeper questions on a variety of topics, integrating random verbs to enhance listening skills.  In this week’s learn more about Gena’s journey: Gena hosts monthly potlucks in her home and invites everyone to join in, embodying her mission to reconnect humanity with each game played. Originally designed as a bilingual board game, Gena tested it for years and determined it would be best to release an English version as a card deck initially. Learn more and connect with Gena here: 

Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is the author of . She is a Professor of Psychology and the founding Director of Graduate Programs in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California. Born in Moscow, Ludmila grew up in a blue collar area where textile mills and farming were predominant, yet, she shared, there was a strange mix of high culture blended in with visits to museums and trips to the theater. She enjoyed reading college text books as a child and writing poetry. Her parents pressed her to use her hands to sew, garden, and play a musical instrument, all of which felt impossible to her.   Ludmila graduated from the Russian State University of Humanities with a 5-year specialist degree in organizational management processes and human resources. She chose this focus  because it was a compromise between something she enjoyed studying and a path that could lead to stable employment. Ludmila was still figuring out her career and did not plan to work in education—she was focused on organizational practice. She went on to build and lead successful intercultural relations programs in global organizations.  Ludmila’s areas of expertise include organizational culture assessment and change, workplace justice and civility, productivity and well-being, and training and training evaluation. She is the editor of the book . Her current consulting focuses on supporting organizations in creating systemic inclusion informed by an understanding of neurodiversity.  In this week’s learn more about Ludmila’s journey: Ludmila is a member of the Thinkers 50 Radar Class of 2024 – a global group of management thinkers, recognized as most likely to make an impact on the world. As a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, she is the first person to have published in Harvard Business Review from an autistic perspective. She also writes regularly for Fast Company. Learn more and connect with Ludmila here:  

Ehab Bandar is a sought-after product design consultant for startups and fintech. What's amazing about his career is that he's managed to do it while being both an outsider and an insider in remarkably distinct ways. Ehab attributes credit to his early life as an immigrant to the US from Lebanon at the age of six. His family moved yearly until he was in seventh grade. Ehab was a shy kid with a stutter, yet he was also a natural observer and listener, taking in different cultural norms and personalities. He recalls endearing himself to fit in with new people by throwing a joke into random conversations, noting how fortunate he was to be warmly received as he started the year at each new school. Ehab describes these characteristics as shy self-reliance while being quietly engaged. Ehab had to invent his own career to become a design leader himself. Educated as a city planner, Ehab started his career as one of the youngest technology managers at Wells Fargo. He then left corporate and went on his own to advise and lead design at fast-growing startups in Silicon Valley, digital agencies, and corporate giants.  Ehab uses city planning tools and curiosity to hone his craft in the tech world. He explains how a quarterly print newsletter he started in grad school out of boredom led him to work in the dot-com boom and how being an outsider as an immigrant from Lebanon made the act of observation and discovery a daily habit.  Today, he's the founder of , an experience-led design agency that partners with product teams to build human-centered designs at scale. They merge hands-on product knowledge, customer insights, and experience strategy to transform ideas into a tangible product vision.   In this week’s learn more about Ehab’s journey: Ehab conquered his stuttering by joining the radio station in college as a news reporter. He has helped dozens of organizations, including Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo, Bank of the West, Boost Mobile, Intuit, and Airbnb, design new digital products and successfully launch them into the market. Learn more and connect with Ehab here:     - by Lorne M. Buchman  

makes it easier for us to communicate at work. He helps experts talk to non-experts, teams talk to executives, and much more. Chris's practical methods are used in organizations like Google and NATO and have appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Helping people retain and apply what he teaches led Chris to write the book . He has also authored multiple books on communication and training that have been translated into 15 languages. Chris grew up in what he describes as a traditional nuclear family in the UK. As our podcast interview unfolded, he shared that his parents worked hard to provide sufficient food for their family. As a child, Chris was unaware of how careful they were to ensure there was enough food. He thought all parents put dates on their canned beans. At age 7, he was awarded a scholarship to attend a private school. Chris saw the distinction between his life and that of his classmates. Adding to his experience of differences, he was elevated two grade levels to a class with students who were 9-years-old.  Chris always did well in school without much effort. Then his perspective changed. At 15, he was struck by a car, sustaining serious injuries. After that, he took nothing for granted. Attending university, he majored in aeronautical engineering, and worked 2 to 3 jobs to support himself. Throughout his engineering career, Chris leveraged his problem solving skills by applying them to challenges wherever he saw a need. He was especially drawn towards translating communication between technical and business teams. Chris’s ability to translate and communicate is the common thread in his work today. When he left full-time employment to start his own business, Chris moved into communication, bridging the gap between technical and business teams and between experts and non-experts. In this week’s  learn more about Chris’s journey: Chris attended flight school with the intention to join the Royal Air Force, but he realized he did not like being told what to do. When he was a university student, he also competed in target rifle shooting, an expensive sport, which he supported by his multiple jobs. Learn more and connect with Chris here: 

was always good at math. As a teenager, she and her Dad would sit in front of the family computer (then, households had one computer), dial up AOL (America Online), and check out the latest stock market figures. Dad, an optometrist, was keenly interested in the markets and enjoyed bonding with Erika over all things involving numbers. Erika studied finance and international economics in college, and following graduation, she took a finance role at IBM. Early on, she discovered the advantages of being in a large company where opportunities for mobility were readily available. Erika moved to the consulting side of the business, serving clients, becoming a project manager in a variety of functional areas, and developing her leadership chops. Interspersed within that time, she married, lived in Asia, had her first child, and moved nine times in ten years. Needless to say, Erika’s personal and professional journey was not a linear one. For her, there were many changes: growing up in a household where money was an exciting dinner topic, getting married, having three children, getting divorced, living abroad, moving nine times for a job, and losing a parent. Erika found herself at a crossroads. After a successful decade at IBM, Erika left her corporate role to work on emerging organic food brands, transforming them from innovative products to household names while raising her growing family. Along the way, Erika noticed a gap in how people all over the world talked — or didn’t talk — about money, both within family structures, relationships, and workplaces. Erika then discovered the field of Financial Therapy and decided to pursue her graduate Certificate in Financial Therapy from Kansas State University. Today, she works with individuals, couples, families, teams, and corporate wellness programs to improve communication and relationships regarding money. Partnering with her clients, Erika helps them transform their mindsets and beliefs about money, paving the way to clearer choices and new options. In this week’s learn more about Erika’s journey: Erika created the Financial Wellness Conversation Cards, which allows people to explore the topic of money with 50 thought-provoking questions. Her expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Yahoo! Money, and Time. Learn more and connect with Erika here: 

Catie Harris is a nurse practitioner who believes nurses are uniquely qualified to be entrepreneurs. As the CEO and owner of , a mentorship program that empowers nurses to monetize their knowledge and develop business skills, Catie inspires them to change how healthcare is perceived and delivered. Through individual coaching, live events, and signature group programs, thousands of nurses have been empowered with the knowledge and skills they need to build profitable businesses of their own. ​As a child, Catie was quite introverted and didn’t socialize easily. Her family moved multiple times, which meant going to new schools, and she found this to be consistently difficult. ​At 16, Catie had a vivid dream in which she saw herself working as a nurse, and from then on, it was clear she would go to nursing school. Catie never questioned that decision to this day. What she had not anticipated was the level of interpersonal interactions she would need to engage in as a nursing student. The adjustment throughout her rotations in different clinical areas was painful, yet Catie persevered and eventually discovered the strength of her introverted personality. As is typical of most introverted people, Catie was not a small-talk type of person. She was much better at listening. So when there were families in the hospital who were identified as difficult or temperamental, Catie was assigned to meet with them because she would go in, and just listen to them. By the time they were done venting, they would express thanks for how helpful Catie had been. Catie found that it helped her too. ​Catie continued with her training to get her nurse practitioner's degree. Always curious, her nursing experience included work in multiple clinical areas. Eventually, she focused on her own business to teach and support nurses who wanted to become entrepreneurs.​ In this week’s  learn more about Catie’s journey:​ Catie strives to show nurses around the world how their hard-earned knowledge and skills can transcend the hospital system into a profitable business. Her podcast, , highlights the unique stories of men and women who have embraced adversity and overcome countless obstacles to pursue work that has greater meaning while sharing their experience of being a nurse entrepreneur. Learn more and connect with Catie here:   

Donna Serdula is the founder and president of Vision Board Media, a professional branding company that helps individuals and companies tell their unique stories on LinkedIn and beyond. Donna has authored two editions of . Bringing dynamic brand storytelling to the masses and empowering people to dream big – that’s the ink in her pen. Donna’s website, , is where she and her team of over 20 writers and coaches help people collide with opportunities and transform their lives via future-forward career branding. You’d never know it now, but Donna was a shy little kid. During college, she was interested in pursuing work in development and production in the film industry. While she did work as an intern in the film industry, getting established after graduation proved challenging, so she accepted an invitation from her father to join him in his business. They sold estimating software to autobody shops. Within the first few years, Donna was training people in several industries intersecting with their business on the use of the software and other tools. She realized she loved to help people discover technology, and this led her to move into other arenas, including designing websites and helping people with their LinkedIn profiles. Over the course of the next several years, Donna worked as a reseller in software sales, and she noticed a couple of patterns. While she sold the same software as her competitors, people wanted to do business with her because they could see she understood their industry, had their backs, and was willing to engage with them in ways that were not purely transactional. How did she do this? She used LinkedIn as a part of her networking strategy to make connections and develop relationships. In this week’s learn more about Donna’s journey: After being laid off from a company she had closed over $1M in business for in 2009, Donna decided it was time to start her own business. She's shared her LinkedIn expertise at global conferences, presented keynotes and workshops, and has been featured on a number of high-profile news outlets. Learn more and connect with Donna here: 

This week’s podcast features a delightful conversation I had with Doug Lennick and Chuck Wachendorfer from , a leadership development firm serving many industries. Together, they co-authored the book . Their experience and knowledge show readers how to be positive and impactful leaders. Doug and Chuck offer practical and evidence-based guidance through eight key principles that are essential to one’s ability to lead others: Aim to be Yourself Know Your Real Self Ignite Integrity and Responsibility Embrace Empathy and Compassion Decide Wisely Let Go of What You Know Achieve Purposeful Goals Empower Others They share many examples and lessons learned from their experiences in financial services and the stories of leaders in various industries, illustrating the book’s eight essential principles. Exercises and frameworks are threaded throughout each chapter, enabling the reader to explore their own leadership development and professional directions. Doug and Chuck conclude that the best leaders are “people-wise.” I wholeheartedly agree! In this week’s learn about Chuck and Doug’s journeys: Before founding think2perform, Doug Lennick, a certified financial planner (CFP), was Executive Vice President – Advice and Retail Distribution for American Express Financial Advisors (now Ameriprise Financial). In that capacity, he led an organization of 17,000 field and corporate associates to unprecedented success. Chuck Wachendorfer is a renowned leadership development professional who has worked with clients including American Express, Wells Fargo, Comerica Bank, TD Wealth of Canada, and Charles Schwab. His insights on leadership have been featured in CNN Money, Forbes, Fortune, and The Denver Post. Learn more and connect with Doug and Chuck here:     

and are on a mission to inspire women to redefine success by blending ancient wisdom with modern leadership. They have co-authored a book, to be released on February 14, 2024, .  Rimi, a previous guest on my , and Samantha shared their origin stories with me, including how they met and developed the work that evolved into their book. They each made significant changes in their lives towards a deeper sense of purpose and well-being. Then, Samantha and her husband stayed at the owned by Rimi and her husband in the Azores. The women made a fast connection based on their common interests in health and well-being and kept in touch weekly after Samantha returned home to the US. Rimi and Samantha began to plan a nutrition and yoga retreat for April 2020, which did not occur, yet they continued to talk, and a powerful theme surfaced. Samantha shared, “I’m tired of being told to be resilient. Resilience is not enough to deal with the stressors and challenges of the day.” They developed an online course, Going Beyond Resilience. The response from participants was so transformative that Rimi and Samantha created the term Rootsilience ("root - zeel - ience"), which informed their book.  Rootsilience takes the notion of "resilience" a step deeper and teaches us to be grounded, rooted, and able to respond to stressors from a place of stability rather than being stretched beyond our limits. We need to rise beyond resilience to Rootsilience. Beyond Resilience to Rootsilience combines three key branches: conscious leadership, healing foods, and mind-body integration. The book highlights experiences from Rimi’s and Samantha’s lives, illustrating key lessons for women leaders. Check out their to recognize the connectedness of your leadership behavior and your emotional, physical, and mental signs of ease and dis-ease. In this week’s  learn more about Rimi’s and Samantha’s journeys: Rimi Chakraborty is a keynote speaker, author, yoga teacher, and leadership consulting coach for groups, teams, and individuals dedicated to developing conscious leaders. Samantha Anderson is a Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a certified Functional Medicine Health Coach with decades of experience as a nonprofit and philanthropy consultant. She speaks to women leaders about cultivating purpose and vision. Learn more and connect with Rimi and Samantha here: 

When Jesse Janelle was in elementary school, she experienced a lot of anxiety. When feeling panicked, she went to the nurses' office, visiting there regularly. Jesse didn’t know it then, but this is where her personal and professional development journey began. One day, 11-year-old Jesse was in the nurse's office having a particularly bad panic attack. The nurse called in the guidance counselor, who was asked to help sometimes. Jesse must have been extra anxious this time because the guidance counselor shook her by the shoulders and yelled, “Stop it right now,” in her face. At that moment, Jesse became disassociated from her body. Her thoughts separated from her ‘felt sense’: her ability to know what was happening in her body. Jesse later understood this to be her sense of self-trust. Going into high school and then college, Jesse was high-performing. Attending Boston College, she got straight A's. Because she wasn't feeling connected to her body, she intellectualized many of her struggles. Jesse studied psychology and meditation, attaching deep academic and intellectual perspectives to those arenas. Around her graduation from college, Jesse began to connect with those areas in a felt way, enabling her to be more in touch with who she really was. Jesse's professional career began as an intern at Harvard Medical School's Institute of Coaching in its founding years, where she got immersed in evidence-based coaching research. As her experience and expertise grew, she consulted and coached leaders in top organizations such as McKinsey, Mass General Hospital, The Walt Disney Company, and Amazon.  Today, Jesse is the founder and CEO of . She is an ICF-certified transformational coach and speaker. Jesse has distilled her learnings from her work in leadership development, psychology, ontology, somatics, and spirituality into a coaching method she calls Soul Sessions. This method is grounded in metaphor coaching and intuitive inquiry. This method can be learned and applied independently of a professional coaching session. Using a surprising tool, tarot cards, Jesse helps professionals access and unlock the power of their intuition to make better decisions faster. In this week’s learn more about Jesse’s journey: Jesse was selected in 2022 for the inaugural cohort of Forefront, powered by Marshall Goldsmith and the 100 coaches, for her impact on the field of leadership development. In 2023, she delivered her TEDx talk, .   Learn more and connect with Jesse here:  Save 7 hours a week with a 7-minute daily tarot self-coaching practice:

Christopher Knudsen’s first work experience was on a framing crew at 15 years old in his father’s construction company. He credits those early years with instilling the work ethic he has today. Chris learned how to create momentum for himself, which gave him a sense of ownership and pride in his work. Today, Chris is a published author, university instructor, entrepreneur, and consultant. He works as an independent fractional CMO and is the CEO at , an advertising firm focused on direct-to-consumer companies. Chris’s main focus is to help businesses and ideas flourish alongside technological advancements.  Chris authored  to share his journey to entrepreneurship and to teach his readers how to start their own businesses. In this week’s  learn more about Chris’s journey: Chris earned his MBA from the Gore School of Business at Westminster College. As an adjunct instructor, he taught the capstone strategy course and business plan development, social marketing, and entrepreneurship courses for ten years. He was the former CMO at Purple Mattress and has started and sold many companies, including 3DplusMe, a venture-funded consumer 3D printing and scanning company. Learn more and connect with Chris here:  Website: Special Audience Giveaway:  Book:  LinkedIn -  

A couple of years ago,  was in a group tennis lesson. The instructor, an 84-year-old former HR director, started with an icebreaker game: Two Truths and a Lie. People said things like, I have two cats, I like oatmeal cookies, and I love to ride my bike. Stephanie shared, “I've written two books, been on MTV in my bikini, and was a contestant on a game show.” Everyone exclaimed, “Wow!” ​As the game continued, Stephanie hoped she inspired the next person to dig a little deeper, but it returned to I like dogs. She wondered, am I unusual? (Stephanie’s truths were: she was on MTV in a bikini and had written two books.) Surely, other people must have wow moments. Yet, even her wow moments happened years ago. Stephanie decided it was time to change that. Soon after, she volunteered to join a radio host friend who was going to help out a nearby city that had experienced a devastating flood. It was a wow moment for her. Stephanie, a professional writer, planned to write a blog about it. But as soon as she returned home, life’s routines kicked in and it was easy to put it on the back burner. ​Then everything changed. Just after Christmas 2022, Stephanie’s husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Four months later, he passed away. From that moment on, Stephanie committed to putting more wow moments into her life and she shares them in her . It is inspiring, and thought-provoking. ​ Stephanie has been a writer and author for over three decades. She's been a  covering leadership, productivity, and careers for the last nine years. ​ ​ In this week’s  learn more about Stephanie’s journey: In 2006, Stephanie launched a website, The Organized Parent, selling products to help busy moms. Five years later, she sold the company to FranklinCovey. Her writing has appeared in Inc., Entrepreneur, Success, and Parade, and she has written for companies such as U.S. Bank, Smartsheet, Mastercard, LinkedIn, and Intel.   Learn more and connect with Stephanie here:

Dr. Michelle Drapkin was an honors student in high school, yet she did not graduate with her class. Why? She had cut so many classes that her attendance record disqualified her from graduating. Michelle was lost. Her mother was ill with cancer (she survived!), and no one was paying attention to her activities, or lack thereof. To get her diploma, Michelle was sent to summer school, where the teachers had nothing to offer an honors student. After two days, they let her go. Michelle attended college on schedule. ​Michelle studied psychology and Spanish at Franklin and Marshall with the goal of becoming a Spanish-speaking psychologist. She studied abroad to develop her language skills and aspired to get a PhD in clinical psychology. Michelle hit a roadblock when she was not accepted into any of the graduate programs she applied to. She points to this experience as “failure being part of the process.” While deeply disappointed, this did not stop her. She applied to be a Fulbright Scholar, for more graduate programs and various jobs, all of which were highly competitive. Nothing came through, except Michelle received some helpful advice to get more research experience to strengthen her chances of getting accepted to graduate school. She landed a research role at the University of Pennsylvania and applied to graduate school two years later. By then, Michelle knew exactly what she wanted to do.​ Today, Michelle is a board-certified Clinical Psychologist who has dedicated her career to using psychological research to help people. She is the Owner/Director of the . Michelle provides individual and couples therapy, consults with healthcare tech startups, and delivers training on communication/motivation and health/wellbeing at work and in life.​ In this week’s  learn more about Michelle’s journey: Michelle is the author of  from New Harbinger Publications She held a nationwide role at the Department of Veterans Affairs and was on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. Learn more and connect with Michelle here:

Ellie Steinbrink grew up on a farm in Iowa. She was always drawn to wearing different outfits to suit the various activities she was engaged in around the farm. Ellie credits her parents for fostering a very creative environment. Her Mom is an artist who introduced her to colors, forms, textures, and patterns. Ellie’s Dad runs the farm with a strategic business mindset, offering her his own creative perspectives. In high school, Ellie was involved in theater and communications. As she set out for college, Ellie wanted to study marketing with the goal of working for an advertising agency. ​ Starting as an intern in an advertising agency, Ellie learned the ropes, which led her to work on the client service side of the business. For the next 15 years, she worked in advertising agencies, elevating to a Director of Client Services role. She created marketing, brands, advertising, content, and social strategies for clients ranging from Fortune 500 giants to small businesses. It was a lot of fun until the stretch between her family life and professional demands became too tight. Ellie engaged a coach to recalibrate her priorities and then took a part-time role as a marketing lead for a small business. For 4 years, Ellie enjoyed the role, but gradually, she had growing feelings that she wanted to do something else. Yet, there was a reluctance to step away from a career in which she had invested so much. ​ In 2020, Ellie took the opportunity to merge her professional experience with her passion for personal styling and started her business, , in Omaha, Nebraska. As an expert stylist and personal brand coach, she teaches women how to define and own their unique style, aligning their insides with their outsides to feel confident in their own skin. ​ In this week’s  learn more about Ellie’s journey: Ellie is offering my subscribers a free guide: ​ What does your outfit say about you to your audience before you even speak? This free guide includes Ellie’s 6 go-to style tips for making your outfits more impactful.     Learn more and connect with Ellie here: 

Janine Kwoh is the owner and designer of , a Brooklyn, NY-based collection of greeting cards and gifts that reflect and celebrate a diversity of identities and life experiences. Her goal is to create products that others will recognize some of themselves in and feel a bit more seen, more connected, and less alone. Janine returns to the Work from the Inside Out podcast to share an update since she was my guest on episode 11, 4-1/2 years ago. Since then, she has authored , an illustrated book on grief for anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one. Additionally, Janine has expanded her product lines with a variety of new items.  Currently, Janine is grappling with the challenges of how to scale her business to meet the demands of her customers and community of followers while maintaining the integrity of her brand and the quality of life she wants to live. In this week’s  follow the update on Janine’s journey and her work today: Janine uses an antique printing press to letterpress print every card one-at-a-time and also paints in many designs by hand.  She enjoys the physical process and distinctive final look-and-feel that comes with using old printing machines and techniques, while experimenting with modern images and sentiments. Learn more and connect with Janine here:     

Cliff Goldmacher is a Grammy-recognized #1 hit songwriter, keynote speaker, and author. A multi-instrumentalist, he has recorded, played on, and produced thousands of recordings and album projects for major and independent music publishers and record labels.  Cliff spent his first ten years in Southeast Asia due to his father’s work. Once they transferred back to the US, they moved to Memphis, Tennessee, a location that Cliff credits for his becoming a musician. He studied classical piano, which provided him with a foundation in music, but it wasn't until Cliff attended Stanford University that his personal connection to music began. He borrowed a guitar from a guy in his dorm and taught himself to play. Next, Cliff started to write songs and began performing with a friend. He graduated with a political science degree, took the LSAT, and applied to law schools.  Rather than go directly to law school, Cliff took an opportunity to do a teaching internship in a small town in France. Once there, he found a little cafe to perform music. The cafe manager asked him to play six nights a week, which Cliff did for the entire year. During that time, Cliff was writing songs, performing, and rethinking his law school plans. He chose to pursue a music career, reasoning that if it did not work out, he could consider law school. Thirty years later, Cliff has written over 1,000 songs, including chart-toppers recorded by Grammy-winning and platinum-selling artists in genres ranging from Americana, country, pop, blues, and jazz to classical crossover.  Cliff’s book, , encapsulates the principles of his corporate workshops, where he helps business teams enhance their creativity, solve problems, and innovate by teaching them to write songs.  In this week’s follow Cliff’s journey and his work today: Cliff runs a production studio in Nashville.  He has also given multiple TEDx presentations on songwriting. Learn more and connect with Cliff here:  

is a media coach whose mission is to elevate the wisdom of women nonfiction authors. She teaches them how to get national publicity and do media interviews that sell books so they can grow their impact and change the world. Mary never planned on becoming a media coach. She was dedicated to her work for twelve seasons as a Post Producer and Associate Director on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and multiple years prior, with NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, and Meet the Press. Yet, not all of Mary’s years in television media have been behind the scenes. She is also a #1 bestselling author and parenting expert who has been featured in television, radio, print, and digital media. Her book, , made Amazon's top 100 after a media interview. However, Mary never expected to become a published author. In fact, her early life was filled with so many responsibilities that she had no vision for her future. When she was 11, her beloved grandmother and her father, who was abusive and alcoholic, died just months apart. Her mother went to work teaching at a Catholic school. Mary took over at home with her 3 siblings, cooking, signing permission slips, and fighting the Social Security Administration when checks were delayed. Many observers called her strong, yet Mary was terrified. She found comfort in having some control over the situation. Mary learned to be independent and to fight for what she believed was right. In this week’s  follow Mary’s journey and her work today: Mary’s unique coaching framework, the Media Impact Method (I.M.P.A.C.T), offers a solid path to publicity with purpose, leading authors to success in national media, and reaching audiences of more than a billion. She offers a variety of programs to help authors gain the strategies they need to share their work and make an impact: , , , and .   Learn more and connect with Mary here:

When Erica Holthausen was in 7th grade, she was inspired to become an attorney after reading A Man for All Seasons, a play about the life of 16th-century Chancellor of England Sir Thomas More. She stayed true to her goal, attended law school, passed the bar, and worked for one year as an attorney, quickly realizing that being in law school and practicing law were not the same. With the support of her legal colleagues, some of whom seemed envious, Erica left the practice of law and embarked on a “master reset.”  At the suggestion of a friend, she applied to an environmental studies program at the Audobon Expedition Institute. After a semester of living on the Institute’s bus in Vermont, she moved in with her recently widowed aunt in Massachusetts who needed her help. While there, Erica explored her options and allowed herself to be with not knowing exactly what she was going to do. She started a daily writing practice to process and synthesize her ideas. Eventually, she joined an arts organization as their director of marketing and development, even though she had no direct experience in those areas. Erica is wholly resourceful and she found her way, continuing on that path for years with a consulting firm and later at a museum, honing her written and communication skills throughout.  In January 2020, Erica founded , a consulting firm that equips professionals with the tools they need to develop a body of work, bolster their credibility and earn a reputation as authoritative experts. Drawing on her experience as a freelance writer and editor, she guides them through the process of pitching, writing, and publishing articles in industry trade journals, and business magazines.  In this week’s follow Erica’s journey and work: Erica challenged herself to deliver a TEDx talk, in 2023. Her clients have secured bylines in many high-visibility publications, including Harvard Business Review, Inc., Fast Co., and Entrepreneur. Learn more and connect with Erica here:   

Dr. Mira Brancu was born in Romania when it was under a communist government. At six years old, her family emigrated to the U.S. as Jewish political refugees. Mira needed to learn English and navigate a new culture. She credits this early experience as providing the foundation for her strong observational skills and her ability to understand people’s nuanced behaviors and make deep connections. Over the course of her career, Mira developed a keen interest in how various dynamics, such as relationships, groups, organizations, and societal factors, impact successful outcomes. She started her career as a school counselor, then focused on clinical psychology for her doctoral degree, and served as chief of operations and in other leadership roles across several industries, including healthcare, academia, federal government, and schools. As Mira deepened her understanding and applied her accumulative knowledge, she grew as a leader, supporting her teams and organizations. Today, Mira is the founder and CEO of , a social impact consulting firm that helps executives and their teams navigate complex systems, develop strategic thinking and processes, to work effectively with individuals, teams, and organizations. To this work, she brings 20-plus years of experience, including a leadership career at the US Department of Veterans Affairs and a faculty appointment at Duke University. In this week’s follow Mira’s journey and work: Mira is the author of a , and writes about women's leadership development for Psychology Today. She works with emerging and under-represented women leaders and companies that support their career growth. Mira also helps small businesses and entrepreneurs progress from early phase start-up into the next phase of business by leading a team of employees.   Learn more and connect with Mira here: 

Sandy Seeber-Quayle learned about adapting to change early in her life. Born in Eastern Germany, she was seven years old when her parents divorced suddenly, leaving her and her toddler brother to be raised by her mother, who struggled with the breakup. Consequently, Sandy took on more responsibilities at home, leaving less time for fun. Four years later, the Berlin Wall came down, and everything changed. Then Sandy’s Mom found a new partner, and they moved to a new village. After an anxious start in her new school, Sandy was embraced by her new classmates and she made friends. This was the first of several moves during her formative years. At eighteen, Sandy got an apprenticeship in an insurance company, and she continued there for eleven years, learning many aspects of the business. Eventually, she was training apprentices. Sandy loved teaching, but she got itchy feet, as she put it. She started traveling all over the world as often as she could. Then, she decided to leave her job and traveled extensively, 808 days, to be exact. She also met her now husband during that time. Today, Sandy lives near Dublin, Ireland. She specializes in developing middle managers using her KUBA Pilot Strategy to foster effective thinking habits, enabling them to remain calm under stress, overcome biases, and enhance their relationships. Know Yourself Understand Others Build Connections Align Decisions In this week’s  follow Sandy’s journey and work Sandy enjoys transforming challenging relationships into collaborative partnerships and delivers impactful training, leveraging strong facilitation. With diplomas in Organizational Behavior, Coaching, and Training, Sandy brings a lifelong passion for human behavior and impactful communication to her work.    Learn more and connect with Sandy here:   

Alicia Ramsdell was raised by two hard-working parents who laid a solid foundation for her and her three sisters; the family came first, and education was a critical path to making a secure living. From an early age, mathematics came quickly to Alicia. So when she decided on her college major, she concluded that accounting would be a good choice. It checked off all the boxes, or so she thought. It was a secure profession that would pay well. As Alicia learned more about the principles and practices of accounting, she realized didn’t love it. Yet she held herself to the value of finishing things she started and kept telling herself that it was a pathway to financial security. In fact, Alicia became so invested in her accounting career that she went on to earn her master’s degree in taxation. She characterizes this as identity foreclosure, which is a psychological term describing an individual who commits to an identity without exploring options. The turning point in Alicia’s life came when her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his early 40s. She watched as her parents’ life plans changed completely, and it was a wake-up call for Alicia. She also was raising two young children and wanted to be able to share more with them about what it means to have a meaningful career. Today, Alicia is the founder and CEO of , designing career fulfillment in collaboration with her clients' professional passion and energy. She is a certified career services provider, a global career development facilitator, and holds a certificate in mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. In her , Alicia says, "Don't be afraid to fail in the career of your dreams. Be afraid to succeed in the career of your nightmares." In this week’s follow Alicia’s journey and work: Alicia worked for over 15 years in her corporate career before changing directions. She authored a children’s book, , offering an ​​empowering message that our future is truly in our own hands.   Learn more and connect with Alicia here:   

Ebony Travis Tichenor is a strategic executive in human resources, talent and organizational development, diversity and inclusion, and health and well-being. She is the Director for Global Well-Being and HR Employee Policies for Boston Scientific, where she has worked for over 25 years.  Ebony grew up in a small town in Texas. Raised by her Hispanic mother and her grandmother, whose only language was Spanish, they insisted that Ebony speak English. Her Dad, who was Black, passed away after she was born. As a child, Ebony was picked on by people who insisted she did not look like her mother and yet, she always maintained an upbeat, energetic personality. Still, Ebony harbored self-doubts, believing she was not bright enough to attend college. After graduating high school, she worked at a gas station convenience store, quickly getting promoted to assistant manager. While Ebony loved working there, she was encouraged by many people to do something more. She began to pursue beauty pageants, eventually auditioning for and becoming a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. As glamorous as it was, high-profile cheerleading did not pay the bills, so she applied for temporary jobs. One of her placements was at Boston Scientific, and as they say, the rest is history. At Boston Scientific, Ebony has helped to spearhead greater pay equity (99%) for a culturally and gender-diverse workforce, including veterans and persons with disabilities. A dynamic speaker, Ebony draws on her experience in change management, diversity and inclusion, performance management, employee engagement, mentoring, and training, to influence the process and cultural changes that improve organizational effectiveness and employee growth. She has served as a keynote speaker, a moderator of leadership panels within Boston Scientific and at public forums, business meetings, events, and conferences. In this week’s follow Ebony’s journey and work: Ebony is an active health and fitness influencer on social media platforms. She mentors and inspires others to meet their personal goals for health and wellness. She speaks to various companies on personal branding, overall well-being, energy management, DEI, and so much more.   Learn more and connect with Ebony here:   

​ is an award-winning author, avid yogi, and yoga teacher, high performance & transformation life coach. In a business career spanning 25 years working with technology giants and start-ups, Smita was one of the first to bring India’s information technology services into the heart of British and European companies. Smita worked internationally with global industry leaders, winning multi-million dollar contracts, the largest being $1 billion. ​ Smita is a TV presenter, and for her YouTube channel,  – Smita has interviewed leading politicians, entrepreneurs, and global gurus. She also creates videos on topics of personal development & emotional and spiritual intelligence. ​ ​Smita is the author of the Amazon bestseller . Inspired by actual events from her own life, “Karma & Diamonds” follows a young woman’s gripping journey of self-discovery across continents and lifetimes as she struggles to conquer life’s conflicts and unpredictable challenges by listening to her inner voice. ​ In this week’s  follow Smita’s journey and work: ​ As a child growing up in a small port town along North West India’s Arabian Sea coastline, Smita observed her father practicing yoga and meditation. While he never taught her, she started her own yoga and meditation practice at age 12.​ ​ Alongside her business life, based in London, when not traveling for work, Smita dedicated her weekends, holidays, and spare time over many years to becoming a life coach.   Learn more and connect with Smita here:   

​ is an advisor, consultant, and speaker specializing in working with leaders and sales teams to unlock the untapped potential in their prospecting and business development efforts. With a focus on the construction, real estate, design, and technology industries, Sara guides professionals to enhance their communication skills and to approach prospecting and their business needs creatively rather than simply push products. Sara’s love for sales started as a young child. Her Mom worked for Delta Airlines, which enabled their family to fly for free via standby. This also meant that they never sat together on the plane. Sara quickly learned to engage with the strangers sitting beside her, “Excuse me, are you going to eat your chips?” Her adult seatmate was often taken aback by her request. Sara had about a 60% success rate in closing the deal. In retrospect, it really didn’t matter if they gave Sara the chips or not. It taught her an easy way to start conversations and connect with people. And she became fearless. Sara learned to ask for what she wanted. As she developed her career selling decorative hardware to the construction and hospitality industries, Sara learned that sales are about how the client and the provider fit together to feel at home. By connecting well with customers in that way, they returned time and again, enabling Sara to foster fulfilling and profitable relationships. Living and working in LA during the pandemic, Sara experienced the impact of the strict lockdown. Working from home through that difficult period, she focused on her health and well-being. Sara became aware that something significant was missing from her work. Her job had become far more technical and less relationship-focused. Sara knew it was time to make a change. ​In this week’s  follow Sara’s journey and work: Sara is the host of the podcast "," Sara discusses prospecting, sales, business strategies, and, most importantly, mindset. She teaches her audience to connect with clients, communicate confidently, and ultimately close deals.   Learn more and connect with Sara here: 

Julie Kratz is the Founder and Chief Engagement Officer of . She is a highly-acclaimed TEDx speaker, author, podcast host, and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America. After experiencing many career “pivot points” of her own, Julie started her own business with the goal of helping leaders and their organizations to be more inclusive through allyship. Next Pivot Point works to promote allyship and inclusion in the workplace to make sure that everyone feels seen, heard, and belonging at work. ​ ​Julie was raised by her single mother. From a young age, her mother always told her that her purpose in life was to help women. As Julie started her career in the corporate world, those words kept replaying in her mind. After twelve years of the “shenanigans,” as Julie refers to it, she was done with corporate life. No longer could she tolerate the lack of inclusion, lack of belonging, and having to stuff herself inside a box where she did not fit. In her early thirties at the time, Julie kept thinking, “Your purpose is to help women.” ​ ​Opening the door for Next Pivot Point, Julie focused on gender equity in the workplace. This was before people were talking about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Julie continues to help people of all backgrounds feel included in the workplace through facilitation, writing books, speaking, and coaching. ​ In this week’s  follow Julie’s journey and work: Julie recently started a nonprofit organization, , which develops programs for educators, parents, and caregivers about how to be more inclusive and talk with children about inclusion. Her books include , , ,  and a children’s book . Learn more and connect with Julie here: 

When I asked Alisha Fernandez Miranda, author of , about her formative years, she said, “I was a really ambitious kid, very type A; the kind of girl you'd call bossy. I really never minded that term personally, I just had a real drive to be the best.” When Alisha was eight years old, she kept a diary and wrote her goal in life was to go to Harvard. Alisha had no idea how she knew about Harvard.  Raised in suburban Miami, she spent her first 18 years being academically driven and socially engaged. Then, Alisha said,” Two big things happened.” She took her first trip outside the U.S., and she was accepted to and attended Harvard.  For the first time, Alisha felt intimidated. She was accustomed to being a big fish in a small pond, yet she found her way at Harvard, declaring an interdisciplinary major in Women’s Studies. She spent her junior year in London and fell in love with Europe. After graduation, she attended the Gender Institute of the London School of Economics for her master’s degree while she figured out how to get a visa and permanent employment in the U.K. During that time, she met the man who became her husband.  Today, Alisha serves as the chair of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that consults with nonprofits, foundations, and corporations on their philanthropy and social initiatives. Her writing has been featured in Vogue, Business Insider, and Huffington Post. She currently lives in Scotland with her husband and children. In her book, My What If Year, Alisha details her year of unpaid internships in the dream jobs of her childhood. She signs on as an intern at a Broadway theater, a London art gallery, a Scottish luxury hotel, and a virtual fitness studio — only to discover a long-buried question: Why didn’t she do what she most wanted to do until now? In this week’s follow Alisha’s journey and work: Alisha is the host of the award-winning podcast that takes you behind the scenes of your dream jobs.  She built and launched an app, Not My Style, which is focused on sustainable fashion. Learn more and connect with Alisha here: 

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston has life-long experience in embracing and accessing the power of connections. Growing up as a “corporate brat,” Michelle’s family moved every few years. Her father’s job at General Motors required relocation as his career advanced. He promoted their moves as adventures. She always found a way to fit in, and skilled at being the new kid.  As she began her professional career, however, Michelle’s methods for ‘fitting in’ did not work as well for her. She realized that she had to distinguish herself, rather than blend in, to be seen as valuable in the professional marketplace. Michelle discovered that she needed to develop different ways to make meaningful connections to be effective and grow professionally. She worked for a consulting firm right out of graduate school, traveling to companies to teach meeting management, communication, presentation skills, and team building. Michelle also taught an evening business communication class at Loyola University New Orleans, close to home. Being newly married, she welcomed the opportunity to travel less when the Dean offered her a full-time teaching role in the business school. Today, Michelle is a management professor, executive coach, and leadership expert who serves as the Gaston Chair of Business at Loyola University New Orleans. She is a celebrated keynote speaker presenting at conferences and events nationwide.  Her book, , details the need for leaders to shift from a command and control leadership style to one that focuses on connection. She affirms that connection drives long-lasting results, enabling leaders to more effectively connect with their teams to achieve personal and professional goals. In this week’s follow Michelle’s journey and work: Michelle earned her Ph.D. in Communication at Louisiana State University. Her grandfather, a professor at Georgetown, wrote her letters to persuade her to pursue a doctoral degree. She was named to the prestigious MG group, which consists of the top executive coaches worldwide affiliated with Marshall Goldsmith. Michelle was named one of the most influential New Orleanians, a top 500 business leader, and a Woman of the Year by CityBusiness. Learn more and connect with Michelle here: 

With an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania, swiftly worked her way "to the top" from cutting deals on Wall St. to the epicenter of the Boston technology hub in strategy and management consulting roles. Yet, her life could have gone very differently.  Born in Alabama, the only child of immigrant Indian parents (who met on their wedding day via an arranged marriage), Rimi’s early years were deeply troubled. At 8, her family moved to Philadelphia, and soon after, her parents separated. Rimi lived with her mother, who worked evening shifts and developed an alcohol addiction, leaving her unavailable as a parent. While maintaining straight-A grades, Rimi joined a gang, nearly got expelled from school, and was on a first-name basis with the police. By high school, she moved in with her father and stepmother, where her life stabilized. She went to UPenn, graduated, and got a Wall Street job.  As she raced to the pinnacles of success, Rimi realized she was sacrificing her health and happiness. Instead of ignoring the voices in her head, heart, and body, Rimi chose to live and lead with purpose. In 2015 she and her husband moved to his homeland, the Azores, Portugal, and opened a lodge and learning center, , where she leads retreats and leadership workshops. Rimi learned the language, embraced a new life, and redefined her metrics of success, enabling her to live in alignment with her values. This became the foundation for her framework. Today, she brings her innovative tools and teaching to Fortune 500 companies, private companies, universities, and individuals to bridge traditional leadership with creative and emotional intelligence. In this week’s follow Rimi’s journey and work: Rimi is the co-founder of and has a book coming out in October 2023. She teaches yoga and mindfulness globally and online, customizing mindfulness programs and courses for private and public companies. Learn more and connect with Rimi here:   

Claudia Miller was the first person in her family to be educated beyond the eighth grade. She was determined to check off all the boxes: excel in school, attend a good university, land a great-paying job, and live the American dream. Unfortunately, it did not go exactly as she had planned. When she graduated college, Claudia had no job offers waiting for her. She ended up just taking a job that was available. This experience propelled her on a five-year journey, determined to learn what was necessary to find satisfying work, grow her income, and build her network. Claudia worked in several industries and went on to earn her master’s degree in public health policy and administration. From there, she started a coaching business and, in 2020, became a full-time entrepreneur.   As a Guatemalan-American, Claudia struggled to find her way in corporate America. She relied on education to rise above her humble beginnings, and now she teaches other women how to become successful.   Today, she is a career coach for women in technology, and she's helped her clients land fulfilling senior-level jobs. Claudia partners with companies and organizations to identify rising stars, providing strategy, insights, and support to develop a leadership and talent pipeline focusing on women and women of color.   In this week’s follow Claudia’s journey and work:  Claudia has partnered with World Business Chicago in developing a workforce development strategy in coordination with the City of Chicago's efforts to decrease unemployment rates for persons of color.   Claudia has been featured in Forbes, MSNBC, Thrive Global, and Business Insider, named her one of the Top Innovative Career Coaches.   Learn more and connect with Claudia here:  Special Gift - Salary Negotiation Scripts:

Do you believe that some people are just luckier than others even though they have not done anything special to create their good fortune? According to my guest this week, NYU Professor Christian Busch, good luck doesn’t happen purely by chance. He says it can be learned and leveraged.  In his book, , Christian explains that serendipity isn’t about luck being out of our control. It’s about seeing links that others don’t, combining these observations strategically, and learning how to detect the moments when unconnected ideas merge to form new opportunities. Exploring serendipity from a scientific perspective, Christian argues that there are ways we can foster the conditions to allow serendipity to grow. Drawing from biology, chemistry, management, and information systems and using examples of people from all walks of life, he shows how you can use serendipity to make life better at work, at home, and everywhere. It is remarkable to note that Christian’s early track record could not have predicted where he has landed today. In his own words, he was a restless, rebellious kid who was “in the 5% of the class that enabled the top 95%.” He dropped out of high school and, at eighteen, went wild in his first car, ending up in a near-fatal multi-car crash. Needless to say, and fortunately, this was a turning point for him. Christian finished high school and with determination applied to dozens of universities. Once accepted, he dove into his studies, fueling his curious mind. Christian went on to earn his master's degree and later a Ph.D. In this week’s follow Christian’s journey and work: Christian is the director of the CGA Global Economy Program at New York University (NYU) and teaches at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is a co-founder of Leaders on Purpose and the Sandbox Network and a former director of LSE's Innovation Lab. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Expert Forum, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and on the Thinkers50 Radar list of the 30 thinkers "most likely to shape the future."   Learn more and connect with Christian here: 

As a child growing up in England, Octavia Goredema was always reading. At age 7, she wrote a letter to the publisher Penguin Random House and asked how she could become an author. To her delight, she received a formal, personalized letter response from the publisher. For many years Octavia aspired to become a children’s book author.  Upon entrance to a competitive exam school and surrounded by many other smart kids, Octavia  found herself losing confidence, or as she describes it, she “put ceilings on herself.” Octavia’s love of reading continued, yet she assumed that being an author was out of reach. However, she never completely gave up and parlayed her desire to write into a successful career in public relations after college. Octavia reflects on those years and realizes that she never felt fully aligned with her sense of purpose. Her talents were recognized, and her contributions were highly valued, yet she had a boss who  shared his observation that she was not passionate about PR. Octavia was really interested in mentoring and what it takes to advance careers. She started the Twenty Ten Club to help underrepresented women with their careers, and that led her to study coaching, open her practice and write a book. Today, Octavia is a career coach and founder of the Twenty Ten Agency. Her mission is to help underrepresented professionals advance their careers. Octavia is the author of , published by Wiley. In this week’s learn more about Octavia’s journey and work: Octavia was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen in recognition of her work on behalf of underrepresented women in the workforce. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, where she leads the Gender Equity network in the United States.   Learn more and connect with Octavia here:  Find her book here:

Shira Miller knows a lot about getting unstuck. As an author, a , a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, and Chief Communications Officer of a $2 billion corporation, she teaches and coaches people to do the same for themselves. Shira has transitioned from financial ruin to prosperity, chronic health challenges to a constant state of wellness, obesity to sustaining a healthy weight, divorce to lasting love, and an unfulfilling career to a purpose-driven life. Shira is the author of , which features a step-by-step process for getting unstuck and staying that way for good. And it is loaded with real-life stories, expert advice, and wisdom from a wide range of people she personally interviewed to create a robust guide for moving your life in the right direction. Full disclosure: I was honored by Shira to be interviewed for and to provide an endorsement for her book.  Known for her entertaining, informative, and down-to-earth presentation style, Shira has spoken to billion-dollar corporations, served as a Guest Expert Speaker at Canyon Ranch Tucson, and has delivered numerous breakout and keynote presentations at industry conferences.   In this week’s learn more about Shira’s journey and work:  Shira’s story and opinions have been recognized in Shape, Health, First for Women, Quick & Simple, the Atlanta Journal–Constitution, and Emory Magazine. She has written over 100 articles on Medium, LinkedIn, and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global platform about well-being at work and home, prioritizing self-care, and creating wellness-based cultures. Learn more and connect with Shira here: 

Alain Hunkins is an executive coach, leadership and team development facilitator, and keynote speaker who helps leaders, teams, and companies achieve performance goals easier. He is also the author of the book .  From a young age, Alain was a keen observer of people. He noticed the differences between his life at home, being raised by his mother and grandmother, both Holocaust survivors, and being somewhat ‘glass half empty’ people, and the much lighter atmospheres in his friends’ homes. Upon reflection, he was lifting some heavy weights as a kid and yet, also learned how to navigate a world with many different people all around him. In college, he studied psychology and theater and went on to study acting, earning his Master's in Fine Arts. At that time, Alain attended a training weekend with the Mankind Project, which changed his life. That experience transformed the direction of his career towards group facilitation, arts education, and corporate training. Over his twenty-five-year career, Alain has worked with over 3,000 groups of leaders in 27 countries, including 42 of the Fortune 100 companies. Every spring, Alain runs an online gamified for a cohort of people from around the world. They participate for five to ten minutes a day, tactically practicing the skills of becoming better connectors, better communicators, and better collaborators. You can participate! Alain, noting you heard about the challenge through me and my podcast. He will send you a discount code to get a reduced rate. The challenge starts on May 15, 2023. Space is limited, so act now!  In this week’s learn more about Alain’s journey and work: Alain is on the faculty at Duke Corporate Education and serves on the Academic Board of Advisors for the New Delhi Institute of Management.  His work has been featured in Chief Executive, Fast Company, Inc., Training Magazine, Chief Learning Officer, and Business Insider. He’s also a monthly contributor to Forbes.  Alain was recently named #33 on the Global Power list of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership for 2023 by LeadersHum. Learn more and connect with Alain here: 

What was your first paid job? Do you recall the training you received to perform your duties? This week’s podcast guest, Susan Spero, vividly remembers the training she got at 18 when she worked at a summer camp. The owners trained the staff on how to understand and manage groups so they would bond as a team and recognize camper group dynamics. They wanted counselors to help campers’ social and emotional development during the eight-week camp season. Susan deeply values her three summers there, crediting that experience as a foundation for how she has negotiated relationships in her adult and professional life.  Susan pursued an education degree in college and taught elementary school for six years. While she was supposed to focus on math, reading, and social studies, Susan was more interested in the student’s social and emotional development, their interactions, and the dynamics between faculty members. Every six years, she had a pattern of getting bored with her work. While Susan was still teaching, she did a clinical internship in digital art therapy. Then, she left her job and pursued a master's degree in psychology and counseling. After a period of underemployment, Susan landed work in management training as she knew her clinical and education skills were applicable, and she was curious to try something new. Her work expanded to teach supervision and leadership, and she started doing some consulting. Susan was having fun until she got bored again, about five years into it. She left the firm she was working with and gave herself a month to reset. Almost immediately, she received calls for consulting work, and the rest, as they say, is history. That was 35 years ago. Today, Susan is an executive coach and organizational consultant. Her book, , is a practical guide to help people better understand relationship dynamics and how to improve their interactions. She uses music as a metaphor to describe how relationships most often evolve. The book integrates popular theories and tools with real-world examples and humorous anecdotes.  In this week’s  learn more about Susan’s journey and work: Susan has worked in various industries with corporations and nonprofits ranging in size from five to 5000 employees   Learn more and connect with Susan here: 

This week’s podcast guests are Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker, the co-authors of . While the book draws on research, it is a highly accessible, practical guidebook for anyone seeking to refine their approaches to making a variety of decisions. The authors bring a fascinating combination of experiences, vast knowledge, and deep insights to this work.  Jim is a world-renowned performance psychologist, Co-Founder of the Human Performance Institute, and author of eighteen books, including . He also co-authored the national bestseller .  Sheila is a behavioral geneticist. She is a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth at Tufts University, a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Early on, Jim was intoxicated with psychology, earning his master's and a doctorate in psychology and specialized in community mental health. Two years later, he was offered a job as chief psychologist and executive director of a large community mental health center system that served central and southern Colorado. Jim felt he reached the pinnacle of his career. Then, he met exercise physiologist Dr. Joe Hill, an Olympic track and field legend who urged him to launch a new area of psychology in human performance. Jim studied under the Jimmy Connors United States Tennis Center for two years and for six years, set up a research institute. Eventually, Jim and Joe established the Human Performance Institute, to apply science, and sports to the arena of human performance.  Sheila is a former professional tennis player. She earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, obtained a Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and held an investment career as a Portfolio Manager. She then earned a doctorate in Behavioral Genetics from the Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at King’s College London. In this week’s learn more about Jim and Sheila’s work: Jim and Sheila serve on the board of the Youth Performance Institute that applies to youth many of the learnings drawn from the Human Performance Institute.   Learn more and connect with Jim Loehr & Sheila Ohlsson Walker here: