Workplace angst is rising, even among high achievers, and Dr. Shonna Waters is here to explain why so many people feel unsafe, unseen or stuck in their growth. You’ll hear how security, significance and growth shape our wellbeing at work and why leaders must design cultures that support those needs. Together, we explore the risks of altitude sickness in leadership, how power can pull leaders away from the truth, and what it takes to stay connected with compassion and clarity. You also get a grounded look at AI and why people need a hopeful vision to move through this moment with confidence. 

This episode invites you to rethink how you lead, how you support your team and how you create a workplace where people feel valued and able to thrive.

Key Takeaways:

1. Why Workplace Angst Is Rising – See what causes discomfort at work even for people who appear to be thriving.
2. The Three Needs Every Employee Shares – Get a clear look at how security, significance and growth shape energy and engagement. 
3. How Leaders Lose Perspective – Spot the signs of altitude sickness and what happens when leaders drift away from real insight.
4. Building Psychological Ergonomics – Discover how small shifts in systems and habits create healthier, calmer workplaces.
5. Leading Through AI Without Fear – Explore ways to guide teams through change with clarity and a hopeful message.
6. Creating Cultures That Support Humans – See how connection, trust and simple daily practices help people feel respected and valued.

About the Guest: 

An award-winning organizational psychologist and executive, Shonna is a recognized thought leader in HR, psychology, and business with over 100 articles, technical reports, book chapters, and books and over 100 conference talks, keynotes, and panels. With a background in consulting and executive leadership roles, Shonna has advised organizations on people strategy and transformation across various sectors. At BetterUp, she stood up and led teams in behavioral science, strategic partnerships and alliances, and executive advisory, driving research-backed insights to enhance organizational performance.

https://www.drshonnawaters.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shonna-waters/

About Amy:

Amy Lynn Durham, known by her clients as the Corporate Mystic, is the founder of the Executive Coaching Firm, Create Magic At Work®, where they help leaders build workplaces rooted in creativity, collaboration, and fulfillment. A former corporate executive turned Executive Coach, Amy blends practical leadership strategies with spiritual intelligence to unlock human potential at work.

She’s a certified Executive Coach through UC Berkeley & the International Coaching Federation (ICF) In addition, Amy holds coaching certifications in Spiritual Intelligence (SQ21), the Edgewalker Profile, and the Archetypes of Change . In addition to being the host of the Create Magic At Work® podcast, Amy is the author of Create Magic At Work®, Creating Career Magic: A Daily Prompt Journal and the founder of Magic Thread Media™. Through her work, she inspires intentional leadership for thriving workplaces and lives where “magic” becomes reality.

Connect with Amy:

https://createmagicatwork.net/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-magic-at-work 

https://www.facebook.com/112951637095427 

https://www.instagram.com/createmagicatwork 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnEm4h3fUgaq8qgvZpz6dGg 

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What if the strongest culture strategies aren't crafted in boardrooms, but in breakrooms, maintenance closets, and one-on-one hallway conversations?

In this episode, Amy Lynn Durham is joined by Todd Wuestenberg, Chief Culture Officer at Haverkamp Properties, to explore how culture becomes tangible when ordinary people are empowered to create extraordinary impact.

Drawing from his agricultural roots and over two decades in leadership, Todd offers a grounded, people-first perspective on building cultures that truly care.

Together, they unpack three pivotal ideas:

• Culture as Stewardship: Why true culture means caring for people, not just hitting KPIs.
• From Posters to Practice: How to move from laminated values to lived behaviors through everyday recognition and leadership modeling.
• Measuring What Matters: How honest, third-party culture surveys can spark real dialogue, realignment, and renewed trust across departments.

Todd and Amy also explore the power of peer-to-peer recognition, redefining the "customer" within departments, and how "work-life harmony" is the new standard for a healthy workplace.

Listen if you're ready to stop chasing performance and start cultivating purpose.

🎧 Create Magic at Work® is hosted by Amy Lynn Durham, executive coach and founder of Create Magic at Work®, where spiritual intelligence meets modern leadership.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Todd on LinkedIn

Discover Your Spiritual Intelligence at Work

Connect with Amy Lynn Durham

Learn More About Create Magic at Work

More on PeopleForward Network

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Key Takeaways:

• Culture means caring for people, processes, and the organization.
• Leadership must model values, not just display them.
• Peer recognition builds authentic workplace connection.
• Culture starts with micro-teams, not top-down mandates.
• Work-life harmony replaces outdated balance expectations.

Captivate Feed

Ever ignored your gut and paid the price?

Cari sits down with beloved teacher and mindfulness pioneer Trudy Goodman for a soul-stirring conversation about intuition, trust, and healing the parts of ourselves we've hidden away. Trudy vulnerably shares the ways denying her intuition led to deep personal pain, and how reclaiming it helped her rebuild a life of wisdom, creativity, and self-love. 🌱

The episode dives into the spiritual paradox of "no-self" vs. self-work, the nuanced dance between confidence and vulnerability, and how the practice of meditation can lead us not away from our messy truths, but straight into them. 🧘‍♀️

Trudy's stories will crack you open, make you laugh, and leave you thinking differently about what it really means to "heal."

If you're ready to start reclaiming the parts of yourself you've pushed aside, head to http://www.bravedirections.com/5daystotruth to sign up for "Five Days to Truth"—a free guided meditation series to help you begin that process with clarity and care. It's a powerful companion to this work, and my gift to you.

Follow along on Instagram @cari_jacobs_sf for more inspiration!

Additional Resources:

Follow Trudy on Instagram - @trudy_goodman

Learn more about InsightLA

Connect with Cari on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Intuition is trustworthy. Learn to listen and retrain it.
• Self-confidence grows through compassion, not perfection.
• Healing is messy, ongoing, and incredibly human.
• Vulnerability fosters true connection and belonging.
• Meditation uncovers inner wisdom and emotional clarity.

In a world obsessed with artificial intelligence, what if the future of work actually belongs to authentic intelligence?

In this episode, Amy Lynn Durham sits down with Brian Gorman, author of Leading Into the Age of Wisdom: Reimagining the Future of Work, to explore how leaders can reclaim humanity at the heart of business.

Together, they unpack three essential shifts:

💡 Reclaiming the Human Core: What truly separates wisdom from AI, and why empathy and discernment may be our most vital leadership tools.

🔄 Rethinking Work: How to move from time-based pay to energy- and results-driven work, and why flexibility creates more humane workplaces.

🔮 Leading Into the Age of Wisdom: What wisdom circles teach us about collective intelligence and how to lead from presence, not power.

Brian and Amy also discuss how fear of AI can become an invitation to rediscover purpose, how wisdom emerges from collaboration, and how unlearning old paradigms can open us to a more conscious, connected future of work.

Listen if you're ready to lead not to control, but to liberate.

📘 Grab Brian's book, "Leading Into the Age of Wisdom", and connect with him on LinkedIn.

🎧 Create Magic at Work® is hosted by Amy Lynn Durham, executive coach and founder of Create Magic at Work®, where spiritual intelligence meets modern leadership.

Additional Resources:

Get Brian's new book: "Leading Into the Age of Wisdom"

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

Listen to Brian podcast: Qonversations: Powered by Quantuvos

Learn more about Brian's work!

Discover Your Spiritual Intelligence at Work

Connect with Amy Lynn Durham

Learn More About Create Magic at Work

More on PeopleForward Network

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

• Wisdom guides how we use AI-driven intelligence.
• We're entering a transformative Age of Wisdom.
• Human connection and empathy are workplace essentials.
• Measure productivity by energy, not hours.
• Leadership thrives through shared, collective wisdom.

What does it really mean to lead without falling into burnout?

In this episode, Amy connects with Ashley Cox, leadership mentor, author of "Transform Your Stories", and host of the Impact Ripple podcast, to unpack three common leadership traps that quietly sabotage even the most well-intentioned leaders.

✨ In this conversation, you'll hear about:

• The "worker bee," "niceness," and "helicopter" traps that drain leaders
• How reframing delegation as empowerment changes team dynamics
• The role of self-trust in building high-performance cultures
• Ashley's Fire Mapping method for getting to the root of issues
• Why authenticity and human connection still outperform old-school tactics

🎧 Tune in for a refreshing reset on how to lead with clarity, courage, and compassion, without doing it all yourself.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn

Learn more at https://ashleycox.co/roadmap

Discover Your Spiritual Intelligence at Work

Connect with Amy Lynn Durham

Learn More About Create Magic at Work

More on PeopleForward Network

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

• Delegation is empowerment, not abdication.
• Leadership requires self-trust above all.
• Worker bee habits lead to burnout.
• Authenticity creates trust and consistency.
• Clear expectations prevent recurring team issues.

What does it really mean to be a human-first leader in HR?

In this episode of Create Magic at Work, Amy connects with Jenn Ayala, a seasoned HR executive with over 25 years of experience, to explore what it takes to transform HR from a rule-enforcer role into a people-empowering force for good.

✨ In this conversation, you'll hear about:

• Why Jenn believes kindness is the core of effective leadership
• How she overcame burnout and reclaimed her own well-being
• The powerful impact of "holding space" for employees in crisis
• What HR looks like across different generations
• Why praising others, especially when unexpected, builds powerful team culture

🎧 Tune in for a raw, grounded look at the emotional side of leadership, and how HR can be the heart of your organization.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn

Listen to Jenn's DisruptHR talk

Discover Your Spiritual Intelligence at Work

Connect with Amy Lynn Durham

Learn More About Create Magic at Work

More on PeopleForward Network

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

• Kindness creates trust and empowers authentic conversations
• Burnout is real, self-care must be intentional
• Every employee has a story worth understanding
• HR must evolve into strategic, human-centered partners
• Praise often and unexpectedly to build morale and trust

What does the future of leadership look like through Gen Z eyes?

In this episode of Create Magic at Work, Amy sits down with JC Carr — an Territory Account Manager at World Emblem, entrepreneur, and social media influencer — to explore how the next generation is reshaping business, philanthropy, and work culture.

✨ In this conversation, you'll hear about:

How JC built a successful exotic car brokerage while still in college

Lessons Gen Z is bringing into traditional industries like manufacturing

Why philanthropy and giving back are central to JC's leadership approach

Lean management principles explained in a human-centered way

JC's words of hope for Gen Z professionals navigating today's workforce

The reminder that you're always one conversation away from a different life

🎧 Tune in for a refreshing, candid perspective from Gen Z and discover what the future of leadership might hold.

Additional Resources:

Connect with JC on LinkedIn

Discover Your Spiritual Intelligence at Work

Connect with Amy Lynn Durham

Learn More About Create Magic at Work

More on PeopleForward Network

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

• Gen Z brings fresh perspective and identifies overlooked issues.
• Lean management enhances efficiency without eliminating people.
• Change creates opportunities for growth and innovation.
• One conversation can transform your entire career path.

What if the parts of yourself you've tried to hide are actually the keys to your healing? 🌱

Cari sits down with her longtime friend and trauma therapist Lisa Danylchuk, founder of the Center for Yoga and Trauma Recovery and author of "Yoga for Trauma Recovery." Together, they dive deep into the messy, magical process of turning life's pain into purpose.

Lisa opens up about her experience with grief and how yoga became her lifeline, sparking a lifelong mission to help others heal through self-awareness and compassion. The two explore how even the so-called "trash," grief, shame, imposter syndrome, and the parts of ourselves we'd rather ignore, can actually hold the gold. 🧘‍♀️💛

If you're ready to start reclaiming the parts of yourself you've pushed aside, head to http://www.bravedirections.com/5daystotruth to sign up for "Five Days to Truth"—a free guided meditation series to help you begin that process with clarity and care. It's a powerful companion to this work, and my gift to you.

Follow along on Instagram @cari_jacobs_sf for more inspiration!

Additional Resources:

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

Learn more about How We Can Heal

Listen to Lisa's podcast: How We Can Heal

Connect with Cari on LinkedIn

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Healing begins with gently approaching your pain.
• 
  
• Avoidance often masks deeper emotions needing attention.
• 
  
• Trauma recovery is unique for every individual.
• 
  
• Inner healing directly strengthens external leadership impact.
• 
  
• Self-awareness fosters genuine connection and resilience.

We've all read the data on how storytelling drives connection and empathy. But what happens when people go beyond storytelling and put their most vulnerable, transformative experiences on the page?

In this episode, I sit down with Cynthia Gregory—award-winning writer, journaling advocate, and publisher of "Love Notes from the Soul" and the upcoming "Love Notes 2.0"—to talk about how personal narrative can reshape workplace culture, inspire human connection, and even shift our physical and emotional well-being.

✨ Why vulnerability on the page can create power in real life

✨ How storytelling acts as a catalyst for healing, empathy, and impact

✨ What happens when nonprofit leaders and corporate professionals share their truths

✨ The surprising neuroscience behind journaling and emotional regulation

✨ How Cynthia's own silent retreat sparked an anthology movement of everyday miracles

This one hits deep. Together we explore why "Love Notes" isn't just a book, it's a movement for more compassionate leadership.

If you've ever wondered whether your story matters, this episode is your sign.

📖 Grab your copy of Love Notes 2.0 Here > https://www.coachcynthiagregory.com/

Additional Resources:

Connect with Cynthia on LinkedIn

Discover Your Spiritual Intelligence at Work

Connect with Amy Lynn Durham

Learn More About Create Magic at Work

More on PeopleForward Network

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

• Vulnerability creates powerful connections at work and beyond.
• Personal stories can spark healing and transformation.
• Journaling improves emotional regulation and empathy.
• Authentic storytelling builds compassionate leadership.
• Every story shared gives others permission to share too.

We've all seen the programs promising to "fix" your money mindset. But are they truly helping women step into power, or just selling us the same story in a shinier package?

In this conversation with Suzanne Longstreet, master mindset coach, NLP trainer, and co-author of The Millionaire Codes, I ask the questions many of us are secretly thinking:

✨ Do women actually need more money mindset coaching, or do we need a new system altogether? ✨ How much of our struggle is "limiting beliefs" vs. systemic barriers like patriarchy and pay inequity? ✨ Why confidence often trumps competence in the workplace (and how that leads to narcissistic leaders). ✨ What it takes to stop apologizing, start owning your authority, and rewrite the rules of leadership.

This one gets real. I bring the spice, Suzanne brings the strategies, and together we unpack what it really means for women to lead, earn, and receive with clarity and confidence.

🔮 Plus: Suzanne shares insights from The Millionaire Codes, how NLP can shift trauma and phobias, and the one simple daily practice that can rewire your brain to receive more.

If you've ever wondered whether "money mindset" is a tool or a trap, this episode is for you.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

Follow Suzanne on Facebook

Get Suzanne's book - "The Millionaire Codes"

Discover Your Spiritual Intelligence at Work

Connect with Amy Lynn Durham

Learn More About Create Magic at Work

More on PeopleForward Network

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

• Clear mental blocks with NLP to boost confidence.
• Confidence often outweighs competence in leadership perception.
• NLP enables fast transformation and bold action.
• Systemic barriers still limit women, often reinforced by other women.
• Practice receiving. Ask for help to prevent burnout.