In this episode of Unleashing Your Great Work, Amanda sits down with Alice Draper, founder of Hustling Writers and host of the award-winning podcast My Rejection Story. Alice is on a mission to make publicity accessible by helping creators and entrepreneurs build what she calls rejection resilience.

Alice shares her personal story of caregiving during the pandemic, facing loss, and discovering that life becomes richer when we stop self-rejecting. She explains how rejection shows up in our brains as real pain, why building a “rejection muscle” is essential, and how community makes the process of visibility more sustainable.

You’ll learn:

• Why we regret the risks we never take more than the ones that didn’t work out
• How to build rejection resilience through small, low-stakes experiments
• Why publicity is less about hustle and more about collaboration
• The surprising “fake assistant” hack to pitch with less fear
• How partnerships and platform-specific collaborations can grow your reach

If you’ve been holding back from pitching, posting, or putting yourself out there, this conversation will give you both courage and concrete strategies.

RESOURCES:

Download the first chapter of Great Work Free: http://greatworkfreechapter.com

Connect with Alice on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-m-draper/

Connect with Alice on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/alicedraper/

Alice’s pitch templates: http://hustlingwriters.com/template

My Rejection Story podcast: https://pod.link/1765721680

BIO:

Alice is the founder of the podcast booking company, Hustling Writers and the host of the award-winning podcast "My Rejection Story". She is on a mission to make publicity accessible by reframing rejection. Alice has secured her clients on countless podcasts, including most of the top 0.5% shows.

Some of her favorite things include strong coffee, affordable travel hacks, and deep connections. She detests small talk, waking up early, and unnecessary jargon.

In this episode of Unleashing Your Great Work, Amanda sits down with Robin J. Emdon, host of the Goal Busters Podcast and creator of Get Resultsology: The Science of Getting Stuff Done.

Robin shares his personal journey from selling souvenirs in a family business, to training with Tony Robbins, to a face-palm realization that chronic procrastination had cost him years of momentum. What began as a personal struggle became a deep dive into the science of procrastination, leading to his system for helping solopreneurs achieve up to 33% more of their goals, without burning out.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between occasional and chronic procrastination
• How procrastination erodes self-trust and confidence
• Why awareness is the first step to change
• How brain science (limbic system vs. prefrontal cortex) shapes our productivity
• Why external accountability is the hidden key to lasting momentum

If you’ve ever said, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” this conversation will give you practical tools to reclaim your time, your goals, and your Great Work.

RESOURCES:

Download the first chapter of Great Work Free: http://greatworkfreechapter.com

Get your full copy of Great Work and the Great Work journal: https://www.amandacrowell.com/great-work

Skyrocket your productivity and kick procrastination to the curb with Robin's free book: reallyusefultips.com

A free 5-day challenge to help you get started: skyrocketyourproductivitychallenge.com

BIO:

Robin J. Emdon, aka The Procrastination Slayer, is the creator of GetResultsology® – The Science of Getting Stuff Done! and host of the GoalBusters podcast (100+ episodes). His journey from chronic procrastinator to accountability coach began with a face-palm moment in 2019: despite being a trained life coach, it had taken him ten years to finish a six-year home-study degree — stalled by years of procrastination. That embarrassing realization sparked a three-year deep dive into academic studies and science-backed books on the topic.

Based in South Devon, England, Robin now helps solopreneurs, creatives, and independent professionals achieve up to 33% more of their goals through brain-based strategies, accountability, and his momentum formula: Do it today. Profit tomorrow. Repeat!

In this inspiring conversation, Amanda sits down with Ha Nguyen, a global storyteller, entrepreneur, and Chief Growth Officer at Leaders Square. Ha shares his remarkable journey from growing up in rural Vietnam to studying in the United States, returning home against all advice, and building a life dedicated to connection, wisdom, and impact.

In this episode, they explore:

• How a desire to inspire during the pandemic sparked over 1,200 interviews across 83 countries.
• The life lessons drawn from leaders, record-breakers, and everyday change-makers.
• Why knowing your strengths and weaknesses is the foundation for meaningful contribution.
• The importance of acting now instead of waiting for the “right time.”
• How his latest platform, Hello Newness, encourages people to embrace fresh opportunities.

Along the way, Ha tells moving stories about his family, his commitment to legacy, and a special book project that led to building a small church in his mother’s childhood village, with the help of a moonwalker. If you’ve ever wondered how to transform curiosity into action and impact, this episode will leave you ready to start.



RESOURCES:

Download the first chapter of Great Work Free: https://www.amandacrowell.com/free-chapter

Get your full copy of Great Work: https://www.amandacrowell.com/great-work

Connect with Ha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nguyennoiha/

Ha's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthInsights

Leaders Create Leaders: https://www.leaderscreate.com/

BIO:

Ha Nguyen is a storyteller, entrepreneur, husband, and father of three, fueled by a deep desire to make a difference. He believes the most powerful change begins within, a conviction that has guided his work and inspired him to explore paths he never imagined.

Through his global platform, Ha has interviewed more than 1,100 extraordinary leaders, from astronauts and Nobel Prize winners to Fortune 500 executives and Holocaust survivors, gathering insights that illuminate what it means to live with courage, purpose, and impact. Today, he shares those lessons to help others discover their own Great Work.

In this solo episode, Dr. Amanda Crowell pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to move from lone wolf to collaborative creator. Born of her own struggles—and the behind-the-scenes story of writing Chapter 7 of the second edition of Great Work—this episode explores the three biggest mindset shifts Amanda had to make in order to collaborate without losing herself.

You’ll hear how she learned to:

• Stop chasing “ease” and start thinking strategically
• Navigate drama with clarity and connection
• Ask for help early (instead of right before the finish line)

Plus, Amanda shares the story of the Great Work book’s near-total rewrite, why perfectionism delays good collaboration, and how to spot the moment when real magic starts to unfold.

Buy Great Work or the Great Work Journal:

amandacrowell.com/book-shop

Snag the Lone Wolf's reflection guide:

https://www.amandacrowell.com/blog/the-lone-wolfs-guide-to-collaboration-a-practical-guide-for-people-whod-really-rather-do-it-all-themselves

Listen to the OG pisode about collaboration:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/great-work-is-done-in-community-encore-uygw070/id1586648710?i=1000612293955

In this electrifying episode of Unleashing Your Great Work, we’re joined by Shantel Love—award-winning VP of Customer Success, keynote speaker, and author of Promote Your Damn Self. From near homelessness to managing over a billion dollars in her career, Shantel shares her powerful story of reinvention, resilience, and rising to the top. Learn how personal branding is more than a buzzword—it’s a path to economic justice and generational wealth. Shantel’s insights will leave you inspired to own your value and advocate for your greatness.

Key Topics Covered:

• Shantel’s journey from stuck at $40K to executive leadership
• Why personal branding is a tool for economic justice
• Strategies to overcome imposter syndrome (Meet Big Bertha!)
• How to use your voice, even when it shakes
• Tactical personal branding strategies for career and business

From being near homeless to managing over a billion-dollars in her career—plot twist: this isn't a Netflix series, it's Shantel Love's actual life story. As an award winning, Global VP of Customer Success and the first Black Woman VP in her division's history, she's living proof that shattering glass ceilings makes for excellent cardio.

Author of the game-changing career and personal branding book, Promote Your D@mn Self, Shantel transforms boardrooms and ballrooms with her electrifying keynotes. While others perfect their elevator pitch, she's busy teaching professionals how to own the entire building. Her secret sauce? Turning professional roadblocks into launching pads with a signature blend of sharp insights, authentic leadership, and refreshingly real talk.

When she's not managing global teams or dropping wisdom on stage, Shantel serves on the board of Elevate Diversity and Girlz Who Sell and champions diversity as an executive sponsor of a Black Employee Resource Group. Her mission? Creating corporate ladders with wheelchair ramps, elevators, and escalators—because everyone deserves access to the top.

Through strategic mentorship and speaking engagements, Shantel equips professionals with more than inspiration—she hands them the tools to rewrite their career stories and build an empire on their own terms.

Website: ShantelLove.com

Book: Promote Your D@mn Self: The 3 Personal Branding Mistakes to Avoid That Nearly Destroyed My Career

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/shantellove

Dr. Gena Cox returns to explore the power of respect in transforming workplaces and society. In this candid and timely conversation, Gena shares her Respect Ethos Framework, explains how respect fuels innovation, and reflects on how societal shifts have redefined her “great work.” Whether you're a leader, collaborator, or change-seeker, this episode will inspire and challenge you to think deeper about how we go about being human.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What it truly means to be seen, heard, and valued
• Respect vs. DEI: What's missing in traditional models
• How fear shuts down innovation and collaboration
• Why leaders must go beyond performance to focus on human experience
• Respect as a form of activism and resistance

For over 20 years, Dr. Gena Cox, an organizational psychologist, executive coach, and thought leader, has guided business leaders in building psychologically healthy cultures. Gena’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T Ethos™ framework helps leaders grow profitable businesses, enhance their leadership impact, and break down barriers to employee collaboration and innovation. Gena is named to the prestigious Thinkers50 Global Top 50 Coaches list and has earned many awards as the author of Leading Inclusion. She writes about the intersection of psychology and leadership for top-tier media, including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes. Gena earned her PhD in I/O Psychology from the University of South Florida.

Opt-In: 25 Ways Anyone Can Help Build A Culture of Respect - https://www.genacox.com/25ways

My POV & research page: https://genacox.com/respect/

Latest Forbes article about respect: https://www.forbes.com/sites/genacox/2025/05/06/7-ways-to-win-respect-as-a-power-advantage-when-stakes-are-high/

Connect with Gena: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genacox/

Guest: Julie Ellis, award-winning entrepreneur, author of Big Gorgeous Goals, and podcast host of Figure 8

Summary:

Julie Ellis returns to Unleashing Your Great Work for a lively and insightful conversation about building businesses, setting Big Gorgeous Goals, the necessity of collaboration, and how trusting others is essential to growing your great work. Julie shares her journey from co-founding Mabel's Labels to launching her own coaching and authoring career, emphasizing why solopreneurs must overcome lone-wolf tendencies to truly thrive. Amanda and Julie explore how leaders evolve, the tough lessons of delegation, and how peer support can be a game-changer.

Topics Discussed:

• Julie’s transition from corporate life to entrepreneurship
• Why women entrepreneurs struggle with setting and achieving big goals
• The power of systems, processes, and people in business growth
• How trusting your team leads to greater expansion
• Building and relying on a network of peers and mentors
• Frameworks for decision-making and leadership development
• Julie's Big Gorgeous Goals workbook and its practical approach

Julie Ellis is an author, keynote speaker and leadership coach to corporate leaders and scaling Entrepreneurs. Julie provides her unique experience and expertise to her coaching clients, gained through 25 years of working first in the corporate world, and then as a leading Canadian entrepreneur. She is a co-founder of award-winning Mabel’s Labels, one of Canada’s greatest small business success stories.

Julie’s book, Big Gorgeous Goals is written for women entrepreneurs who want to step out of the small box they find themselves in and set world domination in their sights. In discussion with over a dozen women entrepreneurs, Julie explores their stories of why and how they have achieved great things in their lives and careers, and pairs that knowledge with her own stories of how she built, grew, and sold her business to a giant in her industry.

Website: www.biggorgeousgoals.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-ellis/

Instagram:

www.instagram.com/thejulieellis

www.instagram.com/biggorgeousgoals

In this transformative conversation, Dr. Catherine Franssen joins the podcast to discuss the science behind stress, connection, and collaboration. Drawing on her background in neurobiology and decades of research, Catherine shares why building a "wolf pack" is not only beneficial but essential for mental resilience and peak performance. From oxytocin and mirror neurons to the myth of the lone genius, this episode is a must-listen for anyone striving to do meaningful, impactful work without burning out.

• Why stress and burnout are signals, not flaws
• The myth of the “lone wolf” and the neuroscience of human connection
• The role of oxytocin and mirror neurons in collaboration
• How loneliness registers as physical pain in the brain
• Small steps for lone wolves to ease into collaboration
• How to foster trust and avoid common collaboration pitfalls
• Using biology to build better teams

• Dr. Franssen's website: franssenstrategies.com
• Connect with Dr. Franssen on LinkedIn

Dr. Catherine Franssen is passionate about teaching high achievers how to use practical strategies, backed by science, to improve productivity, performance, and well-being. She received her Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Chicago and has thrived at multiple universities over the past two decades. Her collaborative research over the past two decades has appeared in prestigious academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her areas of expertise include stress management, mental health, and neurodiversity.

In this inspiring episode of Unleashing Your Great Work, Dr. Amanda Krowl is joined once again by the brilliant AJ Harper — author, ghostwriter, teacher, and mastermind behind “Write a Must-Read.” Together, they dive deep into what it means to do truly great work, the power of creative collaboration, and the emotional resilience needed to keep going when the writing gets hard.

AJ shares how her great work has evolved from ghostwriting bestselling books to empowering authors to finish (and flourish in) their own journeys. From writing sprints to trusting collaborators, to finding your voice in a noisy world, AJ brings wisdom, integrity, and serious inspiration.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why helping people stay in the game is at the heart of AJ’s current great work
• How to build trust in collaboration — and why it’s really about trusting yourself
• The difference between creative abundance vs. scarcity mindset
• What to look for in a collaborative partner (values, roles, vision)
• How community can be a game-changer for writers

Learn more about AJ Harper, her book and her offerings:

ajharper.com

writeamustread.com

AJ Harper's book: Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives―Including Your Own 

AJ Harper is an editor and publishing strategist who helps authors write transformational books that enable them to build readership, grow their brand, and make a significant impact on the world. As ghostwriter and as developmental editor, she has worked with hundreds of authors, from newbies to New York Times bestselling authors with millions of books sold. AJ teaches her method in Top Three Book Workshop and the Must-Read Editing Workshop. She is the Head Writing Coach for Heroic Public Speaking, the premier speaker training program created by Michael and Amy Port. She is writing partner to business author, Mike Michalowicz. Together they’ve written nine books, including Profit First. AJ is the author of Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives--Including Your Own.

In this heartfelt and insightful episode, Amanda interviews visual storytelling expert John DeMato, who shares how his journey from behind the scenes of daytime television to behind the camera helped him discover and share his own great work. John specializes in photographing speakers, coaches, authors, and other experts—not just capturing what they look like but revealing who they truly are.

We talk about:

• The deep emotional impact of branding images
• Why great photos aren't about looking perfect
• How mindset and personal growth influence how you show up in your images
• John's personal story of transformation and how loss catalyzed his pivot into entrepreneurship
• What it means to create a portfolio of images that dances
• The real reason your favorite image might not be the most effective one
• Why your visuals should reflect not just what you do, but who you are

📸 John also shares a powerful message: “It’s not about you—it’s about them.”

🧠 This episode is a masterclass in authenticity, storytelling, and showing up for your audience with heart.

johndemato.com (newsletter signup is at the bottom of the page)

John DeMato is a visual storytelling expert who specializes in photographing experts—speakers, trainers, coaches, consultants, and authors—capturing a wealth of genuine moments and emotions that elevate their authority and credibility. John’s work helps his clients prove what they say by capturing them in genuine ways, creating a visual narrative that resonates with their audience.

Through a combination of strategic planning and expert execution, John collaborates with his clients to build compelling image portfolios that demonstrate who they are, who they serve, and how they solve problems. He also empowers them to strategically implement these visual assets across their entire online presence, visually punctuating the sentiment behind every story they tell.

A former talk television producer for NBC Universal’s Maury, John brings over 24 years of experience behind the camera, working with Hall of Fame speakers and emerging talents alike, helping them deliver their transformational message to the audiences that need to hear it most.