John Hardin is the co-founder and Executive Director of Proclaim Justice—a not-for-profit organization that frees victims of wrongful convictions. He is also a private investigator who has years of experience in public affairs communications. John is known for bringing media and public attention to situations where there’s a wrongful conviction. 

 

John’s co-founder, Jason Baldwin, was one of the members of the “West Memphis Three,” a well-known case in which three people in Arkansas were wrongfully convicted of a crime and sent to prison for many years. John played a critical role in freeing the trio. Now, together, John and Jason are doing that for other people. 

 

In this multifaceted conversation, John shares what he’s learned from knocking on doors and looking for answers. John also discusses the power of persistence and resilience; how it feels to come up short and not find what you’re looking for; and getting up each day to fight for what you believe is right. 

 

John’s experience with the West Memphis Three changed the course of his career, taking him from an unhappy existence in political and legislative consulting to a life fueled by purpose. John shares advice for dealing with discouragement and roadblocks, and why it’s important to find what works for ourselves in order to reset and renew our passion for our lives and careers.

 

Lastly, John gives an incredibly powerful answer to Amy Jo’s question on what he would say to himself if he was to go back to his crossroads moment prior to starting the organization. 

 

Learning to be persistent takes time and effort. Getting angry doesn’t change the situation. You have to take action to make change.

 

For more information about Proclaim Justice, head to www.proclaimjustice.org. 

 

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Andres Traslavia has interviewed more than 2,000 executives as a longtime recruiter and the head of executive search and talent acquisition at Whole Foods Market. He has a rare view into talent trends spanning the past 15 years—and insights into what he calls “the Great Rebellion,” or the mass resignations employers are seeing in 2021 and 2022.

Dangling shiny salaries and massive compensation packages is not enough to attract talent anymore. In this episode, Andres shares how employers can retain talent and maps out three things he is looking for when he interviews an executive. Listen for his cheat sheet for anyone going through the interview process.

Andres grew up in Bogota, Columbia. He came to the United States and fell for the idea that success was about having material things. In the midst of this lonely realization, he walked into Whole Foods and fell in love with how happy the workers were. Andres knew he had to work for this “Disneyland for foodies.” So he said, “Why Not Now?” and moved to Austin with his wife.

Andres talks about his dedication to finding a job that brings happiness and connection with a higher purpose. He expresses how meaning will make or break a job. He advises people to do the research and find an environment they can connect with rather than rushing a job switch as a Band-Aid for mental health.

This episode is full of tangible tips for nailing an interview with a company that is a good match for you, as well as advice for creating a caring environment as a leader so that people will want to work for your company.

 

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Vanessa Van Edwards is the Lead Behavioral Investigator at Science of People - a company she founded over 15 years ago. She is an internationally acclaimed speaker and author of two books, Captivate and Cues. 

Vanessa guides people on mastering the secret language of charismatic communication, and in this episode, Vanessa dives into the specifics of charisma. We ask the question “Are you born with it or can you learn?” and Vanessa’s answer may surprise you. 

Vanessa grew up with social anxiety issues, leaving her feeling very awkward. She is an ambivert, which means she is somewhere in-between the introvert and extrovert spectrum. She details the Why Not Now? moment that set her on the path to being a Behavioral Investigator and how she has discovered that “Awkward” characteristics show up differently for different people, whether you are highly intelligent, the alpha in the room or constantly try to please everyone. 

Vanessa lists her favorite non-verbal cues used by one of the most charismatic people on the planet. These examples shine a light on the fact that you have to be willing to try new cues in order to find the ones that work for you, because the delivery of your new idea, pitch, or whatever it may be, is just as important as the idea itself. 

Vanessa talks through her Year of No, where she has vowed to say no to every new opportunity that isn’t directly in line with her goals. You’ll learn how she says no, how she evaluates opportunities and how it’s been going since she started saying no more this year.

This episode is jam packed with tangible takeaways that you can use today to be more engaged in your non-verbal communication.

Vanessa’s new books “Cues” is out on March 1st, 2022. Learn more at ScienceOfPeople.com.

 

Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/

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Noramay Cadena has a resume many people would envy—she has three degrees from MIT, spent many years at Boeing as an aerospace engineer and is a venture capitalist.  But Noramay has had her fair share of adversity. In this wide-ranging conversation with Amy Jo, she shares powerful advice on how to navigate inflection points in your career. 

Noramay shares the importance of muscle memory—doing one hard thing enables you to do another hard thing, and another and so on. She describes how her experience as a teen mom built up her own ability to navigate hard situations in life and business.

Those early experiences also taught her to look at difficult times as an ecosystem of possibilities in which the opportunity ahead of her is expansive, and not diminished by her circumstances.

And she talks through a key Why Not Now? moment. Noramay was approaching burnout and at a crossroads in her career, considering leaving her corporate life for entrepreneurship. For the first time in a long time, she put her own desires to make change first and started a Venture Capital firm. Noramay details the exact 10 seconds of bravery that changed her trajectory forever. Supply Change Capital has since made investments in seven early-stage companies at the intersection of food, culture and tech. 

You’ll also learn Noramay’s approach to company culture, called Operational Kindness, and how you can apply it to your day.

Lastly, you’ll hear an exceptional nugget from Noramay where she shares her No. 1 life lesson. It's too good to spoil.

Noramay is a graduate of the Renegade Accelerator program and a valued member of the Renegade community. You can follow Noramay on social media via @NoramayC

 

Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/

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Amber Allen is a true badass. Her energy and zest for life are contagious. Amber loves to play. Her personal motto is, “Every day that childlike Amber high-fives adult Amber, I’ve won.” She believes that if we can ingrain more play in learning, we will remember what we learn for so much longer.  Amber is the founder and CEO of Double A Labs, a software company that is a catalyst for human connection. She was named one of the 30 most influential people in the metaverse. 

This wide-ranging conversation covers the biggest lessons Amber has learned as an entrepreneur, her upbringing as the daughter of a Baptist preacher and a Why Not Now? moment that ranks as one of Amy Jo’s all-time favorites. Amber decided to move one day while having brunch—as in literally got up from the table and packed up her car. A renegade to her core, she's an idea-to-action woman. When Amber says “Now!”, she means it.

Amber breaks down the metaverse and Web 3.0 in simple terms that anyone can understand. She talks through the desire to play in this space, and how she's building bridges into the metaverse with her team at Double A Labs.

She also shares the traits she is seeing in her own employees that are allowing them to thrive and grow at a time when a lot of people are leaving jobs.

 

Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/

 

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Matt Lombardi is a former Professional Athlete and the Co-Founder of Beam, a company that makes functional wellness products to help you reach your potential. It's quickly disrupting the category with ingredients like nano hemp, nootropics and adaptogens. 

 

Matt goes deep fast, and toward the end of the conversation he has Amy Jo in tears. Matt and Amy Jo cover topics from inspiration to heartbreak and everything in-between, including mental health. 

 

When it comes to being successful in business, Matt believes risk and reward go hand in hand. 

 

He talks about the importance of failing and going through challenging times in order to create something great, whether that be in business or in life, and how understanding that is a key to success. 

 

Matt shares how the death of his Dad taught him to be unshakeable and to keep finding a way to move forward. He discusses how his experience in pro sports helps him find joy in the struggles he encounters on the entrepreneurial journey.

 

You’ll also hear Matt’s tips on how to maintain focus, prioritize your health and deal with imposter syndrome.

 

 

Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/

 

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Juliet Funt is a Productivity Wizard. She is a renowned Keynote Speaker, CEO, Author and tough-love advisor to the Fortune 500.

 

In this episode, Juliet gets into the tactics of how and what to do in order to create more space in your day and life. You’ll learn how to recognize that you’re doing too much, how Juliet helps companies and individuals reduce busyness and why space to recover, think, and be strategic, is the key to your efficiency.

 

If you are a person in constant rush, throwing your hands in the air right at the brink of burnout, Juliet discusses what you can do to create more space and give yourself permission to “Opt-Out”.

 

If you are employer, Juliet gives you actionable tools to avoid being a casualty of the great resignation, and retain your talent.

 

You’ll also hear Juliet break one of her own rules, and share her ultimate Why Not Now? story; a story that she has never shared during a podcast interview before that involves her traveling to 14 countries in 2 years whilst still running her business and schooling her 3 children.

Lastly, Juliet gives you her step approach to dealing with anxiety around email, managing our inboxes and scheduling meetings.

 

Juliet’s new book “A Minute To Think” is out now.

 

Learn more about Juliet here: https://www.julietfunt.com/

 

Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/

 

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We’re back and we have some big news! 

For Amy Jo, 2022 is all about living life on offense, playing full out and falling in love with her life a little more every day. Imagine how that can compound over time?

Regardless of where you're starting from, whether you're at a deficit or a surplus of joy, imagine falling in love with your life just a little bit more every single day. Little and often. That consistency definitely compounds over time.

Which bring us to the reason we took a break to begin with. In true Why Not Now? and Renegade form, we’ve launched a new company - Renegade Global.

In this episode you’ll learn why we started Renegade Global, who we are, what we do and how our Renegade approach is bringing true joy and fulfillment to our clients in this time of "The Great Resignation", or as we like to call it, The Great Rebellion. Next week we’ll be back with our usual interview format.

For more info head to renegade.global.

Dan Khabie is the Co-Founder of CourtAvenue, an operating network helping transform the digital landscape. CourtAvenue doesn’t predict the future, they create the future. The people behind the company are literally laying the ground work and pave the way into the unknown. Dan is a master storyteller with a contagious zest for life. 

 

In this episode, Dan talks about one of his most impactful Why Not Now? moments that came when he was only 24 and starting his first company, Digitaria. He tells the incredible story of how he won the business of Digitaria’s first big client & how that moment transformed the trajectory of his career. 

 

Dan and Amy Jo discuss navigating major downturns in business. He shares the unbelievable story of his first child’s birth when his business partner snuck into the delivery room to inform Dan that they were out of cash and didn’t have the funds for payroll. This moment could’ve been the end of his entrepreneurial journey, but instead, he chose to seek out the advice, knowledge, & tools he would need to fight for and save his company. After getting Digitaria back on track, it was acquired & Dan soon found himself running the company that acquired him! How’s that for a lesson on not giving up?

 

Dan has a unique ability to flip a switch and turn on the Rocky soundtrack music in his mind to help motivate him when the going gets tough. He shares how he’s able to help other people learn how to flip that switch in themselves.

 

Dan also talks about his newest company, CourtAvenue, which is also home to fellow Why Not Now? guests, Kenny Tomlin & Michael Stich.

 

Learn more about Dan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khabie/

Follow Dan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/khabie

 

Learn more about the Renegade Accelerator: 

http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/

 

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Virginia Suliman is the Executive Vice President and CIO of Invitation Homes. Prior to joining Invitation Homes, Virginia was Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Hilton Worldwide, where she held a variety of escalating roles across Digital and Technology.

 

In this episode, Virginia shares a Why Not Now? moment that came after working with Hilton Worldwide for 22 years. She was offered a position with Invitation Homes, and while she initially had no intention of taking the job, she decided to go to the interview. She shares the story of meeting with the CEO and how a Pop-tart led her to say “Why Not Now”?

 

Virginia and Amy Jo discuss creating culture and building an environment in the workplace where people can feel comfortable to be themselves and let their creativity flow. She looks at her team as a collection of souls and works to understand who they are in order to help fully unlock their potential. 

 

She talks about how she draws from her own personal life experiences to make her a stronger leader. Through connecting with people on a personal level, she’s able to help them find the best fit within their team. She also finds that making that connection can help when having tougher conversations. 

 

Virginia also shares stories from her time in the Renegade Accelerator as well as other things she’s done to invest in herself. 

 

Learn more about Virginia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginiasuliman

Follow Virginia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/virginiasuliman

 

Learn more about the Renegade Accelerator: 

http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/

 

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