Work From The Inside Out

Dr. Amanda Crowell is a cognitive psychologist, speaker, author and creator of the Great Work journals. She educates future teachers, coaches accidental entrepreneurs, and speaks about how to make progress on great work to colleges and corporate teams. She is the author of the book, Great Work, Do What Matters Most Without Sacrificing Everything Else.

Amanda said her early years were both lovely and complicated. At two years old she was diagnosed with a developmental seizure disorder, meaning that once her brain was further developed, the seizures would stop. Until she was nine, she took medications that affected her motor skills and general alertness. In this week’s podcast episode, Amanda shared her experience of those critical developmental years. She had difficulty functioning in school and in social interactions, but she did have friends, was able to watch TV and knew her teachers’ names. Once she discontinued the seizure medication, everything opened up. At times it was an overwhelming experience. It also sparked a tremendous sense of wonder and curiosity about people and social dynamics as the world unfolded in front of her.

Today, everything Amanda does as a coach, author, speaker and podcast host of Unleashing YOUR Great Work, points to doing the work that matters the most to you, what she refers to as YOUR Great Work. It might involve building a business, inciting a movement, creating breathtaking art, writing world-changing books, or helping other people to heal and grow into their potential. YOUR Great Work is a combined fascination with human achievement and a passion for helping others in order to explore how to get YOUR work out into the world where it belongs. 

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Amanda’s journey:

• Amanda’s TEDx talk “Three Reasons You Aren't Doing What You Say You Will Do” has received more than a million views, and has been featured on TED's ideas blog and TED shorts.  
• Her career took a few twists and turns from continuing legal education, event planning to communications, and a potential admission to law school.
• Amanda teaches psychology at Hunter College School of Education in New York City in their teacher certification program.

Learn more and connect with Amanda here:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Read: Great Work



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Lisa Fain grew up in a family of lawyers and while there was no obvious pressure, she ended up going to law school. She had envisioned a career in public interest law, but upon graduation, she had significant student loan debt which she wanted to clear before moving forward. Fortunately, Lisa was able to work in an area that interested her, labor and employment law, while squaring away her loan, working for a large law firm. She enjoyed counseling clients, using her negotiation and mediation skills while focusing on matters pertaining to EEO, diversity, and compliance.

Yet, still, Lisa knew this was not the way she wanted to work. The turning point came after she had pulled an all-nighter preparing for a litigation case. She saw a blinking light on her phone indicating she had a voicemail. It was a message from her four-year-old daughter. She said “Mommy come home. We need a mommy, not a lawyer.” Lisa shared, “It was the worst best gift I ever got because I recognized that I wasn't living my values. Although I was doing great work, I wasn't able to be the kind of mother that I wanted to be.”

Lisa left the large firm and transitioned to an in-house role at a company where she developed workplace policies, eventually focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She loved the work and demand across the company grew. Lisa was asked to create a mentoring program so she reached out to Lois Zachary of the Center for Mentoring Excellence to provide consultation on how to set it up. Full disclosure: Lois is Lisa’s mother! 

Fast forward to today: Lisa is the CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence. She is a global speaker with expertise in cultural competency and mentoring. Her passion for diversity and inclusion fuels her conviction that leveraging differences creates a better workplace and drives better business results.

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Lisa’s journey:

• Lisa is the co-author with Lois Zachary of Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring and the 2022 revision (3rd Edition) of The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships.
• She is an Executive Coach who guides leaders to create better workplaces and is known for her frank, kind, and holistic approach to helping leaders help themselves.

Learn more and connect with Lisa here:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Website

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Christina Eanes’ first career took an entrepreneurial path just as she was about to enter middle school. Living near a golf course, she would retrieve stray golf balls and set up a lemonade stand at the ninth hole, selling golf balls and ‘cold ones’ to thirsty golfers. How enterprising!

While in college, Christina did an internship doing crime data analysis, and upon graduation, she was hired full-time at a local California Police Department. A few years later, she joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a crime analyst helping local law enforcement agencies solve complex crimes. She thoroughly enjoyed this work describing it as solving a series of complex puzzles. In more than 15 years of public service, Christina worked on an array of programs, including the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, and the FBI’s Leadership Development Program where her team helped to train thousands of leaders. 

Christina enjoyed the professional development work with the FBI so much that she joined a consulting firm offering training and development programs and services to a variety of corporate and organizational clients. After several years, she decided to establish her own training company. Today, Christina is on a mission to help others achieve more in life, mainly by getting out of their own way. 

Christina inspires others to take responsibility for their success at work and home. She has designed and delivered an array of professional development programs, providing strategies that lead to better professional and personal relationships, improved communication skills, and increased productivity in accomplishing personal and organizational goals.

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Christina’s journey:

• Christina has written several books, hosts a YouTube channel and speaks to groups and organizations on a regular basis.
• She hosts a podcast, Quit Bleeping Around, dedicated to helping individuals achieve more in life – to own their inner superachiever!

Learn more and connect with Christina here:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Website
• YouTube

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Emma Arnoff told me that helping others has always been in her blood. As a young child growing up in New York City, she had strabismus, a condition that caused her to have crossed eyes, requiring her to wear large glasses. Her physical coordination wasn’t too good and she never felt as if she fit in with other kids. Emma’s antidote to this feeling was to befriend the school bully as she felt he was misunderstood and needed a friend. Or when a new student arrived from a different country, she wanted to help them learn English.

Graduating college with a degree in sociology and women’s studies, Emma worked for several years with children and families in schools, residential treatment centers, and the foster care system. She then pursued a master’s degree in social work.

Today, Emma is the owner and director of The Sensory Space in Poughkeepsie, New York. At The Sensory Space, children can use sensory supports while participating in play therapy and psychotherapy in a safe environment. Emma has a team of 11 clinicians who work with children, adults, families, and groups. Supportive services are also offered including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. 

In addition to working with clients individually, Emma facilitates programs and groups on inclusion, bullying, and social skills. As a parent herself, she understands the skills needed for child-rearing, working with parents individually and in groups on developing the parenting approaches needed for different developmental stages. Emma has also presented workshops at schools and colleges on supporting neurodiversity in schools and organizations. 

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Emma’s journey:

• Emma is a certified children's yoga instructor and loves to incorporate yoga and movement into therapy sessions.
• She facilitates discussions on sensory integration, emotional regulation, and inclusion.

Learn more and connect with Emma here:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

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• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
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As the Founder of The Confidence Project, Tracy Hooper helps people elevate their personal and professional presence, communicate with clarity, and work together better. She leads dynamic presentations for high-achieving teams and advises executives and professionals in a wide variety of industries. Tracy has been a TV news reporter, anchor, producer, and voice-over professional. She draws on the best of her background in TV news and storytelling with actionable takeaways for her clients and audiences. 

Tracy is the author of The NEW Hello and her just-released book, The NOW Hello: What to Say and What to Do in The New World of Work: Remote | Hybrid | In Person, which answers the big question: What's the confidence playbook now in the world of work? We discussed current-day matters such as how do you eloquently communicate your discomfort about shaking hands, if you are not yet ready to make contact with people in that way? One of my favorite topics we discussed was the topic of eye contact in communication. Tracy offers her advice on how to convey a sense of respect and connection (as eye contact is viewed in American culture) if you are uncomfortable looking at people directly in the eye. 

Yet, Tracy’s career started in a very different place. She went to college to study nursing and discovered that she did not have a proclivity for science. Instead, she loved reading and writing. After graduation, she landed a job in college admissions where she enjoyed interviewing prospective students and writing summaries of those conversations. A few years later, a friend suggested that she consider news reporting since she enjoyed interviewing and writing. Tracy started small by borrowing some video equipment on the weekends, writing her own news stories, and creating her own demo reels. She sent the demo reels out to small-town TV stations and eventually was offered a job as a “weather girl”. 

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn from Tracy’s advice:

• Based on a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, she shared:  Passions are hard to quantify. There's a lot of pressure to follow your passion. Follow what you're curious about. There may be opportunities there.
• Surround yourself with people who believe in you. If you don't, other people will pull you down. Cultivate a personal board of advisors of people who know you well and have your interests at heart and have people who think differently than you–they could give you ideas that you hadn't thought about.

Learn more and connect with Tracy here:

• Website
• LinkedIn 

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Laura Spero told me that she was an intense kid who gave her all to everything she did.She played soccer, competed in Tae Kwon Do, swam competitively, and rowed crew in college. As a kid still living at home, she would spend hours, hyperfocused in her basement doing art projects in a space she set up for herself. Most of the art she created was items she made for other people.Laura is a mission-driven person who values making the day-to-day moments of life meaningful.Growing up in Bethesda, Maryland, Laura was surrounded by a family of entrepreneurs, and advocates. Dinner table conversations were lively with people trying to solve problems by debating them around the table. Laura was so accustomed to the lively dynamic of throwing ideas around that it took her a long time to learn that not everyone needed to be that energized to hold a conversation at the end of the day. Mom was a consumer advocate attorney and Dad ran his own tech company. Coincidentally, he had been an Olympic rower in his younger years.

After graduating from college, Laura went to Nepal to do volunteer work. She was motivated by her adventurous spirit, and fascination with Eastern cultures and had a yearning to break away from her advantaged life. What began as a brief stint in Nepal has become a lifelong connection to the people and culture of Nepal. Over the past 22 years, Laura established and grew a dental health program, the Jevaia Foundation for people in rural areas of Nepal. She encountered many people suffering from toothaches who assumed they would eventually lose their teeth and she set out to do something about it. While Laura is not a dentist, she has tirelessly raised funds and provided administrative oversight to grow and sustain the organization. Not unlike many people who begin their career in one arena during their twenties, she has explored other pathways while remaining dedicated to running the Jevaia Foundation on a part-time basis. Laura has been able to travel and live in the US and Nepal over the years.    

Today, Laura is a clinical social worker based in the Boston area working as a medical social worker in a hospital setting and as a clinical social worker and therapist in a women's prison reentry program.

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Laura’s journey:

• Laura has worked as an oral history facilitator for the NPR program StoryCorps, as an arts consultant in the New York City public schools, and in a holistic physical therapy practice. 
• She also earned her MFA in writing during the time she was working with StoryCorps.

Learn more and connect with Laura here: 

• YouTube
• Visit All the Pieces Website
• Facebook
• Website

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I recently sat down with Antuan Magic Raimone to learn about his journey to become the first male universal swing for the five US companies of the popular musical, Hamilton. It’s a remarkable career story for someone in his field as he has been able to make a solid living as a performer from the start, without compromising his values. That is not to say that he did not experience some bumps in the road. Yet, he learned from those experiences, kept his ego in check, while maintaining his love for his craft and his confidence in his talent. 

Antuan grew up Blue Springs, Missouri, a small suburb near Kansas City. He was raised by his mother, a single parent and for a period of time, they lived as a family with his two older half-sisters until they became independent. Antuan stated that his sisters had vocal talent and while each aspired to pursue entertainment careers, their lives went in other directions. His mother sang in the church choir. He sang in the choir there since he was a little boy and joined his school choir in middle school.

As a kid, Antuan was a fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme and dreamed of making movies as a martial arts actor. At ten, he took Tae Kwon Do, earning his black belt in just two years. His instructor, recognizing his talent, offered him a scholarship to increase his class time. This led to competing in the Junior Olympics, with an eye toward the US Olympic team, expected to open up to Tae Kwon Do a few years later, but Antuan burned out. At the risk of disappointing his mother and instructor, he decided to stop. Mom was very supportive. His instructor tried to offer accommodations to make it work, but Antuan stood his ground.

MTV was coming onto the scene. Antuan loved Janet Jackson’s music videos and would mimic her moves. He aspired to become one of her backup dancers. He got involved in school plays, musical theater to be exact. Antuan loved it, although he learned about how unfair the world could be, especially to a young black male trying to get cast in musicals that were originally written for all white characters. Throughout high school and college, he learned how to navigate numerous disappointments, painfully and yet, with hope.

As the author of Becoming Magic: A Path of Personal Reconstruction, a TEDx speaker, and Soldier of Love, Antuan has more than 20 years of experience in musical theater. He champions light, love, and joy for others. His passion and purpose are to empower people to live a whole life, where mistakes can exist, fear isn't debilitating, and vulnerability is not a weakness.

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Antuan’s journey:

• Antuan has worked as a singer, dancer, choreographer, and actor on cruise ships, in theme parks, regional theater, and on Broadway.
• A sexual violence survivor, Antuan is on the Advisory Council for the Office of Victim Services of New York, has given many keynote addresses, spoke on a panel at the Men's Sexual Assault Summit, and at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

Learn more and connect with Antuan here: 

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Website

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This week’s Work from the Inside Out podcast is a little different than usual. Two of my previous guests, Corey Blake and Gen Georget, returned to share the work they have been doing to help people clarify their purpose through the transformative powers of storytelling.

Corey and Gen lead The Roundtable Storytelling Academy, which offers a series of transformational online courses that helps participants find their superpowers and articulate their origin story so they can step into their purpose, and redefine the relationship they hold to the narrative of their lives. I recently completed the 11-week storytelling course myself and can testify that it was an enlightening learning experience on so many levels. 

Together, Corey and Gen, and RTC are on a mission to share how powerful telling your story can be. 

Corey began his storytelling career as an actor, starring in one of the 50 greatest Superbowl ads of all time. In 2006, he created Round Table Companies (RTC). Corey spearheaded the conversion of best-selling business books into comic books with authors like Tony Hsieh, Marshall Goldsmith, Chris Anderson, and Robert Cialdini. That effort landed him in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Wired, Inc., and Forbes magazines. RTC’s clients have included Microsoft, Workday, Magoosh, Zappos, and ADP.

Gen Georget is an executive editor at RTC and a successful author in her own right. She is the coauthor of Gathering Around the Table with Earthkind CEO Kari Warberg Block. Gen’s own book, Solace: A Journal of Human Experience, was named 2020 Book of Year for the Ottawa FACES Magazine Awards. Gen’s writing and photography have been featured in The Good Mother Project, Oprah.com, Simplify Magazine, Her View from Home, The Good Men Project, Real Leaders Magazine, and Addicted2Success and she boasts her own online community of more than 35,000 followers. 

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about RTC’s Storytelling Academy:

• RTC is also offering four mini-courses open to the public: My Powerful Purpose, Asking Powerful Questions, Heroes Journey Crash Course and Beyond Active Listening.
• Corey and Gen have facilitated storytelling courses with in-tact teams in corporations, resulting in significant business, interpersonal, and individual growth.

Learn more and connect with Corey and Genevive here:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Website

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When Fran Hauser was just 6 years old, she would prepare the invoices for her father’s landscaping business. Her mother was a seamstress and had a tailoring shop where she spent a lot of time. The oldest of four children, she would provide translation for her parents, both small business owners, as neither of them spoke English. Fran observed the way her parents warmly engaged their customers using nonverbal communication and gives them credit for shaping her own development as a compassionate leader.

Fran studied public accounting in college and climbed the corporate ladder in finance roles, eventually moving into leadership roles in the media industry. Today, she is a startup investor, long-time media executive, author, and champion of women and girls. Through her investing, writing, and speaking, Fran works to level the playing field for women. Her list of accomplishments is impressive but as you’ll hear, what’s most impressive is how she’s navigated her career while staying true to herself and inspiring others to do the same. 

Fran has invested in over 30 female-founded companies, written two books to help women realize their full career potential, and delivered over 200 talks. Much of her current work is informed by the 20 years she spent in corporate as both a C-suite executive and a mentor to hundreds of women. Fran’s new book, an engaging workbook,  Embrace the Work, Love Your Career is quickly becoming the go-to resource for women seeking more joy and fulfillment in their careers. In fact, I found it so compelling that I included it in the resources section of my book.

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Fran’s journey:

• Fran’s first book, The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate has been translated into six languages and was named “Best Business Book of the Year, 2018” by Audible.
• She suggests that when you are feeling hesitant to engage in the networking process just think of one person you believe is really interesting and reach out to that individual to get started.

Learn more and connect with Fran here:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Website
• Read:  Discover her new book Embrace the Work, Love Your Career

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Sonja Price did not know what she wanted to be when she grew up, yet she was always a curious person who enjoyed learning new things.When the time came to attend college she studied psychology because she was interested in people. Then Sonja transferred to a school in Tennessee and studied music management. A variety of interests and seven transfers followed in which she studied architecture, photography, and video. Sonja began creating documentary films and started to think about pursuing it as a career. She was about three-quarters on her way toward earning her bachelor’s degree and was considering her next steps. As much as she loved filmmaking, Sonja had to face the reality that she had no solid plan for making money to support herself.Rather than just finish college without a plan, Sonja decided to take a ‘professional break’. She got a job working for a tech start-up and this opportunity opened her up to a whole new world. She stayed there for five years and learned more than she could ever imagine as she was able to fill a variety of roles there as the company’s needs changed rapidly. From there, she went to work for a larger company doing usability engineering and product testing. Within those years, Sonja completed her undergraduate degree and earned a master's degree in leadership and organizational development as she was fascinated by the dynamics of people within the workplace. Sonja has since worked in several industries, including management consulting. All these professional experiences culminated in her decision to become a career coach. 

“I just like to see life as this very exciting adventure. And that's constantly this evolutionary process of what's the growth path in front of me right now? What are the skills that I can be working on? What's the next thing for me? What do I want to be working towards? We found through research that when you have something out on the horizon to look forward to, that actually can help create a greater sense of happiness and satisfaction in your life.”

Today, Sonja is the Chief Career Strategist and Founder of Dynamo Careers. She is passionate about empowering people to become financially free, achieve every item on their bucket list, and make a positive impact on the topics that matter most to them. 

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about Sonja’s journey:

• Sonja has worked with a wide range of clients including Amazon, AT&T, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Starbucks, and a number of growing start-up organizations
• She is a Certified Career and Executive Coach

Learn more and connect with Sonja here:

• Website



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