Work From The Inside Out

When I asked Alisha Fernandez Miranda, author of My What If Year: A Memoir, 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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Alisha’s journey and work:

• Alisha is the host of the award-winning Quit Your Day Job 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: 

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Website



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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, The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How to Thrive in a New Era of Connection, 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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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 100 Coaches 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: 

• Website
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• The Seismic Shift

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With an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Rimi Chakraborty 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, Quinta Minuvida, 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 Mindful Business Leader 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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Rimi’s journey and work:

• Rimi is the co-founder of Rise Beyond Resilience to ROOTsilience 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: 

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook

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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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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: 

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Special Gift - Salary Negotiation Scripts 

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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, The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck, 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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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: 

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

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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 PREP, PUSH, PIVOT: Essential Career Strategies for Underrepresented Women, published by Wiley.

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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: 

• Website
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Read: Prep, Push, Pivot: Essential Career Strategies for Underrepresented Women

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
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Shira Miller knows a lot about getting unstuck. As an author, a two-time TEDx speaker, 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 Free and Clear: Get Unstuck and Live the Life You Want, 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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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: 

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram



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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 CRACKING THE LEADERSHIP CODE: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders. 

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 30-day Leadership Challenge 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! Email 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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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: 

• Website
• LinkedIn
• 30-Day Leadership Challenge

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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, Harmony at Work, Keys to Tune Up Your Work Relationships, 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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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: 

• Learn and practice simple tools to make your professional and personal interactions stronger, healthier, and more rewarding.
• Spero & Company Consultants, LLC
• LinkedIn
• Facebook



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This week’s podcast guests are Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker, the co-authors of Wise Decisions, A Science-Based Approach to Making Better Choices. 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 The Only Way to Win. He also co-authored the national bestseller The Power of Full Engagement. 

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 Work From The Inside Out podcast, 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: 

• Jim’s Website
• Sheila’s Website
• Jim’s LinkedIn
• Sheila’s LinkedIn

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