Work Unscripted

What do you do when everything falls apart? Your marriage, your finances, your business, your sense of self? In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with travel entrepreneur Tammy Levent for one of the most honest,  raw, and inspiring conversations about resilience, reinvention, and starting over without letting fear lead.

Tammy has built a $100M travel empire, pioneered destination weddings as a business model, and survived an armed robbery, major debt, life-threatening cancer, a violent divorce, near homelessness and a devastating car accident involving her children. During COVID, she pivoted into an unexpected Greek donut business, and ultimately relocated to Crete, where she now runs a luxury travel agency and a global training program for travel advisors.

This is not abstract motivation This is a real-world blueprint for rebuilding when the old version of your life no longer works.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to start over after divorce, job loss, financial collapse, or professional burnout
• Why fear can become a decision-maker and Tammy’s practical FEAR framework to stop letting it lead
• How to reassess your skills, spending, location, and identity when life demands reinvention
• Why success shifts from money and status to peace, purpose, and calm 
• How gratitude, journaling, and intentional daily focus can help you rebuild momentum after loss
• Why it’s not too late to reinvent even with debt, dependents and fear.

This episode is for you if you’re navigating a career transition, recovering from burnout, rebuilding after divorce, financial loss, questioning whether a fresh start is possible, or wondering if your best chapter is still ahead. 

Because sometimes starting over isn't failure. It’s finally choosing life.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Kids in the summer understand something most adults at work have forgotten: curiosity creates momentum.

They try things. Change the rules. Build, fail, pivot, and try again. Meanwhile, adults overthink, over-polish, and wait until everything is “perfect” before speaking up or taking action. And that perfectionism? It may look professional, but it often kills innovation.

In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down why curiosity beats perfectionism at work, what a growth mindset actually looks like in practice, and what leaders can learn from the fearless, experimental energy of kids. 

You’ll learn:

• Why perfectionism at work is often fear disguised as professionalism
• How a growth mindset fuels innovation, adaptability, and team performance
• Why "draft thinking" is one of the most underrated tools for psychological safety 
• How leaders can normalize experimentation and calculated risk-taking without lowering standards 
• Simple questions that unlock creativity and curiosity in meetings
• Why the most successful organizations are the most adaptable and how to build that culture.

This episode is for leaders, managers, and high performers who want to build more innovative teams, create psychological safety at work, and stop letting perfectionism stall progress. 

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Work moves fast. We optimize for speed, efficiency, tools, and output, but somehow, a lot of people feel more disconnected than ever. In this episode of Work Unscripted, host Marlo Lyons sits down with workplace connection expert Cassandra Thompson to talk about why genuine relationships are the key to employee engagement, trust and career growth.

This conversation goes way beyond surface-level networking and awkward LinkedIn messages. Marlo and Cassandra break down how real connection builds trust, improves engagement, reduces workplace loneliness, and makes professional life feel more human. Especially in a world of remote work, burnout, job transitions, and constant change.

You’ll learn:

• Why having a friend at work can improve employee engagement, retention, and well-being
• How “friction maxing” and small everyday interactions rebuild connection
• Why micro-conversations and small-talk matter more than you think
• How to build relationships without feeling fake, forced, or performative
• A simple relationship-building approach: 10% ask, 20% care, 70% keep in touch
• Why authentic connection matters more than proving your value
• How to rebuild your social muscles if connection feels awkward, lonely, or exhausting

If work has started to feel isolating, transactional, or harder than it should, this episode is a reminder that connection is not optional. It is one of the most practical career and leadership skills you can build, because work just moves and feels better when people actually know each other.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Can a work friendship quietly become a career liability? When workplace friendships collide with power, what once felt like casual conversation can quickly become complicated…and costly 

In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down the hidden career risks of workplace friendships, especially when one person gets promoted and suddenly becomes the boss.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why workplace friendships shift after a promotion, even when your intentions don't change
• How power dynamics create professional liability in relationships that once felt harmless
• What leaders must do to reset boundaries before a personal relationship becomes an HR risk
• How to navigate the messy reality of managing someone you once considered a friend
• Why the cost of staying too close is almost always higher than the cost of creating distance

This episode is for anyone navigating leadership transitions, management boundaries, workplace friendships, or the complicated reality of becoming the boss of someone you used to vent to.

When power changes, friendship boundaries have to change too.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

What if the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, or the better title still doesn’t make you happy? If success feels empty, you may be caught in achievement addiction – the cycle of chasing external milestones, titles, and validation that never actually delivers lasting fulfillment.  

In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with executive and life coach Trixi Tschiedel Menhardt to unpack why so many high achievers feel restless, depleted and disconnected, enen when they look super successful on paper.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• What achievement addiction is and why high performers are most vulnerable to it
• Why external validation leaves professionals feeling empty, overwhelmed, or stuck
• How burnout rewires your brain and why peace can feel unfamiliar after years of stress
• How to use self-regulation and the Positive Intelligence framework to break the cycle
• How to stop chasing external validation and start choosing fulfillment on your own terms

This conversation is especially relevant for leaders, executives, and professionals who are tired of feeling like the next milestone will finally be “enough” to feel fulfilled. Are you ready to reclam choice, peace and a sense of purpose that doesn’t depend on a title? Because fulfillment isn’t something you achieve. It’s something you choose. 

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Two small words you use every day may be quietly damaging your workplace relationships: why and should.

In leadership conversations, feedback moments, and everyday team communication, these common words often land differently than intended, triggering defensiveness, shame and disconnection instead of clarity and collaboration.

"Why did you do that?" can sound like an interrogation. "You should have handled it differently" can sound like judgment. And when people feel accused or shamed, they stop collaborating and start defending.

In this Cracking the Code mini episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down the psychology behind why these words  – why and should – undermine psychological safety at work and what to say instead.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why "why" triggers a defensive response and the curiosity-based alternative that opens dialogue
• How "should" creates shame and shuts down collaboration and the forward-focused replacement that builds trust
• Simple language swaps any leader or professional can use immediately
• How to communicate with greater emotional intelligence, clarity, and psychological safety
• How to keep difficult conversations productive without triggering defensiveness

Whether you're a leader giving feedback, navigating team conflict, or simply trying to communicate more effectively at work, the words you choose matter more than you think.

Small language shifts. Significant leadership impact.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Most workplace conflict isn’t about strategy, performance, or communication. It’s about broken trust. In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with researchers and authors Michelle and Dennis Reina who have spent 30+ years studying how trust is built, broken, and rebuilt in organizations.

Michelle and Dennis break down the three essential dimensions of trust: character, communication, and capability. And more importantly, what happens when each one beaks down. In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• The most common ways trust is broken at work (and why it’s usually unintentionally)
• Why small trust breaches compound into major breakdowns
• How to rebuild trust after betrayal without forcing it
• Why self-trust is the foundation of effective leadership
• How to build trust intentionally in remote and hybrid teams

This episode is for leaders, managers, and professionals navigating team dynamics, cross-functional work, and high-stakes conversations.. Because trust is the foundation of everything.

Learn more with the Reina Trust Building® assessment tool: reinatrustbuilding.com/ITS-book

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Building emotional resilience starts with one mindset shift and it works even in the middle of chaos. What’s your first thought when something goes wrong? Do you ask, “Why is this happening to me?” Or… something more empowering? In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down one of the most powerful mindset shifts you can make to build emotional resilience, self-trust, and confidence, especially in high-stress moments.

Through a real-life story (flat tire, tech issues, and a full day of chaos), Marlo walks you through how she moved from reactive thinking to calm, grounded self-leadership, and how you can do the same.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to shift from victim thinking to growth thinking
• Why nervous system regulation is the first step to emotional intelligence
• How to separate facts from the story that creates stress
• A simple 5-step playbook to handle challenges without spiraling
• How to build confidence and self-trust at work by collecting evidence of your own capability

This mindset shift is about learning how to respond, rather than react, when life throws something your way. Because resilience is about becoming the person who can handle them.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

Let’s talk about money. It’s the thing we all think about… but rarely talk about honestly. In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with career and life coach Wendy Sterling to unpack the deeper forces shaping how we earn, spend, and experience wealth, way beyond budgets, strategies, and spreadsheets.

Because here’s the truth: most high-achieving professionals aren’t stuck because they don’t work hard enough. They’re stuck because they’re operating from hustle culture, money anxiety, and misalignment they don’t even realize is there.

Wendy introduces the concept of Energetic Intelligence (the new EI) - understanding how your nervous system, money mindset and emotional patterns drive your life decisions. Today she shares how they directly impact your decisions, your income, and your career trajectory.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why your money story may be quietly limiting your growth
• How nervous system regulation impacts decision-making, income, and burnout
• The hidden cost of hustle culture and why slowing down actually creates better results
• What it really means to raise your standards in work, money, and life
• How to shift from stress and scarcity into alignment, clarity, and sustainable success
• How to overcome money blocks and build wealth without burnout.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything “right”… but still not experiencing the level of success, ease, or fulfillment you want, this episode will challenge how you think about money, work, and your next level.

Because building wealth isn’t just about what you do. It’s about how you think, feel, and show up while doing it.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co. 

“Executive presence.” It’s the feedback everyone gets and no one can clearly define. In this Cracking the Code mini episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down what executive presence actually means, why so much of the feedback around it is vague, biased, and frustrating and what behavioral science says you can actually do about it.

Marlo challenges the traditional narrative and reframes executive presence as your
ability to create confidence, clarity, and trust in high-stakes environments – not how loud, dominant, or polished you appear.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

● Why executive presence is often shaped by bias and outdated leadership norms
● How to respond when you’re told you “lack presence” at work
● The difference between authenticity and ineffective communication habits
● How to build presence through self-awareness, audience awareness, and
intentional behavior
● Practical ways to strengthen your communication, visibility, and leadership
impact

If you’ve ever been told to “be more strategic,” “have more edge,” or “look more like a leader,” this episode will give you the clarity and confidence to define executive presence on your own terms.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram 
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.