Work Unscripted

Moving too fast. Talking too much. Being too intense. Being “too emotional.” For years, Marlo Lyons heard versions of that feedback at work. She tried to make sense of it the only way she knew how: by pushing harder, masking more, and trying to become easier for other people to understand. In this personal episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo opens up about being diagnosed later in life with AuDHD, m...

You finally work up the courage to tell your boss something you are still trying to understand about yourself. They listen. They might even say, “I appreciate you trusting me with this.” Then they tell someone else.  In this solo episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons talks about one of the most damaging leadership failures: creating a safe space, then failing to hold it. Psychological safety at...

Everyone is the hero of their own story. But we don’t always want to admit: sometimes, we may be the obstacle in someone else’s. In this episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons sits down with storyteller, keynote speaker, and storytelling strategist Valerie Gordon to talk about why people misunderstand each other at work, at home, and in the stories we tell ourselves. Valerie spent more than two...

What if the role you worked your whole career toward is actually the wrong destination? In this solo episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons shares a personal story about turning down a role that looked like the next obvious career move, and why saying no became one of the most important decisions of her career. This episode is about career alignment, values, leadership fit, and why the most stra...

Some leaders communicate beautifully when the environment is controlled. But then the stakes shift and suddenly, the clarity, authority, and confidence they had in rehearsal starts to collapse. In this episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons sits down with executive presence coach Kathryn Janicek to talk about why executive presence breaks down in high-pressure moments, and how leaders can rebuil...

There are people waiting for their boss to care about their career more than they do. Pause on that. In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons calls out the permission trap: the career pattern where people wait to be noticed, developed, promoted, sponsored, or picked before they take ownership of their own growth. Your manager may care about you. But your manager is not yo...

Senior women in leadership are often surrounded by people and still completely alone. It is one of the least talked about realities of making it to the top. And Sirisha “Siri” Swahari decided to stop waiting for someone to fix it.  In this episode of Work Unscripted , host Marlo Lyons talks with Sirisha “Siri” Swahari, executive leader and founder of Women Executives Circle, about leadership lonel...

Stop calling yourself a perfectionist like it’s a compliment. Perfectionism is not a personality trait, or a strength in disguise. It is fear with a really good publicist. In this solo episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons, executive coach and workplace strategist, calls out the version of perfectionism so many high achievers wear like a badge. It’s the kind that keeps the draft unfinished, the...

Confidence matters. But does confidence alone move your career forward? In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with Kirsteen Williamson-Guinn, founder of Elevate Women, to talk about what it really takes for women to grow, lead, and future-proof their career advancement in high-pressure, political workplaces. After 32 years in banking, including senior leadership in a male-domin...

HR works for the company, not for you. Have you ever walked into HR thinking, “Finally. Someone is going to listen. Someone is going to help.” And then nothing changed, or things got worse. In this solo episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons breaks the code on what HR is really designed to do, and why employees need to stop confusing HR with personal advocacy. HR may listen, investigate, and say...

Using AI once in a while is not the same as changing how you work. In this episode of Work Unscripted , executive coach Marlo Lyons talks with AI product leader Tatsiana Maskalevich about how to move beyond one-off chatbot prompts and start thinking in terms of compounding AI workflows. AI is changing how work gets done, how leaders make decisions, and how professionals stay valuable in a rapidly...

Your boss may know things about the future of your job long before you do. A reorganization. A budget cut. A project ending. Even layoffs. And still, they have to walk into meetings, look everyone in the eye, and act completely normal. In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons explores the emotional labor and the hidden cost of leadership: the invisible work leaders do to...

In executive search, by the time a senior leadership role is posted, the conversation may already be well underway. Search firms are building lists. Boards are asking who they trust. Decision-makers are comparing reputations. And leaders are being discussed in rooms they may not even know they’re in. In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with executive search leaders with Neill...

Most leaders are trained to have answers. But the best leaders know when to ask questions instead. What would happen if, for the next 30 days, you stopped giving answers and only asked questions? In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted , Marlo Lyons challenges leaders to try a simple but uncomfortable leadership experiment: stop fixing, stop directing, stop jumping in with the answer,...

Networking can feel awkward, transactional, and exhausting, especially if you’re an introvert. So how do introverts network without feeling fake, forced or drained?  In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons talks with speaker, coach, and author Stephanie Thoma about how introverts can build real professional relationships, speak up with more confidence, and create career visibility without...

What do you do when your boss clearly doesn’t have your back? Maybe they talk badly about you to others. Maybe they develop your peers but not you. Maybe decisions are being made about your career in rooms you’re not invited to. Or maybe it’s not subtle at all and you know exactly where you stand. In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down what to do when your bo...

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 destina...

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 e...

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 n...

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 epis...

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 t...

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. &quot...

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, communicat...

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-tru...

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 becaus...