Work From The Inside Out

​Kelly K. James​ (formerly Kelly James-Enger) has been writing for 20+ years as a full-time freelancer, and most recently, as a corporate content writer. In June 2024, she published her memoir, ​The Book That (Almost) Got Me Fired: How I (Barely) Survived a Year in Corporate America​ , an entertaining, honest account of what (and what not) to do when you make that corporate leap in midlife. As a k...

When Rashmir Balasubramaniam was six years old, she asked her father, “Why am I here?” He laughed but did not answer her. She interpreted this as a message to stop asking questions. Deep down, Rashmir knew she had a purpose. It wasn't until she was 40 years old that she leaned into her true purpose. Rashmir grew up in a traditional Sri Lankan family in Africa and the UK, with high, prescribed...

​Roman Eggenberger​ , is a man living many lives, who is good with numbers and likes to talk. At 15, he entered the banking industry as an apprentice in his home country of Lichtenstein, where he was introduced to the world of work while completing his secondary education. Like many young people who completed apprenticeships and opted not to go to university immediately, Roman went abroad to impro...

​Robin Merle​ is an accomplished fundraising executive and the author of ​Involuntary Exit: A Woman's Guide to Thriving After Being Fired​ . A book aimed at helping unemployed professionals navigate the challenges of a sudden job loss, she shares her experiences working at the top of billion-dollar organizations, stories of accomplished women who were suddenly severed from their organizations,...

Odd fact: I was the sports editor on my high school newspaper for a time. One assignment I had was to interview and write an article about a classmate who was emerging as a top boxer, headed for the Junior Golden Gloves competition. Fast forward 45 years later, the subject of said article,  ​Chris Seeger​ , tells me he almost skipped the interview because he felt unsure about doing it. I’ll admit...

Ellen Taaffe is a Clinical Associate Professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. She teaches a course, Personal Leadership Insights, and serves as the Director of Kellogg’s Women's Leadership Program. Ellen is an independent board director on three company boards and runs her own leadership advisory consulting, speaking, and coaching business.​ Growing up as the fi...

Gena Scurry has dedicated her career to fostering human connection. She is a self-proclaimed introvert, and while she loves people, her alone time sustains her. Gena says she is quirky, and it takes a lot of effort to be social and be herself.  Gena’s formative years differed from most of the other kids in her Texas neighborhood. Crossing the border daily from her home, she attended a Montessori s...

Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph. D., SHRM-SCP, is the author of The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work . She is a Professor of Psychology and the founding Director of Graduate Programs in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California. Born in Moscow, Ludmila grew up in a blue collar area where textile mills and farming...

Ehab Bandar is a sought-after product design consultant for startups and fintech. What's amazing about his career is that he's managed to do it while being both an outsider and an insider in remarkably distinct ways. Ehab attributes credit to his early life as an immigrant to the US from Lebanon at the age of six. His family moved yearly until he was in seventh grade. Ehab was a shy kid wi...

​Chris Fenning​ makes it easier for us to communicate at work. He helps experts talk to non-experts, teams talk to executives, and much more. Chris's practical methods are used in organizations like Google and NATO and have appeared in the Harvard Business Review. Helping people retain and apply what he teaches led Chris to write the book ​39-ways to Make Training Stick: What to Do After Train...

​Erika Wasserman​ was always good at math. As a teenager, she and her Dad would sit in front of the family computer (then, households had one computer), dial up AOL (America Online), and check out the latest stock market figures. Dad, an optometrist, was keenly interested in the markets and enjoyed bonding with Erika over all things involving numbers. Erika studied finance and international econom...

Catie Harris is a nurse practitioner who believes nurses are uniquely qualified to be entrepreneurs. As the CEO and owner of  NursePreneurs , a mentorship program that empowers nurses to monetize their knowledge and develop business skills, Catie inspires them to change how healthcare is perceived and delivered. Through individual coaching, live events, and signature group programs, thousands of n...

Donna Serdula is the founder and president of Vision Board Media, a professional branding company that helps individuals and companies tell their unique stories on LinkedIn and beyond. Donna has authored two editions of LinkedIn Profile Optimization FOR DUMMIES . Bringing dynamic brand storytelling to the masses and empowering people to dream big – that’s the ink in her pen. Donna’s website, Linke...

This week’s podcast features a delightful conversation I had with Doug Lennick and Chuck Wachendorfer from ​think2perform​ , a leadership development firm serving many industries. Together, they co-authored the book ​Don’t Wait for Someone Else to Fix It: 8 Essentials to Enhance Your Leadership Impact at Work, Home, and Anywhere Else that Needs You​ . Their experience and knowledge show readers ho...

Rimi Chakraborty and Samantha Anderson are on a mission to inspire women to redefine success by blending ancient wisdom with modern leadership. They have co-authored a book, to be released on February 14, 2024, Beyond Resilience to Rootsilience: A Revolutionary Women's Leadership Framework for Balance, Well-being, and Success .  Rimi, a previous guest on my  podcast , and Samantha shared their...

When Jesse Janelle was in elementary school, she experienced a lot of anxiety. When feeling panicked, she went to the nurses' office, visiting there regularly. Jesse didn’t know it then, but this is where her personal and professional development journey began. One day, 11-year-old Jesse was in the nurse's office having a particularly bad panic attack. The nurse called in the guidance coun...

Christopher Knudsen’s first work experience was on a framing crew at 15 years old in his father’s construction company. He credits those early years with instilling the work ethic he has today. Chris learned how to create momentum for himself, which gave him a sense of ownership and pride in his work. Today, Chris is a published author, university instructor, entrepreneur, and consultant. He works...

A couple of years ago,  Stephanie Vozza  was in a group tennis lesson. The instructor, an 84-year-old former HR director, started with an icebreaker game: Two Truths and a Lie. People said things like, I have two cats, I like oatmeal cookies, and I love to ride my bike. Stephanie shared, “I've written two books, been on MTV in my bikini, and was a contestant on a game show.” Everyone exclaimed...

Dr. Michelle Drapkin was an honors student in high school, yet she did not graduate with her class.  Why? She had cut so many classes that her attendance record disqualified her from graduating. Michelle was lost. Her mother was ill with cancer (she survived!), and no one was paying attention to her activities, or lack thereof. To get her diploma, Michelle was sent to summer school, where the teac...

Ellie Steinbrink grew up on a farm in Iowa. She was always drawn to wearing different outfits to suit the various activities she was engaged in around the farm. Ellie credits her parents for fostering a very creative environment. Her Mom is an artist who introduced her to colors, forms, textures, and patterns. Ellie’s Dad runs the farm with a strategic business mindset, offering her his own creati...

Janine Kwoh is the owner and designer of Kwohtations , a Brooklyn, NY-based collection of greeting cards and gifts that reflect and celebrate a diversity of identities and life experiences. Her goal is to create products that others will recognize some of themselves in and feel a bit more seen, more connected, and less alone. Janine returns to the Work from the Inside Out podcast to share an updat...

Cliff Goldmacher is a Grammy-recognized #1 hit songwriter, keynote speaker, and author. A multi-instrumentalist, he has recorded, played on, and produced thousands of recordings and album projects for major and independent music publishers and record labels.  Cliff spent his first ten years in Southeast Asia due to his father’s work. Once they transferred back to the US, they moved to Memphis, Ten...

​Mary O'Donohue​ is a media coach whose mission is to elevate the wisdom of women nonfiction authors. She teaches them how to get national publicity and do media interviews that sell books so they can grow their impact and change the world. Mary never planned on becoming a media coach. She was dedicated to her work for twelve seasons as a Post Producer and Associate Director on The Oprah Winfr...

When Erica Holthausen was in 7th grade, she was inspired to become an attorney after reading A Man for All Seasons , a play about the life of 16th-century Chancellor of England Sir Thomas More. She stayed true to her goal, attended law school, passed the bar, and worked for one year as an attorney, quickly realizing that being in law school and practicing law were not the same. With the support of...

Dr. Mira Brancu was born in Romania when it was under a communist government. At six years old, her family emigrated to the U.S. as Jewish political refugees. Mira needed to learn English and navigate a new culture. She credits this early experience as providing the foundation for her strong observational skills and her ability to understand people’s nuanced behaviors and make deep connections. Ov...