Work From The Inside Out

Kathy Robinson has been working since she was 11 years old when she had a paper route. She grew up in a middle-class suburban environment near New York City and had modest expectations for herself, thinking she might want to become a teacher. As a kid, she loved the arts. She went to college majored in business (a practical choice) and minored in the arts.  Kathy went to work on Wall Street as an...

As Laura Rotter graduated college with an English Literature degree in the mid-1980s, the U.S. was in an economic recession. It wasn’t the best time to find employment and yet she was fortunate to land a role as editor of a business industry newsletter which opened her up to the business world. Laura was always naturally curious and found herself fascinated about different industries and how they...

When Jennifer Nash was just 3 years old, she took classical ballet classes and piano lessons. She studied piano through high school and dreamt of attending Julliard to study classical piano. But her Dad wanted her to have ‘more practical skills’ to lean on, so she went to college and studied liberal arts. She triple majored in French, German and International Business, spending one of her undergra...

self-sufficient to find success. After living in a place she couldn’t call home , Cassandra had two options: stay miserable, or figure out how to create the life she knew she wanted. At 16, this motivation helped her leave a home stricken with verbal and physical abuse.  After college and many years in a successful corporate career, she decided to pursue her own entrepreneurial interests.  I thoug...

As a young child, Michael Zipursky recalls being surrounded by many different types of people, languages, and cultures. His family moved from Toronto to Israel when he was 2. They lived there for 4 years and then returned to Canada, this time to Vancouver, and again, he remembers being amongst people from different cultures and speaking many languages. So while it felt normal to a degree, Michael...

Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. subscribers! While it may seem like a stretch to celebrate a holiday this year, I have spoken with many people who are clear about what they are grateful for. Chris Palmore is one of them and he has dedicated his life to the expression of gratitude. Chris Palmore has learned that gratitude is a powerful remedy for all the negativity that we encounter in this world. Gi...

Woo Hoooo! Episode 100 of the Work From The Inside Out podcast is here! This is a proud moment for me. I was joined for this special episode by my dear friend and podcast “twin”, Jenny Lisk. Two years ago, Jenny and I each launched our podcasts on the same day. We are each still going strong, whereas most podcasts stop broadcasting after 12 episodes. I am fascinated by serendipitous connections, a...

As a kid in Phoenix, Arizona, Lizabeth Wesely-Casella did not dream about what she wanted to be when she grew up. In high school, while her friends were taking the SAT’s to apply for college, she was busy working as a hostess in a restaurant. Lizabeth simply believed that people work from the ground up, as this was what her family modeled for her. She was aware of the difference between her path a...

For 15 years, Demetria Henderson worked as a contractor doing statistical programming for various companies. She studied math in college, but it felt that she wasn’t quite connected to what she was doing. Her work met some of her needs. She could pay her bills and bought her first home, but in the back of her mind, she thought she’d like to get a Ph. D. “You're working with folks, and seeing a...

Dr. Tanvi Gautam asks key questions: Are you working on your job or on your career? Are you playing at intersections or not? She says if you're not playing at intersections, you will be made redundant soon. The jobs that will get eliminated are single-domain jobs, which, don't need intersectionality. You can add value when you play at intersections. Dr. Gautam walks her talk. She earned he...

Leslie Zane began her career at blue-chip companies, where she witnessed the success of marketing initiatives as hit or miss. Her ideas about marketing differed from conventional wisdom and weren't always welcome inside the organization. She felt strongly that branding should be more than just pretty pictures and clever ad campaigns. So Leslie struck out on her own and founded Triggers® with t...

When Cathy McCafferty-Smith was 5 years old, her kindergarten teacher told her mother, “I would feel comfortable leaving Cathy in charge of the class if I had to leave the room.” She was passionate about becoming a teacher but like many people as she became an adult, her life went in different directions. Her first career was motherhood. Cathy started college in her late twenties and by 39, she ha...

Jeffrey Madoff is the founder of Madoff productions based in New York City. His company produces branded film and video content for major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Radio City Music Hall, Harvard School of Public Health, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Madoff is an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design and authored a book about his class entitled Creative Careers: Making a Liv...

John Neral has lived many lives. After a 16 year career as a middle school mathematics teacher, he leveraged his background to work as a state educational assessment specialist and the training and staffing director for an educational nonprofit. Today he leads John Neral Coaching LLC, an organizational coaching and public speaking firm. He is also the author of the new book, SHOW UP, Six Strategie...

‘They’ say that most people will have at least two careers over the course of their lifetime. Holly Hester-Reilly is no exception. She retired from her first career as a competitive figure skater at 17 years of age.  Holly pursued her dream to conduct drug development research by studying chemical engineering. Earning her master’s degree and on the path to a Ph. D., she was published in scientific...

Mary Van der Wiel helps people recognize who they are so that others can. With a knack for intuitively knowing how to scope out the landscape for her clients, she's always on the lookout for the invisible clues they might be missing. For her, the intersection of neuroscience, creativity, and innovation is always the most fascinating. Van consults, speaks, and takes her signature NY Brand Lab w...

At 14 years old, Jayne Mattson’s father gave her a copy of Dale Carnegie’s book “ How To Win Friends and Influence People ,” telling her, “you can choose your own destiny.” He was her biggest champion. His encouragement meant the world to Jayne, especially since she and her five siblings had lost their mother the year before.  Jayne pursued a career in the medical device industry as a quality assu...

Ashwin Krishnan describes his beginnings as a “typical Indian immigrant story”. He is an Engineer who became an Engineering Manager, growing restless and segueing into Product Management then rising to VP and SVP. While Ashwin was innovating and experimenting, he realized how constrained he felt by the insular mindset of his industry and the narrow definition of his job. He finally admitted to him...

Mark Hayward describes himself as a corporate employee with an entrepreneurial mindset and that is exactly who he is. With a background in economics, policy, and government, he started his career in public service economic affairs policy for the central government. Mark became restless in that environment and moved into the world of consulting and business.  With the help of a mentor coach, he has...

“Are you doing what you're passionate about? If you know the answer is no. You're obligated to do something about that. Because you're not meant to be miserable. That's not why you're here,” says Claire Chandler, president and founder of Talent Boost. Claire Chandler leverages over 25 years of experience in business leadership, human resources, and communications to boost leade...

In our increasingly uncertain world, Dr. Jim Karrh helps businesses break through their doubts and grow through more effective and consistent customer conversations. But he knows you don't have to be a Ph. D., a professional speaker, an extrovert, or a brilliant conversationalist to bring your own business story to life. After several years on Wall Street and a few years in the radio and media...

Chris Schembra has few memories of his childhood. Growing up on Hilton Head Island, SC, he was diagnosed at 5 with ADHD, always had a lot to say, and many thoughts that he wasn’t allowed to express. While in college Chris sought a new identity, taking on leadership roles, philanthropic activities, and at the same time, abusing drugs and alcohol. That led to crashing cars, fights with police, going...

Lei Wang grew up in Beijing, China. She was an excellent student and easily mastered most academic subjects. Lei told me that as a city child, she had no athletic training. So… you may ask, why is this important in a conversation about career transitions?  After earning a B.S. in Computer Science from Tsinghua University in Beijing, Lei moved to the U.S. to attend UNC-Chapel Hill for her M.S. in C...

Werner Puchert told me that it is important to add ‘tilt’ to your story. A native of South Africa, I thought he was sharing a special term from his part of the world, but no... Werner adopted the term from a friend who shared it with him in the context of narrative structure in storytelling.   “If you don't add tilt into the story, nothing's ever going to happen. So you need to add tilt to...

Jenny Blake says if change is the only constant, let's get better at it. She is the founder of the Pivot Method, a growth strategy company that helps forward-thinking individuals and organizations map what’s next through scalable Pivot programs. Jenny is the author of Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One , which won the Axiom Best Business Books Award in the careers category. She...