Empowered & Out

2026 is the year you stop shrinking. The year you step into rooms you once felt unqualified for. The year you finally claim that you are visible, valuable, and chosen. In this season kickoff episode of Empowered & Out , host Jonathan sets the tone for a powerful year centered on visibility, authenticity, and what prosperity truly means for LGBTQ+ professionals and leaders. Prosperity isn’t jus...

Today’s guest is an artist who has lived, created, and survived in ways that crack open your heart. From poetry and music heard around the world to a deeply human mission to keep LGBTQ+ youth alive and hopeful — Laurier Tiernan is here to talk art, survival, identity, and their brand-new book Fifty-Five Ways to Survive. Trust me… this conversation is going to stay with you. In this powerful episod...

Mystic Marketing & Messy Action: Authentic Branding for Queer Creatives with Joseph Federico What if your marketing felt more like magic than a chore? In this episode of Empowered and Out , I’m joined by Joseph Federico (he/they) — a seasoned marketing maven with 20+ years of experience, founder of J Federico Marketing and Anchors to Dusk Publishing , spooky season enthusiast, and creator of t...

Francisco Rodriguez: Resilience, Identity & Leading With Passion + Gratitude From being born premature with an uncertain future to breaking barriers as a first-generation queer Latino in HR and beyond — Francisco’s story is one of resilience, triumph, and authenticity. Today, we’re diving into how passion, gratitude, and living boldly can reshape not only a career but an entire community. In t...

🔥 Walking Away Without a Plan B — Career Courage, Burnout Recovery & Portfolio Paths with Charlotte Snowden In this episode of Empowered & Out , Jonathan sits down with Charlotte Snowden — Career & Leadership Coach, NLP Practitioner, and founder of Step Up for Success . With over 20 years in organizational leadership, Charlotte has walked away from toxic workplaces not once, but twice...

Navigating Multicultural Workplaces Without Losing Yourself — with Daniele Brunetto What happens when your “dream job” starts draining your soul — and you can’t tell if it’s the culture, the pace, or just… not you? In this episode of Empowered & Out , career coach Jonathan Barbe sits down with Daniele Brunetto , a multilingual career coach based in Brussels, who specializes in helping professi...

Design With All in Mind — Tas on Surviving, Thriving, and Creating Inclusive Spaces What does it mean to rebuild your identity after growing up in control, trauma, and silence—and then use that resilience to create a more inclusive world? In this powerful episode, host Jonathan Barbe sits down with Tas (they/he) — a deaf, disabled, queer, trans, biracial, and autistic artist, author, and accessibi...

The Business of Kindness: Why Empathy at Work Isn’t Soft — It’s Smart (with Jamie Graceffa, Founder of Kind Cards) Episode Description What if kindness wasn’t just a “nice to have,” but a game-changer for performance, retention, and workplace culture? In this powerful episode of Empowered & Out , host Jonathan Barbe sits down with Jamie Graceffa — founder of Kind Cards , author of Career Contr...

Finding Your Authentic Voice with Sam Malone What if the very sound of your voice could transform how the world sees you? In this episode of Empowered & Out , host Jonathan Barbe welcomes Sam Malone , lead spoken voice lecturer in Musical Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and a teacher at RADA. Sam’s students now lead West End productions like Hadestown , Mean Girls , and...

Guest: Sharee Salles — lesbian mom, special education teacher, temple religious-school educator, and personal trainer specializing in clients of all sizes, including those navigating eating disorders. Sharee shares how ASL became a bridge for connection in her classroom, what changed when she chose to be out at work, and why form, safety, and inclusivity matter just as much in the gym as they do i...

Lead & Belong — Showing Up Fully at Work (with Mary Ellen Murrah) Guest: Mary Ellen Murrah — Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Vista Consulting; co-owner, Groundwater Creative; proud Baltimorean; mom of two; fierce alto. What we cover Coming out later in life while already in senior leadership Speaking up in male-dominated, “stiff” industries The power of queer spaces (chorus!) to build...

Loving Yourself Through the Mess: Trauma, Somatics & Community with Joe “The Soul Coach” Coleman Episode Summary Today’s guest radiates warmth, wisdom, and unapologetic authenticity. Joseph “Joe The Soul Coach” Coleman is a creative force, deeply intuitive coach, and community-builder who turns vulnerability into connection. We dig into how trauma shows up in the body, why presence and gratitu...

Leading Without a Blueprint — Visibility, Resilience & Authenticity with Dr. Jess Spohn (they/them) What does it mean to lead when there’s no roadmap for someone like you? In this powerful episode of Empowered & Out , host Jonathan Barbe sits down with Dr. Jess Spohn (they/them) — a nonbinary, queer, and neurosparkly public health social worker redefining leadership and visibility in socia...

Gender Isn’t Binary, Inclusion Isn’t Optional — with Amelia J. Michael Guest: Amelia J. Michael (they/them) — Gender inclusion speaker, trainer, and author of Gender Inclusion at Work . In this episode of Empowered & Out , we dive into the hard, human, and sometimes hilarious truths about making the workplace safer for transgender and nonbinary employees. Amelia shares: What “silos and silence...

Authenticity, Mentorship & Belonging in the South — with Holly Allen & Victoria Sexton Guests: Holly Allen (she/her) — Career Services Professional & former Casting Director/Acting Coach with 20+ years in film and theatre. MFA in Theatre. Advocate for authentic leadership and mentorship in higher education. Victoria Sexton (she/her) — Career Advisor and advocate for access to higher ed...

Rest, Belonging & Food Justice with Passion Rutledge Guest: Passion Rutledge — Finance & Operations Director, National Farm to School Network; writer exploring healing, identity, and collective liberation. In this conversation: Sabbaticals as transformation—rest as a leadership tool Raising a queer family in the South with joy and intention Unmasking as a Black, queer, neurodivergent leade...

Leadership, Kindness & Psychological Safety (ft. Sarah A. Scala, PCC) Kindness isn’t soft—it’s strategic. Consultant, coach, and educator Sarah A. Scala (she/her) joins Empowered & Out to unpack how empathy and accountability can—and should—coexist, why psychological safety fuels performance, and what LGBTQ+ leaders need to sustain success with resilience, optimism, and grit. What we cover...

Authenticity in Automotive with Ben Crawford (Carwow) Summary: From “accidental” student advocate to leading media & brand partnerships at Carwow, Ben Crawford shares what visibility looks like inside UK automotive — and how mentorship, community, and a few brave choices can shift careers (and companies). We unpack the energy tax of hiding, building role models when you can’t see them, and one...

“You Don’t Have to Break Before You Begin” with Scott Kratchmer Content Note: This episode includes mention of a past suicide attempt (approx. 36:20–39:30). Please take care while listening. Episode in a Sentence Older queer men are still navigating workplaces—and identities—built on other people’s comfort. Coach and advocate Scott Kratchmer shares why unmasking is a practice, what he calls the tr...

🎙️ Behind the Mic: Jerry Ryba on Voiceover Careers, Coaching Confidence & Showing Up Proud If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to become a working voice actor — or thought “Hey, I’ve got a great voice, maybe I could do that…” — this episode is for you. This week on Empowered & Out , I sit down with the legendary Jerry Ryba (aka Rybawitz, aka Jelly) — a talent agent with 35 years in the b...

💬 “Authenticity Is a Journey — Not a Destination” with Don Pietranczyk Episode Summary: What does it really mean to be authentic at work — and does showing up differently in different rooms make you fake… or just smart? In this powerful episode of Empowered & Out , host Jonathan Barbe sits down with 2023 TSNN DEI Award-winner Don Pietranczyk , a 30+ year veteran in the global conference, even...

From Surviving to Seen: Being Black, Queer & Bold in Today’s Workplace with Maya Garner What was it like being out at work in the 1990s—and how much has really changed? In this powerful and personal episode, Maya Garner—a seasoned sales trainer, fierce advocate, and financial literacy educator—joins host Jonathan Barbe to share her experience navigating corporate America as a Black lesbian pro...

Aging Out Loud: Media, Identity & Queer Masculinity with Manuel Ambra In this episode of Empowered & Out , host Jonathan Barbe welcomes Manuel Ambra , a queer academic and marketing professional whose research focuses on the intersection of media, age identity, and mental health among queer men. Together, they explore how cultural expectations, media representations, and internalized norms...

This week on Empowered & Out Designing Your Best Professional Life with Marcia 🌈 What does it really mean to live your best professional life—especially when the world throws you curveballs? This week on Empowered & Out , I sit down with the phenomenal Marcia Wall , a certified career coach, educator, and DEI-rooted professional who helps people build careers that feel like home . Her jou...

NEW EPISODE: Making Art, Finding Healing — A Trans Creative’s Journey with Dee Edney This one hit deep Dee Edney (aka Angeldee) is a singer-songwriter, producer, and trans creative based in the South of England—who didn’t just rebuild her life post-transition, she orchestrated it into a full-blown masterpiece . From: ✨ Being hospitalized and told her life was “over” ➡️ To creating an album with 5...