Work From The Inside Out

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 her legal colleagues, some of whom seemed envious, Erica left the practice of law and embarked on a “master reset.” At the suggestion of a friend, she applied to an environmental studies program at the Audobon Expedition Institute. After a semester of living on the Institute’s bus in Vermont, she moved in with her recently widowed aunt in Massachusetts who needed her help. While there, Erica explored her options and allowed herself to be with not knowing exactly what she was going to do. She started a daily writing practice to process and synthesize her ideas. Eventually, she joined an arts organization as their director of marketing and development, even though she had no direct experience in those areas. Erica is wholly resourceful and she found her way, continuing on that path for years with a consulting firm and later at a museum, honing her written and communication skills throughout. In January 2020, Erica founded Catchline Communications, a consulting firm that equips professionals with the tools they need to develop a body of work, bolster their credibility and earn a reputation as authoritative experts. Drawing on her experience as a freelance writer and editor, she guides them through the process of pitching, writing, and publishing articles in industry trade journals, and business magazines. In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Erica’s journey and work:Erica challenged herself to deliver a TEDx talk, The Power of Not Knowing in 2023.Her clients have secured bylines in many high-visibility publications, including Harvard Business Review, Inc., Fast Co., and Entrepreneur.Learn more and connect with Erica here: LinkedInWebsiteStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to  newsletter

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.Over the course of her career, Mira developed a keen interest in how various dynamics, such as relationships, groups, organizations, and societal factors, impact successful outcomes. She started her career as a school counselor, then focused on clinical psychology for her doctoral degree, and served as chief of operations and in other leadership roles across several industries, including healthcare, academia, federal government, and schools. As Mira deepened her understanding and applied her accumulative knowledge, she grew as a leader, supporting her teams and organizations.Today, Mira is the founder and CEO of ​Towerscope​, a social impact consulting firm that helps executives and their teams navigate complex systems, develop strategic thinking and processes, to work effectively with individuals, teams, and organizations. To this work, she brings 20-plus years of experience, including a leadership career at the US Department of Veterans Affairs and a faculty appointment at Duke University.In this week’s ​Work From The Inside Out podcast,​ follow Mira’s journey and work:Mira is the author of a ​Millennials Guide to Workplace Politics​, and writes about women's leadership development for Psychology Today.She works with emerging and under-represented women leaders and companies that support their career growth. Mira also helps small businesses and entrepreneurs progress from early phase start-up into the next phase of business by leading a team of employees. Learn more and connect with Mira here: WebsiteFacebook InstagramLinkedInTwitterStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to  newsletter

Sandy Seeber-Quayle learned about adapting to change early in her life. Born in Eastern Germany, she was seven years old when her parents divorced suddenly, leaving her and her toddler brother to be raised by her mother, who struggled with the breakup. Consequently, Sandy took on more responsibilities at home, leaving less time for fun. Four years later, the Berlin Wall came down, and everything changed. Then Sandy’s Mom found a new partner, and they moved to a new village. After an anxious start in her new school, Sandy was embraced by her new classmates and she made friends. This was the first of several moves during her formative years.At eighteen, Sandy got an apprenticeship in an insurance company, and she continued there for eleven years, learning many aspects of the business. Eventually, she was training apprentices. Sandy loved teaching, but she got itchy feet, as she put it. She started traveling all over the world as often as she could. Then, she decided to leave her job and traveled extensively, 808 days, to be exact. She also met her now husband during that time.Today, Sandy lives near Dublin, Ireland. She specializes in developing middle managers using her KUBA Pilot Strategy to foster effective thinking habits, enabling them to remain calm under stress, overcome biases, and enhance their relationships.Know YourselfUnderstand OthersBuild ConnectionsAlign DecisionsIn this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Sandy’s journey and workSandy enjoys transforming challenging relationships into collaborative partnerships and delivers impactful training, leveraging strong facilitation.With diplomas in Organizational Behavior, Coaching, and Training, Sandy brings a lifelong passion for human behavior and impactful communication to her work. Learn more and connect with Sandy here: LinkedInFacebookTwitterInstagramWebsiteSubstack Stay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out We

Alicia Ramsdell was raised by two hard-working parents who laid a solid foundation for her and her three sisters; the family came first, and education was a critical path to making a secure living. From an early age, mathematics came quickly to Alicia. So when she decided on her college major, she concluded that accounting would be a good choice. It checked off all the boxes, or so she thought. It was a secure profession that would pay well. As Alicia learned more about the principles and practices of accounting, she realized didn’t love it. Yet she held herself to the value of finishing things she started and kept telling herself that it was a pathway to financial security. In fact, Alicia became so invested in her accounting career that she went on to earn her master’s degree in taxation. She characterizes this as identity foreclosure, which is a psychological term describing an individual who commits to an identity without exploring options.The turning point in Alicia’s life came when her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his early 40s. She watched as her parents’ life plans changed completely, and it was a wake-up call for Alicia. She also was raising two young children and wanted to be able to share more with them about what it means to have a meaningful career.Today, Alicia is the founder and CEO of ​Mindful Career Path​, designing career fulfillment in collaboration with her clients' professional passion and energy. She is a certified career services provider, a global career development facilitator, and holds a certificate in mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques.In her ​TEDx talk​, Alicia says, "Don't be afraid to fail in the career of your dreams. Be afraid to succeed in the career of your nightmares."In this week’s ​Work From The Inside Out podcast,​ follow Alicia’s journey and work:Alicia worked for over 15 years in her corporate career before changing directions.She authored a children’s book, ​The One and Only Incredible ME!​, offering an ​​empowering message that our future is truly in our own hands. Learn more and connect with Alicia here: LinkedIn Website Twitter FacebookInstagramYouTube  Stay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to newsletter

Ebony Travis Tichenor is a strategic executive in human resources, talent and organizational development, diversity and inclusion, and health and well-being. She is the Director for Global Well-Being and HR Employee Policies for Boston Scientific, where she has worked for over 25 years. Ebony grew up in a small town in Texas. Raised by her Hispanic mother and her grandmother, whose only language was Spanish, they insisted that Ebony speak English. Her Dad, who was Black, passed away after she was born. As a child, Ebony was picked on by people who insisted she did not look like her mother and yet, she always maintained an upbeat, energetic personality. Still, Ebony harbored self-doubts, believing she was not bright enough to attend college. After graduating high school, she worked at a gas station convenience store, quickly getting promoted to assistant manager. While Ebony loved working there, she was encouraged by many people to do something more. She began to pursue beauty pageants, eventually auditioning for and becoming a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. As glamorous as it was, high-profile cheerleading did not pay the bills, so she applied for temporary jobs. One of her placements was at Boston Scientific, and as they say, the rest is history.At Boston Scientific, Ebony has helped to spearhead greater pay equity (99%) for a culturally and gender-diverse workforce, including veterans and persons with disabilities. A dynamic speaker, Ebony draws on her experience in change management, diversity and inclusion, performance management, employee engagement, mentoring, and training, to influence the process and cultural changes that improve organizational effectiveness and employee growth. She has served as a keynote speaker, a moderator of leadership panels within Boston Scientific and at public forums, business meetings, events, and conferences.In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Ebony’s journey and work:Ebony is an active health and fitness influencer on social media platforms. She mentors and inspires others to meet their personal goals for health and wellness.She speaks to various companies on personal branding, overall well-being, energy management, DEI, and so much more. Learn more and connect with Ebony here: LinkedInFacebook InstagramStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to newsletter

​Smita Joshi is an award-winning author, avid yogi, and yoga teacher, high performance & transformation life coach. In a business career spanning 25 years working with technology giants and start-ups, Smita was one of the first to bring India’s information technology services into the heart of British and European companies. Smita worked internationally with global industry leaders, winning multi-million dollar contracts, the largest being $1 billion.​Smita is a TV presenter, and for her YouTube channel, The Self Discovery Channel – Smita has interviewed leading politicians, entrepreneurs, and global gurus. She also creates videos on topics of personal development & emotional and spiritual intelligence.​​Smita is the author of the Amazon bestseller Karma and Diamonds trilogy. Inspired by actual events from her own life, “Karma & Diamonds” follows a young woman’s gripping journey of self-discovery across continents and lifetimes as she struggles to conquer life’s conflicts and unpredictable challenges by listening to her inner voice.​In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Smita’s journey and work:As a child growing up in a small port town along North West India’s Arabian Sea coastline, Smita observed her father practicing yoga and meditation. While he never taught her, she started her own yoga and meditation practice at age 12.​Alongside her business life, based in London, when not traveling for work, Smita dedicated her weekends, holidays, and spare time over many years to becoming a life coach. Learn more and connect with Smita here: LinkedIn Facebook TwitterYouTube WebsiteStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to  newsletter

​Sara Murray is an advisor, consultant, and speaker specializing in working with leaders and sales teams to unlock the untapped potential in their prospecting and business development efforts. With a focus on the construction, real estate, design, and technology industries, Sara guides professionals to enhance their communication skills and to approach prospecting and their business needs creatively rather than simply push products.Sara’s love for sales started as a young child. Her Mom worked for Delta Airlines, which enabled their family to fly for free via standby. This also meant that they never sat together on the plane. Sara quickly learned to engage with the strangers sitting beside her, “Excuse me, are you going to eat your chips?” Her adult seatmate was often taken aback by her request. Sara had about a 60% success rate in closing the deal. In retrospect, it really didn’t matter if they gave Sara the chips or not. It taught her an easy way to start conversations and connect with people. And she became fearless. Sara learned to ask for what she wanted.As she developed her career selling decorative hardware to the construction and hospitality industries, Sara learned that sales are about how the client and the provider fit together to feel at home. By connecting well with customers in that way, they returned time and again, enabling Sara to foster fulfilling and profitable relationships.Living and working in LA during the pandemic, Sara experienced the impact of the strict lockdown. Working from home through that difficult period, she focused on her health and well-being. Sara became aware that something significant was missing from her work. Her job had become far more technical and less relationship-focused. Sara knew it was time to make a change.​In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Sara’s journey and work:Sara is the host of the podcast "Prospecting on Purpose," Sara discusses prospecting, sales, business strategies, and, most importantly, mindset. She teaches her audience to connect with clients, communicate confidently, and ultimately close deals. Learn more and connect with Sara here: FacebookYouTubeLinkedIn TwitterInstagramStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to  newsletter

Julie Kratz is the Founder and Chief Engagement Officer of Next Pivot Point. She is a highly-acclaimed TEDx speaker, author, podcast host, and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America. After experiencing many career “pivot points” of her own, Julie started her own business with the goal of helping leaders and their organizations to be more inclusive through allyship. Next Pivot Point works to promote allyship and inclusion in the workplace to make sure that everyone feels seen, heard, and belonging at work.​Julie was raised by her single mother. From a young age, her mother always told her that her purpose in life was to help women. As Julie started her career in the corporate world, those words kept replaying in her mind. After twelve years of the “shenanigans,” as Julie refers to it, she was done with corporate life. No longer could she tolerate the lack of inclusion, lack of belonging, and having to stuff herself inside a box where she did not fit. In her early thirties at the time, Julie kept thinking, “Your purpose is to help women.”​Opening the door for Next Pivot Point, Julie focused on gender equity in the workplace. This was before people were talking about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Julie continues to help people of all backgrounds feel included in the workplace through facilitation, writing books, speaking, and coaching.​In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Julie’s journey and work:Julie recently started a nonprofit organization, Little Allies, which develops programs for educators, parents, and caregivers about how to be more inclusive and talk with children about inclusion.Her books include Pivot Point: How to Build a Winning Career Game Plan, ONE: How Male Allies Support Women for Gender Equality, Lead Like an Ally: A Journey Through Corporate America with Proven Strategies to Facilitate Inclusion, Allyship in Action: 10 Practices for Living Inclusively and a children’s book Little AlliesLearn more and connect with Julie here: LinkedInFacebookTwitterInstagramNext Pivot PointStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to  newsletter

When I asked Alisha Fernandez Miranda, author of My What If Year: A Memoir, about her formative years, she said, “I was a really ambitious kid, very type A; the kind of girl you'd call bossy. I really never minded that term personally, I just had a real drive to be the best.” When Alisha was eight years old, she kept a diary and wrote her goal in life was to go to Harvard. Alisha had no idea how she knew about Harvard. Raised in suburban Miami, she spent her first 18 years being academically driven and socially engaged. Then, Alisha said,” Two big things happened.” She took her first trip outside the U.S., and she was accepted to and attended Harvard. For the first time, Alisha felt intimidated. She was accustomed to being a big fish in a small pond, yet she found her way at Harvard, declaring an interdisciplinary major in Women’s Studies. She spent her junior year in London and fell in love with Europe. After graduation, she attended the Gender Institute of the London School of Economics for her master’s degree while she figured out how to get a visa and permanent employment in the U.K. During that time, she met the man who became her husband. Today, Alisha serves as the chair of I.G. Advisors, an award-winning social impact intelligence agency that consults with nonprofits, foundations, and corporations on their philanthropy and social initiatives. Her writing has been featured in Vogue, Business Insider, and Huffington Post. She currently lives in Scotland with her husband and children.In her book, My What If Year, Alisha details her year of unpaid internships in the dream jobs of her childhood. She signs on as an intern at a Broadway theater, a London art gallery, a Scottish luxury hotel, and a virtual fitness studio — only to discover a long-buried question: Why didn’t she do what she most wanted to do until now?In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Alisha’s journey and work:Alisha is the host of the award-winning Quit Your Day Job podcast that takes you behind the scenes of your dream jobs. She built and launched an app, Not My Style, which is focused on sustainable fashion.Learn more and connect with Alisha here: InstagramLinkedInWebsiteStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to newsletter

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston has life-long experience in embracing and accessing the power of connections. Growing up as a “corporate brat,” Michelle’s family moved every few years. Her father’s job at General Motors required relocation as his career advanced. He promoted their moves as adventures. She always found a way to fit in, and skilled at being the new kid. As she began her professional career, however, Michelle’s methods for ‘fitting in’ did not work as well for her. She realized that she had to distinguish herself, rather than blend in, to be seen as valuable in the professional marketplace. Michelle discovered that she needed to develop different ways to make meaningful connections to be effective and grow professionally. She worked for a consulting firm right out of graduate school, traveling to companies to teach meeting management, communication, presentation skills, and team building. Michelle also taught an evening business communication class at Loyola University New Orleans, close to home. Being newly married, she welcomed the opportunity to travel less when the Dean offered her a full-time teaching role in the business school.Today, Michelle is a management professor, executive coach, and leadership expert who serves as the Gaston Chair of Business at Loyola University New Orleans. She is a celebrated keynote speaker presenting at conferences and events nationwide. Her book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership: How to Thrive in a New Era of Connection, details the need for leaders to shift from a command and control leadership style to one that focuses on connection. She affirms that connection drives long-lasting results, enabling leaders to more effectively connect with their teams to achieve personal and professional goals.In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, follow Michelle’s journey and work:Michelle earned her Ph.D. in Communication at Louisiana State University. Her grandfather, a professor at Georgetown, wrote her letters to persuade her to pursue a doctoral degree.She was named to the prestigious MG 100 Coaches group, which consists of the top executive coaches worldwide affiliated with Marshall Goldsmith.Michelle was named one of the most influential New Orleanians, a top 500 business leader, and a Woman of the Year by CityBusiness.Learn more and connect with Michelle here: WebsiteTwitterLinkedInThe Seismic ShiftStay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn@TammyGoolerLoeb on InstagramWork From The Inside Out WebsiteSubscribe to newsletter