Episode 36: Leading With Calm Through Chaos, Discrimination, and Financial Hardship with Craig Nishizaki

Episode 40: From NASA Engineer to Leadership Coach: Navigating Life's Chaos with Authenticity & Purpose with Laurie Hall

Laurie Hall spent years working on space exploration and the International Space Station. She was a chemical engineer at NASA and Lockheed Martin, doing exactly what she had dreamed about since she was a kid growing up in Kansas. And then, around year ten, a nagging question started to emerge: Is this still what I’m meant to be doing? What followed wasn't a clean pivot. It was a five-year transition, grief she hadn't anticipated, and a slow process of figuring out who she actually was outside of the identity she had spent her whole career building. When Laurie lost her sister to suicide, something shifted. Her soul needed to see the difference she was making in people's lives directly and up close. That's what led her to found New Horizon Strategies in 2011, where she now leads a global team of coaches and facilitators helping leaders navigate change with clarity and confidence. She also shares the "lifeline" exercise she uses with organizations to help people reconnect with what has shaped them, why she considers "should," "ought to," and "supposed to" red flag words in any coaching conversation, and what she wishes someone had told her when she was beating herself up for caring more about people than problem sets. CONNECT WITH LAURIE: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriehallformerlypeterson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriehallformerlypeterson/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriehallformerlypeterson [https://www.facebook.com/lauriehallformerlypeterson]  CONNECT WITH NEW HORIZON STRATEGIES: Website: https://newhorizonstrategies.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newhorizonstrategies [https://www.facebook.com/newhorizonstrategies] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-horizon-strategies-llc [https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-horizon-strategies-llc] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX9Yj-Amk7drvg8uaaZzG0g [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX9Yj-Amk7drvg8uaaZzG0g] CONNECT WITH KRISTIANA: Website: https://www.worthytolead.co/ [https://www.worthytolead.co/] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona [https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/ [https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/] Substack: https://worthytolead.substack.com/ [https://worthytolead.substack.com/]

Episode 39: Why Creativity Is Your Most Untapped Leadership Tool — Van Lai-DuMone on Curiosity, Innovation, and the $8.3B Story You've Never Heard

Powerful leadership skills go beyond your strategy and experience. One of the most untapped sources of potential is your team’s creativity and curiosity. Here’s why that matters: Van Lai-DuMone has spent over a decade proving that creativity isn't just an art class activity. It's a thinking tool, a problem-solving tool, and one of the most underused levers in leadership today. She's brought it into organizations like Google, LinkedIn, and NBC, and she's seen what happens when leaders finally stop treating it like a nice-to-have. The story that started it all begins in a refugee camp in 1975. Twenty Vietnamese refugee women noticed their teacher, movie star Tippi Hedren's, red manicured nails. Instead of moving on, they got curious. That one pause sparked what would become an $8.3 billion industry in the US. In this episode, Van breaks down her three-step framework for turning curiosity into action, what LEGO® Serious Play® looks like inside a real organization, why psychological safety and creativity are more connected than most leaders realize, and how she finally stopped ignoring the idea that had been tapping on her own shoulder for six years. Creativity is more than just arts and crafts; it’s a fundamental element of how the most successful leaders approach problem-solving and strategy. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Van’s Speaker Reel: https://youtu.be/3QaUb8srP-0?si=KKe13kM6AxrSO4Bk [https://youtu.be/3QaUb8srP-0?si=KKe13kM6AxrSO4Bk] What if Pigs Can Fly? Intro: https://youtu.be/GGQoAVlg8ME [https://youtu.be/GGQoAVlg8ME] Strategic Play Podcast: https://www.strategicplay.com/podcast_van-lai-dumone [https://www.strategicplay.com/podcast_van-lai-dumone] General Assembly: https://generalassemb.ly/instructors/van-lai-dumone/21492 [https://generalassemb.ly/instructors/van-lai-dumone/21492] The Honor Foundation: https://www.honor.org/our-tribes/van-lai-dumone/ [https://www.honor.org/our-tribes/van-lai-dumone/] CONNECT WITH VAN: Website: www.worksmartadvantage.com [http://www.worksmartadvantage.com] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanlaidumone/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanlaidumone/] TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLixzTazp2U [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLixzTazp2U] Book "What If Pigs Can Fly": https://www.amazon.com/What-Pigs-Can-Fly-Possibilities/dp/1953183433 [https://www.amazon.com/What-Pigs-Can-Fly-Possibilities/dp/1953183433] Creative Problem Solving Tools: https://www.worksmartadvantage.com/creative-problem-solving-building-blocks/ [https://www.worksmartadvantage.com/creative-problem-solving-building-blocks/] CONNECT WITH KRISTIANA: Website: https://www.worthytolead.co/ [https://www.worthytolead.co/] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona [https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/ [https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/] Substack: https://worthytolead.substack.com/ [https://worthytolead.substack.com/]

Episode 38: Life After Losing Your Job - Greg Bro on Navigating Career Transition with Creativity

What do you do when the identity you built your entire career around disappears overnight? For Greg Bro, losing his job after 20+ years as a UX design leader wasn't just a professional setback. It was a complete identity crisis. The question "what do you do?" suddenly had no answer, and that forced a much deeper one: who do I actually want to be? Instead of looking for a similar role, Greg wrote and illustrated a children's book in ONE MONTH. Greg talks honestly about the disorientation of losing a role that defined him, the emotional spiral that followed, and the moment he realized that chasing the same title at a different company wasn't actually what he wanted. He shares how coaching helped him see his situation from a completely different angle, how he followed a small pull of creative energy into something he never expected, and what it took to go from concept to published author of two children's books in a matter of months. What strikes me most about Greg's story is not just the speed of what he built. It's the courage it took to stop and ask a harder question: what kind of work is actually in integrity with who I am now? REFERENCES: Greg's Books: "Every Shape Has a PLACE": https://amzn.to/4sqFN7W  [https://amzn.to/4sqFN7W] "Every Shape Has a FEELING": https://amzn.to/3NCxkPw  [https://amzn.to/3NCxkPw] Get a signed copy with a custom doodle inside + shop merch at: https://www.bruteoptimism.com/shop  [https://www.bruteoptimism.com/shop] Book Greg for an author visit: https://www.bruteoptimism.com/authorvisits [https://www.bruteoptimism.com/authorvisits] CONNECT WITH GREG: Website: https://www.bruteoptimism.com/ [https://www.bruteoptimism.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bruteoptimism/ [https://www.instagram.com/bruteoptimism/] CONNECT WITH KRISTIANA: Website: https://www.worthytolead.co/  [https://www.worthytolead.co/] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona  [https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/  [https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/] Substack: https://worthytolead.substack.com/ [https://worthytolead.substack.com/]

Episode 37: From Imposter Syndrome to Earned Authority with Anya Cheng

Anya Cheng didn’t build her career by waiting to feel ready. She built it by acting in moments when nothing felt certain. After immigrating from Taiwan and graduating into the 2008 financial crisis, she couldn’t get a single interview. So she created her own access, waiting outside buildings in Chicago winters, knocking on doors, and cold-calling publishers until someone said yes. What looks like persistence was actually precision. She was using what she already knew how to do. As a former reporter, she knew how to approach strangers, ask questions, and follow leads, and she used those strengths to move forward. That same pattern carried her through 15 years at Target, McDonald’s, eBay, and Meta, and eventually into founding Taelor, an AI-powered men’s clothing subscription service. But what stands out is not just how she kept going, it’s how her relationship to confidence evolved. Anya doesn’t see confidence as something you wait to feel. She built it through action, by trusting her own thinking before anyone else validated it. She shares what it looked like to lose opportunities when she stopped trusting herself, and what changed when she began to stand in her own point of view. She also speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, not as something that disappears, but something you learn to recognize and manage early. This episode is about what it really means to earn your authority, through repeated moments of showing up, learning, and choosing to trust your voice when it matters most. Experience effortless style with rental and personal styling services: Taelor: Get 25% OFF your first month of men's clothing subscription. Use code: PODCAST25 Sign up at: https://taelor.style/pages/membership [https://taelor.style/pages/membership] Armoire: Get 50% OFF your first month of women's clothing subscription. Use code: ArmoirexTaelor Sign up at: https://armoire.style/refer/ArmoirexTaelor [https://armoire.style/refer/ArmoirexTaelor] Give the gift of time, convenience, and effortless style: Taelor Gift Cards: Get 10% OFF. Use code: PODCASTGIFT Purchase at:  [https://taelor.style/products/menswear-rental-gift-card]https://taelor.style/products/menswear-rental-gift-card [https://taelor.style/products/menswear-rental-gift-card] Where to find Anya:  LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anyacheng [https://linkedin.com/in/anyacheng] Email: anya@taelor.ai [anya@taelor.ai] Connect with Kristiana:  Website: https://www.worthytolead.co/  [https://www.worthytolead.co/] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona  [https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/  [https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/] Substack: https://worthytolead.substack.com/ [https://worthytolead.substack.com/]

Episode 36: Leading With Calm Through Chaos, Discrimination, and Financial Hardship with Craig Nishizaki

How do you stay grounded as a leader when everything around you is falling apart? Craig Nishizaki has answered that question more than once. Early in his career, a manager told him he'd only keep him on to avoid a discrimination lawsuit. Later, he went seven months without a paycheck while his wife was pregnant. He was passed over for promotions. And at every single turning point, he made the same choice: face it, don't run from it. Today, Craig is the co-owner of UpTop, a UX design agency that has partnered with Amazon, Microsoft, and SAP. 98% of their clients take him with them when they get promoted. And he leads with one of the rarest qualities in today's workplace: calm, intentional, trust-first leadership. In this episode, Craig shares the experiences that shaped how he leads, why he believes we are in a trust recession, and how he has built a culture that people genuinely want to be part of. Resources Mentioned: * Lead with Influence Playbook: https://uptop.docsend.com/view/25tc8687ymbwdkta [https://uptop.docsend.com/view/25tc8687ymbwdkta] * 360 Degree Leader by John Maxwell: https://www.amazon.com/360-Degree-Leader-Developing-Organization/dp/0785260927?&linkCode=sl2&tag=worthytolea0c-20&linkId=8418b78636e8bc864d24a330790ed7e4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl [https://www.amazon.com/360-Degree-Leader-Developing-Organization/dp/0785260927?&linkCode=sl2&tag=worthytolea0c-20&linkId=8418b78636e8bc864d24a330790ed7e4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl] * The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns: https://www.amazon.com/Win-Without-Pitching-Manifesto/dp/1605440043 [https://www.amazon.com/Win-Without-Pitching-Manifesto/dp/1605440043] Where to find Craig: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craignishizaki/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/craignishizaki/] Website: https://uptopcorp.com/ [https://uptopcorp.com/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uptopcorp/videos [https://www.youtube.com/@uptopcorp/videos] Connect with Kristiana: Website: https://www.worthytolead.co/ [https://www.worthytolead.co/] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona [https://linkedin.com/in/kristianacorona] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/ [https://www.instagram.com/worthytolead/] Substack: https://worthytolead.substack.com/ [https://worthytolead.substack.com/]