Category: Interviews

What problems are you interested in solving? How would you tackle them in unique ways? Claire Schmidt, CEO and Founder of AllVoices, combined a passion for finding the root causes of massive problems with her interest in using technology to develop solutions. In this conversation, Claire talks about how she took her experiences in large companies, start-ups, and non-profits to learn about the issues that affect workers and create a company that provides communication tools for employees and leadership. She shares the importance of asking questions, networking, and building healthy cultures from the bottom-up. Whether you work for yourself or at a large company, there is a lot you can learn from Claire.

Have you ever felt the desire to write a book, started writing, only to give up for some reason? Chances are, you are like most people. Fortunately, there is a way to get a book out of your head and into the world. Chandler Bolt of Self-Publishing School is today’s guest on Getting Work To Work and he is here to share a few of the methods he uses to write books and create business revenue with them. In this conversation, he introduces the MORE Writing Method, why writing is a short-term sacrifice to develop a long-term asset, and why you don’t need to worry about imposter syndrome. He also explains how he prioritizes his work to get a lot done.

As creatives, there is always something new to learn, and occasionally learning opportunities can be found in unexpected places. Michael e. Stern is a commercial photographer, educator, and fine art photographer who is here to share a recent experience engaging with an email scammer. There is so much to learn about clear communication, negotiation strategy, and paying attention to the fine details from this exchange between Michael and the scammer. We also talk about his transition from commercial photography to fine art photography, including websites, identity, and mindset.

Today’s guest on Getting Work To Work is Tim Tortora, an ex-movie-producer and outsource CFO for producers in Hollywood who has poured his wisdom of a 30-year career into a book, How To Make It In Hollywood: What Writers, Directors, Actors, Producers, and Crew Need To Do To Break In. In this conversation, Tim explains what goes into the production process and how it’s like catching lightning in a bottle. He also shares how to make a career in Hollywood, avoiding “The Hollywood Con Men,” and how technology is changing the industry. Whether you want to land your dream job in Hollywood or run a thriving creative business closer to home, you need to hear what Tim says.

Do you have a life-first business, or do you let your business rule your life? Ashley Gartland is a business coach obsessed with time freedom and space for the things that matter most—for herself and her clients. In this conversation, we explore her subtractive, life-first approach to business, how to do less but better, and the role of experimentation in making changes. We dive deep into permission, beliefs, assumptions, and the stories we tell ourselves. If you are a business owner struggling with burnout or needing to find a better way to run your business, Ashley’s wisdom can help you find a path forward toward success and enough.

What does leadership mean to you? Today’s guest on Getting Work To Work answers that question by focusing our attention on the intensely personal journey of leadership instead of gimmicks, tricks, and mimicking our heroes. Edward Tyson is the CEO of PerSynergy Consulting and author of From Expert to Executive: Mastering the SOPs of Leading. In this conversation, Ed shares the story behind the LeadershipSOPs: the “Standard Operating Procedures for Structuring, Operating, and Perfecting your Communities of Effort.” He also talks about his love of patterns and people puzzles, where insights for leadership come from, and what it means to run people-centered businesses.

Not a day goes by lately where I’m not thinking about reinventing myself and the work I do. I find myself working more with my hands, which lead me to reach out to Gary Rogowski and invite him back on the show for another conversation about craft, failure, practice, process, and constant improvement. Gary is a furniture maker, writer, and teacher. In this conversation, he shares how he reinvented his work over the past year, along with his curiosity for geometry, storytelling, and bird watching. He also has a lot to say about problem-solving, the secret to focusing, finding success with the small things, and how teaching truly impacts a craftsperson.

What comes to mind when you hear the word happiness? Would you be surprised to learn that there are 31 types of happiness? Pamela Gail Johnson is today’s guest on Getting Work To Work and shares her passion for all things happiness. From her early days of wondering where all the happy people were and forming the Society of Happy People to the four principles she writes about in Practical Happiness, Pamela’s work will hopefully broaden your understanding of what being happy means to you. She also describes what happiness zappers are, the impact of happiness in the workplace, and the three happiness holidays recognized worldwide.

Have you ever asked yourself, “How do I use my time more effectively?” What about, “How can I be more efficient?” Paul Minors is a productivity consultant who helps his customers answers these questions and better understand the tools and systems that ultimately deliver more value to customers. In this conversation, he shares his tools of choice—Asana, Pipedrive, and Zapier—and much of his philosophy around automation and productivity. He also illuminates some fundamental concepts, including the source of truth, making time to work on your business, being his own client, and time blocking.

What are the questions and stories that fuel your curiosity and life’s work? Dr. Tara T. Green is “a Black feminist community-engaged scholar, mentor, and university professor.” Her latest books—Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson and See Me Naked: Black Women Defining Pleasure in the Interwar Era—provide the foundation of our conversation about storytelling and the impact of stories on the past, present, and future. From silence in storytelling to the role of memory in activism, Tara shares what she has learned in her career. She also talks about the importance of preserving and archiving stories.

“What’s the point?” A great question from today’s guest on Getting Work To Work, Jinny Uppal. Jinny is the author of In/Action: Rethinking the Path to Results, a growth executive, team builder, and thought(ful) leader. In this conversation, she shares how thoughtful pauses and strategic inaction help progress. Jinny also talks about the fine line between motivation and burnout, the importance of trusting the process, how goal setting fits into the mindset of inaction, why boredom is a good thing, and how learning to be okay with silence is a must to connect with the dynamism of life. Most importantly, she lets us know what horseback riding has to do with being more present in life and work.

How do you shape the world the way you want to see it? Cbabi Bayoc is a visual artist and illustrator whose mission is “painting the world that he wants to see his and your children thrive in.” In this conversation, Cbabi shares his drive to dig deeper in his art and be an artist who has something to say. Whether he is working on a canvas or a mural, he uses surprise, randomness, and perspective shifts to see new possibilities for his work. He talks about his process, philosophy of practice, how he feeds creativity, and the story behind his name.

What does it take to get to simple in a world of complexity? What problems are you solving permanently? How can you better serve your customers? These three questions form the foundation of my conversation with John Wilker, the man behind the simplest biz. For 24 years, John has found a way to solve problems for his business and his customers’ businesses and teach others how to do what he does. Whether you are looking for another revenue stream, time freedom, or a side business, John’s wisdom will hopefully spark your curiosity and help you discover new opportunities.

From philosophy professor to ghostwriter and entrepreneur, today’s guest on Getting Work To Work has fascinating insights into the world of ideas, words, and collaboration. Emily Crookston, AKA The Pocket Ph.D., loves working with rebels, renegades, and mavericks who not only innovate and disrupt the status quo but want to pass their knowledge and wisdom along. In this conversation, Emily talks about how she has learned to collaborate, the art of giving and receiving feedback, the most crucial question she asks a prospective client, and the role empathy plays in her creative process.

In the good times and the bad times, where do you look for wonder? Kate Nason is a writer, artist, and storyteller who has lived an unbelievable life. Our conversation begins with what she is learning while writing her second book: discovering past family secrets as she pieces together the story by working with a genealogist. From there, we go on a journey of art history, collage, and memoir, learning to balance the past, present, and future and finding meaning in what befalls us. She shares her writing process—working with scenes and making collages to get unstuck—and learning how to trust herself.

What happens when you can no longer do what you have trained to do? Do you give up, or do you find a way forward? Today’s guest is David Lindsay, a personal trainer and professional speaker who brings an athlete’s mindset to the corporate world. In this conversation, he shares what it takes to live a phenomenal life. We talk about building trust with people who have faith in you, dealing with what life gives you, getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, and how to train your mind like the muscle it is. Most importantly, he reveals rest’s impact on our bodies and minds.

Why not poetry? According to today’s guest, the power of a poem is in its brevity, the ability to focus and precisely say what needs to be said. In her words, Ashanti Anderson is a poet, playwright, screenwriter, and occasional essayist. Starting with a reading from her debut short poetry collection, Black Under, Ashanti brings us onto common ground. From there, we talk about her quest for creative self-discovery, how she found poetry, and the visual nature of crafting poems. I hope this conversation opens you to new avenues of creative exploration and limitless possibilities.

There are three questions at the core of this episode with Capacity Architect Scott Ritzheimer: 1) What type of leader are you? 2) How are you bringing people together? 3) What stage is your business at in the lifecycle of an organization? In this conversation, Scott shares the four types of leaders in every organization, what predictable success is and where it fits into a company’s lifecycle, how companies lose their way, and why systematizing decision-making is the secret to scaling a business. Grab something to take notes with because there is a lot to learn in this episode.

It’s that time of year where the topics on many people’s minds are burnout and self-care. Today’s guest is Dr. Sharon Grossman, a burnout and success coach who helps people create the lives they want. In this conversation, she shares how the P.E.P. Model—programming, environment, and personality—helps people find clarity as they ask themselves the question, “Who are you going to be next?” Sharon also answers a crucial question, “Is burnout inevitable or can it be avoided?” Whether you are deep in burnout or can feel it setting in, I hope you’ll be able to decode your burnout so that you can find hope.

What is the connection between your current hydration level and how you feel? What role does sleep play in a healthy life? How can you prepare your body for a long-lasting creative career? The answers to these questions are all related and just might surprise you as they did me. Desiree Lotz is a detox specialist and nutritionist whose primary purpose is to help people get their bodies sorted out to get their attention off their issues and live their lives. In this conversation, she shares her passion and knowledge for nutrients, minerals, and health in order to fully live our lives because life is fun.

What would you do if you knew you were burnt out and needed to reconnect to your values and rediscover the artistic vision for your life? Joanna Paola Honeyman took a year-long sabbatical from running her design agency to pursue classical painting and art. As she immersed herself in classes and honest feedback, her paintings took on new shapes and forms, leading her into a future of new possibilities. In this conversation, she shares her curiosity for the creative process, why vulnerability sucks but is essential, being open to failure, and the importance of mentors. We also talk about the ups and downs of marriage when both partners are highly creative.

If there is a tool that I’ve been skeptical of because of its popularity, it’s the Enneagram. Fortunately, Erin Baute is a Certified Enneagram Teacher and Trainer ready to dispel my skepticism and broaden my thinking and understanding of what the Enneagram is and is not. Erin shares her curiosity for people, infinite possibility, and a limitless approach to life in this conversation. She unpacks the Enneagram, the difference between a tool and using the tool, and how ultimately it honors who you are.