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📖 Episode 13 Summary

In this episode, Amanda explores a powerful and unexpected story that reveals where real innovation often begins: curiosity, play, and creative thinking — before the world teaches us to be “realistic.”

The episode centers on a 14-year-old who discovered that a specific origami fold could hold up to 10,000 times its own weight — a breakthrough with real implications for emergency shelters and disaster relief. But this conversation isn’t about origami or age.

It’s about human potential before it’s constrained.

Drawing on her Stanford-based training in creativity, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence, Amanda breaks down why children are often our greatest teachers when it comes to solving complex problems — and how creativity doesn’t disappear in adulthood, but becomes shaped by belief systems, fear of failure, and attachment to outcomes.

She explores the shift from play to performance, why experimentation fuels innovation, and how environments that encourage curiosity allow ideas to evolve into real-world solutions.

Listeners are guided through a reflective inner-game exercise to uncover:

• where early beliefs still influence their decisions today
• how hesitation, overthinking, or perfectionism may be limiting experimentation
• and what idea or desire has quietly been asking for space to grow

This episode is a reminder that creativity isn’t something you wait to rediscover — it’s something you actively cultivate, strengthen, and refine through curiosity, experimentation, and trust in yourself. Innovation doesn’t start with certainty or permission; it starts with the willingness to explore what’s possible.

Referenced Resources

• A 14-year-old won $25,000 for origami. He discovered a pattern that can hold 10,000 times its own weight, he says.

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📖 Episode 12 Summary

In this episode, Amanda breaks down a surprising founder story from Slack’s early days — including the moment Stewart Butterfield publicly called out Slack’s first product and how the team responded in an unexpected way. Rather than focusing on shock value, Amanda uses the story to reveal what it teaches us about creativity, innovation, and the inner game required to build something that doesn’t exist yet.

She explores the mindset shifts that separate game changers from the crowd — how they interpret tough feedback, how they move through imperfection, and how they turn discomfort into forward momentum.

Listeners are then invited into a simple but powerful reflection exercise to identify the qualities that already make them creative — and the edges that, when strengthened, unlock their next level of potential.

This episode is a masterclass in thinking like a founder, experimenting like a creator, and reframing embarrassment as one of your greatest tools for growth.

Referenced Resources

• Business Insider feature on Slack’s early founder story

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📖 Episode 11 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer, Amanda Escobedo zooms out from the headlines to ask a deeper question: How are media narratives shaping the way you think, feel, and move through your life?

Amanda opens by revisiting the core purpose of the podcast — not to tell you what to think, but to give you tools for how to think. She breaks down a Morning Brew article on “rough work amid a rough job market,” showing how emotionally charged narratives can be built on thin or mismatched data. Using this as a case study, she teaches listeners to separate facts from tales, spot when fear is being sold as reality, and reclaim their ability to see the world more objectively.

From there, Amanda shifts into the inner game: how frustration and “brick wall” moments can actually be gateways to self-discovery and creativity. She shares how quieting external noise — especially media noise — is essential to hearing your own intuition and recognizing the signs, synchronicities, and inner nudges that are already guiding you.

The episode culminates in the powerful story of Jenny Wood, a former Google executive who left an 18-year career to pursue a more aligned path. Amanda uses Jenny’s journey — and her own layoff story — to illustrate the difference between living by external data (status, security, headlines) and living by inner knowing. Listeners are invited to reframe fear as a signal of growth, view their own career crossroads as part of the hero’s journey, and see themselves as Game Changers capable of transforming frustration into purpose, impact, and legacy.

Referenced Resources

• Morning Brew – “People open to rough work amid rough job market”
• Business Insider – “I quit Google after 18 years on the job. It was scary but I did it well — here’s how.”

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📖 Episode 10 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer, Amanda Escobedo delves into the complexities of the current job market, exploring the myths and realities surrounding layoffs. Through insightful analysis, Amanda uncovers how fear-driven narratives can obscure the truth and hinder personal growth.

The episode begins by examining the widespread anxiety caused by sensational headlines about job losses. Amanda challenges these narratives, encouraging listeners to look beyond the surface and find clarity amidst uncertainty. She shares stories of individuals who have transformed setbacks into opportunities, highlighting the resilience and creativity required to navigate today's job landscape.

Listeners are invited to reflect on their own experiences with job market challenges and consider how they can turn adversity into a catalyst for change. Amanda emphasizes that true game changers are those who see beyond the myths, embrace uncertainty, and create their own opportunities.

Referenced Resources: 🔗

• “Scam job postings are surging as the labor market dries up.”
• “The worst October for layoffs in over two decades.”

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📖 Episode 9 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer, Amanda Escobedo shares two stories of individuals who turned frustration into action instead of waiting for someone else to fix what was broken.

The first comes from Venezuela, where a nation’s slow slide into corruption and collapse pushed María Corina Machado—an engineer, a mother, an everyday citizen—to step forward in a moment when most people stepped back. Her courage didn’t come from holding power. It came from refusing to accept what she was seeing.

The second story unfolds in the streets of America, where Teag McCoy (@PureJoyMcCoy) runs every day with an American flag as a simple, powerful act of unity. No speeches. No platform. Just one person choosing to be the solution in a time of division.

Both stories reveal the same truth: Game Changers aren’t defined by titles or roles. They’re defined by the moment they decide to act—when frustration becomes purpose, when hardship becomes clarity, and when one person’s choice becomes a spark for others.

This episode invites listeners to reflect on the places where they feel that same pull, and what might be possible if they stepped forward too.

Referenced Resources:
🔗 The All-In Podcast interview with María Corina Machado
🔗 Instagram: @PureJoyMcCoy (Teag McCoy)

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📖 Episode 8 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer by Empowerhouse Coaching, Amanda Escobedo explores the recent election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s new mayor through a creative and values-based lens.

Instead of debating policies, Amanda examines how two sides can look at the same moment in history and see completely different realities — and what that reveals about how we think, solve problems, and define progress.

Focusing on Mamdani’s rent freeze proposal, she asks: Are we treating the symptom — providing short-term relief — or solving the system — addressing the root causes that sustain affordability and growth? Through this lens, Amanda explores how shared American values like opportunity, innovation, freedom, and fairness shape our solutions, and how both perspectives hold part of the truth.

Ultimately, this episode invites listeners to move beyond polarization and into creative problem-solving — to bring diverse ideas together, integrate tension, and design solutions that serve the whole. Because progress doesn’t come from choosing sides; it comes from curiosity, reflection, and the courage to create.

💭 Reflection Prompts

• What problem are you really trying to solve — the symptom or the system?
• How do your values influence the solutions you choose and the ones you resist?
• What might happen if, instead of rejecting an opposing view, you got curious about what truth it might reveal?
• How can you bring diverse perspectives together to design more creative, sustainable solutions — in your work, your community, or your leadership?
• What if the next “big solution” didn’t come from government — but from you?

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📖 Episode 7 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer by Empowerhouse Coaching, Amanda Escobedo celebrates her birthday and explores the power of perspective, creativity, and problem-solving — from personal milestones to system-wide breakdowns. 🎉

Amanda reflects on how moments of joy and moments of frustration can both spark transformation when met with intention. Through a coaching lens, she unpacks how shifting perspective — from micro to macro, from reaction to creativity — can open up new possibilities for how we live, lead, and create impact.

This week’s episode explores influence, innovation, and leadership through three stories:

🎂 Birthday Reflections — Designing a Life You Love
Amanda shares her birthday celebrations and the joy of creating intentional circles, meaningful goals, and environments that inspire growth. Life becomes more beautiful when you design it consciously — surrounding yourself with people and energy that expand you.

💻 When AWS Goes Dark — Creativity in the Face of Disruption
A 15-hour AWS outage disrupted businesses across the country, revealing how dependent our systems are on technology. Amanda unpacks this through two contrasting stories — one viewing the outage from a macro perspective that identifies systemic challenges, and another from a micro perspective centered on empowerment and ownership. Through a coaching lens, she highlights how creativity emerges when we integrate both — seeing the whole system and our place within it. True leadership requires the ability to zoom out, zoom in, and stay adaptable when things fall apart.

🗞️ From Frustration to Impact — The Story of Ground News
Born out of frustration with media that pushes less news and more narratives, Ground News became a platform designed to uncover bias and broaden awareness. Amanda explores how this story models the coaching principle of transformation: when we hit a wall of frustration, many people complain, point blame, or stay stuck — but creators channel that energy into curiosity, creativity, and impact.

Together, these stories remind us that creativity isn’t limited to art or innovation — it’s a mindset. Whether you’re facing a birthday reflection, a business outage, or a cultural blind spot, there’s always an opportunity to see differently — and to lead from that expanded perspective.

💭 Reflection Prompts

👉 What current challenge or frustration might be inviting you to think differently or take inspired action?
👉 As you think about a challenge you’re facing today, is there an opportunity to expand your perspective — to see both the macro (systemic) and micro (personal) layers of the problem?
👉 In what area of your life — health, finances, career, or relationships — could more intention bring greater focus, clarity, or purpose to your actions and habits?

🔗 References

• Amazon Web Services outage shows internet users ‘at mercy’ of too few providers, experts say
• One Tech Tip: How to prepare for outages that impact our online lives, from banking to chatting apps
• Ground News: A Platform Helping Readers Compare Media Bias

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📖 Episode 6 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer by Empowerhouse Coaching, Amanda Escobedo explores what it means to stay curious, creative, and courageous — from the Ironman finish line to the evolving world of work and leadership. 🌊

Through her Ironman reflections, Amanda talks about the power of doing hard things on purpose. Growth doesn’t come from avoiding difficulty; it comes from meeting it head-on and becoming the kind of person who can handle hard things with presence, resilience, and purpose. Every challenge shapes who you’re becoming. It’s not just endurance; it’s evolution.

This week’s episode looks at growth, creativity, and accountability through three stories:

• Ironman Insights — Choosing your challenges intentionally is how you build confidence and grit. When you keep showing up for the hard stuff, you build the identity of someone who follows through and stays aligned with what matters most.
• “Would You Apply for a Gig at Your Full-Time Job?” — A story of creativity in flow. As the workforce continues to evolve, Standard Chartered reimagined how work moves by creating an internal talent marketplace that turns curiosity into innovation and helps people grow beyond their roles. It’s a reminder that adaptability isn’t just strategy — it’s a creative practice.
• “A Cargo Aircraft Skids Off a Hong Kong Runway into the Sea” — Crises often reveal our instinct to look for someone to blame instead of looking for what we can learn. Amanda explores how strong leadership starts with curiosity and the courage to ask better questions: not “Who’s at fault?” but “What can we understand, and how can we grow?”

Together, these stories remind us that progress lives inside discomfort. The goal isn’t to avoid the hard parts — it’s to move through them with intention, curiosity, and grace.

💭 Reflection Prompts

👉 Where in your life are you being invited to do something hard — to grow into the next version of who you’re becoming?
👉 What challenge or truth are you being asked to face, and what’s the cost of avoiding it?
👉 How does your inner voice nudge you when you’re out of alignment, and what might it be trying to tell you?
👉 As technology reshapes the workforce, how are you feeling about the future of your work?
👉 Is this the moment to reimagine your career — to use new tools and changes as leverage instead of fear?
👉 Where in your life, when things go wrong, do you lean toward blame instead of curiosity?

🔗 References

• Would You Apply for a Gig at Your Full-Time Job? — The Hustle / Wall Street Journal
• A Cargo Aircraft Skids Off a Hong Kong Runway into the Sea, Killing 2 Airport Workers — Associated Press