What if education wasn't a one-time phase of life, but an evolving journey designed to meet people exactly where they are?

In this episode of The Found Podcast, Molly sits down with Amy Lasack, Vice President of Business and Community Solutions at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), to explore how workforce development, education, and community collaboration intersect to create real opportunity.

Amy shares how nearly 25 years in Iowa's community college system shaped her belief that workforce is an ecosystem, not a straight line. Together, Molly and Amy discuss how education must adapt to modern learners, how local communities can unlock hidden career pathways, and why saying "yes" to things that scare you just a little might be the key to growth.

From hands-on learning and AI innovation to deeply personal lessons about family, leadership, and purpose, this conversation highlights how meaningful change happens when institutions listen closely to the people they serve.

Whether you're a business owner, parent, leader, or lifelong learner, this episode offers a hopeful look at what's possible when education meets community.

• Why workforce development works best as an ecosystem

• How community colleges are redefining education pathways

• The shift from linear careers to flexible learning journeys

• How NICC partners with businesses and communities to solve real problems

• Making education engaging through hands-on learning, technology, and AI

• The power of exposure in helping students discover career paths

• Overcoming imposter syndrome and saying yes to growth opportunities

• Leadership lessons shaped by personal loss and family priorities

• Register for Trainer Talent Expo: https://nicc.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation∫_class_id=104976

• Northeast Iowa Community College: https://www.nicc.edu

• Connect with Amy Lasack on LinkedIn

• Email Amy: lasacka@nicc.edu

• Follow NICC:

  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neiowacc

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/northeast-iowa-community-college

If you've been here for years or you're only a handful of episodes in... this one is for you.

After recently stepping back into the guest seat on another podcast, I realized it had been a while since I reintroduced herself here on The Found Podcast. So today, I'm doing just that.

But not with a résumé.

Not with a tidy bio.

With the real story.

In this episode, I walk through the winding, nonlinear path from waitress to teacher, stay-at-home mom to accidental entrepreneur, agency owner to Managing Director of The Restoration Project. I share the inflection points, the burnout, the public pivots, and the deeply personal realizations that reshaped my definition of success.

More than anything, this episode is an invitation:

You are more than your job title.
Your path doesn't have to make sense to anyone else.
And sometimes your passion lives from 5–9, not 9–5... and that's beautiful.

Whether you're founding a business, founding a cause, founding a family, or simply finding yourself, this episode is a reminder that there is no blueprint: only growth, reflection, and courage to evolve.

• Why I believe we should introduce ourselves by who we are, not just what we do

• The personality assessments that shaped my self-understanding (Enneagram 3, Learner strength, Human Design Manifester)

• Lessons from early jobs — including manufacturing floors and Applebee's shifts

• The rise (and unraveling) of Molly Knuth Media

• The breaking point that forced me to ask: What do I really want?

• Why leadership development — not marketing — became my deeper calling

• How my role at The Restoration Project evolved into Managing Director

• The truth about nonlinear paths and public pivots

• Why you don't need to monetize your passion for it to matter

• The Restoration Project – Leadership development resources, courses, and weekly momentum emails

• Founder's Field Notes – Molly's monthly email for female founders

• Connect with Molly on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook @mollyknuth