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  • 300: Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Work from the Inside Out Doesn’t Mean Working Alone with Connie Steele

    300: Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Work from the Inside Out Doesn’t Mean Working Alone with Connie Steele
    2026/10/30

    Episode 300 marks an important milestone for Work from the Inside Out. Tammy Gooler Loeb reminds us that the underlying belief guiding the podcast from its beginning has remained the same: fulfilling work begins with listening to your inner voice.

    Her guest is Connie Steele, Tammy’s friend, colleague, and co-writer of The Human Side of Work newsletter. Connie is a brand builder, business growth leader, and human-first voice on the future of work and life. She is the author of Building the Business of You, which Tammy highly recommends.

    Connie’s journey offers a real-life example of what it looks like to be the C.E.O. of Your Career.

    Curiosity helped her discover how her interests in people and numbers could lead to a career in marketing and market research.

    Engagement with professors, colleagues, and others in her network helped her to learn about new opportunities to move into technology.

    Ownership showed up as Connie made thoughtful choices about what she wanted from her work and life, including making changes in her career when she became a parent. Later, when long COVID disrupted her health, intuition, and ability to make decisions, she learned that agency also meant recognizing the need and letting others help with the next step.

    Connie’s experience can help listeners reflect on how they hear their own voice, engage with the people around them, and move through change with intention.

    In This Week's Podcast, Learn More About:

    • How Connie’s curiosity led her from math and statistics to marketing and market research
    • Why she made a purposeful move from consumer packaged goods into technology
    • How networking and conversations helped her learn about opportunities outside her family’s experience
    • Why career growth can include building skills laterally, not only moving up
    • How Connie reconsidered the shape of her career when her family priorities changed
    • How long COVID affected Connie’s sense of self, intuition, and ability to make decisions
    • Why accepting help can be an act of agency
    • How trusted relationships can support resilience, recovery, and growth
    • Why human connection and self-awareness matter alongside technology


    Learn more:

    • Visit Connie’s website
    • Read Building the Business of You
    • Connect with Connie on LinkedIn
    • Listen to Strategic Momentum
    • Subscribe to the Human Side of Work newsletter


    Your CEO of Your Career Move:

    Choose one decision you have been circling. Ask one person you trust: “What do you hear in me? What do I keep coming back to that I might not be able to hear right now?”

    Listen without defending. That is curiosity, engagement, and ownership in a single conversation.

    Stay Connected:

    • Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
    • Work From The Inside Out Website
    • Read Tammy’s book: Work from the Inside Out
    • Subscribe to the newsletter
    • Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb
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    50 分
  • Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Reflect and Refine with Scot Safon

    Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Reflect and Refine with Scot Safon
    2026/10/14

    In the final bonus episode of the Be the CEO of Your Career summer series, Tammy Gooler Loeb explores the practice of Reflect and Refine. This practice encourages professionals to pause and evaluate whether their careers are still aligned with their goals, values, and personal needs. Rather than treating career planning as a one-time exercise, Reflect and Refine recognizes that our lives, interests, and circumstances change, and our professional choices need to evolve with them.

    Tammy speaks with longtime friend Scot Safon, a media marketing and branding consultant with more than 40 years of experience. Scot's career took him from advertising agencies to leadership positions at TNT, CNN, HLN, and The Weather Channel before he established his own consulting practice. Along the way, he repeatedly assessed his opportunities, followed his interests, and made decisions that reflected both his professional ambitions and his life outside work.

    Their conversation explores how curiosity can help people discover new possibilities, why relationships are essential to career development, and how hands-on experiences can reveal more than abstract ideas ever could. Scot also reflects on the changing nature of work, the importance of enjoying the process rather than chasing an idealized dream job, and the value of maintaining a sense of optimism when navigating uncertainty.

    In This Week's Podcast, Learn More About:

    • What it means to Reflect and Refine throughout your career.
    • Why career planning should be an ongoing practice rather than a one-time decision.
    • How curiosity can lead to unexpected professional opportunities.
    • Recognizing when a job or career direction no longer fits your needs.
    • Why relationships can be instrumental in navigating career transitions.
    • How your definition of career success shifts as your life changes.
    • Why meaningful work doesn't need to define your entire identity.
    • How to approach mistakes with humor and learn from them.
    • The importance of staying optimistic when navigating change.
    • How to reassess your career while remaining open to new possibilities.


    Learn more:

    • Follow Scot on LinkedIn
    • Follow Scot on Instagram


    Your CEO of Your Career Move:

    Take Stock of Where You Are

    As the summer series comes to a close, this is an opportunity to revisit your career and ask yourself some important questions.

    Am I meeting the professional goals that matter to me?

    Is my work still aligned with my values and interests?

    Am I taking care of my personal needs, relationships, and life outside work?

    What has changed about me since I first made my career decisions?

    Is there something I need to adjust, explore, or let go of?

    Choose one area of your career that deserves a closer look.

    You don't necessarily need to make a major change. You might simply need to adjust your priorities, explore an opportunity, reconnect with someone, or try something you've been curious about.

    Your CEO of Your Career Move this week: Take 15 minutes to reflect on where you are now, what you've learned, and what you want to do differently moving forward.

    Remember, reflection isn't about second-guessing every decision you've made. It's about using what you know today to make more intentional decisions about tomorrow.


    Stay Connected:

    • Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
    • Work From The Inside Out Website
    • Read Tammy’s book: Work from the Inside Out
    • Subscribe to the newsletter
    • Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb
    • Buy Me A Coffee to support the podcast
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    56 分
  • Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Map and Launch Your Career Strategy with Susan Barber

    Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Map and Launch Your Career Strategy with Susan Barber
    2026/09/09
    In this episode of the Be the CEO of Your Career summer series, Tammy Gooler Loeb explores the fourth practice in her framework: Map and Launch Your Career Strategy. Once professionals have connected with their values, explored possibilities, and found a direction that fits, the next challenge is turning that clarity into action. This means creating a real plan with steps and timelines, one that is grounded not only in aspirations but also in practical realities.Tammy brings the practice to life through her conversation with Susan Barber, a leading executive coach and former corporate executive. Susan spent more than two decades in leadership roles while navigating perfectionism, people-pleasing, self-doubt, and a tendency to stay quiet rather than risk saying the wrong thing. Even while being recognized as a top talent, she didn't fully realize how her habit of staying in the background was affecting her career.That changed when Susan received difficult feedback that she wasn't visible enough. Initially, the message was painful and unsettling, but Susan chose not to ignore it. With the help of a business mentor, she reframed the feedback and recognized that speaking up wasn't simply about promoting herself. By withholding information, ideas, and the accomplishments of her team, she could unintentionally limit both her own impact and the ability of others to make informed decisions.Susan began preparing differently, speaking up more intentionally, and bringing her team into important conversations. Those changes transformed how she showed up as a leader and eventually became the foundation of her work around visibility. Later, when she made the decision to leave corporate leadership and build her own business, she approached the transition with an understanding of her actual circumstances, including the resources and support available to her.In This Week's Podcast, Learn More About:What it means to Map and Launch Your Career StrategyWhy career clarity must eventually turn into actionCreating a plan grounded in both goals and practical realitiesWhy readiness doesn't always feel like confidenceHow difficult feedback can become a catalyst for changeRecognizing when staying safe is keeping you hiddenThe difference between visibility and self-promotionWhy speaking up can benefit your team as well as your careerHow Susan reframed feedback into concrete actionPreparing in advance to show up with greater confidenceBuilding a career strategy around your actual resources and circumstancesWhy launching a plan requires more than quietly preparing behind the scenesHow becoming visible can create new opportunitiesLearn more:Read: The Visibility Factor: Breakthrough Your Fears, Stand In Your Own Power And Become The Authentic Leader You Were Meant To BeRead: Your Journey To Visibility Workbook: A Proven Action Plan to Achieve Career SuccessListen: The Visibility Factor podcastVisit: SusanMBarber.comLinkedIn: SusanBarberCoachingYour CEO of Your Career Move:Look at your career plan honestly.Is there a piece of it you've built quietly in a way that's still keeping you hidden?Maybe you've updated your résumé but haven't told anyone you're exploring new opportunities.Maybe you've created a website but haven't shared it.Maybe you've developed a skill but haven't shown anyone what you can do.Maybe you've decided what you want next but haven't had the conversation that could move you toward it.Pick one piece of your plan this week and put it somewhere it can be seen.A strategy doesn't become real simply because you've created it.At some point, you have to launch.Stay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedInWork From The Inside Out WebsiteRead Tammy’s book: Work from the Inside OutSubscribe to Tammy’s newsletterSubscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloebBuy Me A Coffee to support the podcast
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    43 分
  • Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Synthesize and Focus with Mira Brancu

    Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Synthesize and Focus with Mira Brancu
    2026/08/26
    In this episode of the Be the CEO of Your Career summer series, Tammy Gooler Loeb explores the third practice in her framework: Synthesize and Focus. After a period of discovery, people will have gained new information, perspectives, and ideas, considering the possibilities and themes that emerge from them. Synthesize and Focus is the process of bringing those pieces together, finding patterns, and identifying a direction that aligns with their values, strengths, interests, and practical needs.In her conversation with Dr. Mira Brancu, founder and CEO of Towerscope, Tammy saw this practice come to life. Mira's career has included school counseling, clinical psychology, research, leadership, organizational development, and entrepreneurship. What initially appeared to be a series of unexpected turns eventually revealed a pattern. Mira consistently found herself drawn to examining processes and systems to improve how people work together while navigating complex environments, and helping leaders become more effective.An important moment came when Mira decided to consider a backup plan for her career. She made a list of everything she was good at, then removed items from the list that she didn't enjoy. Mira then examined the remaining list to identify items that met at the intersection between what she enjoyed, what had income earning potential, and what could address a meaningful need. That process led her to identify a focus on supporting women in leadership and helping people navigate complex organizations and workplace politics.Mira's story also demonstrates that synthesis doesn't necessarily mean choosing one thing and abandoning everything else. Her work with the Veterans Affairs Administration and her own business began feeding one another, allowing her to bring insights from one environment into the other. She also emphasizes the importance of building relationships throughout a career transition rather than trying to make every decision alone.In This Week's Podcast, Learn More About:What it means to Synthesize and FocusWhy career clarity often comes after a period of discoveryIdentifying patterns across seemingly unrelated career experiencesUnderstanding the intersection of strengths, interests, values, and needsWhy being good at something doesn't necessarily mean you'll enjoy itMira's journey from psychology into organizational developmentHow mentors can sometimes recognize strengths before we doThe value of understanding systems and complex environmentsHow Mira created a career "sweet spot"Balancing meaningful work with practical considerationsWhy career decisions don't have to be made in isolationHow relationships, mentors, coaches, and professional networks are vital to reinventionWhy synthesis can be useful at any career crossroadsLearn more:Visit: gotowerscope.comFollow Mira on LinkedInYour CEO of Your Career Move:Take everything you've been discovering lately and lay it out in front of you.That could include conversations you've had, ideas you've explored, skills you've identified, things you've enjoyed, possibilities you've considered, and even things that didn't work out.Then ask yourself three questions:What am I good at?What do I enjoy?What does the world need that I could contribute to?Look for the overlap or intersection.That intersection may reveal where your focus wants to go next. And if you're struggling to see the pattern on your own, take Mira's advice: don't sit with your thoughts and over-deliberate by yourself. Bring other people into the process. Find mentors, coaches, professional organizations, and people who have already navigated their own career transition.Stay Connected:Connect with Tammy on LinkedInWork From The Inside Out WebsiteRead Tammy’s book: Work from the Inside OutSubscribe to the newsletterSubscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloebBuy Me A Coffee to support the podcast
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    45 分
  • Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Define Your Why with Rashmir Balasubramaniam

    Be the C.E.O. of Your Career: Define Your Why with Rashmir Balasubramaniam
    2026/07/31

    In this first episode of the Be the CEO of Your Career summer series, Tammy Gooler Loeb explores the initial practice in her framework: Define Your Why. At its core, this practice is about identifying the values and priorities that matter most so career decisions can come from clarity rather than expectation, pressure, or simply following the next logical step.

    To bring the practice to life, Tammy revisits her podcast conversation with Rashmir Balasubramaniam, a transformational leadership coach and consultant whose earliest memories include asking her father, "Why am I here?" That question would consistently surface for Rashmir throughout her career in accounting, investment banking, nonprofit leadership, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, consulting, teaching, and coaching. Again and again, Rashmir learned to recognize when her work was moving closer to, or further away from, the values of learning, growth, purpose, and impact that mattered most to her.

    Rashmir's journey illustrates how defining your why isn't something that happens once but rather serves as a thread that drives discovery, meaning and fulfillment along the way. It requires listening to the inner and outer signals that emerge throughout a career and reassessing what feels significant as circumstances evolve. Tammy closes the episode, offering a C.E.O. of Your Career Move to help listeners uncover their own why by reflecting on their best career decisions and identifying the threads connecting them.

    In This Week's Podcast, Learn More About:

    • How Define Your Why sets the stage for the five practices within the Be the CEO of Your Career framework
    • How values and priorities provide a compass for career decisions
    • Understanding the difference between logical choices and an inner sense of knowing
    • Why Rashmir repeatedly chose learning, growth, purpose, and impact
    • Recognizing when a successful career path no longer feels aligned
    • Why letting go can create space to discover what's next
    • How reflection helped Rashmir to navigate multiple career transitions
    • The power of curiosity throughout her professional journey
    • Listening for the inner and outer signals pointing toward what comes next
    • Defining your why matters at every career crossroads, including retirement


    Learn more:

    • Explore the Be the CEO of Your Career Framework
    • Visit: rashmir.net
    • Follow Rashmir on LinkedIn


    Your CEO of Your Career Move:

    Look back at every job, opportunity, or career decision that has ever felt genuinely right.

    Write down the thread, or perhaps several threads, that appeared across most of those experiences. Was it learning? Creativity? Service? Independence? Impact? Connection? Leadership?

    That recurring thread is a piece of your why.

    Pull on it. Consider where it is showing up in your career today and where it may be missing. As Tammy reminds listeners, defining your why isn't only useful when making a career pivot. It can provide clarity at any meaningful crossroads in work and life.


    Stay Connected:

    • Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
    • Work From The Inside Out Website
    • Read Tammy’s book: Work from the Inside Out
    • Subscribe to the newsletter
    • Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb
    • Buy Me A Coffee to support the podcast
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    52 分
  • Your Career, Your Future: Be the CEO of Your Career

    Your Career, Your Future: Be the CEO of Your Career
    2026/07/23

    This week on Work from the Inside Out, Tammy Gooler Loeb introduces listeners to a special bonus summer series centered around her Be the CEO of Your Career framework. Drawing on years of coaching and career development experience, Tammy explains why meaningful career growth begins with understanding yourself before pursuing external opportunities. She shares the foundational ‘CEO’ mindset: Curiosity, Engagement, and Ownership, which supports every stage of intentional career development.

    Tammy walks through the framework's five core practices: Define Your Why, Discovery, Synthesize and Focus, Map and Launch Your Career Strategy, and Reflect and Refine. Rather than presenting them as a checklist or succession of steps, she explains how these practices cycle through and evolve as careers and aspirations change. Throughout the summer, each practice will be explored through the story of a previous podcast guest whose journey demonstrates the framework in action.

    Tammy also previews an exciting new chapter for the podcast. Beginning this fall with Episode 300, Work from the Inside Out will feature a blend of inspiring guest conversations and solo episodes addressing today's evolving workplaces, career uncertainty, leadership challenges, and the future of work. She closes with a simple challenge for listeners: identify which of the five practices deserves the most attention right now and begin leading their careers with greater intention.


    What to Expect in This Summer Series:

    Over the next five episodes, Tammy will explore each practice of the Be the CEO of Your Career framework through the stories and experiences of past Work from the Inside Out guests:

    • Define Your Why with Rashmir Balasubramaniam, who shares how a lifelong search for purpose began with a simple childhood question: "Why am I here?"
    • Discovery with Jason Van Orden, whose curiosity-driven career journey demonstrates the power of exploring new possibilities and embracing change.
    • Synthesize and Focus with Mira Brancu, who explains how identifying the intersection of strengths, passions, and impact can bring greater career clarity.
    • Map and Launch Your Career Strategy with Susan Barber, who reveals how difficult feedback became the catalyst for a purposeful career transformation.
    • Reflect and Refine with Scot Safon, whose decades-long career illustrates the value of continually reassessing, learning, and adapting over time.


    Learn more:

    • Explore the Be the CEO of Your Career Framework


    Your CEO of Your Career Move:

    Before the next episode drops, take five minutes and ask yourself: Which of the five practices needs your attention most right now?

    Is it Define Your Why, Discovery, Synthesize and Focus, Map and Launch Your Career Strategy, or Reflect and Refine?


    Stay Connected:

    • Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
    • Buy Me A Coffee
    • Work From The Inside Out Website
    • Subscribe to the newsletter
    • Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb
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    10 分
  • 299: A Work Life Worth Living: Jeff Westphal on Leadership, Purpose, and Meaning

    299: A Work Life Worth Living: Jeff Westphal on Leadership, Purpose, and Meaning
    2026/07/01

    Professional success is often seen as the ultimate measure of a fulfilling career, but what if achievement alone isn't enough? In this episode of Work from the Inside Out, Tammy Gooler Loeb welcomes Jeff Westphal, former CEO of Vertex Inc., entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author of A Work Life Worth Living: Your Guide to Creating a Meaningful Career. Jeff shares the personal experiences that shaped his leadership journey and inspired his mission to help others create more meaningful work lives.

    Jeff reflects on growing up in a family of hardworking entrepreneurs, navigating a complicated relationship with his father, and discovering how learning to truly listen transformed both his leadership and his life. Together, Tammy and Jeff explore the power of workplace culture, personal responsibility, and the importance of understanding what truly brings meaning to work.

    Whether you're rethinking your career, leading a team, or searching for greater fulfillment in your professional life, this conversation offers thoughtful insights and practical wisdom. Jeff reminds listeners that while organizations can foster supportive environments, each individual has the opportunity to create a work life that is rooted in purpose, connection, and meaning.


    In this week’s Work from the Inside Out podcast, learn more about:

    • How childhood experiences shape leadership
    • Why success alone does not create fulfillment
    • The leadership power of listening first
    • Building a culture where people thrive
    • Taking ownership of your own career satisfaction
    • Finding meaning regardless of your job title
    • The lessons that transformed Jeff's relationship with his father
    • Why meaningful work starts from the inside out


    Learn more about Jeff:

    • Read: A Work Life Worth Living: Your Guide to Creating a Meaningful Career
    • Visit: meaningsphere.com
    • Visit: jeffwestphal.org
    • Follow Jeff on LinkedIn
    • Follow Jeff on Facebook
    • Follow Jeff on Instagram

    Additional resources noted during the podcast:
    • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
    • Tech Humanist: How You Can Make Technology Better for Business and Better for Humans by Kate O’Neill
    • Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership by Joseph Jaworski


    Stay Connected:

    • Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
    • Buy Me A Coffee
    • Work From The Inside Out Website
    • Subscribe to the newsletter
    • Subscribe to YouTube: @tammygoolerloeb
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    36 分