Work From The Inside Out

In this episode, I had the pleasure of welcoming back Melody Wilding, executive coach and author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge. Melody is an executive coach, licensed social worker, and professor of human behavior at Hunter College. She has worked with professionals at companies like Google, Amazon, and JPMorgan and has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes.

Melody and I had a fantastic conversation about how we can all take control of our work experience, build better relationships with managers, and navigate workplace dynamics with confidence.

In this week’s Work From The Inside Out podcast, learn more about: 

• Why Managing Up isn’t about sucking up—it’s about creating the conditions for your own success.
• The 10 essential conversations that can change the way you work.
• How to assert boundaries and push back diplomatically.
• Why career growth isn’t just about promotions—it’s about positioning yourself for respect and opportunity.
• The importance of upward empathy—understanding the pressures your boss faces.
• Practical steps to gain more visibility, influence, and confidence at work.

Learn more about Melody:

• Visit her website at melodywilding.com
• Listen to the Psychology at Work Podcast
• Follow her on Instagram @melodywilding
• Follow her on Facebook: Melody Wilding, LMSW
• Follow her on LinkedIn
• Read: Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
• Buy Me A Coffee
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to newsletter

• Instagram: @mindfulreturn
• Facebook: Mindful Return 
• LinkedIn: Mindful Return
• LinkedIn: Lori Mihalich-Levin
• Website: Mindful Return
• Listen: Parents at Work podcast

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
• Buy Me A Coffee
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to newsletter

Luis Velasquez coaches leaders worldwide, guiding them to turn challenges into opportunities. He is the author of the best-selling book “Ordinary Resilience: Rethinking How Effective Leaders Adapt and Thrive.” Luis shows how to unlock and strengthen innate resilience, preparing you to face whatever life throws your way. He’s helped hundreds of leaders thrive throughout change, and now he’s sharing his framework to help you do the same. With client accounts, personal anecdotes, and professional insight, Luis provides a roadmap you’ll return to in every challenge you face. His strategic thinking is regularly published by the Harvard Business Review and Fast Company. He has been spotlighted in Forbes and books: Dorie Clark’s "The Long Game." Tammy Gooler Loeb’s “Work from the Inside Out” and Ludmilla Praslova’s “The Canary Code.” Luis also facilitates professional development courses at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Luis is not only an advocate for resilience but a living testament to it. He was raised in poverty in Guatemala which was riddled by civil war at the time. When he came to the U.S. as a teenager to learn English. Later, after going back to Guatemala, he returned to the U.S. attended college and studied in earnest to get his Ph.D. in Botany. He became a tenure track college professor. Then, tragedy struck. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Showing unparalleled commitment, persistence, and optimism, Luis survived. Today, he’s an ultra-marathoner and Ironman triathlete, having tackled the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Family lies at the heart of his drive. Together with his wife, they're raising two children whom they hope will become two kind, confident, and resilient humans, mirroring the principles he champions.

Learn more and connect with Luis here: 

• Website
• X
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to newsletter

Michael Thompson is a career coach, lecturer at EAE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, and strategic communication advisor to top business leaders worldwide. Growing up, Michael’s stutter and social anxiety kept him reserved and reluctant to pursue his goals. Over time he challenged his supposed weaknesses by putting himself out in the world and discovered the person he did not know he could become. Michael developed a system of principles to help people express themselves more confidently and build meaningful relationships without sacrificing their nature. He brings those principles to life in his book Shy by Design: 12 Timeless Principles to Quietly Stand Out. His writing has also appeared in numerous publications, including Fast Company, Insider, Forbes, INC, MSN, and Apple News.

He recounts his professional evolution from a barback to a successful sales manager, his transformative experiences in teaching and coaching, and his eventual success as a writer and published author. Michael offers valuable insights on self-discovery, the importance of vulnerability, and the power of going slow and steady in one's career. 

As a kid, Michael allowed his shyness, severe stutter, and crippling social anxiety to dominate his internal dialog and undermine his hopes and dreams. He was mocked by his peers and even some teachers, reinforcing the self-limiting belief that he was better off tucked away in a corner, safe from harm's way. Yet, while some people focus on their strengths to win the life they want, Michael chose to pursue the opposite path and pushed himself, making a commitment to collect blisters instead of chasing bliss. He stepped into the person he didn’t even know he was capable of becoming.

In Shy by Design, Michael shares his inspiring journey of moving from being riddled with self-doubt to becoming a sought-after career coach, university leadership lecturer, and strategic communication advisor for top global business executives and entrepreneurs. He chronicles his transformation from feeling left out to leading others, all the while staying true to his shy and quiet nature. Through numerous examples, from embracing our imperfections to questioning our "perceived" weaknesses, Michael offers strategies we can all use to cement our own principles that are authentic to who we each are and amplify your impact without sacrificing your shy nature.

Packaged into 12 easy-to-grasp principles, Shy by Design will teach you to:

• Grow your confidence and strengthen communication skills on your own terms and at your own pace.
• Create meaningful connections and foster a close-knit community that supports personal growth.
• Lead with quiet conviction that uplifts others on the climb toward success.

Michael’s story of navigating the often loud world of sales and communication – while staying true to his shy way of being – will inspire you to embrace your unique strengths and see your “perceived” weaknesses through a more empowered lens.

Learn more and connect with Michael here: 

• Read Shy by Design
• LinkedIn
• Medium
• Instagram
• X

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to newsletter

Starting from his childhood fascination with media, Scot Safon shares his professional journey starting in the advertising agency world and moving to executive marketing roles in major media companies such as CNN, TNT, HLN, The Weather Channel, and more. He recounts anecdotes from his formative years, explains his career transitions, and outlines his current consulting practice.

Scot grew up in a diverse, working-class neighborhood in Bay Shore, New York, a town on the south shore of Long Island. He is a long-time friend of Tammy’s going back to junior high school. Scot appreciated the variety of hardworking adult role models who demonstrated that family life was not superseded by one’s work. While he always enjoyed learning and his classes, he noted that his favorite activities went beyond classroom time. He was fascinated with all kinds of media. At a young age, he would go to sleep listening to news radio, he went to every movie he could (that didn’t have an R rating), and later took the train to New York City to see Broadway shows every chance he could. Through his school and university years, Scot was active in the drama club, an editor for his high school newspaper, a curator and promoter for a film festival, and he worked as a reporter for a regional NPR station near his college.

Scot attended the University of Virginia, where he earned his BA and went on to Cornell University for his MBA. He then went to New York City to work in advertising on consumer product accounts. Scot set his sights on moving over to the media industry and was offered an opportunity to work on the CBS Network account. Then he moved to Atlanta to work for Turner Network Television, elevating to serve as Chief Marketing Officer or Head of Marketing for a number of major media brands across a 40-year career, including CNN, The Weather Channel, TNT, and MotorTrend. He also was the EVP/General Manager of CNN’s HLN network.

Today Scot is a media marketing and branding consultant whose clients range from global blue-chip brands to not-for-profits. He advises C-suite decision-makers on strategic communications to launch products, address crises, and explain policies. His focus: helping clients "find the right words" to support their initiatives. His consulting clients have included Ford, HBO Max, Showtime, the Scripps Networks, The Grand Ole Opry, and New America. He is a consulting associate with agencies Civic Entertainment and Cultique.

Emphasizing curiosity and adaptability, Scot offers valuable insights on navigating career advancements and leveraging the power of effective communication. His journey illustrates how passion, persistence, and a willingness to embrace new challenges can lead to a fulfilling career in media.

Learn more and connect with Scot here: 

• Facebook
• Instagram

Stay Connected:

• Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn
• @TammyGoolerLoeb on Instagram
• Work From The Inside Out Website
• Subscribe to newsletter