Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Making It with Jess Ekstrom
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| Making it to an Audience of 12 Million with the Founders of TheSkimm, Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg | 14 Jul 2026 | 01:01:05 | |
Jess sits down with Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, the brilliant co-founders of The Skimm. Proving that cold DMs can actually work , Jess dives deep into their 14-year entrepreneurial journey — from meeting during a study abroad program in Rome and quitting their dream jobs at NBC News to building a massive news media empire and raising multiple rounds of venture capital. Carly and Danielle share the raw realities of navigating burnout , maintaining a strictly objective newsroom during highly polarized elections , and drafting a business "prenup" to protect their relationship. They also pull back the curtain on what it actually looks like when a massive acquisition deal closes — bathrobes included. Episode Highlights:
About Our Guests: Carly Zakin & Danielle Weisberg are media entrepreneurs, journalists, and the co-founders of The Skimm. After meeting in college and working together as producers at NBC News , they left their corporate trajectories to launch a daily newsletter from their couch. Together, they scaled The Skimm into a dominant multi-platform brand that fundamentally changed how millions of millennial women consume news and manage their civic, financial, and professional lives. Through their platform, they have registered over two million voters and championed massive structural transparency around paid family leave. Following their successful acquisition , they continue to advocate for technology education , career autonomy , and structural workplace support for women. | |||
| Making it to Adoption and Inc's Fastest Growing Company with Jessica Honegger | 30 Jun 2026 | 00:55:32 | |
Recorded on location in Austin, Texas, Jess catches up with long-time friend Jessica Honegger, the visionary founder of Noonday Collection. Jessica shares the raw, inspiring origin story of how she pawned her grandmother’s gold jewelry to build a website and launched Noonday as a simple fundraiser to finance her son's adoption from Rwanda. After scaling Noonday into an explosive powerhouse and one of Inc.’s fastest-growing companies, she faced a massive crossroads when post-COVID market shifts triggered an industry-wide collapse for traditional direct sales. Jessica pulls back the curtain on why she chose to stay and reinvent the company rather than liquidate, her experience hiring her husband as her operational partner, and how she completely dismantled the "mom guilt" narrative while raising a family alongside a globally integrated business. Episode Highlights
About Our Guest Jessica Honegger is an author, speaker, podcaster, and the founder of Noonday Collection, a socially conscious fashion brand that partners with artisans across the globe to create sustainable economic opportunities. A passionate advocate for international development and human rights, Jessica is the author of Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Your Comfort Zone. Over the past 15 years, her brand has mobilized thousands of ambassadors, built a sustainable middle class for dozens of international artisan communities, and emerged as a leading voice in ethical entrepreneurship. | |||
| Making it to the Most Decorated Track & Field Athlete in the World with Allyson Felix | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:50:21 | |
In this special live episode of Making It with Jess Ekstrom, recorded in front of a live audience at Mic Drop Live, Jess sits down with Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete of all time. While her medal count is legendary, her true legacy lies in her resilience off the track. Allyson opens up about her bold decision to train for the LA 2028 Olympics at age 40, defying societal expectations for women in their 40s. She shares the raw details of navigating a traumatic pregnancy, being dropped by a major sponsor, and turning that adversity into a powerful crusade for maternal health protections for female athletes. Plus, Allyson pulls back the curtain on the world of entrepreneurship, explaining why she and her brother co-founded Saysh—a footwear brand explicitly designed to fit the unique anatomy of the female foot. Episode Highlights
About Our Guest Allyson Felix is an iconic American track and field athlete and the most decorated competitor in the sport's history, holding 11 Olympic medals. Beyond her unparalleled athletic achievements, she is a fierce advocate for maternal health, gender equality, and working mothers. Following her historic break from Nike over pregnancy protections, she co-founded Saysh, a community-centered footwear brand that designs athletic shoes specifically engineered for the female form. Allyson continues to break barriers as an entrepreneur, activist, and mother.
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| My live book signing at Argent, hosted by Meggie Palmer | 02 Jun 2026 | 00:42:56 | |
Have you ever hit the thing you were chasing — the milestone, the launch, the moment — and felt the goalpost immediately move? Have you ever wondered if ambition itself could be both the engine and the thief?
In This Episode Jess and Meggie cover the core ideas behind Making It Without Losing It: the difference between anxious ambition and inspired ambition, why the smash is better than the cash, and how Jess went from measuring success by how many stages she could get on — to measuring it by how many stages she could help other women get on. Plus: live audience Q&A, a meditation on legacy, and the one question Jess keeps posted in her office that changes everything. Highlights From the Room:
About Meggie Palmer Meggie Palmer is the founder of Pep Talk Her, a platform and community on a mission to close the gender pay gap — helping women negotiate more, earn more, and get promoted faster. A former journalist turned advocate, Meggie brings the same sharp, warm energy to every conversation she hosts. Find her and her Thank You Thursday practice wherever she shows up online. Resources & Links
Produced by Making It with Jess Ekstrom & Walk West | Recorded live at Argent NYC 🕯️ Soulful Sidebar: What Would Your Obituary Say? At a silent retreat Jess didn't fully read the fine print for, the theme turned out to be death and dying. She almost left. She didn't. And it cracked something open. The exercise: write what you'd want your obituary to say. Not as a morbid act — as a compass. Am I living the life that people would say this about? Most of us wait for a diagnosis or a close call to ask that question. But what if you didn't need the crisis? What if the awareness — right now, today — was enough to course-correct? You don't just get to complete goals in this lifetime. You get to set goals that outlive you. That's not a burden. That's the whole point. | |||
| Making it to a Linkedin Top Voice with Selena Rezvani | 19 May 2026 | 00:32:41 | |
Have you ever held onto an idea so tightly — workshopping it, perfecting it, protecting it — that you never actually put it out into the world? Selena Rezvani didn't get to where she is by waiting for an invitation. She got there by writing a typewriter-typed appeal letter to save her college education. By cold-emailing CEOs she had zero connections to. By showing up on TikTok in her forties and going viral in ways she never saw coming. A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, LinkedIn Top Voice, and one of the most sought-after voices on quick confidence and modern leadership, Selena has built her entire career on one foundational belief: you have to be your own vocal champion, because nobody else is going to ask on your behalf.
About Selena Rezvani Selena Rezvani is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, LinkedIn Top Voice, and keynote speaker on confidence, leadership, and self-advocacy. Her books Quick Confidence and Quick Leadership have reached thousands of readers and leaders worldwide. A recovering "nervous nice girl" turned boldly vocal advocate for women in the workplace, Selena built her platform by doing exactly what she teaches: making bold bets, seeding the forest, and keeping every promise she makes to herself. Resources & Links
Produced by Making It with Jess Ekstrom and Walk West ✨ Soulful Sidebar: The Forest, Not the Rose Selena's biggest lesson about going viral wasn't a formula. It was a mindset shift: stop trying to grow the perfect prize rose. Start seeding a forest. The posts she thought would land? Didn't always. The ones she tossed off quickly, done hastily and imperfectly? Sometimes those were the ones that changed everything. There's a version of creative work that's about getting it right. And then there's the version that's about getting it out — articulating the idea, putting it in front of people, seeing what resonates, iterating, surprising yourself. That's how you find your voice. Not in the workshopping. In the releasing. Whatever you've been sitting on: it's time. | |||
| Making it to...raising Jess Ekstrom with Jess's Mom, Laurie Ekstrom | 05 May 2026 | 00:50:16 | |
Have you ever realized that the person who shaped you most never once thought of themselves as remarkable? Have you ever sat down with someone you've known your whole life — and learned something that changed everything? This episode is a little different. Today's guest isn't a founder or a bestselling author or a keynote speaker. She's something harder to find and harder to hold onto. She's Laurie Ekstrom — Jess's mom, Lala to the grandkids, and the woman who quietly, consistently made it possible for everyone around her to go for it. Jess recorded this episode to celebrate the launch of her book, Making It Without Losing It, because Laurie is — in so many ways — what that book is about: finding peace in the present while still believing in something bigger. This conversation is warm, funny, unfiltered, and at times, genuinely surprising. There's a Waffle House run at midnight. There's a confession about being unplanned. There's the story of a FLaurieda beach, a shared earbud, and a wedding song played during the darkest financial chapter of their family's life. And there's a two-minute message to Jack and Ellie — Jess's kids — that might be the most honest parenting advice in the whole episode. Tune In For:
This episode drops on the same day as Jess's book, Making It Without Losing It — grab your copy wherever books are sold.
Produced by Making It with Jess Ekstrom and Walk West 🧡 Soulful Sidebar: What If Your Purpose Was Always the People? Laurie spent years quietly wondering if she had done enough. Was she contributing? Did she have a purpose? The answer came at two in the morning, watching her daughter on the local news, handing out headbands to kids in hospitals. She hadn't built a company or written a book. But she had built the person who did. There's a version of making it that looks like a highlight reel — the launch, the press, the milestone. And then there's the version that shows up in a two AM email, a Waffle House booth at midnight, a shared earbud on a dark beach. The people who love you the loudest don't always have the most accolades. They're just the ones who showed up — every time, without being asked — and made it possible for you to go. That's Laurie. And if you're lucky, you know someone like her too. | |||
| The Best Place We Ever Stayed | 28 Apr 2026 | 00:06:29 | |
Have you ever realized, only after it was too late, that a person was one of the most important ones in your life? Have you ever found something life-changing somewhere you never thought to look? This episode is a story Jess has been sitting with for almost five years. Not because it isn't important — but because she didn't yet have the language for what it changed in her. It's about a $20-a-night RV park in Las Vegas with flickering streetlights, nightly helicopter noise, and a check-cashing place on the corner. It's about two strangers who saw Jess's husband eating alone at a picnic table and pulled up a chair. And it's about what happened — years later — when Jess texted to check in and didn't hear back. Tony and Linda Oyster started as RV neighbors. They became family. And the lesson they left behind quietly reframes everything: the places we go, the milestones we chase, the next thing we're always running toward. In This Episode Jess shares the story of Tony and Linda — and why, after three years on the road visiting some of the most breathtaking places in the country, a worn-down Las Vegas RV park is still her honest answer to "what was your favorite stop?" She also offers four small, practical ways to find more meaning inside the life you already have — no big life overhaul required. Because most of the time, meaning doesn't show up at a mountaintop. It shows up in who you're sitting next to.
Resources & Links
Produced by Making It with Jess Ekstrom 🪑 Soulful Sidebar: What If the Destination Was Never the Point? We optimize for places, titles, and milestones. We take the mountaintop photo. We check the box. But Tony and Linda — who spent 15 years on the road, slides and all — weren't remembered for where they went. They were remembered for how they showed up beside a stranger eating alone at a picnic table. The question worth sitting with: In five years, what will the people around you remember about this season? Not what you accomplished. How you showed up. Who you made time for. Whether you put the phone down. That's the whole thing. That's making it. | |||
| The Power Pause: Why Stepping Back Might Be the Most Ambitious Thing You Ever Do | 21 Apr 2026 | 00:36:11 | |
Have you ever made a choice that felt completely right to you — but everyone around you thought you were giving up? Have you ever wondered if slowing down and leaning in could actually be the same move? Neha Ruch was fresh out of Stanford Business School, climbing fast, and checking every box the Lean In era told her to check. Then she had her son on New Year's Day 2016 — and in the fog of new motherhood, three o'clock in the morning, at the end of the internet, something cracked open. Not a crisis. A clarity. All I need to be is myself. And this kid loves me for it. So she downshifted. Not for her son. For herself. And the world had a lot of opinions about it.
Neha Ruch is the founder of Mother Untitled, author of the bestselling book The Power Pause, and a speaker and advocate redefining ambition for the modern mother. After graduating from Stanford Business School and stepping back from a fast-track career to raise her children, Neha built a movement — and eventually a membership community — dedicated to showing that professional pauses and downshifts are a strategic, feminist, and deeply creative choice. Her work has helped thousands of women reclaim their identity, their confidence, and their careers on their own terms.
Produced by Making It with Jess Ekstrom and Walk West
The cultural image of a woman "on pause" hasn't been updated since the 1970s. We inherited June Cleaver. But today's woman stepping back from the workforce is likely coming in with 8–10 years of professional experience — and layering on skills that don't show up on a LinkedIn profile: crisis management, negotiation, logistics, community building, and a kind of perspective that only comes from being fully responsible for another human life. Neha's challenge to employers — and to the women themselves: Stop calling it a gap. Start calling it what it is. A power pause. A leadership lab. A season that didn't pause the growth. It just changed the classroom. | |||
| From the Locker Room to Oprah's List: How Cookie Society Built a Cult Following on Grit, Data, and Really Good Cookies | 07 Apr 2026 | 00:40:28 | |
Have you ever started something just to make people happy — and accidentally built a business? Have you ever landed your biggest dream moment (hi, Oprah) and found yourself on the other end of it crying... because the crates broke? Marissa Allen knows both sides of that coin intimately. She didn't set out to be a founder. She was an NFL wife, a former college soccer player, a stay-at-home mom of two tiny humans (one of whom was six months old, crawling around the kitchen), and someone who just really loved baking cookies for her husband's teammates on the Houston Texans. It was a teammate trying to buy those cookies that planted the seed. She was reluctant. Her husband wasn't.
About Marissa Allen Marissa Allen is the co-founder of Cookie Society, a Dallas-based gourmet cookie brand with multiple brick-and-mortar locations, a national shipping operation, and a deeply loyal following built on bold flavors, seasonal exclusivity, and an authentic story. A former college soccer player turned NFL wife turned entrepreneur, Marissa bootstrapped Cookie Society from a rented commercial kitchen to Oprah's Favorite Things — and is now scaling toward 10 locations with a team of 88. She runs the business alongside her husband Jeff, who heads up marketing, while Marissa focuses on operations, systems, and the creative vision that started it all.
🍳 Soulful Sidebar: The Scarcity Mindset vs. The Abundance Play Most product businesses default to scarcity thinking — I need to keep selling what works. Cookie Society flipped it. By pulling their most beloved items off the menu seasonally, they didn't lose customers. They created a holiday. People mark their calendars. They show up overnight. They order more because they can't choose just one.
That's not luck. That's a brand with a backbone. | |||
| The Power of Four Words: "Have a Nice Life" | 31 Mar 2026 | 00:07:11 | |
We spend our entire lives avoiding "goodbye." We trade Instagram handles, promise to "catch up soon," and say "until next time"—all to protect ourselves from the discomfort of a finished chapter. But what happens when you lean into the finality instead? In this reflective solo episode, Jess Ekstrom breaks down a chance encounter at a Colorado campground that changed her entire perspective on presence. When an older traveler told her, "You kids have a nice life," it didn't feel like a well-wish—it felt like a gut punch. Jess explores the beauty of impermanence and why acknowledging that a moment will never happen again is actually the secret to enjoying it.
Key Quotes: "Impermanence isn't a sad thing. In fact, it's the opposite. It's a reminder that all we have is now. So we might as well just enjoy it." "Sometimes relaxing isn't the reward. It's the work itself." Featured in this Episode:
A Challenge for Your Week: Next time you're in a conversation or a beautiful moment, try to find your "matcha foam." Identify one tiny, specific detail about this exact moment that will never be replicated again. | |||
| The SNL Exit Strategy: Lindsay Shookus on Trust, Fame, and Receiving the "Motherfing Data" | 24 Mar 2026 | 00:39:54 | |
Have you ever had a dream job—the kind people tell you is the "coolest job in the world"—only to realize that your identity has become so wrapped up in it that you don’t know who you are without the title? How do you walk away from a legacy to build something entirely your own? Welcome to Making It with Jess Ekstrom. This week, Jess sits down with Lindsay Shookus, the legendary former producer and head of the talent department at Saturday Night Live. After 20 years of discovering stars and managing the chaos of live television, Lindsey made the "wobbly" decision to leave 30 Rock and redefine what success looks like on her own terms. In this candid conversation, Lindsey opens up about the grit required to survive 20-hour days, the lonely reality of hyper-fame, and the epiphany that led her to co-found Women Work Fing Hard*—a community built on active support rather than just "mentorship."
About Lindsay Shookus: Lindsay Shookus is an Emmy Award-winning producer, speaker, and coach. Best known for her two-decade career at Saturday Night Live, she now uses her expertise in talent and trust to advise hedge funds, produce documentaries, and empower women through her community, Women Work F***ing Hard. Resources & Links:
How to "Receive the Data" in Your Career Lindsey talks about treating feedback-and even rejection-as objective data. This shift moves you from an emotional participant to a strategic scientist of your own life. | |||
| Crop Tops & $210M Exits: Anne Mahlum on Radical Responsibility and Winning on Your Own Terms | 10 Mar 2026 | 00:37:38 | |
Have you ever felt like you had to mute your personality, change your style, or "fit the mold" just to be taken seriously in business? What if the very things people told you to tone down were actually your greatest superpowers for building a $100M empire? Welcome to the premiere episode of Making It with Jess Ekstrom. This week, Jess sits down with Anne Mahlum, the visionary founder of [Solidcore] and Back on My Feet. Anne famously raised $210 million from private equity while wearing see-through crop tops, proving that authenticity isn't just a buzzword—it’s a high-stakes competitive advantage. In this raw and uncensored conversation, Anne pulls back the curtain on her $100 million exit, why she refuses to be a "one-hit wonder," and how she transitioned from a "starving founder" to a fitness mogul. They dive deep into the "hustle muscle" fueled by early pain, the importance of "happy endings" in business, and the biological shifts of entering her next big chapter: motherhood. Tune in for:
About Anne Mahlum: Anne Mahlum is a speaker, investor, and the founder of [Solidcore], a boutique fitness powerhouse she scaled to 100+ locations before a massive exit. She is also the founder of the non-profit Back on My Feet. Anne is a dedicated advocate for financial literacy and empowers founders to build businesses that reflect their truest selves. Resources & Links:
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| New Name, New Season Coming March 11th - Making It with Jess Ekstrom! | 04 Mar 2026 | 00:03:37 | |
| Should We Be “Like Men” to Get Ahead? with LauraAura | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:28:09 | |
What if an algorithm could perfectly articulate the unfair advantages men have in business, and what if that knowledge was the catalyst you needed to completely change your career? In the season finale on Amplify, Jess sits down with LauraAura, host of the wildly popular Gutsy Podcast and an acclaimed speaker. Laura shares the moment a Taylor Swift song drove her to ask ChatGPT a provocative question: "How would my career look different if I were a man?" The AI's response—listing everything from earning more money to having faster access to "power rooms"—pissed her off, but also activated a plan. Laura breaks down the five core areas where women are often held back and details the specific, gutsy move she attached to each one, creating a powerful blueprint for other women to follow. Tune in for:
About Laura Aura: LauraAura is a speaker, brand strategist, and the host of The Gutsy Podcast, where she encourages thousands of women to stop overthinking and start doing the thing they can't stop thinking about. She is known for her bold, direct, and deeply encouraging approach to female ambition. Resources & Links:
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| How to Communicate Clearly When Life Gets Chaotic with Caitlin Gardner | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:23:37 | |
The world is constantly in a state of chaos—from an unexpected crisis at work to the personal high stakes of having a baby during a global pandemic. How do you find the calm confidence needed to navigate those moments when you feel most exposed? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with Caitlin Gardner, a veteran crisis communications expert who is the founder of Blooming Communications. Caitlin's professional life involves helping Fortune 500 companies communicate with calm maturity during crises. Her personal life, however, includes having a baby at the peak of the 2020 pandemic while her husband lost his job—a high-stakes moment that uniquely prepared her for the work she does today. Caitlin shares how to apply the lessons learned in the delivery room to the boardroom, giving you the practical tools to handle unexpected public scrutiny, internal high stakes, and even the double-edged sword of going viral.
About Caitlin Gardner: Caitlin Gardner is the Founder of Blooming Communications, a strategic communications consultancy. She is an expert in high-stakes communications, reputation management, and crisis preparedness, helping clients bring "calm confidence" to moments of unexpected chaos. Resources & Links:
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| Negotiate Your Way to What You Really Want with Kathryn Valentine | 14 Oct 2025 | 00:30:18 | |
Have you ever confused a bigger salary with a richer life? What if the key to getting what you truly want isn’t a better tactic, but a deeper understanding of your own values? In this Amplify episode, Jess sits down with negotiation expert Kathryn Valentine, a former McKinsey consultant with an impressive background featured in Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal. Kathryn's journey started with a high-stakes failure—a negotiation so bad it ended with a security escort. Still, that experience led her to discover that proper negotiation is a valuable tool for life design, not just a means to secure a salary bump.
About Kathryn Valentine: Kathryn Valentine is a negotiation expert, speaker, and former McKinsey consultant. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal, and she advises companies such as JPMorgan Chase. She is dedicated to equipping women with the tools to negotiate for their richest life.
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| Leading, Mothering, and TEDx with Hazel Sy | 30 Sep 2025 | 00:26:15 | |
Have you ever questioned if you should quit your career to focus on family, only to realize that constant self-doubt is draining energy you could use elsewhere? What if continuing to work is not just a financial necessity, but a vital investment in your own identity?
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| How to Use Fear as Creative Fuel with Mary Marantz | 16 Sep 2025 | 00:31:05 | |
Have you ever secretly loved being underestimated? That feeling of having nothing to lose and everything to prove. But what happens when you start to succeed, and that pressure of being watched threatens to sabotage your progress? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with her dear friend, author, and speaker Mary Marantz, whose new book Underestimated explores how to break free from the fears that hold us back. Mary gets candid about her journey, from being told by a high school teacher that she wouldn't make it, to the destructive cycle of perfectionism and self-sabotage that comes with success. She shares how she's learned to embrace a new kind of fuel for her ambition and why she believes the very act of facing fear means you're about to do work that truly matters.
About Mary Marantz: Mary Marantz is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur whose work empowers people to unlock their purpose and do the work they were put on this earth to do. She is a New York Times bestselling author of Dirt and Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots, and her newest book is titled Underestimated. Resources & Links:
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| Amy Porterfield on How to Earn Financial Freedom through Digital Courses | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:30:14 | |
Amy Porterfield really wanted freedom, flexibility, and autonomy in her career. She entered the digital course industry, which allowed her to work from home while still making money. Starting small, her first course made just $267, but she pulled in over $100 million in revenue through tweaks and relaunches. How did she do it? How can you leverage digital courses to balance work and family life and generate income while being present for your family? Let's find out! And if you’re ready to take the first steps yourself, Amy is breaking it all down inside her brand-new Course Confident Bootcamp. Over 5 days, she’ll walk you through 4 simple steps to turn your talk or story into a course—without the overwhelm.
👉 Join Course Confident for $47
--- Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| How to Turn Play into Your Creative Superpower with Adam Tanaka | 19 Aug 2025 | 00:26:53 | |
Have you ever felt like you're not what meets the eye, with a deep, complex backstory hidden behind a seemingly successful exterior? What if the most difficult parts of your past, the ones you tried to escape, are actually the secret ingredients to your greatest triumphs and your most powerful message? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with Adam Tanaka, a founder and speaker who has built and sold companies and now teaches others how to unlock their most creative selves through the power of play. Adam's journey is far from linear and his seemingly picture-perfect success story is built on a childhood filled with trauma and chaos, where a game of hide and seek was an act of survival. He opens up about his "normal," which included a mother struggling with addiction, his heroic act of saving her from a house fire at age 15, and how that trauma unknowingly followed him into adulthood. Adam shares how his success led to one of his darkest moments, what truly saved his life, and the powerful framework he created to ensure he and others always have a community to fall back on.
About Adam Tanaka: Resources & Links:
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| From The Today Show to Building AI That Tells Human Stories with Patrice Poltzer | 05 Aug 2025 | 00:36:49 | |
Have you ever felt completely lost in your career, only to find that your most challenging experiences became your greatest assets? And how can AI, often seen as a threat to creativity, actually unlock your most authentic stories? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with Patrice Poltzer, co-founder of My Story Pro AI, a storytelling and AI strategist, and a former award-winning producer for The Today Show. Patrice has a somewhat non-linear journey - from the grit of door-to-door book sales and navigating a toxic startup culture after leaving her dream job, to more unexpected pivots and entrepreneurial endeavors. Plus Patrice talks about her "lost twenties" - and why they were foundational to her success. Tune in for:
About Patrice Poltzer: Patrice Poltzer is the co-founder of My Story Pro AI, a storytelling and AI strategist, and a former award-winning producer for NBC's Today Show. With a unique blend of media expertise and entrepreneurial grit, Patrice empowers individuals and businesses to leverage AI as a tool for deeper self-discovery and more authentic, impactful storytelling. Resources & Links:
Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Unlock Your Inner Child and Tap Into Your Creativity, with Natalie Nixon | 22 Jul 2025 | 00:23:33 | |
Do you sometimes feel like your creative well has run dry? In a world increasingly dominated by AI and efficiency, how do we protect and cultivate our unique human spark? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with Natalie Nixon, PhD, a renowned creativity expert, innovation strategist, and author, famously dubbed the "Creativity Whisperer to the C-Suite." Natalie shares profound insights on how to reclaim your inherent creativity, understand its real-world ROI, and navigate the evolving relationship between human ingenuity and artificial intelligence. Drawing inspiration from childhood wonder, Natalie and Jess explore how our natural creative impulses often get "disciplined" by traditional education and societal norms. You'll learn why "getting lost on purpose" can be a powerful catalyst for new ideas and how leveraging AI can actually amplify, rather than stifle, your human creativity. We tackle:
About Natalie Nixon, PhD: Natalie Nixon, PhD, is a global expert in creativity, innovation, and the future of work. She advises leaders on how to make their organizations more nimble and innovative through her unique approach to applied creativity. As a speaker, strategist, and author of The Creativity Leap, Natalie empowers individuals and teams to unlock their creative potential and drive tangible results. She is also launching her new book, Move, Think, Rest, in 2025. Resources & Links:
Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Saying Yes Too Often? Here’s How to Set Boundaries with Kwame Christian | 08 Jul 2025 | 00:29:39 | |
Are you tired of feeling like you have to be inauthentic to be liked? Do you struggle with setting boundaries and advocating for yourself, fearing it might damage your relationships? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with her dear friend, Kwame Christian, a top-booked negotiation keynote speaker and host of the #1 podcast, Negotiate Anything. Kwame shares a deeply personal and formative childhood story that shaped his journey from people-pleaser to negotiation expert, revealing how his early experiences led him to compromise himself for the sake of being liked. He explains how this common "people-pleasing pressure" can actually damage the very relationships we're trying to protect. You'll discover:
About Kwame Christian Resources & Links:
Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| My TEDx Talk | The Secret to Great Public Speaking (No, It's Not Confidence) | 30 Jun 2025 | 00:03:59 | |
I recently had the opportunity to step onto the red dot at TEDx Sugar Creek Women, and I was surrounded by so many amazing speakers. For eight years, I've been refining my thoughts on public speaking, and it really just all culminated in this eight minute talk - The Secret to Great Public Speaking (No, It's Not Confidence). Here's a sneak peek, and for the full video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT2q1YKZQPE. And of course I'd love it if you left a review and comment! | |||
| Is Cancel Culture Actually Working? | 24 Jun 2025 | 00:32:34 | |
Are you struggling to maintain relationships with people you love, even when you disagree on fundamental issues? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with her good friend, Brit Barron, a speaker, DEI consultant, and author of Do You Still Talk to Grandma? Brit's work offers a much-needed guide for navigating the increasingly polarized world we live in, helping us find common ground and connection even when perspectives diverge. Brit and Jess discuss our divided society, examining why it feels harder than ever to see eye to eye. They challenge the tendency to categorize people into "good" or "bad" boxes and instead champion the power of nuance, where love and disagreement can coexist.
About Brit Barron: Resources & Links:
Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Stop Giving Women Toxic Advice with Dr. Sarah Glova | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:30:56 | |
Are you constantly feeling overwhelmed by the endless "shoulds" and unsolicited advice coming your way? This week on Amplify, Jess sits down with her good friend, Dr. Sarah Glova, a keynote speaker, writer, researcher, and unapologetic truth-teller. Her viral talk, "Stop Giving Women Advice," is backed by science, and when Jess saw the title, she knew she had to have her on the show. Sarah thoroughly examines why unsolicited advice isn't just annoying – it can actually reinforce power imbalances, stifle confidence, and make women feel like they’re always playing catch-up. She reveals how her personal experience as a new wife, new mom, and new business owner led her to research the power dynamics of advice-giving. You'll hear about the fascinating studies showing who gives and receives advice, and how the act of giving advice can fuel a sense of power in the giver, often at the expense of the receiver. We also explore:
About Dr. Sarah Glova: Resources & Links:
Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| The Unspoken Truths of Motherhood, with Sarah Hoover | 27 May 2025 | 00:26:41 | |
Today, Jess sits down with Sarah to talk about the abrupt whiplash of parenthood—from the identity crisis, the rage, the silence, and the slow process to recovery. Sarah’s book The Mother Load has been resonating with women across the country, because it tells the truth so many are scared to say out loud. Jess and Sarah talk about:
Resources & Links: The Mother Load by Sarah Hoover: https://www.amazon.com/Motherload-Episodes-Brink-Motherhood/dp/1668010135 Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Quick Confidence in Speaking, with Selena Rezvani | 13 May 2025 | 00:22:29 | |
If you’ve ever looked at confident people and thought, “That could never be me,” this episode might flip your whole narrative. This week, Jess sits down with Selena Rezvani a LinkedIn Top Voice, TEDx speaker, and bestselling author of Quick Confidence, to dismantle the myth that confidence is something you’re born with. Spoiler: it’s not. It’s something you build, one rep at a time. Selena shares the uncomfortable story of being pushed into public speaking before she was ready and how that terrifying blur of a moment unlocked a career she never saw coming. She talks about the hard truth of over-preparing, why winging it is a form of self-sabotage, and how to turn stage fright into fuel. You’ll also hear:
About Selena Rezvani Selena is a speaker, author, and leadership consultant whose work focuses on helping women and marginalized professionals show up with more confidence and self-advocacy. She’s the author of Quick Confidence, Pushback, and a LinkedIn Learning instructor, reaching millions with her content on leadership, confidence, and communication. Resources & Links: Read Selena’s Book – Quick Confidence: https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Confidence-Authentic-Connections-Yourself/dp/1394160941 Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Unlock Your Peak Performance with Molly Fletcher | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:23:44 | |
In this episode, Jess Ekstrom is joined by Molly Fletcher, a former top sports agent and now one of the world’s most sought-after keynote speakers, to talk about what confidence really looks like behind the scenes. From protecting your energy to saying “yes” to the stage, Molly shares practical advice on how to step into your power and show up with purpose. (even when self-doubt creeps in!) Molly Fletcher is a trailblazing former sports agent who spent nearly two decades negotiating contracts for the world’s top athletes and coaches, earning her the nickname "the female Jerry Maguire." Today, she’s a keynote speaker, author of The Energy Clock and Dynamic Drive, and host of Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. Known for her powerhouse presence on stage, Molly speaks globally on peak performance, leadership, and building confidence through action. Resources & Links:
Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Creating an Unforgettable Presence with Lorraine K. Lee | 15 Apr 2025 | 00:24:18 | |
In today’s competitive workplace, being a standout means being a professional guru and making a memorable presence. In today's episode, Lorraine will share proven strategies to help you stand out, gain influence, and create a presence that makes you truly unforgettable. Fortune 500 companies, including Amazon, Zoom, Cisco, and McKinsey & Company, have adopted Lorraine's frameworks. With hundreds of thousands of LinkedIn followers and a reputation as a LinkedIn Top Voice in workplace communication, she knows what it takes to build influence and visibility in the modern workplace.
Her book, Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career (Wiley, 2025), encapsulates her expertise in professional development. Lorraine is also a respected instructor at LinkedIn Learning and Stanford Continuing Studies, where she teaches courses on topics such as executive presence and virtual communication. Her insights have been featured in major publications, including CNBC, Forbes, and Fast Company. Lorraine's journey into public speaking began in 2021, and following a layoff in 2022, she launched her own company, RISE Learning Solutions. Through this platform, she offers training and consulting services to organizations aiming to empower their teams. Her work has positively impacted professionals at companies like Zoom, Amazon, Cisco, and McKinsey & Company. Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice in workplace communication, Lorraine inspires individuals to take control of their careers and stand out. Keep up with Lorraine! Website: lorraineklee.com To see the LinkedIn Live, check it out here! https://www.linkedin.com/events/creatinganunforgettablepresence7303073852949958657/theater/ | |||
| The Wild Courage to Ask for What You Want, with Jenny Wood | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:21:18 | |
Fear has a sneaky way of keeping us stuck. It takes many shapes and forms, like going after a new opportunity, negotiating a raise, or speaking up for ourselves. In this episode of Amplify with Jess Ekstrom, Jess sits down with author, speaker, and former Google exec Jenny Wood to talk about how to move through fear and unlock more success, joy, and courage in your career. Jenny shares stories from her 18 years at Google and her new book Wild Courage, including how chasing a stranger off the New York City subway helped her rethink what it means to take bold action. Jess and Jenny also discuss negotiation tips, communication tricks, and the hidden power in words we’ve been taught to shy away from—like "obsessed" and "manipulative." So, have you ever held yourself back with a “what if"? Or watered down your ask before you even sent it? --- What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Resources & Links:
Rate & Review: Enjoying Amplify with Jess? Rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and leave a review to help more people discover the show! Follow Jess on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-ekstrom-speaker-author/ - to stay up to date with her LinkedIn Live series, where these episodes originate. Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Become a Better Speaker with These Small Changes, with Lindsay Boccardo | 18 Mar 2025 | 00:21:03 | |
Public speaking can feel overwhelming, but small changes can make a huge impact. In this episode of Amplify with Jess Ekstrom, Jess sits down with keynote speaker and generational workforce expert Lindsay Boccardo to break down the subtle shifts that can take your speaking from good to great. Lindsay shares practical insights on how to engage your audience, bring the right level of energy, and avoid sounding like a phony game show host. They discuss how to turn up the dial on your presence in an authentic way, why confidence comes from preparation, and how even minor tweaks in gestures and posture can make a difference. If you’ve ever struggled with how to sound engaging without feeling like you’re putting on a performance, this episode is for you! What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Whether you're stepping onto a keynote stage or leading a team meeting, these tips will help you show up with confidence, clarity, and authenticity. Resources & Links:
Rate & Review: Enjoying Amplify with Jess? Rate us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and leave a review to help more people discover the show! Follow Jess on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-ekstrom-speaker-author/ - to stay up to date with her LinkedIn Live series, where these episodes originate. Amplify with Jess is produced by Walk West and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| The Viral Speech that Launched Kelsey O'Connor's Speaking Career | 13 Nov 2024 | 00:25:16 | |
Kelsey O'Connor was a D1 student-athlete at North Carolina State University until she suffered a traumatic brain injury that abruptly ended her athletic career. Her journey of recovery and overcoming immense was the basis of her commencement address that went viral on TikTok and Facebook with over 40M (million) views. In our season 3 finale, Kelsey tells her story and how it led her to become a sought-after public speaker --- --- Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| Why You DON'T Get That Dopamine Hit When You Cross the Finish Line | 11 Nov 2024 | 00:07:56 | |
I recently read a study on dopamine that completely changed how I look at my work and life. It initially shocked me, but then I realized why it makes sense. ---- Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Balancing Personal Ambitions with Family Dynamics, with Dr. John Delony | 06 Nov 2024 | 00:39:39 | |
As a speaker, you always want to reach the point of high-flying careers that take you worldwide, but that also means taking you away from your family. This raises the question, "Can speakers really have it all?" Can we prioritize our careers, marriages, partnerships, and kids at the same time? Today, Dr. John Delony gives us his tips. --- --- Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| How are You Measuring Your Progress? | 04 Nov 2024 | 00:03:49 | |
In our culture, "Making it" usually means being an Oprah or Sara Blakely, appearing on a reality TV show, or discovering a scientific formula that lets you speak to your dog. Most of us (including me!) won't make it big time. But I still have something to offer that people find value in. And so do you. So, how do we measure our progress to maximize our potential and the value we give others? ---- Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| How Fear of Inadequacy Can Lead to Becoming a World-Class Speaker with Therese Gopaul-Robinson | 30 Oct 2024 | 00:25:22 | |
Therese Gopaul-Robinson knew it was time for a raise. She asked for a meeting, practiced her speech, and had her PowerPoint presentation ready to go. It was time to take the next step in her career. But she didn't get her raise in that meeting - she was let go instead. Today, Therese shares her journey to becoming a world-class keynote speaker, which was initially filled with rejection and fear of inadequacy but ultimately led to her finding her first gigs. --- Therese Gopaul-Robinson is a Keynote Speaker and Healthcare Consultant who's obsessed with helping women in leadership.
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| Is Easy Access to Knowledge Harming Your Motivation? | 28 Oct 2024 | 00:07:34 | |
Imagine you had an assistant that could fit in your pocket and tell you any information you desired. "How many stars are there in the galaxy? How do I make a sourdough starter? What does it mean when something uploads “to the cloud"? Well you do have that assistant - your phone. Having all that knowledge at our fingertips is convenient, but does this convenience stop us from acting like students, being beginners, and trusting ourselves? Perhaps access to all this information is a primary reason for killing our motivation.
---- Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Resilience, Imposter Syndrome and Becoming the Boss with Lindsey Epperly | 23 Oct 2024 | 00:25:48 | |
Lindsey Epperly has grown her travel business from a one-woman operation to a team of 80 (!!). It has been on the Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, and Lindsey seemingly has it all. And yet, even with her success, Lindsey still encounters imposter syndrome - especially when (despite the accolades) she feels like her business is failing. Through her experiences, she realized the common pitfall of equating self-worth with success, a challenge familiar to many high achievers in today's hustle culture. However, Lindsey's perspective shifted as she began to see imposter syndrome as a sign of stepping out of her comfort zone, using it as a motivational tool to turn obstacles into opportunities. And here's what she learned in the process. --- Lindsey Epperly is the CEO of JetSet World Travel and host of Who Made You the Boss? Podcast.
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| Overcoming Anxiety in Public Speaking | 21 Oct 2024 | 00:11:08 | |
Did you know that most folks are more scared of public speaking than they are of sharks? It’s crazy, but it also makes sense! Whether it’s Jaws or facing a live audience, your body reacts to nerves similarly—it’s just a biological thing. In this episode, I'm sharing tips on how to ease your nerves before a speaking engagement, whether on stage as a keynote address, in a meeting, or at a wedding. I’ll walk you through quick tricks, like using peppermint and box breathing to calm yourself in the moment, and why making eye contact is a game changer. So the next time you step on stage, you'll have the confidence to own it.
Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| The Reality of Passive Income with LaShonda Brown | 16 Oct 2024 | 00:24:50 | |
You know that passive income everyone raves about, where you wake up to find a couple thousand extra dollars in your bank account? Surprise! It turns out it's not as easy as it seems! Today’s guest, Lashonda Brown, a tech educator and founder of Bootstrap Biz Advice, explains that passive income takes years of hard work and system-building. So, what should you do, and how can YouTube help?
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| How RV Life Taught Me to 'Try It On' | 14 Oct 2024 | 00:03:39 | |
Over a bowl of popcorn shrimp a few months after our wedding, my husband and I decided to put our apartment up for rent and take off in an RV and travel the country. We did something we now call “try it on.” We had questions about finances, mail, and skincare routines, but we went for it anyway. And here's what happened.
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Creating a Morning Routine That Works for You with Tiffany Lanier | 09 Oct 2024 | 00:24:45 | |
What's your morning routine? You’ve likely come across countless reels and TikToks suggesting that you meditate each morning, cultivate gratitude, practice mindfulness, work out, time-block your day, drink 100 ounces of water, fast, prioritize self-care, and read a few pages from your book. And then reality sets in, and you've got to feed the baby, pack lunches, or take care of that client fire. So, what should you do to get your mind and body right to start your day? Are you ready to revamp your morning? Take Tiffany’s 5-day morning challenge! ----
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| Ready or Not, Just Start | 07 Oct 2024 | 00:03:26 | |
When we look at successful businesspeople, we assume they had a clear business plan, were surrounded by helpful resources, and confidently started marching toward their dreams. The reality is that most businesses probably started like my first business.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I just pressed start. And I learned that it's ok to learn by failing. ---- Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Creating Meaningful Workshop Experiences with Katie Quesada | 02 Oct 2024 | 00:24:24 | |
Ever wonder about the differences between workshops and keynotes? Katie Quesada, keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and storytelling consultant, believes workshops are not about teaching but guiding participants to discover their insights. In today's episode, Katie shares how to design and deliver workshops that help individuals and teams become “story collectors,” using their personal and brand narratives to forge deeper connections. Discover her core philosophy of "stories over stuff" in structuring a workshop, which may inspire you to create your own. ----
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| Using The Word "Yet" To Frame Our Progress | 30 Sep 2024 | 00:03:47 | |
We usually see things as black and white, especially when trying something new. Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| How to Find Speaking Opportunities through Networking, with Chelsea C Williams | 25 Sep 2024 | 00:19:04 | |
How can we as speakers expand our networks to meet some amazing people and, probably more importantly, secure speaking engagements? We need to be strategic about our networking efforts. But what exactly does that mean, and what are the steps we should be taking to get our names out there more. Today, Jess is joined by Chelsea C Williams, and she has some tips! In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| My Signature Keynote Live: Innovation and Motivation That Lasts | 23 Sep 2024 | 00:23:15 | |
In today’s special episode, I share a keynote showcase of one of my talks from Inman Connect, one of the most extensive speaking engagements in the real estate industry. You've listened to my food for thought to start your week. Now, tune in to hear some of the principles I discussed in the podcast during my signature keynote! Sidenote: We highly recommend watching Jess's keynote on YouTube to see her practices in action!
Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||
| Facing Fears and Opening Up Onstage with Coach Kiah | 18 Sep 2024 | 00:24:11 | |
Getting up on stage and feeling confident about yourself, it's one of the biggest challenges we face on stage. Because we're not perfect. We're not robots. We'll flub from time to time. So what do we do about that? Today, Jess and Coach Kiah Twisselman talk about embracing imperfections and projecting confidence on stage. In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Quotes to Remember:
---- (00:05:16) "Embrace vulnerability to unleash your power." (00:09:04) "Facing fears in public speaking leads to empowerment." (00:12:06) "Confidence in speaking comes from embracing your style." (00:19:01) "Choose self-acceptance over societal beauty standards." (00:21:24) "Your speaker identity shapes thought leadership impact."
Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom. Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop | |||
| What Comedy and Parenting Taught Me About the Beginner's Mindset | 16 Sep 2024 | 00:04:37 | |
Perfectionists are good at a lot of things, but they are not good at being beginners. Does that sound like you? Yeah me too, until I was a beginner at two things that challenged me and changed my mindset - being a mom and stand-up comedy. Here's what it taught me.
Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop. | |||