Why Not Now? with Amy Jo Martin

Liya Sharif is a former corporate Renegade who led Brand Marketing at Qualcomm. Like all Renegades, Liya has pushed beyond normal expectations and structure, and does not have a traditional journey. Currently, Liya is studying for a degree in interior design as well as guiding emerging companies, looking to grow, with her creativity and unconventional approach to leadership. In this episode, Liya discusses how she did an audit of her life. She shares her roots, her history in dance and how that skill taught her to be disciplined, her desire to always know what it feels like to be a beginner and her rigorous education. As a woman who grew up in the former Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Liya also shares her point of view on the war in Ukraine. Liya does many things, but conform is not one. It is in her DNA to innovate. She follows her curiosity and looks for continual renewal which drives all sorts of things in life that get her excited. Her personal motto; “If you continue doing the work you love, it is no longer work.” You’ll learn how Liya filters her opportunities and the two most important things she considers before agreeing to any kind of work. Liya has found these tangible takeaways to be crucial for her happiness and fulfillment. Visit this link if you are interested in supporting or giving.  Check out and connect with Pete Lancia Art @petelanciaart If you haven’t already heard, the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) Dream Tech Contest is offering a unique opportunity for woman business owners who are embracing tech as part of their growth journey. You can win you up to $40k in Dell Technology. Applications are now open. Visit http://dwen.com/amyjo to learn more and apply.   Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/ Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global

As a corporate Renegade, Erik Day has many titles, one of which is Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Small Businesses at Dell Technologies, where he serves as a heartbeat behind the brand. Erik has been working at Dell for 20+ years combining career with passion, purpose and skill.   In this episode, Erik shares 5 incredibly valuable steps for approaching difficult situations. You’ll learn two vital ingredients for a business to succeed, how to break down bias, how to be an empathetic leader and retain top talent, the importance of accountability and how to lead with optimism.   Erik lives with his finger on the pulse. When trying to make advisors more effective at talking to clients, he was told to stay in his box and not given any support from his bosses, until he ran a successful pilot program they could not say no to implementing further. In 2002 he also created a pride LGBTQ employee resource group at Dell to talk about challenges and solutions the community was facing.   Erik and Amy Jo also discuss how technology is a must to keep up in today’s world. It enables better business.   Speaking of enabling better business, The Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) Dream Tech Contest is offering a unique opportunity for woman business owners who are embracing tech as part of their growth journey. You can win you up to $40k in Dell Technology. Applications are now open.   Visit http://dwen.com/amyjo to learn more and apply.

Phyllis Newhouse has quite the resume. She is the first African American woman to lead a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), the first woman ever to win the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of the Year award in the technology category, she’s on the board of the Women’s Presidents Organization and is a pioneer in business. She is a retired senior military officer, a CEO, an investor and serial entrepreneur. Phyllis also happens to be a “frientor” to Amy Jo (a friend and mentor). Phyllis is changing the game and rewriting the business play book, especially for women. One way she does this is with “ROCs,” which stands for Resources, Opportunities and Connections. Phyllis generously gives these out all day every day. Amy Jo has personally been a beneficiary, as Phyllis has opened many doors for her. In this wide-ranging conversation, Amy Jo and Phyllis talk about business, their relationship with money, how Phyllis looks at wealth versus revenue, and how Phyllis’ power always enters the room before she does. Phyllis also shares the impactful story about how she met Serena Williams and what has happened after that meeting. We could all take a page from this playbook. Phyllis supports women and fosters community so well. She recently just launched a program called Shoulder Up To Lead where she shares her 11 Principles of Leadership. Here is the link to check it out: http://shoulderup2lead.com/ Learn more about Phyllis, here: https://www.phyllisnewhouse.com/   Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/ Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global

Amy Browns-Taylor is a US citizen living in Poland. She is personally involved with helping Ukrainian refugees.   Amy and her family recently said “Why Not Now?” and moved to Poland. Not long after, they found themselves faced with a unique opportunity to open their home up to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. After making that difficult decision, they haven’t looked back.   Amy is a communications professional with her Bachelors in Journalism and Masters in Arts Administration. In this episode, you’ll hear how Amy has learned to leverage technology to do a whole lot of good. She has truly become a home base connection point for many Ukrainians needing help in Poland, and you’ll hear some of those heartfelt and inspiring stories during this conversation.   She also discusses the amazing ways technology has allowed her efforts to be amplified as well as the hardships she has faced. It has not been an easy journey, but she says the love and humanity she see’s daily is incredible.   Visit the link below to learn more about the work Amy is doing for those in need gofund.me/823af619   Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global

Tatiana Ferreira is the Senior Vice President of Customer Service Excellence at Neiman Marcus. Tatiana has quite a colorful career journey. She has worked for some of the biggest brands in retail and fashion, and got her start at Disney.    As a top Latina executive in the luxury experience arena, she has been able to do things that are pretty unheard of. One of which is bringing mindfulness into the corporate world. She talks through some tactical suggestions on how you can introduce mindfulness into your own business or corporation and the ROI of doing so.    Tatiana refers to her Why Not Now? story as “productivity hell”. She talks about her addiction to work. Specifically, she dives into what resulted from that, some of the rules she set for herself to overcome the problem, the concepts around those rules and how she was able to shift and get ruthless about her new priorities.    Tatiana also discusses Service Excellence. What it looks like today, and how it compares to Service Excellence experiences of the past. Hearing from someone who is at the highest level of customer service excellence is a treat, and you’ll learn ways to reframe the way you’ve thought about customer service.  Amy Jo and Tatiana also talk through remote work and Tatiana’s experience in that space. Tatiana is a corporate Renegade, and we need more of those in the workplace. You can learn more about Tatiana on LInkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatianaferreira.   Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/ Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global

John Hardin is the co-founder and Executive Director of Proclaim Justice—a not-for-profit organization that frees victims of wrongful convictions. He is also a private investigator who has years of experience in public affairs communications. John is known for bringing media and public attention to situations where there’s a wrongful conviction.    John’s co-founder, Jason Baldwin, was one of the members of the “West Memphis Three,” a well-known case in which three people in Arkansas were wrongfully convicted of a crime and sent to prison for many years. John played a critical role in freeing the trio. Now, together, John and Jason are doing that for other people.    In this multifaceted conversation, John shares what he’s learned from knocking on doors and looking for answers. John also discusses the power of persistence and resilience; how it feels to come up short and not find what you’re looking for; and getting up each day to fight for what you believe is right.    John’s experience with the West Memphis Three changed the course of his career, taking him from an unhappy existence in political and legislative consulting to a life fueled by purpose. John shares advice for dealing with discouragement and roadblocks, and why it’s important to find what works for ourselves in order to reset and renew our passion for our lives and careers.   Lastly, John gives an incredibly powerful answer to Amy Jo’s question on what he would say to himself if he was to go back to his crossroads moment prior to starting the organization.    Learning to be persistent takes time and effort. Getting angry doesn’t change the situation. You have to take action to make change.   For more information about Proclaim Justice, head to www.proclaimjustice.org.    Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global

Andres Traslavia has interviewed more than 2,000 executives as a longtime recruiter and the head of executive search and talent acquisition at Whole Foods Market. He has a rare view into talent trends spanning the past 15 years—and insights into what he calls “the Great Rebellion,” or the mass resignations employers are seeing in 2021 and 2022. Dangling shiny salaries and massive compensation packages is not enough to attract talent anymore. In this episode, Andres shares how employers can retain talent and maps out three things he is looking for when he interviews an executive. Listen for his cheat sheet for anyone going through the interview process. Andres grew up in Bogota, Columbia. He came to the United States and fell for the idea that success was about having material things. In the midst of this lonely realization, he walked into Whole Foods and fell in love with how happy the workers were. Andres knew he had to work for this “Disneyland for foodies.” So he said, “Why Not Now?” and moved to Austin with his wife. Andres talks about his dedication to finding a job that brings happiness and connection with a higher purpose. He expresses how meaning will make or break a job. He advises people to do the research and find an environment they can connect with rather than rushing a job switch as a Band-Aid for mental health. This episode is full of tangible tips for nailing an interview with a company that is a good match for you, as well as advice for creating a caring environment as a leader so that people will want to work for your company.   Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global

Vanessa Van Edwards, Lead Behavioral Investigator at Science of People, delves into charisma, debunking myths of being born with it. She shares insights on managing social anxiety and awkwardness, explores non-verbal cues for charisma, and discusses the importance of saying no to opportunities that don't align with goals.

Noramay Cadena has a resume many people would envy—she has three degrees from MIT, spent many years at Boeing as an aerospace engineer and is a venture capitalist.  But Noramay has had her fair share of adversity. In this wide-ranging conversation with Amy Jo, she shares powerful advice on how to navigate inflection points in your career.  Noramay shares the importance of muscle memory—doing one hard thing enables you to do another hard thing, and another and so on. She describes how her experience as a teen mom built up her own ability to navigate hard situations in life and business. Those early experiences also taught her to look at difficult times as an ecosystem of possibilities in which the opportunity ahead of her is expansive, and not diminished by her circumstances. And she talks through a key Why Not Now? moment. Noramay was approaching burnout and at a crossroads in her career, considering leaving her corporate life for entrepreneurship. For the first time in a long time, she put her own desires to make change first and started a Venture Capital firm. Noramay details the exact 10 seconds of bravery that changed her trajectory forever. Supply Change Capital has since made investments in seven early-stage companies at the intersection of food, culture and tech.  You’ll also learn Noramay’s approach to company culture, called Operational Kindness, and how you can apply it to your day. Lastly, you’ll hear an exceptional nugget from Noramay where she shares her No. 1 life lesson. It's too good to spoil. Noramay is a graduate of the Renegade Accelerator program and a valued member of the Renegade community. You can follow Noramay on social media via @NoramayC   Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/ Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global

Amber Allen is a true badass. Her energy and zest for life are contagious. Amber loves to play. Her personal motto is, “Every day that childlike Amber high-fives adult Amber, I’ve won.” She believes that if we can ingrain more play in learning, we will remember what we learn for so much longer.  Amber is the founder and CEO of Double A Labs, a software company that is a catalyst for human connection. She was named one of the 30 most influential people in the metaverse.  This wide-ranging conversation covers the biggest lessons Amber has learned as an entrepreneur, her upbringing as the daughter of a Baptist preacher and a Why Not Now? moment that ranks as one of Amy Jo’s all-time favorites. Amber decided to move one day while having brunch—as in literally got up from the table and packed up her car. A renegade to her core, she's an idea-to-action woman. When Amber says “Now!”, she means it. Amber breaks down the metaverse and Web 3.0 in simple terms that anyone can understand. She talks through the desire to play in this space, and how she's building bridges into the metaverse with her team at Double A Labs. She also shares the traits she is seeing in her own employees that are allowing them to thrive and grow at a time when a lot of people are leaving jobs.   Enrollment for the next Renegade Accelerator is now open. Learn more and apply: http://www.renegadeaccelerator.com/   Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21 Follow Amy Jo… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyjomartin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyjomartin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyJoMartin/ Why Not Now? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whynotnow/ Buy Amy Jo’s book: https://amyjomartin.com/book Follow Renegade Global: https://www.instagram.com/renegade_global