Your boss may know things about the future of your job long before you do. A reorganization. A budget cut. A project ending. Even layoffs. And still, they have to walk into meetings, look everyone in the eye, and act completely normal.

In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons explores the emotional labor and the hidden cost of leadership: the invisible work leaders do to manage pressure, protect their teams, navigate competing priorities, and carry information they cannot always share.

Leadership is often framed as strategy, authority, and decision-making. But behind the scenes, leaders are also translating pressure from above, advocating for their teams, managing stakeholders, absorbing chaos, and making hard calls that employees may never see.

You’ll learn:

• What emotional labor in leadership really looks like
• Why managers often know about reorgs, budget cuts, or layoffs before their teams do
• How leaders balance pressure from above with the needs of their team
• Why good leaders protect their teams in ways employees may never notice
• How to give leaders more grace without excusing poor leadership
• Why understanding emotional labor makes you a better employee, manager and advocate

If you’re a leader, aspiring leader, or employee trying to understand what may be happening behind the curtain at work, this episode offers a more honest look at the hidden weight of leadership.

Because leadership is not just about having more control. It is about carrying more responsibility.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

In executive search, by the time a senior leadership role is posted, the conversation may already be well underway.

Search firms are building lists. Boards are asking who they trust. Decision-makers are comparing reputations. And leaders are being discussed in rooms they may not even know they’re in.

In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with executive search leaders with Neill Marshall and Kurt Mosley HealthSearch Partners, who executive search leaders with more than thirty years experience, to talk about how senior leaders really get hired, and what it takes to become the candidate people actively champion.

We go behind the scenes on executive search, board trust, reputation, visibility, cultural fit, and the first 90 days in a new leadership role.

You’ll learn:

• Why executive search starts long before a role is posted
• What makes a candidate “championed,” not just considered
• Why boards care about trust, culture, and reputation as much as qualifications
• How senior leaders can build visibility before they need a new role
• What behaviors quietly disqualify executive candidates
• Why the first 90 days matter so much for board trust and long-term credibility
• How to think about your career as a reputation built over decades

If you’re a senior leader, aspiring executive, or ambitious professional thinking about what’s next, this episode gives you the behind-the-scenes guidance most candidates never hear directly from executive recruiters.

Because at the executive level, your résumé matters. But your reputation gets there first.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

Most leaders are trained to have answers. But the best leaders know when to ask questions instead. What would happen if, for the next 30 days, you stopped giving answers and only asked questions? In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons challenges leaders to try a simple but uncomfortable leadership experiment: stop fixing, stop directing, stop jumping in with the answer, and start leading with questions.

Most leaders think their job is to solve problems quickly. But when leaders constantly provide the answers, teams can become dependent, creativity shuts down, and people stop owning their decisions. Strong leadership is about asking the questions that unlock better thinking from everyone else.

You’ll learn:

• Why “Why?” questions can make people defensive and what to ask instead
• How jumping in with answers can become lazy leadership
• Why silence can be a powerful leadership tool
• How questions help teams think for themselves and own solutions
• The to tell the difference between interrogation and genuine curiosity
• Practical coaching questions to use in your next meeting

If you want to build a more independent team, improve decision-making, and shift from a problem-solver to a people developer, this 30-day leadership challenge is a powerful place to start.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

Networking can feel awkward, transactional, and exhausting, especially if you’re an introvert. So how do introverts network without feeling fake, forced or drained?

In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons talks with speaker, coach, and author Stephanie Thoma about how introverts can build real professional relationships, speak up with more confidence, and create career visibility without losing themselves in the process.

Author of The Confident Introvert, Stephanie shares practical strategies for redefining networking as relationship-building, managing your energy before and after events, calming internal self-talk, starting better conversations, and following up in a way that feels natural instead of cringe.

This conversation is for anyone who wants to grow their career, build a stronger network, contribute more in meetings, or become a more confident public speaker, without pretending to be someone they’re not.

You’ll learn:

• Why networking is relationship-building, not self-promotion, and why that distinction changes everything for introverts
• How introverts can manage energy before and after events
• Why aiming to make one new connection can be more powerful than working the whole room
• How to interrupt negative self-talk when you feel awkward or self-conscious
• Better conversation openers that go beyond “What do you do?”
• How to follow up without feeling pushy or performative
• Why public speaking is a skill introverts can build with practice
• How to speak up more clearly and confidently in meetings

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, drained by networking, or unsure how to make your voice heard at work, this episode will help you approach connection and visibility in a more authentic, sustainable way.

Because confidence means learning how to show up as yourself, with intention.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

What do you do when your boss clearly doesn’t have your back? Maybe they talk badly about you to others. Maybe they develop your peers but not you. Maybe decisions are being made about your career in rooms you’re not invited to. Or maybe it’s not subtle at all and you know exactly where you stand.

In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down what to do when your boss doesn’t support you, advocate for you, or give you the constructive feedback you need to grow and how to protect your career before it costs you.

This kind of workplace dynamic can crush your confidence if you let it. But it can also be the moment you realize something powerful: you cannot rely on one person to manage your career.

You’ll learn:

• How to ask your boss directly for feedback without sounding defensive or confrontational
• Why building visibility beyond your manager is the most important career protection move you can make
• How to document your wins and strengthen your professional brand when no one is doing it for you
• Why workplace anxiety and rejection sensitivity can make a difficult boss feel even more destabilizing.
• How to decide whether the situation is fixable, or whether it’s time to move on

If you’re dealing with a difficult manager, feeling undermined at work, or wondering how to protect your career when your boss doesn’t see your value, this episode gives you practical next steps and an honest reality check.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

What do you do when everything falls apart? Your marriage, your finances, your business, your sense of self? In this episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons sits down with travel entrepreneur Tammy Levent for one of the most honest, raw, and inspiring conversations about resilience, reinvention, and starting over without letting fear lead.

Tammy has built a $100M travel empire, pioneered destination weddings as a business model, and survived an armed robbery, major debt, life-threatening cancer, a violent divorce, near homelessness and a devastating car accident involving her children. During COVID, she pivoted into an unexpected Greek donut business, and ultimately relocated to Crete, where she now runs a luxury travel agency and a global training program for travel advisors.

This is not abstract motivation This is a real-world blueprint for rebuilding when the old version of your life no longer works.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to start over after divorce, job loss, financial collapse, or professional burnout
• Why fear can become a decision-maker and Tammy’s practical FEAR framework to stop letting it lead
• How to reassess your skills, spending, location, and identity when life demands reinvention
• Why success shifts from money and status to peace, purpose, and calm
• How gratitude, journaling, and intentional daily focus can help you rebuild momentum after loss
• Why it’s not too late to reinvent even with debt, dependents and fear.

This episode is for you if you’re navigating a career transition, recovering from burnout, rebuilding after divorce, financial loss, questioning whether a fresh start is possible, or wondering if your best chapter is still ahead.

Because sometimes starting over isn't failure. It’s finally choosing life.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

Kids in the summer understand something most adults at work have forgotten: curiosity creates momentum.

They try things. Change the rules. Build, fail, pivot, and try again. Meanwhile, adults overthink, over-polish, and wait until everything is “perfect” before speaking up or taking action. And that perfectionism? It may look professional, but it often kills innovation.

In this Cracking the Code episode of Work Unscripted, Marlo Lyons breaks down why curiosity beats perfectionism at work, what a growth mindset actually looks like in practice, and what leaders can learn from the fearless, experimental energy of kids.

You’ll learn:

• Why perfectionism at work is often fear disguised as professionalism
• How a growth mindset fuels innovation, adaptability, and team performance
• Why "draft thinking" is one of the most underrated tools for psychological safety
• How leaders can normalize experimentation and calculated risk-taking without lowering standards
• Simple questions that unlock creativity and curiosity in meetings
• Why the most successful organizations are the most adaptable and how to build that culture.

This episode is for leaders, managers, and high performers who want to build more innovative teams, create psychological safety at work, and stop letting perfectionism stall progress.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.

Work moves fast. We optimize for speed, efficiency, tools, and output, but somehow, a lot of people feel more disconnected than ever. In this episode of Work Unscripted, host Marlo Lyons sits down with workplace connection expert Cassandra Thompson to talk about why genuine relationships are the key to employee engagement, trust and career growth.

This conversation goes way beyond surface-level networking and awkward LinkedIn messages. Marlo and Cassandra break down how real connection builds trust, improves engagement, reduces workplace loneliness, and makes professional life feel more human. Especially in a world of remote work, burnout, job transitions, and constant change.

You’ll learn:

• Why having a friend at work can improve employee engagement, retention, and well-being
• How “friction maxing” and small everyday interactions rebuild connection
• Why micro-conversations and small-talk matter more than you think
• How to build relationships without feeling fake, forced, or performative
• A simple relationship-building approach: 10% ask, 20% care, 70% keep in touch
• Why authentic connection matters more than proving your value
• How to rebuild your social muscles if connection feels awkward, lonely, or exhausting

If work has started to feel isolating, transactional, or harder than it should, this episode is a reminder that connection is not optional. It is one of the most practical career and leadership skills you can build, because work just moves and feels better when people actually know each other.

Connect with Marlo Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
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Work Unscripted is produced by the team at Palm Tree Pod Co.