Season 5 of Speaking of Phenomenal wasn’t about answers. It was about attention. Across eleven conversations, one question kept returning quietly but persistently: What does it mean to leave a mark without disappearing? Listen to the full conversation with Maryam Myika Day → That question surfaced early in the season through Maryam Myika Day’s work. Her storytelling has taken many forms, from movement on a stage to words on a page to teaching and coaching others. “Seeing written by Maryam Myika Day on the screen is a reminder that I’m making my mark,” she said. “My biggest desire is to leave a legacy where people know I was here.” She framed legacy not as recognition, but as responsibility. “I want to give people the space, the comfort, and the access to tell their stories,” she said. Access became a quiet throughline. Not access as charity. Access as design . Access as belief . Listen to the full conversation with Anna Tess → That belief was central to Anna Tess’s work advocating for children with hearing loss. “Any child with a disability has so much potential,” she said. “We should never stop and believe that they can do less. We should always believe they can do more.” Her work focuses on educating families, teachers, lawyers, and professionals so children’s educational needs are met early and fully. All of it offered freely. Access as trust . Listen to the full conversation with Laura Jordan LeClair → Trust also shaped conversations about mentorship and systems. Laura Jordan LeClair described mentorship not as advice-giving, but as infrastructure. “It’s more than a buzz. It’s a movement,” she said. “Mentorship is vital,” she added. “Sometimes you don’t have that support in your own company, so having external connections is crucial.” If people are falling through the cracks, Season 5 suggested, the problem is rarely motivation. It is design. Listen to the full conversation with Jillian Melero → That question of design sat at the center of my conversation with journalist and founder of Connect Puerto Rico , Jillian Melero. “It’s not just about the grid,” she said. “It’s about strengthening Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans.” Her reporting begins with questions that are deceptively simple. “What is it that people need? How can we help? What can we do about it?” Listening, this season reminded us, is not passive. It is directional. Listen to the full conversation with Mary Schmich and Melissa Harris → Midseason, the question widened. Not just who tells stories, but what happens to them over time. That tension came into focus through the award-winning podcast Division Street Revisited . Mary Schmich described Studs Terkel’s Division Street as “a curious book.” “Because if you really start to analyze it, you don’t know that much about these people,” she said. “But somehow you sense that you know them.” When the Library of Congress began digitizing Terkel’s original interview tapes, the story was no longer finished. It was waiting. “The not knowing was both thrilling and terrifying,” Mary said. “How do you find their kids? Their grandkids? And once you find them, how are you going to make a story out of this?” The podcast became a seven-episode series. Four of those stories focused on women whose lives reflected resilience, contradiction, and quiet power. “Each of the women I would describe as resilient,” Melissa Harris said. “They each overcame, they each persevered, they each survived, and in some cases, thrived.” Even the theme song mattered. Will the circle be unbroken By and by, Lord, by and by There’s a better home awaiting In the sky, Lord, in the sky That question sits underneath much of this season indirectly. Whether the stories we inherit are carried forward with care. Listen to the full conversation with Tonika Lewis Johnson → That concern surfaced again in Tonika Lewis Johnson’s work on place through the Folded Map project and her book Don’t Go as they challenge perception. “It doesn’t necessarily take a massive movement,” she said. “It’s the small things that people do in their own lives that really will propel the change that we want to have.” “It was really important for me to create another tool for people to use,” she said. “It’s knowledge and education that will get us to the world that we want to have.” Listen to the full conversation with Kari Fagin → Continuity also appeared through learning itself. Kari Fagin spoke about her work with OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a national program serving adults over 50. “You’re not just growing in the topic that you are addressing,” she said. “You’re growing in the people you meet in that new lane that you wouldn’t have met otherwise.” At OLLI, learning does not end with a career. Curiosity does not retire. Listen to the full conversation with Ellen Wilcox → Listening took on sharper stakes in my conversation with Ellen Wilcox. “We must be able to listen ,” she said. “Because that’s really where investing in untapped and amazing opportunities is going to lie.” Listening shapes decisions. It directs resources. It reveals what has been overlooked. Listen to the full conversation with Taylor Elyse Morrison → By the end of the season, the question turned inward. Taylor Elyse Morrison described realizing her portfolio career was not a problem to solve. This was the work. A feature, not a bug. Community, she reminded us, is sustenance. When I step back from Season 5, a many truths rise clearly. These women are renegotiating success.Listening is shaping leadership across industries.Women are done fragmenting themselves to be understood.Stories still move power, resources, and possibility. Season 5 did not rush to conclusions. It stayed with the questions. That is the work Speaking of Phenomenal is committed to continuing. Season 6 returns in 2026. The conversations will deepen. The reporting will expand. Some stories may take visual form as well. That work will grow intentionally, in service of the story, not the algorithm. If someone came to mind while reading this, consider sharing the podcast with them. I invite you to hear these voices directly. Until next time, remember you are phenomenal! -Amy

There’s a moment in every year when reflection feels unavoidable. The calendar shifts, expectations creep in, and we quietly ask ourselves what worked — and what didn’t. In this episode of Speaking of Phenomenal , my conversation with Taylor Elyse Morrison   landed squarely in that space between looking back and choosing what comes next. Taylor describes herself as a portfolio careerist, someone whose work lives across multiple lanes at once. Coaching. Facilitating. Research. Higher education. Community building. For a long time, she admits, she believed all of that was temporary — that eventually she would arrive at the “one thing” she was supposed to become. Instead, she realized something far more freeing: this was the work. Not a placeholder. Not a problem to solve. A feature , not a bug . That realization is familiar to many women, especially those who are deeply curious, deeply capable, and deeply committed to the work they do. We are often told to streamline, simplify, and specialize — to make ourselves easier to explain. Taylor challenges that idea gently but firmly. Owning a portfolio career, she says, starts with releasing the pressure to conform to someone else’s definition of success and listening instead to what actually fits your life, your values, and your energy. That same theme carries through our conversation about self-care and burnout. Taylor offers a definition of self-care that feels both practical and compassionate: listening within and responding in the most loving way possible. Not what’s trending. Not what looks impressive. Not what costs the most. What you actually need — in that moment. Burnout, she reminds us, often comes not from indifference but from caring too much. From loving the work so deeply that we forget to eat, to rest, to pause. Taylor speaks candidly about catching herself in that space, especially while balancing her PhD work with everything else she holds. Her approach to burnout prevention centers on self-awareness — recognizing early signals before they turn into full stops. A missed meal. A short temper. A sense of withdrawal. These are not failures, but information. Higher education has added another layer to Taylor’s growth, particularly around unlearning the need to always be right. She talks about the tension of forming strong opinions while staying open to change — a skill that feels increasingly vital in a world where certainty is often rewarded more than curiosity. The work, she says, isn’t about becoming more rigid in what you believe, but more thoughtful in how you hold it. One of the most resonant parts of our conversation centers on Taylor’s Fresh Eyes Sessions — single-session coaching designed for people who feel stuck despite doing “all the right things.” Journaling. Talking it through. Thinking it over. Sometimes, she notes, what’s missing isn’t effort, but perspective. An outside voice. A question you haven’t asked yourself yet. It’s a reminder that support doesn’t always have to be long-term to be meaningful. Community plays a central role in Taylor’s work, particularly through Women Facilitating, a space she co-founded to support women who lead rooms, conversations, and change. Facilitation, she notes, can be lonely work. You’re surrounded by people, yet holding the experience alone. Building community among women doing this work isn’t just professional development — it’s sustenance. When I asked Taylor what it means to be phenomenal, her answer was simple and layered at once: being yourself, fully — and helping others do the same. Not shrinking. Not performing. Not editing yourself into something more palatable. Phenomenal, in her view, lives at the intersection of authenticity and generosity. As we close out one year and look ahead to the next, this conversation feels like an invitation — to release the “shoulds,” to trust what fits, and to build lives and careers that make room for both care and ambition. -Amy

I had to pause, rewind and hit play again when I heard   Ellen Wilcox  describe her job as the “head of listening” at the consumer venture capital firm   Listen  during the latest episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast. I’m not very well-versed in business jargon, and wanted to make sure I wasn’t confounding her role with the company’s name.  Yes, Ellen listens for a living. But what might seem like a simple human trait, for her, is an activity that demands preparation and intentionality. Professionally, that meant, for instance, prompting midlife women to talk, without interruption, about their joys and challenges. At a personal level, her listening skills enabled her to engage in deeper conversations with her mother. Ellen listens to consumers to understand their needs and stories. Then, she talks to the clients in which Listen invests, most of them business-to-business companies, and tries to turn the human component from her findings into “investment conviction.”  For the   report   on modern midlife womanhood, Ellen wanted to find insights that went beyond the usual practice of “breaking a woman down” into parts, like contraception, perimenopause, mental health and sexual health.  “It was kind of just like piecing her body apart and then putting market value sizes to each of those component parts,” Ellen, who has a background in human-centered design thinking, told host Amy Boyle. “And I couldn’t help but wonder…what might a consumer obsessed view into women’s health really look like?” The “obsession” led to a nearly radical listening method in which participants were minimally prompted so they could speak freely.  One finding showed that women tend to resort to self-care before seeking professional help, which can create gaps between need and demand, even when women are pretty much aware of those needs. Examples include health issues like endometriosis and incontinence, which are often normalized and minimized. Ellen, who is in her early 30s, wrote the report not for midlife women, but for people who could learn more about them, including men and younger audiences. “We must be able to listen because that’s really where investing in untapped and amazing opportunities is going to lie,” she said. “Being able to very quickly get smart and very quickly build conviction in people and topics and subjects that we don’t maybe personally have experiences in.” One final idea that combines listening, storytelling and the non-linearity (so commonly discussed in the Speaking of Phenomenal Podcast): The better we listen to the stories of others, the better we tell our own.   “I think that the beauty of the modern career is that we’re all having portfolio careers,” Ellen told Amy. “How do you tell that momentum story?” She gives us three concrete tips: 1- appreciate the diversity of perspectives you’ve gained 2- believe it’s true 3- tell that passionate story Can we try these three steps, one at a time? You can join Listen’s consumer club   here . Carolina Baldin  is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the " Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast  blog in March 2024.

Kari Fagin was having lunch with one of her mentors when he pushed a piece of paper across the table in her direction. She read 10 names she didn't know. Her mentor's explanation: those people attended programs at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (or OLLI), the same programs they had helped run during the previous years and that served seasoned learners over 50 through intellectually challenging study groups. At the time, Kari didn't know what to do with that information, but she soon realized her mentor was trying to say something she "already knew and loved." "Everybody's got a story," she recalled during an interview with host Amy Boyle for the latest episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast. "Everybody contributed in meaningful ways, even if they're not doing it the same way now." As someone who left the corporate world searching for meaning and a former director of engagement at her synagogue specializing in empty nesters, Kari  became the director of OLLI at Northwestern University . Now, as a Director at Osher National Resource Center , she promotes curiosity and community-building while helping support 124 OLLIs nationwide. Curious minds OLLIs' curriculum includes (but is not limited to) arts, current affairs, health and wellness, travel, crafts, hobbies, foreign language and the favorite topic among members: history. But not world history. Instead, "history of rock and roll, the history of shipwrecks, the history of the 1960s, because that's history now too, as are the 80s and the 90s. The history of the post office..." As Kari told Amy, one grows by becoming curious about other people and subjects. "You're not just growing in the topic that you are addressing, that's outside your comfort zone," she said. "You're growing in the people you meet in that new lane that you wouldn't have met otherwise." That's an idea pretty much aligned with OLLI's motto: curiosity never retires. But if growing as a person sounds like a good enough reason to start learning something new after 50, Kari also highlighted that people who join groups similar to OLLI tend to live about seven years longer than others. I wonder what would happen if this message reached the 1,200 people turning age 65 every day. "For the sheer joy of it" One of the things that make OLLI so special is the fact that members are there because they want to. "It's learning for the sheer joy of it.” Once they join, intellectual pursuits give way to social gatherings, permanent friendships and new challenges. Some become teachers themselves in their area of expertise. Kari recalled one 65-year-old lady, a widow, who joined OLLI to figure out what the next phase in her life would look like after a successful career, years of caregiving and a few losses. "No one gives you a map," Kari told Amy. When to start? Kari has straightforward advice for those who qualify for OLLI's programs: "Don't wait. If you have an opportunity, you're 50 years old and you're not retiring for another 10 years, but you can get away for a couple of hours every week to learn something new, to put yourself outside your normal comfort zone, to meet other people, to start creating this community, Do it now. Take time for yourself." You can learn more about OLLI here: https://sps.northwestern.edu/oshernrc/   Carolina Baldin  is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the " Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast  blog in March 2024.

Tonika Lewis Johnson on Speaking of Phenomenal Podcast As a teenager in the 90s, Tonika Lewis Johnson  faced a 15-mile daily commute from her South Side home in Chicago to her high school in the North Side. By her senior year, she learned that the distance between those areas was more than geographical. Tonika had formed a diverse group of friends, with large economic and cultural differences. "It would be so great if they (the children from her school) could meet my friends that I grew up with on my block," she thought then.  A photographer, the founder of the Englewood Arts Collective  and the co-author of the recently-released book " Don't Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It ," Tonika decided those experiences as a teenager should inform one clear, purposeful through-line in her work and life, which she shared with host Amy Boyle during the latest episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast: "creating space and educational ways for people to disrupt, tackle, and learn about Chicago segregation and how it impacts all of our lives today and our personal relationships."  While in high school, she learned - sometimes by hearing difficult comments - that people from predominantly white neighborhoods in Chicago perceived the area where she grew up as unsafe: a neighborhood you're not supposed to visit.  That inquietude became the seed for the Folded Map Project , an idea she would develop 20 years later. She introduced people in Chicago whose addresses were identical except for the "North" and "South" portions. The daughter of a screenwriter and poet and an amateur photographer, Tonika photographed and recorded those interactions. Some were heartwarming, while others resembled reality TV, where people awkwardly get acquainted for the first time. But all of them helped unite people "across racial, economic and geographic lines," she told Amy.  She began giving presentations on the project, where she would always ask people if they had been told not to visit Chicago's South Side. Once, 600 people raised their hands in unanimous agreement. Stricken by how segregation had perpetuated among that audience and beyond, Tonika  went to social media and asked her followers to share their "don't go" stories. About 80 people wrote back. 30 of those stories became the book "Don't Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It."   "It was really important for me to create another tool for people to use, not only to learn but also to think of solutions," she told Amy. "It's knowledge and education that will get us to the world that we want to have." More recently, Tonika held a solo photography exhibit  in New York as a fellow at a gallery named after Gordon Parks, one of her idols and the creator of the first Black film made by a major production company. After years of working to disrupt segregation in Chicago, that fellowship reminded her of how photography can serve as a "platform to create change and help people see things differently." Besides the Folded Map Project, which eventually became a nonprofit, Tonika created a Folded Map Action Kit to guide people interested in visiting and understanding segregated neighborhoods (experiences include running errands and visiting cultural attractions). But as concrete as her work has become, Tonika also believes there is "power in reflection."  "It doesn't necessarily take a massive movement...It's the small things that people do in their own lives that they expose their children to, that they help younger people learn, that really will propel the change that we want to have." Tonika’s work as a social justice artist proves that personal reflection, critical thinking and dialogue can and should inform tangible actions. Recently, she has been busy promoting public engagement through the arts collective she co-founded.  “I'm really excited and looking forward to us creating space for Greater Englewood to be an arts and culture hub,” she told Amy. “We have a lot of irons in the fire now.”  Reach out to Tonika here  to learn more about disrupting segregation or get inspiration for your own projects! Carolina Baldin is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the " Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast blog in March 2024.

photo of Mary Schmich and Melissa Harris by Alex Garcia In this week’s Speaking of Phenomenal   episode, I sat down with two extraordinary storytellers—Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Mary Schmich  and marketing executive Melissa Harris —to talk about their moving and meticulous podcast, Division Street Revisited .  Inspired by Studs Terkel’s 1967 oral history Division Street: America ,   their series reimagines some of the original 71 interviews through the voices of descendants and contextual connections. “It’s a curious book,” Mary reflected. “Because if you really start to analyze it, you don’t know that much about these people. But somehow… you sense that you know them.” That sense of knowing is exactly what pulled Melissa into the project in the first place. Back in 2009, she asked Chicago legend Rick Kogan for a reading list to help her understand the city she had just moved to. Division Street  was at the top. “It transported me back into a time I certainly didn’t live through,” Melissa said. “But I felt that by the end of it, I had a deeper understanding of it.” Years later, when she learned the Library of Congress was digitizing Studs’ original interview tapes, Melissa knew it was time to bring the idea to life as a podcast—and she pitched it to Mary over a bottle of Pinot Noir. Mary’s reaction? Curiosity, yes—but also vulnerability. “The not knowing… was both thrilling and terrifying,” she admitted. “How do you find their kids? Their grandkids? And once you find them, how are you going to make a story out of this?” Together, they narrowed Terkel’s 71 interviews down to seven, intentionally centering a balance of perspectives—including four women whose lives reflected resilience, complexity and quiet power. Melissa introduced us to some of them: Blanche Gates ,  a widowed mother of 15 who migrated from Appalachia; Della Reuther , a tavern owner who had four husbands and children affected by four different wars;   Mary Ward Wolkonsky , a socialite whose life reflected both privilege and restriction; and Myra Alexander , a civil rights activist and janitor who struggled with how to hold her righteous anger. “Each of the women I would describe as resilient,” Melissa shared. “They each overcame, they each persevered, they each survived—and in some cases, thrived.” Still, Mary was clear: this wasn’t about checking diversity boxes—it was about reflecting a wider human truth. “We were simultaneously looking for people who were interesting in and of themselves,” she said. “But we also wanted those people to represent something.” That intention carries through the entire series. Even the podcast’s theme song—“Will the Circle Be Unbroken”—was carefully chosen. “It’s about this family imagining that… they will all be reunited,” Mary shared. Taking these now-deceased people and traveling through time to their descendants—circling back. As someone who heard my own mother hum that song, I felt that connection deeply. Mary and Melissa’s collaboration is more than a storytelling triumph—it’s a master class in lifting one another up. “Your dreams are limited when you try to attempt something solo,” Melissa said. “Go find people who want to go on that journey with you.” Mary agreed, offering this advice to any woman who’s ever felt like her voice doesn’t matter: “It’s a combination of dreaming big, but also learning to take small steps… I just took a yellow sticky note and wrote: baby steps . One, two, three, four.” Because step by step, story by story, we’re closing the circle. 🎧 Season 5, Episode 7 of Speaking of Phenomenal is live now. Listen, share, and remember: we’re all part of this ongoing story. Contributor: Carolina Baldin

She was a toddler who loved dancing to music and had no trouble following instructions from her teachers at daycare. But when Anna was two years old, her parents and teachers noticed she was different from the other kids. The hearing loss diagnosis came and, along with it, a dreading prognosis: Anna would never talk. But she does talk. And she sat with host Amy Boyle for this week's episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast. The Education Coordinator at the Foundation for Hearing and Speech Resources (FHSR) and a doctor in special education, Anna Tess  described her work empowering parents to support children who are deaf, gave practical tips on creating inclusive classrooms and encouraged people connected to hearing loss to celebrate triumphs. Big and small. Anna could dance to music and follow instructions as a kid due to her visual and sensorial skills. She mimicked her classmates. She felt the music vibration. When Anna was two and a half years old, she got her first cochlear implant, which worked well for her. But as the episode progresses, it becomes less about Anna and her challenges and more about her passion: helping families navigate hearing loss in a positive, compassionate way. A former teacher of the deaf and school principal, Anna stressed the importance of self-advocacy curriculums in schools so children with hearing loss learn how to advocate for themselves. She also talked about creating "inviting" spaces with the help of technology, like systems that amplify the voice of the teacher and the use of captions. Now, at FHSR, she educates parents and caregivers on the laws involved with hearing loss and helps them ensure their children's educational needs are met. She also supports teachers, lawyers, neuropsychologists and other professionals. All free of charge. "I definitely wanted to do something with people," she told Amy when describing her process for vocational discernment at a young age. "I knew I didn't want to do something like the business world or sit behind a computer." Her answers are all outward-facing. Even her definition of being phenomenal is beyond herself: "What is phenomenal is that no one stopped me. No one tried to stop me." Anna has a bachelor's, two master's degrees and a doctorate. She grew up playing soccer, basketball, cross-country. She has even done an Iron Man triathlon. "Any child with a disability has so much potential," she told Amy as the episode neared its end. "We should never stop and believe that they can do less. We should always believe they can do more." If you want to learn more about free resources to support the deaf community, visit   https://www.fhsr.org/  or https://www.instagram.com/fhsr.chicago/ . Other organizations Anna mentioned include Equipped for Equality and Hands and Voices . Carolina Baldin   is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the " Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast  blog in March 2024.

Earlier today I was browsing old stories by one of my favorite authors, Olga Kahzan, and I ended up finding one Reddit thread  she started five years ago, right before the release of her book about the science of nonconformity. The thread was archived, but the posts are insightful: "We love to conform, we like to fit in," Kahzan said in one of the comments. "It feels good and tickles our dopamine receptors. We like to be liked, and to be thought of as doing the "right thing." And for the most part this is a good thing! The problem is when the crowd starts doing something really effed up, and you're still following it." As I write this post about the latest episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast , where host Amy Boyle embarks on a solo reflection on authenticity, I can't help but smile in gratefulness for the coincidence (or providence?). In the episode, Amy highlights four past guests, each with a definition of what being phenomenal means. For Maryam Myika Day , it's about "showing up as yourself" and "leading with your heart." Laura Jordan LeClair  describes it as "living every day with a purpose," "connecting to your core values" and "soaking in the moments that make you happy." From a more future-driven perspective, Jeanne Sparrow 's check for being phenomenal involves one question: "What kind of ancestor will you be?" Finally, Delores Morton said that to be phenomenal is to be authentic, "but not doing it alone." So many things to think about. Our character, personality, people we know and care about, what we can do better. As we revisit who we are and who we want to be, it can be hard to tell if we just want to fit in or if our desires for improvement come from an authentic and genuine concern for others and the world. As the episode ends, Amy asks us four practical questions that can guide us as we examine how authentic we are, or try to be: Am I living by my values? Am I allowing myself joy? Am I lifting others as I rise? What kind of ancestor will I be? Maybe you're thinking about people you love (besides yourself) as you read this. People who might find these questions helpful. Maybe you’ll feel compelled to share the episode or this post with them. That’s a nice gesture, for sure. But what if your authentic self went beyond that? What if you remained at their side while they tried to find the answers? Carolina Baldin is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the " Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast blog in March 2024.

It was three in the morning, and Jack was writing poetry in her closet. Her son had left for college, her sister had moved to the opposite coast, and she had recently experienced a painful friendship breakup.  Writing for healing Already a consistent writer focused on the midlife experience for women (under the umbrella of Jack Smack ), she decided that that first poem would be the first in a series of 30 pieces. She desperately needed something different to focus on. She would write one poem a day.  Metamorphosis in Stanzas by Jacqueline Perez What Jack didn’t know at the time was that those poems would eventually become a book, Metamorphosis in Stanzas . The collection, which included QR codes allowing readers to listen to Jack (an actress by training) reading each piece, became another of her initiatives to help women navigate challenges like body changes, caring for elderly parents and dealing with empty nests. She is also the founder of Kuel Life , a digital platform dedicated to normalizing female aging. “No more the hunger for perfection's plea, but a fuller, truer love of me,” she declared to host Amy Boyle during her second appearance in the Speaking of Phenomenal Podcast .  Season 1 E 06 A reptilian brain One of Jack’s main efforts in life is to “change the channel,” “change the conversation” when negative thoughts want to take over. “My brain, my reptilian brain, like all of ours, loves to find all the reasons that bad stuff's going to happen to me,” she shared. And she feels truly victorious whenever she manages to shift gears and “take the wins” when she can.  “If you've changed a bad thought to a positive thought while you're doing the dishes, holy cow, have a party,” she told Amy. “Do you know how hard that is to do?” Progress or perfection? Jack’s work as a writer, speaker and entrepreneur focuses on pro-aging, but her overall message of positive agency applies to all life stages. As Amy put it, we should all be “bold enough to try new things,” remembering that “progress is better than perfection.”  Earlier today, while I was doing my lunch dishes, I realized how easily my mind fabricates negative thoughts, fears, resentments. And how these thoughts are decisive in how I approach my tasks: presence or lack of enthusiasm, curiosity and joy. Have you ever tried to pay attention to those things? We would love to hear from you. Soaking in change (from the Metamorphosis in Stanzas collection): A seeker born with heart untamed, I chase the new, the unclaimed, each moment fresh, a fleeting breeze that gently shapes with subtle ease. Most pass like whispers, soft and light, a touch, a taste, then out of sight. But some, like shadows long remain, a tender scar, a trace of pain. Yet there I stood with soapy hands in a new space where change commands. Upper west side with weathered charm, I smiled, embraced the soothing calm. For there, mid suds, the world seemed clear, the past dissolved, no longer near. I felt the pull of life anew each time I travel, I break through. The ease with which I blend and start to build again to mend my heart. Each place I go, the world rewrites, and joy returns with softened light.  So here's to change, both sharp and sweet, to every path, to every street. For even when the marks run deep, new worlds will wake me from my sleep. Do life changes make you uneasy? Want to learn more about the physical, emotional and psychological aspects of aging? You can find Jack here .  Carolina Baldin   is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the " Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast  blog in March 2024.

Jillian Melero  had worked multiple jobs when she saw Anthony Bourdain on TV and decided to do what he was doing: travel, experience new cultures, challenge one’s perceptions about the world and help the audience do the same. She didn’t know what to call that type of work, but her goal was clear enough: to find a job she didn’t hate. But what began as a simple longing for a fresh start became the intentional pursuit of concrete solutions for real problems. After a 10-year-long journalism training combined with a five-year career as a reporter and editor, Jillian founded   Connect Puerto Rico  (or C-PR), a monthly newsletter that brings together community leaders, policymakers and investors to promote Puerto Rico’s transition to renewable energy. She is also a project manager for a local   resource guide  for migrants in Chicago.   Generated by Jillian Melero via DALL-E, Dec. 30, 2023. Why Journalism “I'm either going to get into journalism somehow, or I'm going to become a chef,” Jillian told host Amy Boyle during the latest episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal podcast when describing the beginning of her career transition. She went back to college and eventually joined a master’s program at Northwestern University in Chicago, a choice that resulted more from the city’s history in community organizing than from the school’s reputation. A second-generation NuYorican (a New Yorker with Puerto Rican roots) and a first-generation college graduate, Jillian decided to report on Puerto Rico’s transition to renewable energy for her   final project  at Medill. She identified three main things during her embedded reporting: an aging infrastructure prevented the use of modern solar panels and batteries, there was not enough trained workforce to make the needed repairs and it was challenging to find specialized workers who could deal with Puerto Rico’s challenges in a quick and efficient way. After graduating from Medill, Jillian got a job with the digital nonprofit Climate Central, where she learned to work with data and write for local and national audiences. She has also worked for the PBS affiliate in Chicago and has become familiar with newsletter and social media writing. Her last job before founding C-PR was as an editor at the immigration-focused Borderless Magazine , which allowed Jillian to think about the impact and the human aspect of reporting. From these experiences, she built a concrete mission statement: “not just to tell the stories, but to make sure that we're getting the results that we want from telling them.”   Finding Needs Years after her reporting trip to Puerto Rico with Medill, she joined an  entrepreneurial journalism program at the City University of New York, where she pitched an idea for a newsletter that, at the time, she generically named “Puerto Rico project.” By the end of the program, she had written and published a   manifesto  “out there in the universe,” which was the seed for Connect Puerto Rico. But her work conceptualizing C-PR didn’t end with her completion of the program at CUNY. As Jillian told Amy, she continues to think of ways to help the right policy and the necessary funding meet the needs of the people directly affected by the energy crisis in Puerto Rico.  Partnerships have also been vital as Jillian moves forward. C-PR has been supported by Medill Local News Initiative, led by Northwestern University, which enabled the hiring of two fellows, and the Media Innovation and Leadership Academy (MILA).    Driving Change To avoid promoting a type of energy transition that negatively impacts Puerto Rican culture (like gentrification, for example), Jillian cultivates a network of local experts, community advocates and members of the Puerto Rican diaspora who understand the nuances of the problems the country faces. “It's about not just the grid,” she told Amy. “It's about strengthening Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans.” Jillian adopts a similar mindset when it comes to building the resource guide for migrants in Chicago. An initiative by the Chicago SunTimes, now part of Chicago Public Media, now in partnership with La Voz Chicago, its Spanish version and WBEZ, the radio component,  the guide is an evolving compilation of answers to both difficult and frequent questions by migrants, which involve issues like housing, employment and health. One of the challenges is to produce content that is bilingual and, therefore, accessible to migrants whose first language is not English.  “What is it that people need?” is one of the questions that inform her work. “How can we help? What can we do about it?” Jillian has been finally able to find a job she doesn’t hate. And she only gets involved in projects she deeply cares about. “Tell me what you think about more solution-based reporting,” Amy asked her at the end of the episode. “I love it.” You can be a part of the solution when you subscribe to and share the Connect Puerto Rico newsletter ! Carolina Baldin   is a freelance journalist from Brazil. Having worked in law, policy and regulation, she is passionate about everyday stories that illustrate larger issues. She graduated from a master's program at Northwestern University in 2023 and became a guest blogger on the " Speaking of Phenomenal" podcast  blog in March 2024.

Innovation isn’t just for Silicon Valley. It’s thriving in communities across the country, and Chicago is a hub for groundbreaking ideas and collaboration. In this episode of the Speaking of Phenomenal  podcast , Amy Boyle  sits down with Laura Jordan LeClair , Director of Mentoring and Inclusion Programs at   Chicago Innovation , to discuss how mentorship, inclusion, and connection fuel innovation—not just in Chicago but beyond. A Gateway to Innovation Before joining Chicago Innovation, Laura worked in the sports industry and had never heard of the organization, despite being a Chicago native. “I came across it, and it opened up my eyes and my horizons to just an unbelievable community of innovative people spanning industries from high tech to low tech,” she shares. Chicago Innovation, which has been around for over 23 years , shines a spotlight on new products and services, particularly through its  annual awards . “It really takes the spotlight away from Silicon Valley and puts it on the amazing things going on in Chicago and our region,” Laura explains. But their impact extends beyond awards. Monthly events such as Taste of Innovation  (focused on food and beverage advancements) and AI + IQ  (an exploration of artificial intelligence) highlight industry trends shaping the future. More Than a Buzzword: The Mentorship Movement Mentorship is at the heart of Chicago Innovation’s programming. “It’s more than a buzz; it’s a movement,” Laura emphasizes. The organization runs three key mentoring and inclusion programs: The Women’s Mentoring Co-op : Launched in 2016, this initiative connects women with mentors to support career growth and leadership development. The Ladder : Designed for Black and Latina professionals, this program fosters career advancement through mentorship and skill-building. Ageless Innovators : A co-mentoring model that pairs professionals across generations, proving that learning and innovation aren’t tied to a single career stage. “Mentorship is vital. It’s only becoming more critical that women stand up and connect with each other,” Laura says. “Sometimes you don’t have that support in your own company, so having external connections is crucial.” Beyond Chicago: Why This Matters Everywhere The power of mentorship and inclusion extends far beyond Chicago. Programs like these provide a roadmap for other cities to create stronger, more connected professional networks. Laura highlights a common issue: “Women often feel they need to meet 80%  of a job’s qualifications before applying, while men might apply with only 30% . That’s why mentorship matters—it helps women recognize the strengths they already have.” For those hesitant to seek mentorship, Laura offers advice: “Mentorship doesn’t always have to be formal. Some of my mentors don’t even know they’re my mentors. It’s about finding people who align with your values and being open to learning.” The Future of Innovation is Inclusive As workplaces evolve and industries shift, innovation will depend on diverse perspectives. “The need for connection and support is only growing,” Laura says. “Whether you’re launching a startup, switching careers, or figuring out your next step, now is the time to build your community.” What’s Your Next Step? Innovation starts with connection. If you’re in Chicago , check out upcoming events like Innovating Chicago  on March 19 . Looking for mentorship? Applications  for The Women’s Mentoring Co-op opens March 25 —find your opportunity to grow. Other Ways to Engage Chicago Innovation offers year-round programming, mentorship opportunities, and events designed to connect, educate, and celebrate innovators across industries. Be sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter and receive information on all of our programming and events! If you know of an innovative product or service that was created in the Chicago region in the last 4 years, don't forget to nominate for the  Chicago Innovation Awards  this summer! Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate leader, or creative thinker, there’s a place for you in the Chicago Innovation community. Learn more and get involved at  chicagoinnovation.com Not in Chicago? Start where you are.  Look for local innovation hubs, networking events, or mentorship opportunities in your community. Reach out to someone whose work inspires you. Send that LinkedIn message. Make the introduction. As Laura reminds us, “The most powerful thing we can do is connect with each other.”

Most of us have a version in our mind of how life is “supposed” to go—milestones neatly mapped out, expectations carefully placed. But for Speaking of Phenomenal  Season 5’s first guest, Maryam Myika Day , that version was rewritten entirely. And in the process, she discovered the power of storytelling, resilience, and forging her own path. Maryam is an actress, screenwriter, producer, and storyteller whose career began on Broadway in 42nd Street . But even then, she knew there was more for her beyond the stage. “I started off as a performer, and what I realized very early on is that I wanted to tell stories that really represented people like me,” she told host Amy Boyle . “I could talk and complain about it, or I could do something about it.” That decision led her to screenwriting, where she built her own opportunities instead of waiting for them. Her first film won the audience award at the Reel Sisters Film Festival, setting her on a path that would eventually bring her to Hollywood, where she wrote a screenplay for actress Kat Graham about Motown legend Tammi Terrell. But success didn’t come without challenges. “I was birthing my first child at 40 and my first Hollywood film at the same time,” she shared. “That was the true beginning of me becoming my phenomenal me.” Finding the Through Line Maryam’s work has a common theme: stories of women, people of color, and those who have faced insurmountable odds. “I am that person who has overcome insurmountable odds,” she said. Her own story proves that. At 40, after delivering her daughter via emergency C-section, she lost her husband just eight months later. That devastating loss transformed her life once again. Instead of letting grief consume her, she turned it into purpose. “North of 40,” her podcast and upcoming book, was born from this journey. “Whether you’re tracking toward 40 or already there, North of 40   is a place for you to understand what it means to have a soul shift,” she said. “To have something happen that changes the trajectory of your life.” The Reality of Grief & The Power of Storytelling Grief is unpredictable. “Grief takes the time that it takes,” Maryam explained. “And it cannot be rushed.” She describes it as being knocked off your feet, slowly pulling yourself back up. “It may take months, days, years, but at some point, I knew I would feel better. And I did.” Sharing her experience became her way of processing. “I would just randomly blurt out things,” she admitted. “It was my way of coming to terms with what had happened. The experience itself was the testimony that needed to be told.” Her storytelling, once movement on a stage, became words on a page, and now a mission to amplify underrepresented voices. “Seeing written by Maryam Myika Day  on the screen is a reminder that I’m making my mark,” she said. “My biggest desire is to leave a legacy where people know I was here.” What’s Next? Maryam is currently working on Another Country , a non-scripted television show exploring the lives of U.S. expats who have built new lives abroad. “We’ve traveled to Lisbon, Paris, Ghana,” she shared. “It’s about exploring different ways to exist in the world.” She also teaches screenwriting and offers coaching to help others find their voice. “I want to give people the space, the comfort, and the access to tell their stories,” she said. Take Action Maryam offers a 30-minute exploratory coaching call  to help aspiring storytellers shape their ideas into reality. “My job is to help you figure out what you want to say, how you want to say it, and where you want to share it.” And as always, the Speaking of Phenomenal  podcast exists to grow our community, lift each other up, and remind you—you are phenomenal. Who in your life needs a reminder of their strength today? Send them this episode. Drop a note. Show up. Because we are stronger together.