Create Magic At Work®

What happens when walking into a room means absorbing every ounce of tension, distress, and unsaid emotion inside it?Many of us are taught that great leadership requires carrying the emotional weight of our teams. We step in to smooth things over, fix conflicts that aren't ours to solve, and mistake constant rescue missions for true connection. The result isn't better leadership, it is exhaustion.In this episode, Amy sits down with global emotional intelligence and empathy expert Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller to map out a clear blueprint for protecting your energy without shutting out your humanity. Drawing from her raw pivot point out of a toxic workplace environment and later experiencing those same broken patterns in other work spaces, Dr. Melissa shares the definitive distinction between reading a room and taking responsibility for it.This conversation is a radical reframe on human connection. You will discover how to stand in your own power, deploy data-backed perspective-taking, and implement the boundaries necessary to stop treating everyone else's distress as your circus to fix.Moments That Create Momentum:The "Not My Circus" Rule: Why walking into a room and feeling everyone else's tension isn't a gift, it’s a boundary failure that is secretly draining you.The Revenue Shield: The deeply unsettling reason why elite organizations intentionally protect toxic high-performers and narcissists.The Empathy Illusion: Dr. Melissa shares why empathy is passive, and how jumping straight into "fixing" things actually triggers misplaced, destructive compassion.The Danger of Being "Nice": Why standard corporate manners are often just a mask for insincerity, and the reason true kindness requires telling the ugly truth.The Self-Rescue Mandate: Why launching into service for others before mastering self-empathy is a fast track to destroying your own career.About the Guest:As professional musician, Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller worked with major talent such as Ray Charles, David Ogden Stiers, and Mannheim Steamroller. But cold and toxic leadership eventually robbed her of a career that was 30+ years in the making. However, that incident inspired Dr. Melissa to transform leadership as we know it by redefining the one element that most leaders miss: empathy. Today, she’s an international bestselling author, Editor’s Pick TEDx speaker, EQ and empathy coach, and leading voice on emotional intelligence and empathy. She’s known for blending lived experience, academic depth, and a sharp, data-driven approach that not only makes sense but demystifies how empathy translates to better productivity, innovation, and profit. Her mission is to invite everyone to approach empathy as a strategic skill for every human-centric action, not only for others but also for ourselves, and to step up in the way the future of leadership demands.https://eqviaempathy.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-a-robinson-winemiller-author-speaker-trainerhttps://www.instagram.com/empathyqueen.eqhttps://www.youtube.com/@TheEmpathicLeaderhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaoXSEWeILo&t=63shttps://geni.us/TheEmpathicLeaderAbout Amy:Amy Lynn Durham, known by her clients as the Corporate Mystic, is the founder of the Executive Coaching Firm, Create Magic At Work®, where they help leaders build workplaces rooted in creativity, collaboration, and fulfillment. A former corporate executive turned Executive Coach, Amy blends practical leadership strategies with spiritual intelligence to unlock human potential at work.She’s a certified Executive Coach through UC Berkeley & the International Coaching Federation (ICF) In addition, Amy holds coaching certifications in Spiritual Intelligence (SQ21), the Edgewalker Profile, and the Archetypes of Change . In addition to being the host of the Create Magic At Work® podcast, Amy is the author of Create Magic At Work®, Creating Career Magic: A Daily Prompt Journal and the founder of Magic Thread Media™. Through her work, she inspires intentional leadership for thriving workplaces and lives where “magic” becomes reality.Connect with Amy:https://createmagicatwork.net/https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-magic-at-workhttps://www.facebook.com/112951637095427https://www.instagram.com/createmagicatworkhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnEm4h3fUgaq8qgvZpz6dGgThanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!Subscribe to the podcastIf you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.Leave us an Apple Podcasts reviewRatings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you are enjoying the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.Mentioned in this episode:This show was brought to you in part by the Magic Thread Media Network. To learn more visit: https://magicthreadmedia.com/

What if the biggest barrier to your company's growth isn't a lack of good ideas, but how you setup the room before innovation even begins?Amy sits down with Michael Brian Lee, founder of the Innotivity Institute, to decode the high-stakes reality of modern corporate survival. In an era where 80% of a company’s value is driven entirely by intellectual property and average business lifespans have plummeted to just five years, innovation is no longer a luxury, it is a mandatory action.As quantum leaders, we often demand innovative solutions from our teams without realizing we are skipping the energetic prep work required to get them. Michael breaks down Innotivity, the ultimate cycle of adapting who you are being, shifting your identity, and then taking action to drive measurable business results.Together, they unpack the exact 3-step checklist leaders must complete before a brainstorming meeting ever starts. If you are ready to stop forcing stagnant ideas into the world and start orchestrating true innovation that ripple outward to your team and beyond, this episode is your blueprint.Moments That Create MomentumThe Brutal Math of Modern Business Survival: Discover why collapsing business lifespans mean your current innovation strategy is already outdated.Innovation is the Action: Understand why trying to innovate with old, default thinking is a recipe for failure, and why implementation requires an identity shift first.The 3-Step Pre-Brainstorm Checklist: A breakdown of Safe Space, Integrity, and Identity—the foundational SQ pillars required before your team steps into the room.Solving the Wrong Problem with Integrity: How rushing to a quick answer causes organizations to waste massive energy executing the wrong questions.The Live Innovation Experiment: Watch quantum leadership in real-time as Michael pushes Amy through a mind-bending exercise to expand past default, logical boundaries into pure potential.About the Guest:Michael Brian Lee excels as a transformational coach, trainer, teacher, speaker, writer, and an expert in the mindsets of Creativity, Innovation, and Adaptability.With over two decades of experience in the film and TV industry across the US, Europe, and Africa, Michael is a seasoned creative professional. His TV productions have earned him 5 South African Film & TV Awards (SAFTAs), showcasing his exceptional talent.Founding both the Innotivity Institute and the Academy of Television and Screen Arts in Johannesburg, Michael demonstrates his commitment to fostering creativity and excellence.He has taken the TEDx stage twice, delivering impactful speeches that have reshaped the perspectives of his audiences. His keynotes and workshops are widely recognized for dismantling barriers and empowering individuals to effectively change their mindsets and achieve their goals.https://www.michaelbrianlee.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelleecreativityBook - World Innovator’s Cup: History’s Greatest Minds Take the Field - https://worldinnovatorscup.com/About Amy:Amy Lynn Durham, known by her clients as the Corporate Mystic, is the founder of the Executive Coaching Firm, Create Magic At Work®, where they help leaders build workplaces rooted in creativity, collaboration, and fulfillment. A former corporate executive turned Executive Coach, Amy blends practical leadership strategies with spiritual intelligence to unlock human potential at work.She’s a certified Executive Coach through UC Berkeley & the International Coaching Federation (ICF) In addition, Amy holds coaching certifications in Spiritual Intelligence (SQ21), the Edgewalker Profile, and the Archetypes of Change . In addition to being the host of the Create Magic At Work® podcast, Amy is the author of Create Magic At Work®, Creating Career Magic: A Daily Prompt Journal and the founder of Magic Thread Media™. Through her work, she inspires intentional leadership for thriving workplaces and lives where “magic” becomes reality.Connect with Amy:https://createmagicatwork.net/https://www.linkedin.com/company/create-magic-at-workhttps://www.facebook.com/112951637095427https://www.instagram.com/createmagicatworkhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnEm4h3fUgaq8qgvZpz6dGgThanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!Subscribe to the podcastIf you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.Leave us an Apple Podcasts reviewRatings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you are enjoying the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.Mentioned in this episode:This show was brought to you in part by the Magic Thread Media Network. To learn more visit: https://magicthreadmedia.com/

Today’s reflection explores how authenticity begins when the life you present to others finally starts aligning with the values you quietly know are true within yourself.Bring the wisdom of the Edgewalker mindset into your daily life with your own copy of the Edgewalker Card Deck: https://createmagicatwork.net/shop/ols/products/the-edgewalker-card-deckStart your own journey of reflection, creativity, and intentional growth with the Create Magic at Work Journal: https://a.co/d/06N0HypcMentioned in this episode:This show was brought to you in part by the Magic Thread Media Network. To learn more visit: https://magicthreadmedia.com/

Today’s Edgewalker card explores how the language we repeat internally can quietly shape our relationships, leadership, identity, and the realities we move through each day.Bring the wisdom of the Edgewalker mindset into your daily life with your own copy of the Edgewalker Card Deck: https://createmagicatwork.net/shop/ols/products/the-edgewalker-card-deckStart your own journey of reflection, creativity, and intentional growth with the Create Magic at Work Journal: https://a.co/d/06N0HypcMentioned in this episode:This show was brought to you in part by the Magic Thread Media Network. To learn more visit: https://magicthreadmedia.com/