The Lost & Found Podcast with Amanda Powers

Amanda Powers
  • 5.0 (19)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Semiweekly

Ever wake up and think, "How did I get here?" Same. I'm Amanda — a former intel analyst who left the only career I'd ever known and started over from scratch. No roadmap. No guru. Just me, figuring it out in real time. The Lost & Found Podcast is for anyone navigating identity loss, career pivots, burnout, or that nagging feeling that something's missing. We talk self-discovery, hard transitions, and what it actually means to rebuild. No perfect answers here — just honest conversations. Subscribe for weekly episodes and join a community of people figuring it out. Wanderers are always welcome!

  1. Sep 24

    How to Stop Feeding Your Self-Doubt

    Episode 127: This solo episode is about self-doubt, perfectionism, and the story you tell yourself about yourself. So, what are you watering lately that doesn't deserve it? Because that is the story that decides what grows next. I recently took a Peloton ride led by Jess Sims, and she shared a story I haven't been able to shake. The concept was something like this: Ask a room of little kids who's an artist and every hand goes up. Ask again a few grades later and the hands disappear. Somewhere along the way, we start believing what we've been told about who we "are" and who we "are not." So I turned the question on myself and realized I have been watering the "not fast enough, not building quickly enough" loop and the perfectionist who keeps telling me I'm behind. But as I discusses the issue further, the real answer came out... I should have been watering a specific part of myself all along -- the real reason I needed to make this podcast so badly was to reach out to 25-year-old me. The girl who accepted the bare minimum from relationships and a career that made her feel so small. I couldn't stand up for her then, but I can now. If you're deep in your own identity crisis, building something slowly and quietly convinced you're behind, this one's for you. I'm not leading from the front. I'm in the trenches with you. In this episode, I cover: Why kids stop calling themselves artists, and what that does to adult self-beliefHow the story you tell yourself becomes a self-fulfilling prophecyOne question to carry into your week: what are you watering that doesn't deserve it?Why a slow season might be a season of repair, not failureHow to stop letting your productivity stand in for your worthWhere to point your limited energy so the right things actually grow Resources Mentioned: Jess Sims on Instagram: the Peloton instructor whose ride inspired this episodeOrbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie: the classic version of the "who here is an artist?" story CONNECT WITH AMANDA: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here! Email: hello@podcastforthelost.comWebsite: www.podcastforthelost.comInstagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powersTikTok: @podcast.for.the.lostYouTube: @podcastforthelostSubstack: podcastforthelost.substack.com AFFILIATE LINKS: ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

  2. Sep 24 ·  Bonus

    How to Stop Feeding Your Self-doubt (VIDEO)

    **Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on Spotify or YouTube⁠** Episode 127: This solo episode is about self-doubt, perfectionism, and the story you tell yourself about yourself. So, what are you watering lately that doesn't deserve it? Because that is the story that decides what grows next. I recently took a Peloton ride led by Jess Sims, and she shared a story I haven't been able to shake. The concept was something like this: Ask a room of little kids who's an artist and every hand goes up. Ask again a few grades later and the hands disappear. Somewhere along the way, we start believing what we've been told about who we "are" and who we "are not." So I turned the question on myself and realized I have been watering the "not fast enough, not building quickly enough" loop and the perfectionist who keeps telling me I'm behind. But as I discusses the issue further, the real answer came out... I should have been watering a specific part of myself all along -- the real reason I needed to make this podcast so badly was to reach out to 25-year-old me. The girl who accepted the bare minimum from relationships and a career that made her feel so small. I couldn't stand up for her then, but I can now. If you're deep in your own identity crisis, building something slowly and quietly convinced you're behind, this one's for you. I'm not leading from the front. I'm in the trenches with you. In this episode, I cover: Why kids stop calling themselves artists, and what that does to adult self-beliefHow the story you tell yourself becomes a self-fulfilling prophecyOne question to carry into your week: what are you watering that doesn't deserve it?Why a slow season might be a season of repair, not failureHow to stop letting your productivity stand in for your worthWhere to point your limited energy so the right things actually grow Resources Mentioned: ⁠Jess Sims on Instagram⁠: the Peloton instructor whose ride inspired this episode⁠Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie⁠: the classic version of the "who here is an artist?" story CONNECT WITH AMANDA: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? ⁠Send Amanda a message here!⁠ Email: ⁠hello@podcastforthelost.com⁠Website: ⁠www.podcastforthelost.com⁠Instagram: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠ & ⁠@amanda.k.powers⁠TikTok: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠YouTube: ⁠@podcastforthelost⁠Substack: ⁠podcastforthelost.substack.com⁠ AFFILIATE LINKS: ⁠ShopMy⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠supplements⁠, ⁠skincare⁠, ⁠outfits⁠, ⁠tech⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

  3. Sep 10 ·  Bonus

    9 Ways to Measure Progress When Your Career Feels Stuck (VIDEO)

    **Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠** Episode 126: I moved to Tampa in June, and I'm finally caught up enough to tell you what my "new life" actually looks like these days: The home podcast studio that failing on meDierks getting scared by fireworks for the first timeTrying out a run club that humbled me -- FAST.And a cool Seminole Heights drive-through coffee spot with a croissant panini I can't stop thinking about. I also get honest about why the podcast has been so haphazard and randomly quiet this year, and about the strange mental gymnastics I deal with after spending a decade in national security trained not to share, then trying to publically build something that only works if I do. I am three years into this podcast and my progress still feels so jagged. So here are nine ways to measure progress when your career feels stuck, and not one of them shows up on a résumé. In this episode, I'll talk about: Nine markers of progress that have nothing to do with your job title Why getting back up is the most underrated skill you haveWhat your daily habits say about the life you're actually buildingHow to tell a real boundary from a goalpost you keep movingWhy emotional composure is something you build, not something you're born withWhat starting over in a new city looks like while you're still in the thick of it CONNECT WITH AMANDA: If you enjoyed this episode, leaving five stars on Spotify or a quick review on Apple is the single biggest way a new Wanderer finds the show. Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or have a question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? ⁠Send Amanda a message here!⁠ FOLLOW FOR MORE: Email: ⁠hello@podcastforthelost.com⁠ Website: ⁠www.podcastforthelost.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠ & ⁠@amanda.k.powers⁠ TikTok: ⁠@podcast.for.the.lost⁠ YouTube: ⁠@podcastforthelost⁠ Substack: ⁠podcastforthelost.substack.com⁠ AFFILIATE LINKS: ⁠ShopMy⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠supplements⁠, ⁠skincare⁠, ⁠outfits⁠, ⁠tech⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

  4. Sep 10

    9 Ways to Measure Progress When Your Career Feels Stuck

    Episode 126: I moved to Tampa in June, and I'm finally caught up enough to tell you what my "new life" actually looks like these days: The home podcast studio that failing on meDierks getting scared by fireworks for the first timeTrying out a run club that humbled me -- FAST.And a cool Seminole Heights drive-through coffee spot with a croissant panini I can't stop thinking about. I also get honest about why the podcast has been so haphazard and randomly quiet this year, and about the strange mental gymnastics I deal with after spending a decade in national security trained not to share, then trying to publically build something that only works if I do. I am three years into this podcast and my progress still feels so jagged. So here are nine ways to measure progress when your career feels stuck, and not one of them shows up on a résumé. In this episode, I'll talk about: Nine markers of progress that have nothing to do with your job title Why getting back up is the most underrated skill you haveWhat your daily habits say about the life you're actually buildingHow to tell a real boundary from a goalpost you keep movingWhy emotional composure is something you build, not something you're born withWhat starting over in a new city looks like while you're still in the thick of it CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome Back! 0:44 Why I started my podcast in the middle of an identity crisis 2:38 Why I moved to Florida to start over again 5:44 What starting over in a new city actually looks like 9:17 Why the podcast has been quiet this year 13:32 How do you tell your story when your career depends on privacy? 18:24 What if you’ve been measuring progress the wrong way? 19:52 What we give doesn’t always return 21:17 Progress you can’t see: love, loyalty, and work ethic 28:40 Progress you can’t see: grace, resilience, and daily habits 37:36 Progress you can’t see: composure, kindness, and boundaries 45:35 Questions to ask when you’re feeling behind in life CONNECT WITH AMANDA: If you enjoyed this episode, leaving five stars on Spotify or a quick review on Apple is the single biggest way a new Wanderer finds the show! Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or have a question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here! FOLLOW FOR MORE: Email: hello@podcastforthelost.com Website: www.podcastforthelost.com Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost YouTube: @podcastforthelost Substack: podcastforthelost.substack.com AFFILIATE LINKS: ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

  5. Jul 27

    VIDEO: Why Your Brain Fears Uncertainty More Than Pain (And the Framework That Finally Helps)

    **Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on Spotify or YouTube** Episode 125: This episode explores uncertainty tolerance, decision paralysis, risk tolerance, fear of the unknown, and the big life transitions that define the Millennial Identity Crisis — including whether to move, change careers, leave a relationship, or start completely over. If you're looking for practical decision-making frameworks that don't require you to have all the answers first, this one's for you. This week, Amanda explores her own uncertainty lately, and draws on the research of Simone Stolzoff — journalist, bestselling author of The Good Enough Job, and author ofthe new book How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World That Demands Answers. His work on uncertainty tolerance, decision-making science, and the psychology of risk is the backbone of the frameworks Amanda shares in this episode. CONNECT WITH AMANDA: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here! Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.com/ Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost YouTube: @podcastforthelost Substack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com/ AFFILIATE LINKS: ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use

  6. Jul 27

    Why Your Brain Fears Uncertainty More Than Pain (And the Framework That Finally Helps)

    Episode 125: Your brain would rather take a guaranteed painful electric shock than sit with a 50/50 chance of getting one. That's not a personal failure. That's biology — and it might be the most validating thing you hear all week. In this solo episode, recorded live in-studio after an unexpected guest cancellation (which, honestly, felt like the universe assigning the homework), Amanda gets into one of the most paralyzing forces driving the Millennial Identity Crisis right now: uncertainty. Not a fluffy "lean into the discomfort" pep talk — the real,science-backed reason why big life decisions feel impossible, why watching someone you love stay stuck can make you quietly furious, and why your brain has been working against you this whole time. Inspired by fellow podcaster Liz Moody and the journalist and bestselling author Simone Stolzoff's research on uncertainty tolerance, Amanda unpacks the science and makes it personal — including a raw, honest story about a close friend navigating a sudden breakup, and the moment Amanda realized she'd been projecting her own risk tolerance onto someone who needed something entirely different. She also revisits a chapter from her intelligence analyst days — a White House job offer that unraveled in three weeks — and what living inside that kind of professional and personal free fall taught her about the millennial career pivot she didn't see coming. If you've ever asked yourself "should I move?", "should I leave this relationship?", "should I change careers?" — and then immediately answered yourself with "but what if it doesn't work out?" — this episode was made for you. In this episode, you'll learn: Why your brain is literally wired to fear uncertainty more than actual suffering — and the study that proves itThe difference between acute uncertainty and ambient uncertainty, and why it matters for every decision you're currently avoidingThe "outsider looking in" trap — why being frustrated with someone else's indecision is actually about your own threshold, not theirsThe Only Option Test: a deceptively simple tool to cut through decision paralysisOne-way door vs. two-way door decisions — and how knowing the difference changes the stakes entirelyWhy you don't need certainty to commit — and what commitment actually isThe most powerful mindset shift for when you're drowning in fear: how to trust your future self to solve problems that haven't arrived yet RESOURCES: Simone Stolzoff — How to Not Know: simonestolzoff.com/how-to-not-know The Liz Moody Podcast ft. Simone Stolzoff — Part 1: Listen on Spotify The Liz Moody Podcast ft. Simone Stolzoff — Part 2: Listen on Spotify CONNECT WITH AMANDA: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Send Amanda a message here! Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.com/Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powersTikTok: @podcast.for.the.lostYouTube: @podcastforthelostSubstack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com/ AFFILIATE LINKS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ShopMy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supplements⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠skincare⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠outfits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

  7. Jul 26

    VIDEO: How to Stop Comparing Your Life (and Your Content) to Everyone Else's

    **Until Apple Podcasts Connect and Spotify for Creators platforms are able to share HSL Video, please watch the video version of this episode on Spotify or ⁠YouTube⁠** Episode 124: This episode of The Lost & Found Podcast with Amanda Powers explores creative shame, comparison culture, career reinvention, self-worth, and the quiet fear that you're falling behind — the everyday textures of the Millennial Identity Crisis — including what it means to start something before you feel qualified, to grieve a career path you outgrew, and to keep showing up when you're still learning the skill. Amanda and her friend and fellow content creator Mika Carr get into the myth that you have to "batch content" or have it all figured out to be legit, the dreams we get shamed out of chasing, and why turning another year older isn't proof you're running out of time. If you're looking for permission to change your mind, stop comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel, and build something new without waiting to feel ready first, this one's for you. Connect with Mika: @mikamcarr Connect with Amanda: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Email us at hello@podcastforthelost.com Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.com Instagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lost YouTube: @podcastforthelost Substack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com AFFILIATE LINKS: ShopMy → Browse and shop the supplements, skincare, outfits, tech, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

  8. Jul 20

    Don't Be Afraid of Change — Even When You Might Fail | Mika Carr

    Episode 124: Feeling behind because everyone else's content — or life — looks more put-together than yours? This episode is your permission slip to stop comparing and start posting anyway. If you're a creative with a full-time job and a side dream you can't let go of —the one-woman bands editing their own content at midnight, the people who were "the artsy kid" until somewhere around your late teens/early 20s that part got quietly shelved, and anyone caregiving so hard for someone else that their own career is idling in neutral — this is for you! Our guest today is Mika Carr, a Nashville video producer, journalism major turned creative, and one of the original friends who pushed Amanda into podcasting. They trades stories in a looser, funnier, more behind-the-curtain episode that still lands hard where it counts. They talk about how you can only get good at something by getting in and doing it badly first: Mika's advice on video editing is to stop watching tutorials, open the software, and accept that you have to make a lot of bad edits before you make good ones — which is the same advice, exactly, for starting a podcast, a business, or a life. She also dismantles the posting-cadence anxiety that eats creators alive, pointing out that all the old rules are nebulous now, that something you posted eight months ago can hit out of nowhere, and that judging yourself for not posting five times a day ignores the fact that you're already doing more than most people ever will. The most quietly devastating stretch is Mika's answer about the experience shaping her that few people know: putting her own career on hold to help her single mother raise her 14-year-old brother, every homework assignment, every school night, wanting nothing more than for him to be confident enough to exist in a hard world. Share this with the friend who's exhausted from carrying someone else, the one drafting captions they never post, or the person who keeps saying "I'm not really creative anymore" — because change is scary and you might fail and it's okay to fail because every experience is there for a reason. In this episode we discuss: Why comparing your content (or your career) to someone else's is quietly exhausting youThe forgotten career dream Mika had before content creationWhy "post it anyway" beats chasing a perfect algorithm strategyAmanda's FBI story on standing your ground without losing yourselfMika's closing advice on embracing change, even when it's scary CHAPTERS: 00:00 — Welcome Back! 01:32 — How did this podcast actually start? 06:07 — Why does comparing your content to everyon eelse's feel so exhausting? 10:20 — What career did Mika almost pursue before content creation? 20:29 — What does it mean to actually own the identity of “podcaster” or “creator”? 32:44 — Is free advice better than paid mentorship rightnow? 34:54 — What is the “millennial career crisis”everyone's talking about? 47:51 — Amanda's most humbling story from her FBI career 55:47 — What does it look like to pause your own career to help family? 59:31 — Who shaped you the most without knowing it? 1:05:06 — How do you stop being afraid of change? CONNECT WITH MIKA: Find Mika on Instagram: @mikamcarr CONNECT WITH AMANDA: Don't forget to subscribe for weekly content about identity, healing, purpose, and becoming your future self. Want to share your story or question for an upcoming Wanderer Wisdom Episode? Email us at hello@podcastforthelost.com Website: https://www.podcastforthelost.comInstagram: @podcast.for.the.lost & @amanda.k.powers TikTok: @podcast.for.the.lostYouTube: @podcastforthelost Substack: https://podcastforthelost.substack.com AFFILIATE LINKS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ShopMy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Browse and shop the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supplements⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠skincare⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠outfits⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tech⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and personal luxuries I actually reach for and use!

    Don't Be Afraid of Change — Even When You Might Fail | Mika Carr
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About

Ever wake up and think, "How did I get here?" Same. I'm Amanda — a former intel analyst who left the only career I'd ever known and started over from scratch. No roadmap. No guru. Just me, figuring it out in real time. The Lost & Found Podcast is for anyone navigating identity loss, career pivots, burnout, or that nagging feeling that something's missing. We talk self-discovery, hard transitions, and what it actually means to rebuild. No perfect answers here — just honest conversations. Subscribe for weekly episodes and join a community of people figuring it out. Wanderers are always welcome!

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