Empowered & Out

Jonathan Barbe
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Empowered & Out is the podcast for anyone who wants a career that feels aligned, meaningful, and authentic. Hosted by career purpose and confidence coach Jonathan Barbe, each episode explores confidence, identity, and self-worth at work through coaching insights and candid conversations with leaders and change-makers redefining success. Rooted in LGBTQ+ lived experience and open to everyone, this podcast supports listeners navigating burnout, career transitions, toxic workplaces, and the pressure to mask who they are. Whether you’re rebuilding confidence, seeking clarity, or ready to show up more fully at work, Empowered & Out is here to help — without apology.

  1. Jun 23

    LGBTQ+ Leadership, Bias & Confidence at Work

    In this episode of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, Coach Jon sits down with Ryan DeLuca, Managing Director of 25th Hour Regulatory Consulting, for a powerful conversation about confidence, bias, leadership, allyship, and what it means to navigate professional spaces as an LGBTQ+ person. Ryan brings nearly 20 years of experience in regulation, investigations, compliance, education, and professional development. His work helps regulatory professionals strengthen investigative practices, reduce bias, improve decision-making, and approach their work with fairness, neutrality, and confidence. Together, Coach Jon and Ryan explore how LGBTQ+ professionals often become skilled readers of people and environments, especially after years of masking, navigating safety, and learning how to assess where they can fully show up. Ryan shares how confidence grew throughout his career, what helped him trust his own expertise, and why representation matters in industries where LGBTQ+ people are often assumed not to exist. This episode also dives into workplace bias, meaningful allyship, the current political climate, support for the trans community, and the importance of standing together during difficult moments. Ryan also shares how risk, adventure, and challenge have helped shape his relationship with confidence and growth. If you have ever felt underestimated, questioned your right to take up space, or wondered how to stay grounded while navigating bias or assumptions, this conversation is for you. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Welcome to Empowered & Out 02:24 — Meet Ryan DeLuca 03:00 — Energy check-in 04:11 — Ryan’s path from real estate to regulatory investigations 07:05 — Understanding people, behavior, and bias 09:11 — How LGBTQ+ professionals learn to read environments 11:25 — Navigating professional spaces as an LGBTQ+ investigator 14:52 — Moving from self-consciousness to trusting your expertise 17:18 — Misconceptions about LGBTQ+ professionals in leadership and compliance 20:22 — Visibility, representation, and LGBTQ+ professionals in every industry 24:00 — Advice for anyone feeling underestimated 28:04 — Authenticity, Pride, and showing up at work 32:46 — Where bias shows up in workplace decision-making 36:57 — How professionals can check their own assumptions 38:49 — Why marginalized communities become political targets 43:05 — What meaningful allyship looks like right now 44:56 — Confidence, fear, skydiving, and personal growth 55:36 — How risk and challenge change with age 59:30 — Rapid-fire questions 1:02:40 — Encouragement for LGBTQ+ professionals and leaders 1:03:33 — Final reflections and closing CTA If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and connect with Coach Jon at Empowered & Out Coaching. And if you are feeling stuck, burned out, disconnected, under-confident, or unsure about your next career move, the Empowered Career Transformation Program can help you reconnect with your purpose, rebuild confidence, and take aligned action toward a career where you can thrive as your full self.

    58 min

  2. Jun 16

    LGBTQ+ Career Success, Identity, Belonging, Purpose, and Turning Workplace Pain Into Purpose

    Happy Pride, Everyone! 🌈 In this powerful episode of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, Coach Jon sits down with Andrew, founder of Person First Consulting, for a deeply honest conversation about identity, career transformation, workplace belonging, and what it means to rebuild after professional rejection. Andrew shares their journey from music education to higher education, ed tech, career coaching, leadership development, DEI consulting, and entrepreneurship. He opens up about how a painful job loss connected to disclosing his gender identity became part of the path that led him to launch his own consulting business and create work rooted in purpose, flexibility, and impact. This episode also explores Andrew’s dissertation research on the well-being experiences of transgender employees during onboarding in the tech industry. Together, Coach Jon and Andrew discuss psychological safety, inclusive hiring practices, unconscious bias, gender identity at work, performative Pride, and why organizations must do more than say they are inclusive. If you have ever felt rejected, unseen, unsafe, or disconnected from your career path, this conversation is a reminder that one workplace experience does not get to define your entire professional story. CHAPTERS 00:00 — Welcome to Empowered & Out 01:00 — Introducing Andrew and Person First Consulting 03:46 — Andrew joins the conversation 04:00 — Energy check-in 05:38 — Andrew’s career journey from music education to consulting 07:20 — Coming out again at work and navigating job loss 09:00 — Launching Person First Consulting 10:55 — What “person first” means 12:38 — Building a consulting business after job loss 14:19 — Flexibility, caregiving, and life-work balance 18:48 — Andrew’s dissertation on transgender employees and onboarding 21:43 — Inclusive restrooms and workplace belonging 25:44 — Challenges transgender and nonbinary employees may face in new roles 28:06 — How organizations can create psychological safety during onboarding 32:01 — What unconscious bias looks like in everyday life 34:30 — How bias shows up in resumes, hiring, pay, and promotion 37:04 — How leaders can become more aware of their bias 39:18 — How to address bias without shutting someone down 43:08 — Rebuilding purpose after workplace trauma 46:03 — Authenticity, safety, and Pride in the current climate 50:43 — Rapid-fire questions 54:04 — Andrew’s encouragement for discouraged job seekers 58:01 — Coach Jon’s closing reflection and CTA If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs to hear the reminder that their career story is not over. And if you are feeling stuck, burned out, disconnected, underconfident, or unsure about your next career move, connect with Coach Jon at Empowered & Out Coaching to learn more about the Empowered Career Transformation Program @ https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout Through the Purpose to Placement Framework™, Coach Jon helps professionals move from confusion and self-doubt into clarity, confidence, strategy, and aligned action. Available in both 1:1 and group coaching options. Your career should not require you to disappear in order to succeed.

    52 min

  3. Jun 9

    Turning Pain Into Power: Healing, Reiki, and Reconnecting With Your Light

    In this powerful episode of Empowered & Out, Coach Jon sits down with Deanna Scaldaferri, a licensed massage and bodywork therapist, to talk about healing, resilience, grief, toxic relationships, body-based healing, and what it really means to reconnect with your light after life has tried to dim it. Deanna shares how her own journey through grief, trauma, narcissistic abuse, and personal healing shaped the work she does today. Together, Coach Jon and Deanna explore why healing is not just mental or emotional, but deeply connected to the body, nervous system, spirit, and the way we learn to listen to ourselves again. This conversation is for anyone who has walked through heartbreak, grief, emotional chaos, trauma, toxic relationships, or burnout and wondered, “Will I ever feel like myself again?” The answer woven throughout this episode is yes. Healing takes time. It takes intention. It takes compassion. And sometimes, it begins with one small question: What is the next right step? CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome to Empowered & Out 00:53 – Meet Deanna Scaldaferri 01:45 – Energy check-in and showing up authentically 05:00 – Deanna’s personal healing journey 09:01 – What lived experience teaches that training cannot 10:40 – What causes people to lose connection with their light 13:37 – Finding stillness in a noisy world 19:20 – Healing beyond the buzzwords 20:01 – The impact of toxic and narcissistic relationships 22:00 – Rewiring the brain and rebuilding emotional health 24:23 – Why healing can take longer than expected 29:05 – The connection between mental health and the body 32:00 – Massage, stress, pain, and nervous system support 37:43 – Reiki, energy healing, and stored emotion 44:23 – Turning pain into power 52:07 – Hope for anyone wondering if they will feel like themselves again 53:51 – Rapid-fire questions 57:06 – One action step to reconnect with your light 59:07 – Final reflections and closing message If this conversation spoke to you, share it with someone who may need the reminder that healing is possible and their light is still there, even if life has tried to dim it. To connect with Deanna and learn more about her massage, Reiki, energy healing, or intuitive coaching work, check here:   www.healinghandsbydeanna.com https://www.meetup.com/charlotte-narcissistic-abuse-recovery-meetup-group https://www.facebook.com/share/1BKfYBaUax/?mibextid=wwXIfr https://www.instagram.com/decamde1?igsh=M2FtZ3FsM2N6dHdh&utm_source=qr www.linkedin.com/in/deanna-decamillo-scaldaferri-6b242a2a5 And if you are navigating burnout, grief, career uncertainty, confidence loss, or a season of rebuilding, connect with Coach Jon at Empowered & Out Coaching here: https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/94065  You deserve to feel connected to yourself again. You deserve support. And you do not have to rebuild alone.

    58 min

  4. Jun 2

    Trust Yourself Again: Confidence, Purpose, Resilience, and the Story Behind Coach Jon

    In this special episode of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, the tables are turned as Coach Jane returns — but this time, she is interviewing Coach Jon. This conversation gives listeners a more personal look at who Coach Jon is, why he became a coach, and what led him into the work of helping people rebuild confidence, rediscover purpose, and show up more authentically in their careers and lives. Coach Jon opens up about how his coaching journey began during the pandemic, why purpose and confidence became central to his work, and how personal experience, workplace challenges, resilience, and community shaped the way he supports others today. Together, Coach Jane and Coach Jon explore the impact of technology and AI on confidence and communication, why networking still matters, how self-doubt shows up at work, what it means to be empowered, and why confidence is something that can be built over time. If you have ever felt stuck, unseen, unsure, disconnected from your purpose, or like your confidence has taken a hit, this episode is a reminder that you are not broken. You can rebuild. You can grow. And you can learn to trust yourself again. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Empowered & Out 02:13 Coach Jane returns and takes over as host 02:46 Energy check-in and switching roles 05:04 What led Coach Jon into confidence and purpose coaching 06:00 Starting a podcast during the pandemic 07:04 Discovering coaching certifications and finding direction 09:18 Why purpose and confidence became central to the work 11:03 Technology, devices, AI, and confidence 15:26 How AI can be used as a confidence-building tool 16:02 Networking, communication, and finding career opportunities 20:13 What makes Coach Jon’s coaching approach different 22:09 Purpose, alignment, and choosing work that feels authentic 25:24 Masking, self-doubt, and confidence at work 28:54 Where to start when you feel stuck or unseen 31:55 Mindset versus environment in confidence-building 34:45 What resilience has looked like in Coach Jon’s life 40:15 What resilient people understand 42:22 What being empowered means today 45:39 The one message listeners should take away 47:06 Success, happiness, and choosing your joy 49:48 Rapid-fire questions 56:14 Coach Jon reflects on being interviewed 58:07 Final thoughts on career readiness, resilience, and confidence 59:26 Call to action and closing message If this episode resonated with you and you are ready to rebuild your confidence, rediscover your purpose, or stop feeling stuck in your career, I would love to support you. Book a free call with me, Coach Jon, through the link here: https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout And if you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that confidence is built — it is not reserved for a chosen few.

    47 min

  5. May 26

    Queer Resilience, Grief, and the Beautiful Weirdness of Being Human with Ken Breniman

    In this episode of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, Coach Jon sits down with Ken Breniman for a deeply honest, beautifully layered, and delightfully weird conversation about healing, grief, queer identity, mortality, psychedelics, burnout, primates, and what it really means to be human. Ken is a licensed clinical social worker, psychedelic-assisted grief therapist, death doula, professor of thanatology, yoga therapist, and what he lovingly calls a budding primatologist. Together, Jon and Ken explore how queer identity shapes resilience, why grief can become a doorway back to purpose, what death teaches us about living more fully, and how stepping away from modern noise can help us reconnect with ourselves. This conversation moves from childhood identity and coming out, to ancestral healing, rainforest wisdom, orangutans, psychedelic therapy, and the simple but powerful practice of taking three minutes to pause, breathe, and come back to your body. If you’ve been feeling burned out, disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure how to find your way back to yourself, this episode is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and remember that healing does not have to be linear to be real. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to Empowered & Out 02:09 — Ken’s energy check-in 03:35 — Ken’s beautifully chaotic healing path 04:52 — How queer identity shaped Ken’s healing work 06:08 — Leaving conformity and finding purpose 11:06 — Origin stories, creativity, and honoring your true colors 17:19 — Feeling different, animal identity, and naming the unseen parts of ourselves 20:43 — Queer resilience, queer joy, and remembering our ancestors 23:08 — Coming out, chosen family, and holding space 29:03 — Loving the parts of ourselves we were taught to reject 32:03 — Why queer stories are not one-size-fits-all 33:39 — What LGBTQ+ people need more of right now 35:24 — Silence, technology, and getting away from the noise 39:19 — Why we avoid talking about death 46:14 — How mortality can help us live more fully 49:43 — What grief teaches us about purpose 51:45 — Psychedelics, grief, and healing beyond traditional therapy 53:47 — What people misunderstand about psychedelic healing 58:41 — Ken’s sabbatical and working around orangutans 1:02:34 — Burnout, empathic distress, and learning to slow down 1:04:16 — What the rainforest teaches us about interdependence 1:09:22 — Rapid-fire questions 1:13:22 — Ken’s advice for reconnecting with yourself 1:18:31 — Final reflections and closing CTA If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to Empowered & Out, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need a reminder that healing, purpose, and confidence are still possible. And if you’ve been feeling burned out, disconnected, stuck, or like your career no longer feels aligned with who you are, book a free discovery call with Coach Jon here: https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout.

    1h 12m

  6. May 19

    Building Confidence Before the Resume Feels “Impressive Enough”

    In this episode of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, Coach Jon welcomes back Jane Klein, a former corporate leader turned internship coach who helps college students land competitive internships and enter the workforce with more confidence, strategy, and direction. This conversation gets into the real challenges Gen Z students and early-career professionals are facing right now: internship rejection, ghosting, lack of confidence, networking anxiety, unclear career goals, and the pressure to have everything figured out before they even get started. Jane and Jon discuss why many students are academically prepared but not always career-ready, why knowing your value matters before walking into an interview, and how rejection can become information instead of proof that you are failing. They also explore how parents, educators, and professionals can better support students as they move from school into adulthood. This episode is especially helpful for college students, young professionals, parents, internship seekers, and anyone who has ever overthought themselves out of taking the next step. And Jane’s reminder is one we all need: done is better than perfect. Episode Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to Empowered & Out 02:25 — Reintroducing Jane Klein 02:38 — Energy check-in 04:03 — Power poses, confidence, and preparing yourself before big moments 07:43 — What changed for Jane after moving 13:24 — What college students are struggling with in today’s internship market 16:44 — Why academics alone do not prepare students for career confidence 21:23 — The confidence gap: experience, rejection, employer expectations, and subconscious patterns 25:30 — Helping students understand their value before they have a long resume 27:31 — How to stop personalizing internship and job rejection 30:47 — Mindset shifts for resilience and confidence 35:35 — Participation awards, rejection, and learning how to improve 38:26 — Using root-cause analysis after interviews and applications 40:14 — Why students need clearer career goals before graduation 01:29:10 — Real examples of networking creating unexpected opportunities 01:49:50 — Jane’s whole-food plant-based lifestyle and intentional living 02:04:41 — Rapid fire questions 02:07:10 — Jane’s final actionable tip: done is better than perfect

    1h 38m

  7. May 12

    When Workplace Language Becomes an Identity Threat

    In this episode of Empowered & Out, Coach Jon sits down with Greg Mazzeo, a leadership psychologist, HR practitioner, consultant, and human-centered performance advocate, for a deep and timely conversation about what it really means to lead people well. Together, Jon and Greg explore the tension between performance and humanity at work — especially when identity, safety, language, and leadership all collide. Greg shares how his background in food service leadership, psychology, HR, and consulting shaped the way he thinks about performance, not as a simple metric, but as a human story with systems, barriers, relationships, and lived experiences behind it. This conversation digs into inclusive language, identity threats, psychological safety, difficult performance conversations, toxic leadership, and what organizations often miss when they focus only on intention while ignoring impact. Greg also shares powerful insight into how workplace language, symbols, representation, and leadership behavior can either pull employees into belonging or push them into self-protection. If you have ever worked under a leader who made you question yourself, sat through a performance conversation that felt more threatening than supportive, or wondered whether organizations truly understand the human impact of their decisions, this episode is for you. This is a conversation about leadership that does not require self-abandonment, performance that does not ignore wellbeing, and workplaces where people are allowed to be human. Podcast Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to Empowered & Out 01:24 — Introducing Greg Mazzeo and today’s conversation 02:52 — Energy check-in: community, rest, and starting the week grounded 04:36 — Greg’s journey into leadership psychology, HR, and human-centered performance 07:03 — Why Greg started Nourishment Consulting 08:11 — What human-centered performance looks like in real workplaces 11:30 — Collaboration, employee voice, and making space for quieter team members 13:15 — What organizations still get wrong about performance 15:30 — Where metrics help and where they start to hurt 18:57 — Inclusive language and identity threat experiences at work 22:47 — How wording, symbols, and representation impact employee safety 26:20 — Why intent is not enough when impact is ignored 30:00 — Performance conversations, coaching, and the danger of dismissiveness 32:42 — How leaders can prepare for difficult conversations with more awareness 34:25 — How employees can protect themselves and advocate for themselves 40:03 — Why organizations protect technically strong but harmful leaders 45:01 — Leadership vs. management, team building, and collaboration 53:26 — DEI shifts, political pressure, and how companies signal their values 58:34 — What happens when representation disappears 01:00:48 — Why DEI impacts everyone 01:06:32 — Rapid fire: Baltimore, New York bagels, pizza, and food identity 01:10:25 — Greg’s actionable advice: listen to what your body is telling you 01:13:57 — Final reflections and closing CTA If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend, coworker, or leader who needs to hear this conversation. And if you are in a season of rebuilding your confidence, recovering from a difficult workplace experience, or trying to figure out what kind of work actually fits who you are now, connect with Coach Jon through the link here: linktr.ee/empoweredandout  You deserve a career that supports your success without costing you your wellbeing.

    1h 8m

  8. May 6

    Grief Doesn’t End You — It Reveals You

    In this heartfelt episode of Empowered & Out, Coach Jon sits down with Kara Zajac, freelance writer, chiropractor, entrepreneur, musician, and author of The Significance of Curly Hair: A Loving Memoir of Life and Loss. Kara’s memoir takes place during the emotionally loaded week of her grandmother’s funeral — a week that cracked open grief, memory, identity, family history, and the truths we sometimes do not understand until much later in life. Together, Jon and Kara explore what grief teaches us, how family stories shape who we become, and why healing often begins when we let ourselves feel instead of forcing ourselves to “move on.” This conversation also opens up powerful reflections on queer identity, motherhood, chosen family, authenticity, and the realization that there is no single “right” way to build a life. Kara shares how losing her grandmother helped her challenge old beliefs about family, marriage, motherhood, and what it means to live honestly. If you have ever carried grief, questioned the life you are “supposed” to live, or wondered how to honor someone you miss without losing yourself, this episode will meet you with tenderness, humor, and truth. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to Empowered & Out 02:22 — Meet Kara Zajac 02:25 — Energy check-in 04:29 — Why Kara’s memoir takes place during the week of her grandmother’s funeral 06:02 — The moment grief began changing her 08:40 — What Kara wishes more people understood about grief 09:37 — Coach Jon reflects on grief and losing his father 11:34 — Seeing family members as whole people 13:17 — Learning new stories after loss 15:03 — Understanding her grandmother beyond the role of “grandmother” 16:09 — Being gay, married, a mother, and fully yourself 17:45 — Letting go of the belief that there is only one way to live 21:41 — What to say to someone who feels forced to choose one version of life 23:36 — Staying authentic when life gets loud 24:54 — Being out in a small rural community 27:44 — How authenticity builds trust 30:53 — A powerful neighborhood moment about queer family and visibility 32:38 — How grief shifted Kara’s view of motherhood 34:30 — What motherhood taught Kara about love 37:11 — Releasing the belief that children “need” one specific family structure 40:21 — Raising children with openness and love 43:17 — How Kara wants her daughter to define family 46:24 — Inclusive churches, Pride, and belonging 49:09 — The dollhouse story 51:14 — The “dollhouse moments” we miss in our own lives 52:45 — Truth, memory, and family stories 55:49 — Giving grace to complicated family histories 57:25 — What Kara hopes readers take away about grief 58:06 — Rapid fire questions 1:00:01 — Kara’s actionable tip for listeners 1:00:37 — Closing reflections and CTA If this episode stirred something in you — maybe around grief, family, identity, confidence, or the version of your life you are ready to stop hiding — I invite you to book a free discovery call with me. At Empowered & Out Coaching, I help professionals rebuild confidence, reconnect with purpose, and make career and life choices that support both success and wellbeing. Book your free call here:  linktr.ee/empoweredandout  And if this conversation moved you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that grief does not have to be fixed all at once — and that there is more than one way to build a beautiful life.

    52 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Empowered & Out is the podcast for anyone who wants a career that feels aligned, meaningful, and authentic. Hosted by career purpose and confidence coach Jonathan Barbe, each episode explores confidence, identity, and self-worth at work through coaching insights and candid conversations with leaders and change-makers redefining success. Rooted in LGBTQ+ lived experience and open to everyone, this podcast supports listeners navigating burnout, career transitions, toxic workplaces, and the pressure to mask who they are. Whether you’re rebuilding confidence, seeking clarity, or ready to show up more fully at work, Empowered & Out is here to help — without apology.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Barbe
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jonathan Barbe
  • Show Website
    Empowered & Out