Last month at the 2025 FSAE Conference, I was seated behind my husband at the final brunch keynote in West Palm Beach. The air was still buzzing with ideas and connections from the past few days. Our speaker, Larry Long Jr., wrapped up the event with infectious...

For vision-led leaders who want to stop playing it safe and start playing full out.   Bring to mind your biggest, boldest goal—personally or professionally.   The one that wakes you up at night. The one that lights you up and terrifies you in equal measure.   Now ask...

At The Amplified Life Company, we’re not here to sell. We’re here to serve—and to live a vision that is as aspirational as it is grounded: "To be the one that shows the world how truly great life can be." This isn’t a tagline. It’s the lens we bring to every...

In the middle of my corporate leadership career, I got hit with some honest feedback that changed the way I lead.   A trusted team member pulled me aside and said, “Carmen, people call you Cruella DeVille at the other branch.”   She meant it kindly—but the words...

Let’s get honest. Most leadership problems aren’t mysterious. They’re patterns—things we keep doing (or not doing) that quietly slow us down.   After coaching hundreds of founders and CEOs, we’ve seen the same six issues come up again and again. These aren’t...

  We were hitting the numbers. Customers weren’t complaining. Team dynamics were solid. From the outside, my JPMorgan Chase branch looked like it was thriving. But I could feel it—we were stuck. No energy. No breakthrough. Just… business as usual. And then it hit me:...

Lately, I’ve been flirting with the idea of stepping back into the world of bodybuilding competition—not just to win or for a trophy, but as a personal science experiment in physical precision and mental mastery. Most people see bodybuilding as pure aesthetics. I see...

I started playing little league fast-pitch softball in third grade. It was more than a game to me—it was movement, momentum, and magic. That love stayed with me, even after my competitive days ended.   Each year, I find myself captivated by the Women’s College World...

Most leaders don’t talk about this.   Not in the boardroom. Not in team meetings. And certainly not in performance reviews.   But it’s there—under the surface of high performers, executive teams, and startup founders alike:   The silent fear that if you don’t know all...

“There are only two types of speakers in the world. The nervous and Liars.” — Mark Twain   Let me take you behind the scenes of one of my most humbling leadership moments.   I was sitting on set for a morning TV show, about to share a coaching framework I’d been...