Most writers are terrified that AI will replace them and convinced they can’t make a living unless they “blow up” on social media, but author and entrepreneur Kern Carter is quietly proving the opposite. In this episode, Kern breaks down how he went from indie beginnings to publishing with giants like Penguin and Scholastic, selling roughly 15,000 books in a year without being popular on any platform by relentlessly building and leveraging a tight, values‑aligned writing community instead of chasing virality.​Kern explains what AI still can’t touch in writing, lived experience, emotional nuance, and a unique point of view, and why art is, at its core, human expression. He shares a brutally honest look at the economics of traditional publishing (15% royalties, needing to sell tens of thousands of copies just to hit an average salary) versus self‑publishing (often closer to 50% per book), and why most authors need to think like writers with multiple income streams, not just “authors” hoping one book saves them. He also unpacks how he built his audience through projects like Cry Magazine and writers are superstars, focusing on the emotional reality of being a writer, not just craft tips.​The conversation goes deep into career mindset: why progress and milestones matter more than sudden “breakthroughs,” how Kern intentionally wrote a short first book to match his skill level, then leveled up over time, and what it actually feels like to be living the childhood dream of “I want to be an author” after years of rejection, small sales, and near‑quits. If you’re a writer wondering how to stay human in the age of AI, whether to self‑publish or chase a deal, and how to build a real community around your work, this episode gives you both realism and hope.​Key Topics- How AI is changing writing jobs, and why storytelling roles (storyteller, content lead, creative strategist) are actually increasing, not disappearing​- What keeps writing “human”: lived experience, emotional nuance, unique perspective, and art as human expression rather than mechanical output​- Why traditional publishing is so hard to break into and how low royalty rates (around 10–15%) make it difficult to live on book sales alone​- How self‑publishing changes the math (much higher royalty share) but demands extreme commitment to marketing, distribution, and treating your book like a business​- The trap of writing a book purely for validation today vs using books intentionally for legacy, business, or strategic career leverage​- How Kern built and leveraged community through Cry Magazine and writers are superstars by focusing on the emotional reality of being a writer, not just craft​- The power of realistic milestones and visible progress in sustaining a long writing career and the mindset of “I always prioritized writing even when no one was reading”Kern Carter – Former indie and now traditionally published author with Penguin and Scholastic; essayist on the intersection of publishing and pop culture; creator of writers are superstars; co‑creator/producer of multiple film projects; has sold ~15,000 books in the past year by strategically nurturing and activating his reader and writer communities.​If you’re serious about building a writing career that isn’t dependent on algorithms, watch the full episode, then visit KernCarter.com to explore his work, join his community, and learn how he’s turning writing skill and owned IP into a sustainable, long‑term career.

Feeling like you have to crush a day job, build a business, run a podcast, and somehow still “work on yourself”? In this episode, Inner‑Abundance Coach Claudia Noriega‑Bernstein calls out the toxic hustle narrative and explains why real boundaries are not about controlling others, but about the promises you make to yourself to protect your energy, time, and future. She breaks down how to design a clear life vision by asking who you need to become, setting concrete timelines, and attaching real emotions to your goals so they’re more than vague wishes.​Claudia goes deep into why you don’t get what you want, you get what you are: your habits, your self‑talk, your environment, and your “frequency” all determine what you actually attract.

She shares practical steps to replace self‑sabotaging habits instead of just “trying harder,” upgrade your circle so you’re not dragged down by constant complainers, and handle setbacks without spiraling into self‑loathing by getting curious about your patterns instead of shaming yourself. You’ll also hear how to make manifestation tangible, using specifics, vision boards, and even physically visiting the life you’re calling in, so your brain starts treating your next level as normal, not impossible.

Topics:

- The real purpose of boundaries as promises to yourself, not tools to control others

- Getting clear on who you want to become, then building a detailed life vision with timelines and attached emotions

- Why most core desires (money, house, success, family) trace back to wanting to feel loved, seen, and like you matter

- “You don’t get what you want, you get what you are”: raising your inner “frequency” so you can attract the life you’re aiming for

- Changing habits by replacing, not deleting them, and upgrading your environment and “tribe” instead of staying around complainers

- Handling setbacks without self‑loathing: noticing familiar patterns, getting curious about where they come from, and consciously redirecting

- Making manifestation tangible with specifics and exposure (e.g., walking the neighborhood, vision boards, feeling as if it’s already yours) so your brain treats the goal as real and possible​

Guest:

Claudia Noriega‑Bernstein – Inner‑Abundance Coach, three‑time cancer survivor, immigrant, mother of three daughters and two stepdaughters. She helps overwhelmed moms and women move from survival mode to a life of clarity, confidence, and purpose by rebuilding self‑worth, healing old conditioning, and creating aligned, actionable life visions.​

If you’re done hustling without feeling happier, watch the full episode, then connect with Claudia via her website or Instagram to book a free discovery call and start designing a life you actually want to live, not just one that looks good on paper.​

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. The host is not responsible for any statements made by the guest.

Most leaders still think empathy means “being soft” or getting lost in feelings, especially when they’re under pressure to make hard, binary decisions like layoffs or cuts. In this episode, Dr. Melissa Robinson‑Winemiller, TEDx speaker and author of The Empathic Leader, explains why that belief is outdated and dangerous. She distinguishes emotional empathy (feeling with others), cognitive empathy (logically understanding others’ perspectives), and self‑empathy (how you treat yourself), and shows how cognitive empathy in particular lets leaders anticipate impact, avoid tone‑deaf decisions, and still hold firm boundaries and make tough calls.

​​Melissa unpacks why many leaders reach senior roles without ever being properly taught empathy, most MBA programs barely touch leadership, so people simply copy what they’ve seen, including myths like “vulnerability is weakness.” Drawing on her research and work with executives, she shows how empathy functions as a trainable skill, not an inborn trait, and how practicing perspective‑taking “through their eyes, not yours” helps leaders move from judgment to critique, navigate performance reviews more fairly, and prevent burnout and empathy fatigue by starting with self‑empathy.​​

The conversation also explores how empathy sits alongside AI and data in modern organizations, why sympathy can backfire as quiet judgment (especially in healthcare and corporate settings), and how authentic vulnerability and story, rather than performative “sob stories”, build real trust in leadership and sales. Melissa shares practical baby steps for developing cognitive empathy, explains why leaders who avoid vulnerability actually look weaker, and points listeners to her book, podcast, and EQvia Empathy platform for leaders who want to turn “soft” skills into hard results in profit, productivity, and innovation.​​

Topics:

- Why most leaders misunderstand empathy (it’s not just feelings, and it’s not weakness)

- The three key types of empathy: emotional, cognitive, and self‑empathy

- Cognitive empathy as perspective‑taking “through their eyes” and why it fits hard business decisions

- The difference between critique vs judgment in performance reviews and feedback

- How poor leadership modeling, limited MBA training, and culture keep empathy skills underdeveloped​​

- Vulnerability in leadership: why it signals strength, not weakness, and how myths persist

- Authentic stories vs manipulative “sob stories” in sales and leadership communication

Guest:Dr. Melissa Robinson‑Winemiller – TEDx speaker, EQ coach, and author of The Empathic Leader: How EQ via Empathy Transforms Leadership for Better Profit, Productivity, and Innovation; founder of EQvia Empathy; with 20+ years of cross‑industry leadership experience and two doctorates (including one focused on empathy in leadership).​​

If you’re ready to stop treating empathy as a “nice to have” and start using it as a strategic leadership tool, watch the full episode, then visit EQviaEmpathy.com and check out The Empathic Leader and Melissa’s podcast, The Empathic Leader, to begin building cognitive and self‑empathy into your daily leadership.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. The host is not responsible for any statements made by the guest.