Ep.6 | Ironman Reflections, the Internal Talent Marketplace, & What a Cargo Plane Crash Reveals About Our Culture of Blame

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📖 Episode 6 Summary

In this episode of Game Changer by Empowerhouse Coaching, Amanda Escobedo explores what it means to stay curious, creative, and courageous — from the Ironman finish line to the evolving world of work and leadership. 🌊

Through her Ironman reflections, Amanda talks about the power of doing hard things on purpose. Growth doesn’t come from avoiding difficulty; it comes from meeting it head-on and becoming the kind of person who can handle hard things with presence, resilience, and purpose. Every challenge shapes who you’re becoming. It’s not just endurance; it’s evolution.

This week’s episode looks at growth, creativity, and accountability through three stories:

• Ironman Insights — Choosing your challenges intentionally is how you build confidence and grit. When you keep showing up for the hard stuff, you build the identity of someone who follows through and stays aligned with what matters most.
• “Would You Apply for a Gig at Your Full-Time Job?” — A story of creativity in flow. As the workforce continues to evolve, Standard Chartered reimagined how work moves by creating an internal talent marketplace that turns curiosity into innovation and helps people grow beyond their roles. It’s a reminder that adaptability isn’t just strategy — it’s a creative practice.
• “A Cargo Aircraft Skids Off a Hong Kong Runway into the Sea” — Crises often reveal our instinct to look for someone to blame instead of looking for what we can learn. Amanda explores how strong leadership starts with curiosity and the courage to ask better questions: not “Who’s at fault?” but “What can we understand, and how can we grow?”

Together, these stories remind us that progress lives inside discomfort. The goal isn’t to avoid the hard parts — it’s to move through them with intention, curiosity, and grace.

💭 Reflection Prompts

👉 Where in your life are you being invited to do something hard — to grow into the next version of who you’re becoming?
 👉 What challenge or truth are you being asked to face, and what’s the cost of avoiding it?
 👉 How does your inner voice nudge you when you’re out of alignment, and what might it be trying to tell you?
 👉 As technology reshapes the workforce, how are you feeling about the future of your work?
 👉 Is this the moment to reimagine your career — to use new tools and changes as leverage instead of fear?
 👉 Where in your life, when things go wrong, do you lean toward blame instead of curiosity?

🔗 References

• Would You Apply for a Gig at Your Full-Time Job? — The Hustle / Wall Street Journal
• A Cargo Aircraft Skids Off a Hong Kong Runway into the Sea, Killing 2 Airport Workers — Associated Press