In this episode of Unleashing Your Great Work, Amanda sits down with Alice Draper, founder of Hustling Writers and host of the award-winning podcast My Rejection Story. Alice is on a mission to make publicity accessible by helping creators and entrepreneurs build what she calls rejection resilience.

Alice shares her personal story of caregiving during the pandemic, facing loss, and discovering that life becomes richer when we stop self-rejecting. She explains how rejection shows up in our brains as real pain, why building a “rejection muscle” is essential, and how community makes the process of visibility more sustainable.

You’ll learn:

• Why we regret the risks we never take more than the ones that didn’t work out
• How to build rejection resilience through small, low-stakes experiments
• Why publicity is less about hustle and more about collaboration
• The surprising “fake assistant” hack to pitch with less fear
• How partnerships and platform-specific collaborations can grow your reach

If you’ve been holding back from pitching, posting, or putting yourself out there, this conversation will give you both courage and concrete strategies.

RESOURCES:

Download the first chapter of Great Work Free: http://greatworkfreechapter.com

Connect with Alice on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-m-draper/

Connect with Alice on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/alicedraper/

Alice’s pitch templates: http://hustlingwriters.com/template

My Rejection Story podcast: https://pod.link/1765721680

BIO:

Alice is the founder of the podcast booking company, Hustling Writers and the host of the award-winning podcast "My Rejection Story". She is on a mission to make publicity accessible by reframing rejection. Alice has secured her clients on countless podcasts, including most of the top 0.5% shows.

Some of her favorite things include strong coffee, affordable travel hacks, and deep connections. She detests small talk, waking up early, and unnecessary jargon.

In this inspiring conversation, Amanda sits down with Ha Nguyen, a global storyteller, entrepreneur, and Chief Growth Officer at Leaders Square. Ha shares his remarkable journey from growing up in rural Vietnam to studying in the United States, returning home against all advice, and building a life dedicated to connection, wisdom, and impact.

In this episode, they explore:

• How a desire to inspire during the pandemic sparked over 1,200 interviews across 83 countries.
• The life lessons drawn from leaders, record-breakers, and everyday change-makers.
• Why knowing your strengths and weaknesses is the foundation for meaningful contribution.
• The importance of acting now instead of waiting for the “right time.”
• How his latest platform, Hello Newness, encourages people to embrace fresh opportunities.

Along the way, Ha tells moving stories about his family, his commitment to legacy, and a special book project that led to building a small church in his mother’s childhood village, with the help of a moonwalker. If you’ve ever wondered how to transform curiosity into action and impact, this episode will leave you ready to start.



RESOURCES:

Download the first chapter of Great Work Free: https://www.amandacrowell.com/free-chapter

Get your full copy of Great Work: https://www.amandacrowell.com/great-work

Connect with Ha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nguyennoiha/

Ha's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthInsights

Leaders Create Leaders: https://www.leaderscreate.com/

BIO:

Ha Nguyen is a storyteller, entrepreneur, husband, and father of three, fueled by a deep desire to make a difference. He believes the most powerful change begins within, a conviction that has guided his work and inspired him to explore paths he never imagined.

Through his global platform, Ha has interviewed more than 1,100 extraordinary leaders, from astronauts and Nobel Prize winners to Fortune 500 executives and Holocaust survivors, gathering insights that illuminate what it means to live with courage, purpose, and impact. Today, he shares those lessons to help others discover their own Great Work.

In this solo episode, Dr. Amanda Crowell pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to move from lone wolf to collaborative creator. Born of her own struggles—and the behind-the-scenes story of writing Chapter 7 of the second edition of Great Work—this episode explores the three biggest mindset shifts Amanda had to make in order to collaborate without losing herself.

You’ll hear how she learned to:

• Stop chasing “ease” and start thinking strategically
• Navigate drama with clarity and connection
• Ask for help early (instead of right before the finish line)

Plus, Amanda shares the story of the Great Work book’s near-total rewrite, why perfectionism delays good collaboration, and how to spot the moment when real magic starts to unfold.

Buy Great Work or the Great Work Journal:

amandacrowell.com/book-shop

Snag the Lone Wolf's reflection guide:

https://www.amandacrowell.com/blog/the-lone-wolfs-guide-to-collaboration-a-practical-guide-for-people-whod-really-rather-do-it-all-themselves

Listen to the OG pisode about collaboration:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/great-work-is-done-in-community-encore-uygw070/id1586648710?i=1000612293955