Empowered & Out

About Empowered & Out

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.

Publisher

Jonathan Barbe

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

30 Jan 2025

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

87 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   You're Interviewing Them, Too: Know Your Value with Julio Govreau

   What if your next job interview became a conversation about whether the workplace is right for you, too? Coach Jon opens a new season of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast with Julio Govreau, a business and human resources leader with more than 25 years of experience and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Julio shares his approach to being a “potential partner”—someone who helps people recognize their strengths, develop their talent, and see possibilities they may have overlooked. Together, we explore how to research workplace inclusion, ask meaningful interview questions, and communicate your experience with greater confidence. Julio also shares his perspective as a gay Latino veteran and the importance of finding an organization that supports the whole person. In this conversation: Look for signs of inclusion, psychological safety, and values alignment. Ask how a future manager handles disagreement and supports development. Use the STAR method and “I” statements to explain your contributions. Recognize the value of volunteer work, board service, and transferable skills. Approach a career transition with curiosity, intention, and room to recharge. You bring value to the conversation. This episode will help you recognize it—and ask whether the employer recognizes it, too. Want support rebuilding your confidence, preparing for interviews, or finding a career that fits? Message Coach Jon with CONFIDENT or schedule a complimentary career clarity call: https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout (https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout) Follow Empowered & Out wherever you listen, share this episode with a friend navigating a career change, and join us next time for a conversation with a returning guest. Podcast chapters 00:00 Welcome to a new season and meet Julio 02:32 Energy check-in 03:26 What it means to be a potential partner 04:55 Mentorship and recognizing hidden strengths 09:09 How leaders can invest in the person 10:43 Researching psychological safety and inclusion 15:18 Questions that reveal workplace culture 18:16 Identity, disclosure, and feeling supported 22:11 The interview is a two-way evaluation 24:46 Questions about growth, priorities, and success 29:09 Evaluating a role when you need a job 30:59 What interview reactions can tell you 32:50 Building confidence through preparation 37:06 Making STAR answers conversational 38:48 Using notes and knowing your resume 43:36 Talking about accomplishments without feeling boastful 45:56 Taking ownership of a career transition 48:44 Setting boundaries around your job search 51:39 Rapid fire: office bands, interview kits, and theme songs 55:03 A question to help you recognize your potential 55:53 Closing reflections and career coaching support

2. 

   1 Sept 2026

   t’s Never Too Late to Start Over: Identity, Grief & Reinvention with Joshlyn Peace

   What happens when the life you planned no longer fits the person you are becoming? In this episode of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, Coach Jon sits down with Joshlyn Peace—a multidisciplinary artist, writer, sculptor, published author, model, and creative leader—for an honest conversation about identity, grief, workplace leadership, creativity, and starting over. Joshlyn shares how stepping away from constant motion helped them process a season of profound change, including a corporate layoff, the loss of loved ones, changes within the modeling industry, and their evolving understanding of their bisexual and non-binary identity. They also reflect on leading an LGBTQ+ business resource group, finding their voice through leadership, refusing to reshape themselves to fit someone else’s mold, and redefining success beyond traditional expectations. This conversation is a reminder that reinvention does not have to mean becoming someone completely different. Sometimes it means releasing the expectations that no longer belong to you and becoming more fully who you have always been. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why stillness can be essential when life has changed faster than you can process What Joshlyn’s identity journey taught them about self-discovery and belonging How LGBTQ+ employee resource groups can create language, education, and connection What leadership taught Joshlyn about listening, advocacy, and finding their voice How creativity can support healing through grief, loss, and uncertainty Why authenticity and financial preparation both matter during a career transition Joshlyn’s message for anyone wondering whether it is too late to begin again Chapters 00:00 — Welcome and introduction to Joshlyn Peace 01:36 — Energy check-in and finding places of peace 03:24 — The road trip that created space for healing 05:13 — Releasing expectations and living for yourself 09:21 — Coming out as bisexual and embracing a non-binary identity 14:03 — The moment Joshlyn truly saw themself 16:17 — What workplaces need to understand about gender identity 18:06 — Leadership lessons from running an LGBTQ+ business resource group 20:40 — How leadership helped Joshlyn find their creative voice 22:19 — Navigating grief, a layoff, loss, and major change 26:02 — Rebuilding confidence when life feels uncertain 28:26 — Redefining success beyond society’s expectations 29:51 — Discovering purpose by embracing what makes you different 31:03 — What makes the next chapter exciting 31:59 — Choosing authenticity while considering financial security 35:28 — Rapid-fire questions 44:57 — Joshlyn’s advice when everything feels uncertain 48:52 — Final reflections and episode call to action If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe to Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, share this episode with someone navigating change, loss, identity, or a career transition, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. Feeling stuck, burned out, disconnected, or uncertain about your next career move? Connect with Coach Jon at Empowered & Out Coaching here: https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout (https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout) and schedule a complimentary Career Clarity Call. You do not need to have your entire future figured out—you only need to be willing to take the next authentic step.

3. 

   18 Aug 2026

   Can Faith Be LGBTQ+ Affirming? Finding Churches Where You Truly Belong

   What does it actually mean for a church to be LGBTQ+ affirming — not simply welcoming, but genuinely safe, inclusive, and committed to belonging? In this powerful episode of Empowered & Out: The Career Coaching Podcast, Coach Jon is joined by Reverend Liz Patz, pastor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Elgin, Illinois, and returning guest Maya Garner for an open and deeply personal conversation about faith, LGBTQ+ identity, religious hurt, healing, scripture, and finding community. Maya shares her experience searching for affirming churches and the additional questions she has carried as a Black LGBTQ+ woman. Reverend Liz explains why genuine affirmation requires much more than displaying a rainbow flag — and what churches in the United Church of Christ actually go through when pursuing the official Open and Affirming designation. The conversation also tackles one of the most difficult subjects surrounding LGBTQ+ people and Christianity: scripture. Reverend Liz discusses the importance of historical and cultural context when interpreting biblical texts, and the group explores the controversy surrounding the introduction of the word “homosexual” into modern Bible translations and the documentary 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture. As Reverend Liz and Maya remind us throughout this conversation: keep looking. Your people may be out there. Resources mentioned in this episode: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ — Elgin, Illinois www.stpauluccelgin.org (http://www.stpauluccelgin.org) St. Paul’s identifies itself as an Open and Affirming congregation and offers both in-person and online worship. (St. Paul's United Church of Christ (https://www.stpauluccelgin.org/)) Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ https://openandaffirming.org/ (https://openandaffirming.org/) Find an affirming church: https://www.gaychurch.org/ (https://www.gaychurch.org/) 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture https://www.1946themovie.com/ (https://www.1946themovie.com/) 🎙️ PODCAST CHAPTERS 00:00 — Why Are We Talking About Faith on a Career Podcast? 01:44 — Energy Check-In With Liz & Maya 03:20 — Reverend Liz’s Journey Into Ministry 05:50 — Maya’s Personal Faith Journey 11:59 — “Is This Church Really Safe for Me?” 14:31 — What “Open and Affirming” Actually Means 19:19 — Returning to Church After Religious Hurt 24:08 — Why “Open and Affirming” Carries Responsibility 26:05 — How a Church Becomes Open and Affirming 29:28 — Why Flying a Rainbow Flag Isn’t Enough 33:27 — How to Tell Whether a Church Is Genuinely Affirming 38:07 — LGBTQ+ People, Scripture & Religious Harm 41:03 — Why Historical Context Matters When Reading the Bible 42:50 — The 1946 Translation Conversation 49:48 — What Authentic Welcome and Belonging Look Like 52:24 — How Do You Know You’ve Found the Right Church? 53:43 — LGBTQ+ Inclusion Beyond Sunday Morning 58:55 — Finding Community When You Live in a Small Town 1:01:13 — How Online Worship Has Changed Access 1:04:19 — Hope for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Faith Communities 1:07:07 — Where There Is Still Work to Do 1:09:46 — Rapid Fire With Liz & Maya 😂 1:18:58 — A Final Message for Anyone Carrying Religious Hurt 1:22:17 — Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Resources

Who has been a guest on Empowered & Out

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Susan Cameron-Jung
• Laurier Tiernan
• Joseph Federico
• Francisco Rodriguez
• Charlotte Snowden

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

224

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

87

Social presence

0

YouTube

63

Engagement

0

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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