Steady in the Chaos with Carla Zanoni

Carla Zanoni is a journalist, poet, and media leader who's held senior roles at the Wall Street Journal, TED, and now runs the engagement journalism program at CUNY’s Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. She's also someone who went into recovery at 23 and has rebuilt her life more than once. In this episode of The Breadwinners, host Rachael Lowell talks to Carla about what she calls "the alchemy of surrender" - those moments when the playbook stops working and you have to get quiet enough to see what's actually true. We talk about the myth of the linear career path, why bringing your whole self to work isn't cringey when it's real, and what it means to lead from a place of integration rather than compartmentalization. If you've ever felt like you were supposed to chart a course from A to B but life had other plans, this one's for you. SHOW NOTES Carla Zanoni: / Saber: In English y Español Bio: An award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, Carla’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and TED Talks. She was the first Latina named to the Wall Street Journal’s masthead and served as TED’s first head of audience development. Today, she leads the engagement journalism program at CUNY’s Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, produces and guides strategy for The On Being Project, and consults with publishers and thought leaders on media and narrative strategy. She shares personal essays in her monthly newsletter, The Em Dash. Carla is writing a literary memoir about coming of age in 90s New York — reconciling her immigrant childhood, the city’s underworld, and the detours that led her here. "The Breadwinners" Season 7 is a joint production between Reworking Leadership and The Smart Friends Network generously supported by Ruth Ann Harnisch. "The Breadwinners" was founded by Rachael Lowell and Jennifer Owens in 2019.Host: Rachael LowellExecutive Producers: Rachael Lowell, Rachel SklarAudio Engineer: Ron PassaroOriginal Music: "Perfect" by Hannah BakkeRick Snell: GuitarCesar Moreno: BanjoNyssa Grant: FiddleErik Alvar: BassJustin D. Cook: Keyboard, Percussion, and OrchestrationVocals: Hannah Bakke, Cassidy StonerHannah Bakke: Music and Lyrics To stay up to date with The Breadwinners, please

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Steady in the Chaos with Carla Zanoni is an episode from The Breadwinners by Rachael Lowell.

This episode is 35:04 long.

This episode was published on Feb 13, 2026.

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