Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Centers.
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I see my life in chapters, and my early adult entries had no cohesion. I graduated from college with no idea what I wanted to do career-wise, and so I experimented. I worked in Vail for a snowboard season, was an event planner in San Francisco, did marketing in Seattle, and was a mountain bike guide in Tuscany. I worked for Alaska Airlines for a couple of years and traveled as much as I could. My story was a series of vignettes, not a book. I had a lot of fun but wasn’t really building toward anything. I love those chapters, however. I think your 20s should be about trying different things and soaking up life in lots of different ways.
In 2008, I was in Seattle but thinking about moving to San Diego. My best friend had moved down here a few years prior, and the gray Pacific Northwest winters were getting to me. It was hard to make the move, however, as I’d been in Seattle for a while, had lots of friends, and wasn’t sure I wanted to “start over” somewhere new at that point in my life.
That summer, I went to Africa. One thing I love about travel is the perspective you get when you step out of your life. Halfway up Kilimanjaro, I decided I was going to make the move. Within a couple of months, I was living in Serra Mesa, which was a great location for exploring both the city and North County.
I instantly fell in love with San Diego. I would hike Torrey Pines and then grab a sandwich at the gliderport. I’d treasure hunt on Cedros Avenue and in all the vintage shops in OB. My dog and I would run around Dog Beach and then head to Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. I became a massive Padres fan.
It was around then that my current career path started to appear as well. By that point, I’d done some coach training and had a couple of dysfunctional boss experiences, which sparked an interest in leadership and its impact on people.
I was sitting in new employee orientation when a woman introduced herself as the leader of a group of leadership development coaches. I didn’t even know such a thing existed within companies. It was one of those moments where everything clicked. I knew I wanted to work with leaders because leadership isn’t abstract; it lands on people every day. Within the year, I’d joined her team.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, but I was fortunate during that transition because I met internal mentors who advocated for me. I have always found the most meaningful growth through modeling, and there were remarkable colleagues and leaders at that company who showed me the way. San Diego has been a magnet for sharp, talented people, and I benefited from being surrounded by them.
While working in leadership development, I was able to pursue extensive personal and professional development, earn multiple training certifications, refine my coaching and facilitation skills, and complete the process of earning my Professional Certified Coach credential through the International Coach Federation. That milestone was huge for me.
The company also offered financially accessible continuing education, which allowed me to earn my Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Leadership while working there. At the time, I was managing the Executive Leadership Development program. I remember sitting around a table with the cohort, all VPs at the company, as several decided to begin Ph.D. programs. With their encouragement, I joined them.
Completing two graduate programs over seven years while working full-time was challenging. There were many sunny San Diego evenings and weekends spent researching and writing instead of experiencing all the fun things the city offers. It required discipline and perseverance, qualities I didn’t always have in earlier chapters of my life. During that time, I kept an Earl Nightingale quote on my refrigerator: “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about SmartWorks Lab?
Those formative experiences were years ago, and I’ve since evolved my career in the human development and capacity space. In 2024, I founded SmartWorks Lab, an innovation hub and consultancy for leaders and organizations navigating rapid change. My work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, transformational change, and technology, with a focus on helping people work with their brains so their best thinking is available when it matters most.
What I’m most proud of is the clarity of the work and the way it meets people where they actually are. SmartWorks Lab is built around practical, brain-aware approaches that help leaders and organizations reduce cognitive overload, increase capacity, and design work that supports sustained performance rather than burning people out. The brand is intentionally human and accessible, translating complex neuroscience and change theory into tools leaders can actually use, without filler or hype.
My work is centered on Brain State Intelligence (BQ). It helps people notice how their brain is operating in real time and make small adjustments so they have access to clearer thinking, better judgment, and more capacity throughout the day. Rather than pushing people to optimize or power through, BQ emphasizes awareness, timing, and designing work in ways that align with how the brain actually functions.
I use BQ to support leaders and organizations through coaching, workshops, and change initiatives that are practical, accessible, and immediately usable. The goal isn’t perfection or constant productivity. It’s helping people and systems work in ways that reflect our reality as humans.
We’re operating in a world of constant stimulation, rapid change, and growing cognitive load, even as our brains are wired for rhythm and recovery. Helping people understand and work with their brains isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s becoming a core capability for how we lead, work, and stay well.
When we ignore how the brain actually works, we design systems that quietly erode focus, judgment, and well-being. I care a lot about getting this right.
I’m currently writing a book on Brain State Intelligence to extend this work and bring these concepts to a wider audience. San Diego still feels like the right place for this chapter. I love popping into North Park coffee shops to write, or sitting at Bluefoot with soccer matches humming in the background while I do research.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’ve always loved neuroscience. I can easily spend hours studying the brain and the way it shapes us. It’s how I make sense of people.
That interest came into clearer focus when my current mentor and work champion, Dr. Justin James Kennedy, reached out to me on LinkedIn and invited me to be a guest on his neuroplasticity podcast. That conversation led me into the npnHub community and, over time, to becoming a Master Neuroplastician through the Organizational Neuroscience Network, as well as an Organizational Neuroscience Fellow.
None of this was planned. Years ago, halfway up Mount Kilimanjaro, I never would have imagined this chapter of my life. Looking back now, the curiosity was always there; I just didn’t know where it was going to take me. And I’m still following that thread.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smartworkslab.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amycenters/
- Other: https://substack.com/@smarttakes?
Image Credits
Amy Centers
