Empower and Lead through Learning
It was Amber Carlson-Hays’ lifelong love for learning, developing solutions, and sharing that knowledge, that led her to establish ARCHway Learning Solutions and emerge a globally renowned ‘Learning Experience Evolutionist’.
Amber’s love for learning stemmed from her early childhood with her family as well as her avid curiosity about why and how things work. These interests led her to study world religions at Rollins College, and teach in Trinidad, Romania, and China. Family ties led her back to the US where she became a corporate training facilitator. She worked with hundreds of sales and executive leaders to improve their performance and grow their businesses through leveraging-learning and effective proven strategies. She continues to coach and train leaders in the space today, and works with them to level up their multi-million dollar businesses.
Her mission to help others learn came into focus by helping organizations grow through the development of teams and learning structures. She thus completed her Master of Science (MS) in Organizational Development and Leadership at St. Joseph’s University with an emphasis on the impact of training and coaching programs in organizational systems.
Currently, she is the Founder President of ARCHway Learning Solutions and a mother of two curious people who are beginning their own personal journeys of knowledge and growth. She is also a Founding Member of the Orlando Woman for Good non-profit giving circle with Grapevine, and a committee member volunteer for the local non-profit children’s personal development organization, Holiday HOOPS & ARTs.
“I greatly enjoy the process of learning which helps me to understand new client needs quickly and develop strategies to support their needs. I am most passionate when I’m creating and helping others grow and learn.”
Recently, Amber faced her biggest challenge yet – growing ARCHway while home-schooling two young children and being a caregiver to two ailing grandparents during COVID. For her, this boiled down to managing priorities – keeping her family safe and healthy was the most important, while balancing the increasing demands of a growing company and supporting clients around the US. Amber managed it all by having a firm growth mindset and a positive belief that if something is worth reaching for, then it is worth completing well.
“Whenever we are faced with a barrier, we have a choice. We can either let the barrier keep us where we are or find a way to overcome the barrier to reach our destination. Ultimately, it is our beliefs that hinder us, not the external barriers we encounter.”
It is harder for working women, we wonder? Amber believes there is more work to be done for the equality of all people, not just between the genders. By celebrating diversity and ensuring inclusion and equity, she seeks to develop learning solutions and strategies that engage everyone.
“There are three core strategies to help women. #1 Believe in yourself and your capability to accomplish your goals – let go of limiting beliefs; #2 Support others by being generous and genuine – build your own personal board of directors and fan base; #3 Break your own glass ceiling by continuing to innovate, learn, and excel – invest in yourself.”
By following her mantra of ‘Believe, Act, Reflect’, Amber has won various international laurels such as:
2021 – Global Forum for Education and Learning – Winner of Excellence in Education Award
2022 – HR Tech Outlook Magazine – Winner of Top Corporate LMS Solutions Providers
2022 – Global Business Leaders Magazine – Winner of Top 30 Companies to Watch in 2022.
Today, Amber herself has emerged as an inspiring leader, thanks in part to the elusive balance she has found between work and life. Her dedication to family is the force that drives this balance. “I do not work on weekends and take regular vacations with my family. In 2023, I am prioritising going on vacation (near and far) with my family every month as a model of how leaders can focus their energy on the balance needed to be successful in all parts of life. I encourage my team to take time off to recharge as that is important for success in business and life. I’m an advocate of the ‘take-a-walk’ technique, where when we take a walk and don’t have a task in front of us to complete, we can allow our minds to wander and think through complex ideas. This freeing of the mind to simply think without distractions has helped me gain clarity and ideas for many of my path-breaking projects.”
Amber’s mission is to facilitate change through evolved learning practices and help leaders and learners define the legacy they leave for others. This year, she will publish a book about leadership to help leaders develop the next generation of leaders while driving organisational performance and change, and priorirtising time with their families. “Learning is the vehicle on which leaders and organisations get out of their comfort zone, pass through the fears of change, and empower each other to transform. Leadership is wasted without learning.”
