Brave Women at Work (Jen Pestikas)

As we’re approaching the end of 2022 (I can’t believe it), my conversation with Shanna Hocking was motivating to me, and I’m sure that it will be for you as well.

During our discussion, Shanna and I chatted about:

1. Her book, One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential

2. Examples of one bold move a day

3. How our bold moves each day don’t have to be huge; they can be small and personal to every one of us

4. What holds us back from taking these bold moves

5. How can women start taking these bold actions today, as in right now

6. And why women often don’t feel brave and how we can change that

Get ready to take bold moves!

Brave Women at Work:

https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Shanna Hocking: https://www.shannaahocking.com/

One Bold Move Today: One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential: https://www.amazon.com/One-Bold-Move-Day-Meaningful/dp/1264278071/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WYUUZZ9XQNKC&keywords=one+bold+move+a+day&qid=1669388468&sprefix=one+bold+move+a+day%2Caps%2C265&sr=8-1

Do you believe you are a feminist?

Does the word “feminist” have a bad connotation to you?

Here’s the definition of feminist:

“Of relating to, supporting, or compatible with feminism. feminist theory. the feminist movement. The act of speaking is a way women come to power, telling our stories, sharing history, engaging in feminist discussion.”

This may sound funny, but even though I run this podcast and am a leadership and career coach for women, I didn’t self-identify as a feminist. Why? I have no idea. Maybe I didn’t think what I was doing was “big” enough. “Important” enough. Not a “big” enough platform.

My guest today, Latanya Mapp Frett, the President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, set me straight. She told me during our conversation that I am absolutely a feminist. In fact, I fit her definition of an everyday feminist.

And why is this important? Because after all the recent struggles during COVID-19, with the millions of women deciding to or being forced from their jobs because of childcare or care for a sick or elderly family member, because there are still so many employers that don’t give a hoot about flexibility and other important benefits. This is why it is critical that we all stand up and do our part as everyday feminists.

I believe that by taking this stand, we will improve our work environments. We will help our sons and daughters. And we will be acting in the very definition of what it means to be a brave woman at work.

During our discussion, Latanya discussed:

1. What motivated Latanya to write her book, The Everyday Feminist: The Key to Sustainable Social Impact- Driving Movements We Need More Than Ever.
2. What an everyday feminist is and why you or many women you know could fit into that category.
3. Why Latanya believes that feminists are the key to driving social impact.
4. Examples of movements we need movement in more than ever.
5. If being an everyday feminist is a young professional woman’s game, or if you can be an everyday feminist in middle or even late career.
6. And how we can support the work of other everyday feminists.

Perhaps the most powerful and underutilized gift women possess is truly asking for what they want. In this episode we will break down the stigma behind "the ask" and give you ways to feel empowered and support when you are not only asking for things you want, but things you need or deserve.

It's Brave Women at Work Thursday! 

Do you remember the childhood story, The Tortoise and the Hare? I'm reflecting on it this week after receiving some feedback during one my recent performance reviews. The feedback I received was to have patience and essentially slow down and temper my expectations.

During this solo episode, I talked about:

Apple Podcast: https://buff.ly/3xxNoaU

Google Podcast: https://buff.ly/3vkjFQ4

Brave Women at Work: https://buff.ly/3KOuQGZ

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

I'm so excited about my guest, Cait Donovan, today! Cait speaks about burnout in an entirely different way, one that is more forgiving and filled with grace.

As you may know, I have already experienced one round of burnout. I had no idea what was happening to me, but I thought it was entirely my fault. I carried the guilt and weight of the question, “How could I let this happen?” Here's the excellent news. From my conversation with Cait, I learned that this might be a bit of our genetics, upbringing, living and work environment, and choices. And if you’ve experienced burnout before, you know how difficult it is to heal. Starting with a dose of self-compassion is a beautiful place to begin.

During my conversation with Cait, we discussed:

1. The origin of burnout and why looking at the last 3-5 years of history before a bout of burnout can share some clues

2. What burnout is and isn’t according to the medical community

3. The symptoms of burnout

4. How repeat burnout is a real thing

5. What you can do to heal from burnout proactively.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work:

https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Cait Donovan: https://www.caitdonovan.com/

Fried: The Burnout Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fried-the-burnout-podcast/id1469939920

Have you ever tried to achieve work-life balance? Spoiler alert: it's not possible. In this episode, Kacey Hartung, working mom and owner of Balanced Heart Coaching, and I talk about the concept of work-life flow and how this is much more achievable than work-life balance. Kacey also shares what led her to start her side-hustle, how she redefined success after becoming a new mom, and the one exercise she completes with her clients to help them move through work and life with more ease.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Big Rocks Exercise with Franklin Covey: https://resources.franklincovey.com/the-8th-habit/big-rocks-stephen-r-covey

Balanced Heart Coaching: http://www.balancedheartcoaching.com/

Balance Heart Coaching Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/balancedheartcoaching/

Working Mom S.O.S. Card Deck: http://www.balancedheartcoaching.com/store/p3/Working_Mom_S._O._S._Card_Deck_-_Reminders_to_Save_Our_Sanity.html

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “Employers slowed hiring and handed out smaller raises in recent months, signs of fading momentum in the job market that have some forecasters expecting unemployment to rise in 2024.”

This is being done to help the U.S. economy have a soft landing, meaning the Fed is trying to avoid a recession. The Fed is trying to have the labor market cool without it collapsing.

What does all this mean in lay terms? It means that if you are looking for a job right now, it is a tough labor market. And this tracks with the conversations I’m having with my dear friends and other colleagues out there looking for jobs.

They are interviewing, interviewing, and interviewing some more without hearing back from recruiters. Their confidence is taking a hit. They wonder if they have the chops to get hired.

And while this is happening, we have a changing work environment with continued demand for hybrid or remote work, human resources professionals being battered and bruised from the challenges of COVID and beyond, and recruiters getting a bad rap.

My guest today, Theresia Intag, is setting the record straight on all these issues.

During my chat with Theresia, we discussed:

1.     The story behind Theresia’s companies, IntagHire and Tag4HR.

2.     What Theresia is seeing in the recruiting industry right now.

3.     Why you may not be contacted after your interviews right now (and hint, it’s not your fault).

4.     How you can stand out from the crowd when interviewing.

5.     How you can stay confident and engaged when it’s taking a long time to find the next best role in your career path.

6.     What’s going on with hybrid work and how companies can attract top talent in the changing face of work.

7.     Why middle managers are facing burnout. Theresia also shares some creative and interesting ways that companies can support their employees.

8.     And the benefits that top talent is expecting moving forward.

In this episode, we talk about burnout. Burnout is even more common now during the COVID pandemic. Many employees have taken on new roles because of company cut downs. I share my personal experience especially and what situations led me to feel burnout. Burnout can manifest as health symptoms and affect our mental health. We further discuss burnout signs and how to set healthy boundaries to avoid burnout.

Resources mentioned in episode:

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

Have you ever looked in the mirror and called yourself fat or ugly? Have you felt body shame because you didn’t feel good in the body you are in? I’ve definitely been there. There were years that I felt like I wasn’t thin enough or tried to hide out in baggy clothes. I would over-exercise because I thought if I exercised more than enough, it could make up for how I felt.

I’m sure I’m not alone here as I say this out loud on the podcast for the first time. When I met Emily Nolan, a true body awareness advocate, I felt like I met someone that really understood.

On today’s show, Emily and I talked about

• Her story with modeling and being every size to try to fit into the modeling world

• How body-shaming can impact our self-concept and have very negative repercussions on how we show up in the world, and that also means how we show up at work and what our productivity looks like

• What steps we can take to radically accept who we are right now at whatever size and look we are

Here’s a bit more about Emily: Emily Nolan is the host of Brave Talks, a podcast sharing radical honesty and self-acceptance. She’s been recognized as one of the “Most Influential Thought Leaders in Wellness” by Mind Body Green (MBG), “Women to Watch: The Body Reformer,” by Ocean Drive, and one of the “Rockstar Yogis Leading the Body-Positive Movement,” also by MBG. Her work as a model at 16 sizes (0-16) and founding Topless Yoga, a bras-on bellies-out self-confidence event, has been recognized by hundreds of global leaders and media sources.

Emily has presented in four countries to thousands of women, students, and athletes. A former model and Division 1 athlete who struggled deeply with disordered eating, body dysmorphia, and plastic surgery–breast implants, followed by full-body liposuction, and a breast explant–Emily regularly shares her story and message via her award-winning blog, EmilyNolan.com, and across multiple social media platforms, where she has over 250,000 combined followers.

She’s been featured in Elle, Elle Canada, Cosmopolitan, ESPN, Ocean Drive Magazine, Popsugar, Seventeen, Women’s Health, and Yoga Journal, among many other places, and has appeared on the Today Show. She holds a BA in Entrepreneurship and Business Development and Leadership Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, a Masters Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell, and is a Registered Yoga Teacher. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Matt, son Oliver, and rescue dog, Spunky.

Important Links:

Brave Women at Work Website: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Freebie: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Join the free, private Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Emily Nolan: https://emilynolan.com/

Brave Talks Podcast: https://emilynolan.com/category/brave-talks/

Are you stressed? Annually companies in the U.S. spend over $300 billion on employee health care and missed days at work due to high levels of stress. 

In addition, around 75%–90% of healthcare visits in the United States are connected to stress-related issues in some manner. We all need to learn how to manage our stress better (myself included). 

My guest today, Sarah Marie Liddle, is an expert in stress management and burnout recovery. Sarah is a repeat guest on Brave Women at Work and was awesome to have on once again. If you didn’t listen to Sarah’s first show with me, go back to episode number 54. 

During my conversation with Sarah, we talked about 

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/ 

Brave Women at Work FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork 

Sarah Marie Liddle: https://sarahmarieliddle.com/ 

Stress Reset Program: https://sarahmarieliddle.com/stress-reset-coaching Sarah Marie Liddle 

Episode 54: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-54-discover-your-strengths-with-sarah-marie-liddle/id1547856593?i=1000546491763

What is the difference between grit and grind?

I heard this concept referenced recently in a “We Can Do Hard Things” with Glennon Doyle and Brene Brown and I wanted to share my own spin on this concept. Like I’ve mentioned in this podcast before, working women have the tendency to take on all the things without thinking about how it makes us feel.

So I wanted to talk about the difference between working in the grind vs. grit and how working with grit is a game-changer.

In the show, I talk about the following: - the definition between grit and grind - the hallmarks of being in grit vs. grind - ways to move towards living and working with grit The bottom line is that when we’re operating in our place of grit, it makes work feel like play. We feel full of life and in our highest place of power. And working and living from that place makes all the difference.

Resources: Brave Women at Work:

https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Freebie:

https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Brave Women at Work Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

We Can Do Hard Things Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-bren%C3%A9-brown-on-holding-boundaries-facing-our-fear/id1564530722?i=1000543696295

Andrea Holyfield:

https://thewealthywellwoman.com/

I have a quote for today’s discussion on personal branding. It is “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you're than you!”

This quote is from Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss was right. There is no one you-er than you. And each person that you encounter has their own unique strengths and perspectives. You can call it their personal brand. Today we’re going to explore what a brand is and why you should care about your own personal brand.

If you are thinking, “Jen I have no idea what you’re talking about,” no worries. My guest today, Athena Golianis, and I will also share the steps you can take to find your own personal brand. I’m going to give you a spoiler alert on why this topic is important. Your brand is important because it’s the perception that people have of you. It’s the story they tell themselves in their heads about you. And while I’m not saying that we should be overly concerned about the opinions of others, we should be cognizant of the story we’re contributing to because it can impact whether we get the new job, the promotion, the opportunity to lead the project, whatever.

Remember, "You too are a brand. Whether you know it or not. Whether you like it or not." This quote is from Marc Ecko, a fashion designer, and entrepreneur. Enjoy this episode and take action today to build and reinforce your personal brand!

Here’s more about Athena:

Athena Golianis: CEO, Creator PINKK LLC and President, Founder of AGW Idea Group, Inc. She has worked on venerable blue-chip brands like Arthur Andersen, Sears, Kraft Foods, Wal-Mart Sam’s Club, Hillshire Farms, Sara Lee, Midas, Alberto Culver haircare brands, (Unilever) Beltone, the City of Chicago in addition to name a few for many formative years. In 2005 she became a dedicated entrepreneur and opened her own agency AGW Idea Group and has successfully run her marketing consulting and branding agency for over 15 years and continues to do so.

She has launched start-ups and helped to grow and rebrand others like VENeffect, BreatheAmerica, Precision HealthCare, Citadel Healthcare, Kiva Recovery, Diamond Bank (now Wintrust) amongst others. At this time as she is also taking her understanding of building brands to create PINKK and using her experience and knowledge to empower, inspire, coach, mentor, and provide resources for women with this brand experience and platform.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Freebie: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Join the free Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Athena Golianis - PINKK - https://pinkknow.com/

Flying by the Seat of Their Skirts Book: https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Seats-Their-Skirts-Inspiring/dp/1944027386

Start Withy Why Book by Simon Sinek: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Start+with+Why&qid=1635623977&qsid=132-4956091-0978944&s=books&sr=1-1&sres=1591846447%2C6020628833%2C1074149793%2C0143111728%2CB00DGZKQM8%2C1736117904%2C0991081420%2C0735211299%2C1949759229%2C1416622632%2C1984820389%2C0066620996%2CB08JJRZ3Y4%2C0615895778%2C1250007550%2C1984878107&srpt=ABIS_BOOK

CliftonStrengths Assessment: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx

Myers-Briggs Assessment:

https://www.mbtionline.com/?utm_source=MBF&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=online

On a scale of 1 to 10 with my excitement level today, I am definitely at a 10. I completed a Google Survey last year in preparation for the 2023 Brave Women at Work podcast season. I asked who you wanted to hear from and if you had any dream guests. Well, today is one of the dream guests on your list!

My guest today, Andrea Owen, is a very accomplished coach, author, and speaker. Andrea and I met in 2014 when I hired her as my coach to help me work through some difficult personal stuff. 

I accomplished my goal with Andrea's facilitation of Brene Brown's Daring Way Program. That work helped me heal relationships with my mom, family, and, more importantly, myself. This felt like a fun reunion, and it was great to reconnect with Andrea. 

During our conversation, we chatted about:

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

 Andrea Owen: https://andreaowen.com/

How Not to Feel Like Shit: How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t: 14 Habits that Are Holding You Back from Happiness - https://www.amazon.com/How-to-Stop-Feeling-Like-Sh-t-audiobook/dp/B078JCLKKT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=M9L4786THSF0&keywords=andrea+owen+books&qid=1674597531&sprefix=%2Caps%2C251&sr=8-1 52

Ways to Live a Kick-Ass Life: 52 Ways to Live a Kick-Ass Life: BS-Free Wisdom to Ignite Your Inner Badass and Live the Life You Deserve - https://www.amazon.com/52-Ways-to-Live-Kick-Ass-Life-audiobook/dp/B06WRSK6R8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=M9L4786THSF0&keywords=andrea+owen+books&qid=1674597552&sprefix=%2Caps%2C251&sr=8-3

Make Some Noise: Make Some Noise: Speak Your Mind and Own Your Strength - https://www.amazon.com/Make-Some-Noise-Speak-Strength/dp/B08SPBPJL5/ref=sr_1_2?crid=M9L4786THSF0&keywords=andrea+owen+books&qid=1674597552&sprefix=%2Caps%2C251&sr=8-2

Are you living your purpose?

Do you know what your purpose is if you let yourself really go there?

So many of us get out of college and pursue a job because we need to pay the bills, right? We forget our dreams and do the 9-to-5 because that is what we were taught to do. And we’re good at it. And we do well because we are ambitious and work hard. And we’re successful. And we think we are fulfilled. We do this day after day but eventually wonder, “Is this all there is to life and work?” and “Is this it?”

My guest today, Alise Cortez, says there is more. And that something more is our purpose. My conversation with Alise was magic, and it makes me want to dive into the study of purpose more right alongside her.

During our discussion, Alise and I chatted about:

1.      What purpose is and how it is different than goals, passion, or meaning.

2.      Alise’s path to purpose and how it’s not all roses and rainbows; it’s difficult and not for the faint of heart.

3.      What post traumatic growth is and why it’s important.

4.      How purpose can be found at any age.

5.      What stops us from pursuing our purpose.

6.      How we can live our purpose and get paid.

7.      And how purpose is a choice. You can live “awake” or be the living “dead”. 

I have talked to many successful women in corporate, business owners, authors, speakers, doctors, lawyers, and more, but I have not talked with a socially conscious influencer. But today, I brought you Rachel Lauren. After today's conversation, I learned we can all be influencers with our platforms and voices. It's up to us to find what we are passionate about and go and do something good. Rachel's story motivated and inspired me, and I'm sure you will be, too.

During my chat with Rachel, we discussed:

-          She is multi-passionate and has many different professional and personal roles.

-         How she landed in her current role as Chief People Officer at Dream.org.

-         Her long history in serving marginalized groups, whether that is through prison reform, supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, or foster-to-adoption.

-         What a conscious influencer means and how Rachel has grown her following.

-         How we can all use our voices to support one another and be conscious influencers.

Laurie Wessels and I met each other via another one of my guests, Natalie Benamou. Laurie has been a coach, trainer, and speaker for many years. I love that her purpose is to put a smile on corporate America. You can also tell during our conversation that Laurie truly enjoys helping leaders grow.

Listen in to benefit from Laurie’s passion and experience! We hone in on the steps you need to take to identify yourself as a leader in any organization.

During my conversation with Laurie, we chat about:

- How anyone can be a leader. You don’t have to be a manager to be a leader. You know I’ve mentioned this before, so it was fun to talk about this with Laurie.

- Values work. You know I like me some values work. It’s foundational to everyone. I’m linking up an exercise from Brene Brown’s website on values so you can do this work for yourself.

- The “I am” exercise. No spoiler alerts here! You just have to listen.

- Leading during challenging times. And I think right now qualifies as a challenging time, don’t you?

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

The Wessels Group: http://lwessels.squarespace.com/

Laurie Wessels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-wessels-51b5114/

Brene Brown Values Assessment: https://brenebrown.com/resources/living-into-our-values/

It's a big day at Brave Women at Work! I am excited because I have my first Scottish guest and Australian resident, Mags Bell, joining me today. Besides having a beautiful accent and being a wonderful conversationalist, Mags brings the goods during our show. She is very knowledgeable on all things related to mindset and confidence, which are foundational for self-aware leadership. Listen in as Mags explains her easy-to-understand models and tools. You’ll want to take notes during this conversation or listen to the show twice!

During our conversation, Mags and I discussed:

1. What led Mags to go from a corporate role to coaching and keynote speaking.
2. Her early ego journey in management and how it has changed over time.
3. What being in the movie means and how we can snap out of it to a more balanced ego.
4. Her LeadingMe® model and how it is critical to the middle ego path in leadership.
5. The 4R’s Release Model® and how it helps us silence our inner critics and Imposter Syndrome.
6. And other ways we can release our “shite” aka shit to be better leaders.

Welcome to Brave at Work the Podcast! In this episode I will talk about how the podcast came to be and what I hope you gain. We are all brave and it's time to embrace it and shine.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If I had a nickel every time someone did (fill in the blank), I’d be rich?” My guest, Andie Kramer, might say, “If I had a nickel for every story of workplace bias against women, I’d be rich.”

I feel incredibly fortunate to have Andie join me on Brave Women at Work to tackle such an important and timely topic. Reflecting on my own career, I can clearly see moments where I experienced bias—whether it was someone else taking credit for my ideas in a meeting or being passed over for a promotion in favor of a male colleague, despite having all the qualifications.

As I always say, this isn’t about man-bashing—I love the men in my life. But on this show, my goal is to help you take braver, bolder actions in your career. Sometimes that means addressing tough topics like breaking bias, understanding why women, especially women of color, face more challenges in their careers, and—most importantly—exploring what we can do to create a better future for our daughters.

In this episode, Andie and I dive into:

• What inspired Andie and her husband, Al, to focus on breaking gender bias in the workplace
• The types of bias that women encounter at work and how they manifest
• Practical steps we can take to break through bias and build thriving careers
• Andie and Al’s PATH program and how it helps address bias in organizations
• Why women sometimes struggle with other women in the workplace
• The crucial role men play in helping to eliminate workplace bias

What's the secret sauce? Is it one of my special recipes? As you will learn in this fun episode, it has absolutely nothing to do with cooking. LOL.

In this episode, we will discuss the special skills and talents that make you different and set you apart from others. Most people don't think about this and blend into the crowd. I'm challenging you to think about your personal brand, what your secret sauce is, and how you can communicate it.

And bonus! I created a special secret sauce worksheet for you along with this podcast episode. With this worksheet, I guide you through a few important questions for you to discover your own personal secret sauce.

Secret Sauce Worksheet: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/resources

Brave Women at Work Website: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Join the Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Today on the show, I have my guest, Sarah Wallace, an enneagram expert, to cover the Enneagram again with a new twist. We hit harder on how each of the nine Enneagram types acts under stress. If you haven’t been listening to that show that long and this particular episode interests you, I have two other shows that cover the Enneagram. The first one is on the Enneagram and work clutter with Lori Palau. The second is an in-depth review of what the Enneagram is and how to use it with Erin Baute. And now this conversation with Sarah. Even if you have listened to these shows, stick around because we haven’t covered the Enneagram in this light before. The Enneagram is so nuanced, I could have several shows on the topic!

During my chat with Sarah, we covered:

1. What led Sarah to get into work with individuals and teams on the Enneagram
2. What the Enneagram numbers are and an overview of each one
3. The Enneagram numbers under stress and where we go in times of stress
4. How fixed and growth mindsets relate to the Enneagram
5. If certain Enneagram types struggle more than others with fixed mindset
6. Resources that Sarah recommends to learn more about the Enneagram and find your Enneagram type

Did you know that men and women negotiate differently?

For example, if you want and deserve a raise and go to your boss and strongly ask for it, it may not be received well. Why? Because it may be seen as you come off as too strong or adversarial.

Unfortunately, this is not the same for men. Mind blown! My guest today, Kathryn Valentine, of Worthmore Negotiations, teaches women how they can negotiate for salary and up to 75 other important items with success.

During my conversation with Kathryn, we discussed:

1. Why women need to learn to negotiate

2. What led Kathryn to conclude that men and women don’t negotiate the same way

3. The mistakes women commonly make and how we can learn from them

4. What we can negotiate for beyond salary

5. How allies help, including mentors and sponsors

6. How companies can help women negotiate better

Resources:

Buy Brave Women at Work: Stories of Resilience https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B82XV3R5/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_AWXZVCQ86K5RP48ECWGH

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Worthmore Negotiations: https://worthmorenegotiations.com/

75 Things You Can Negotiate:

https://worthmorenegotiations.com/our-1-most-popular-post-75-things-you-can-negotiate/

Getting to a place where we can be at home in our skin can be quite the journey. During my conversation with Janelle Anderson, life coach and owner of Emerging Life Coaching, we talked about early trauma in her life that caused her shame and a feeling of not being good enough. Some of the traumas that Janelle shared include being raped in college, meeting a young man that lead her into prostitution, having an unwanted abortion, and more.

Her story of bravery and redemption is unbelievable. Through her stories, Janelle shares the winding road of her career, listening to her inner nudges for change and how she uses many different tools, including the Clifton Strengthsfinder and Enneagram assessments, to help her clients find confidence and move beyond imposter syndrome. Janelle talks about how this inner work can help us take center stage in our lives and careers so we can live with more freedom and ease.

Resources:

Clifton Strengthsfinder Assessment: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253868/popular-cliftonstrengths-assessment-products.aspx

Enneagram: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

Brene Brown: https://brenebrown.com/

Emerging Life Coaching: https://www.emerginglifecoaching.com/

Be Confident. Be Real. Be You. Free Course: https://emerginglifecoaching.activehosted.com/f/3

Women Emerging Fearlessly Podcast: https://www.emerginglifecoaching.com/podcast

Are you an intrapreneur in your organization? Have you dreamed of being your boss and jumping into the entrepreneurial pool? Or do you already have a side hustle and straddle both roles? In this episode, Kiley Peters, a master of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, shares tips to thrive in your intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial journey and become successful at both. Her wealth of experience allowed her to navigate and lead others into their journey. If you are an aspiring intrapreneur or entrepreneur or are simply curious about the topic, I am confident you will love this show. Tune in to this episode so you won’t miss a thing.

During my chat with Kiley, we discussed:

Ø Kiley’s history as a serial entrepreneur.

Ø The differences between intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship.

Ø The benefits and drawbacks of intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship.

Ø Why we need both intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs.

Ø The journey from intrapreneur to entrepreneur.

Ø What it takes along the way to achieve success.

Ø Burnout and redefining success.

Ø The hurdles intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs face.

Ø Tips to overcome the hurdles.

Ø The great resources Rayne IX provides for intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs.

Today on the show, I have a special guest, Shelia Higgs Burkhalter.

Shelia and I met the last year while we were working on the Brave Women at Work: Stories of Resilience book. Shelia is an absolutely rockstar author, professional, and person, and I appreciate her time during today's episode.

During our conversation, we chatted about:

1. Shelia’s experience on the Brave Women at Work project

2. What she learned about herself, the ability to be vulnerable and share her story, and the publishing process as a whole

3. Hope Mueller and her boutique publishing company, Hunter Street Press

4. The upcoming Writers and Spa Retreat co-hosted by Brave Women at Work and C.L.I.M.B. Conferences

5. How this writers retreat is for all aspiring authors and is an excellent opportunity to meet and learn from other authors.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work:

https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Shelia Higgs Burkhalter Coaching: https://shiggsbcoaching.com/

Shelia Higgs Burkhalter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheliahiggsburkhalter

Writers and Spa Retreat – C.L.I.M.B. Conferences: C.L.I.M.B. - Hunter Street Press (hopey.net)

In this episode, we talk about owning the room. What does owning the room mean? Does this only apply to public figures? We delve into tips to make you feel confident whether it’s speaking at a presentation, virtual meeting, with colleagues, or friends.

My guest today, Janet Fouts, is an expert on taking care of ourselves and others. Janet and I talked about her new book, Micro Dosed Mindfulness (the book isn't out yet, but soon!), and how we can apply small techniques throughout our day to increase our awareness, lower our stress and increase our productivity.

Unlike many of my guests, Janet and I did not meet on LinkedIn. I was introduced to Janet via a podcast placement agency, and I’m so glad that I’ve had the opportunity to get to know her. Janet is a calm presence, but also a tell it how it is person, which I love.

I want to stress here that when we talk about mindfulness during this show that you don’t need to be a yogi or meditation expert to apply mindfulness. Just taking a breath before taking a phone call or having an important meeting can make a big difference in how that call or presentation goes. And by stacking up these moments of mindfulness, you can have a positive impact on your work and life.

Here’s more about Janet:

An accomplished entrepreneur, business leader, executive coach, speaker, and corporate trainer, Janet Fouts skillfully works at the nexus of tech, neuroscience, and mindfulness. She believes deeply in the value of self-awareness and emotionally intelligent communication at all levels of business.

Her focus is on creating and executing effective human-centric strategies for leadership and relationship management which opens the door for clients to live a more fulfilling life at work and at home.

Resources: Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Janet Fouts: https://janetfouts.com/

Microdosed Mindfulness: https://janetfouts.com/microdosed-mindfulness/

Janet Fouts' books:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=janet+fouts&crid=1RUO4H518J69J&sprefix=janet+fouts%2Caps%2C96&ref=nb_sb_noss

What do you think about the term mid-life crisis? When I think of that term, this is what comes to mind:

◦       A mid-life man buys a Porsche.

◦       He gets a divorce.

◦       He gets a hairpiece or alters his appearance to look younger.

◦       He starts dating a younger woman.

This is a stereotype, and it isn't what every man goes through. But what about women? Do we have mid-life crises? Does the term "mid-life crisis" even exist, and how does it impact our ability to thrive in this part of our lives? My guest today, Barbara Waxman, specializes in this topic, so I was grateful to have the opportunity to speak with her.

During our conversation, Barbara and I talked about:

◦       ◦ Her journey to studying and becoming an expert in gerontology.

◦       ◦ What middlescence is and how we can use it to our advantage.

◦       ◦ Why a midlife crisis is a myth; we can thrive during this second adolescence.

◦       ◦ I share some personal examples, and Barbara coaches me on the difference between 3 terms: mid-life crisis, burnout, and resilience.

◦       ◦ We talk about the “used up” feeling after a long day at work and how this may be a sign that our energy management is off kilter.

◦       We talk about her 5 Essential Elements Quiz and her book, The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife, available on her website.

Do you ever feel like you're constantly giving in to others' needs, but your own go unmet? Are you tired of conversations that leave you feeling unheard and undervalued? Boundaries are the key to creating healthy, fulfilling relationships. Today, Jan and Jillian Yuhas, the authors of Boundary Badass: A Powerful Method for Elevating Your Value and Relationships, discuss the different faces of boundaries and how they evolve. These identical twins are Relationship and Boundary Experts who can guide you into navigating into creating healthy and fulfilling relationships. If you are ready to become a Boundary Badass, tune into this episode now! Join Jan and Jill Yuhas to help you build the respectful relationships you deserve.

During my conversation with Jan and Jillian, we chatted about:

What are boundaries?

The many faces of boundaries

How can you spot when boundaries are violated?

Boundary Badass: A Powerful Method for Elevating Your Value and Relationships

Boundaries vs. ultimatums

Can a disrespected boundary be repaired?

Happy November! It’s starting to get cold outside here in Chicago. And guess what? I love it! Yes, I’m one of those people that loves fall and even cooler temperatures. I feel like I come alive when everything begins to hibernate. Maybe my clocks are off. Or maybe that’s just me.

Well, today, I have found another wonderful guest, Anne Shoemaker, who loves sports metaphors as much as I do. You may or may not know that one of my favorite movies is Rocky. I’m starting to date myself because the Rocky series of movies began in 1976. Wowzer! 1976.

Well, I’d like to share my favorite quote from the Rocky series to get us kicked off:

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place, and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done."

During my conversation with Anne, we chatted about:

1. Her time in sports and how it shaped and defined her.
2. How she learned to let go of all things feminine and her voice became a whisper in the wind.
3. She also shares some of her top tips and tools to level up professionally, including how we can save up to 150 minutes per day, how we can level up our game on LinkedIn, and the top questions to ask during our next performance review.
4. Anne also shares her career fulfillment score assessment and how she works to help women reach their professional goals.

Let’s start with a quote from my guest, Dr. Romie Mushtaq’s website:

Calling all high-achieving professionals. It’s time to put an end to relentless cycles of stress, anxiety, and burnout.

Umm, yes, please. That gets my attention. I want less stress, anxiety, and rebound burnout cycles. I want more joy, ease, and peace in my life. You know what I’m talking about. It’s our rise-and-grind culture that is killing us. There has to be a better way. And the great news is that Dr. Romie has a tool that will show us how to better manage our stress and heal our brains and bodies. We are not meant to work insane hours Monday – Friday, crash into the couch on Friday – Sunday, only to have the Sunday scaries to do it all again on Monday. Do you feel me? I know you do. There’s a better way.

During my chat with Dr. Romi, we discussed:

●  The story behind her move from being a doctor of traditional medicine to stress management.

●  The creation of her book THE BUSY BRAIN CURE: The Eight-Week Plan to Find Focus, Tame Anxiety & Sleep Again?

●  What a busy brain is.

●  The signs of the busy brain and how it is not an addiction like work or achievement addiction. It’s our brains and bodies signaling to us that healing needs to take place.

●  Dr. Romie’s definition of burnout and why it occurs (and I have to tell you, I loved her explanation of it all)

●  Steps that you can take today to start healing our busy brains

●  And why all of this is important to take into consideration in leadership at work.

You heard it here first. Your mother was right! During this podcast, I welcomed Sandra McDowell, applied neuroscience educator and founder of the eLeadership Academy, back to Brave Women at Work. We talked about Sandra's book, Your Mother was Right: 15 Unexpected Lessons About Leadership and the Brain and more:

- Sandra redefined neuroleadership and shared some practical tips from her book

- We discussed why we're so disengaged at work and how we can take personal responsibility to drive our engagement

- I shared how the "It's Not the End of the World" chapter struck me, and Sandra explained why worrying and living in a negative bias mindset aren't helpful

- We chatted about self-esteem and its importance with leadership

- Sandra shared a few small steps women can take today to be better leaders at work and at home

Sandra is such a wealth of knowledge and a great guest. You don't want to miss this conversation!

Join the Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork/member-requests

Learn more about Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

eLeadership Academy: https://www.e-leadershipacademy.com/speaking

Sandra's book: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Mother-Was-Right-Unexpected/dp/1775040402/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=your+mother+was+right%3A+15+unexpected+lessons&qid=1618173331&sr=8-1

The nervous system plays a big part in our health. A dysregulated nervous system contributes to stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. If you’re prone to being on the verge of breaking down, you’re going to want to tune in. In this episode, Jennifer Pestikas is joined by somatic coach Nicole Smith Levay, who shares incredibly simple and effective breathing exercises that help regulate the nervous system and nip burnout at the bud. Nicole knows first-hand what it’s like to burnout and have your body breakdown. Following the principle of “trauma to dharma”, she is now passionate about helping people, and especially women, deal with the same problem. In this conversation, she educates us on how important breathing is to keep our nervous systems and our stress in check. She also discusses:

1. What somatic psychology is and what a somatic coach does;

2. How breathing can help regulate our nervous systems; and

4. How breathing exercises make a positive difference in our professional and personal lives.

Tune in and learn how as simple a thing as your breathing can make a massive impact on your life!

I’m excited about today’s guest. Tracy Edmonds and I met on LinkedIn after yes, she wrote an amazing post about burnout and her pivot to business ownership. 

Tracy has an amazing story and creates powerful content to empower women. I truly enjoyed our conversation and I’m confident you will too.

 During my conversation with Tracy, we discussed: 

Resources: Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/ 

Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork 

Tracy Edmonds: https://tracyjedmonds.com/ 

Wild Hair book: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Hair-Courageous-Womans-Authentic/dp/1952654165/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31UYH6IUNSBW9&keywords=tracy+edmonds&qid=1644670282&sprefix=tracy+edmonds%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-1 

Tracy Edmonds LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyjedmonds/recent-activity/

Protecting your energy is crucial for building confidence and achieving success. The 'power container' is a tool to maintain energy, avoid burnout, and prioritize what truly matters in your career and life. For today’s episode, we have Jenna Banks, an author and thought leader whose work has been featured in media outlets that include Forbes, POPSUGAR, ABC, NBC, and CEOWORLD Magazine. Today, she discusses the concept of the "power container" and how it can be used to maintain your energy levels and avoid negative influences. She also delves into common challenges that women face in the workplace and shares strategies for building confidence and resilience, even in difficult situations. Throughout the conversation, Jenna emphasized the importance of your energy to your confidence, self-worth, and quality of life. That’s why we should protect it at all costs. Tune in now and discover the power of protecting your energy!

Get Your Free Guide Here: https://bravewomenatwork.com

As I am recording this in late August 2023, we just got through the first week of school in the Pestikas household. And I’m tired. What about you? How are you at the start of school or this new season? I think the end of summer and the beginning of fall is the beginning of a new season for everyone, not just kiddos and parents.

Speaking about new seasons, what about when life or work throws you a curveball? What happens when you get messed with and feel off your “A” game? My guest today, Josselyne Herman-Saccio, has a mission for helping her clients with being unmessablewith. Being unmessablewith sounds like being grounded in yourself, having a strong spine or core to who you are, and possessing the courage and bravery to stand true to who you are and your purpose. That’s my definition of it, but let’s dive in to learn about Josselyn’s perspective!

During my chat with Josselyne, we discussed:

1. What does it mean to be unmessablewith?

2. How do we reach the state of being unmessablewith?

3. What happens when our personal or professional lives derail us? How do we get back on track?

4. How can we make sure our word is our wand?

5. How do we find our dream source so we can create magic in our lives and world?

Here’s a fact about me. I’m a nerd for making a list and setting a plan. How about you? Planning is not making a resolution. It’s putting pen to paper, setting goals, and executing.

My guest today, Anna Runyan, is the founder and CEO of Classy Career Girl, a career and leadership coaching platform for women. Anna and I met through another colleague in the personal development space.

When I met Anna, I knew I had to have her on the show. Two of her superpowers are her planning tools and the systems she creates not only for herself but for her clients.

During my conversation with Anna, we discussed:

1. Her thoughts on her quarterly and annual planning process

2. How often Anna revisits and reviews her plan

3. The roadblocks to successful planning

4. The affirmations that we can use daily to help us with our plan execution

5. The systems that Anna uses to run her business that we can use if we have a corporate job, a business, or both

6. Her 2023 Planning Workshop, which is an evergreen course you can take at any time if you are eager to build your own personal or professional plan

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Classy Career Girl:

Classy Career Girl - https://www.classycareergirl.com/

Classy Career Girl Planning Workshop: https://www.classycareergirl.com/planningworkshop-fp

In the earlier stages of my podcast, I often found guests on LinkedIn. Then, I found podcasts through public relations firms and placement agencies. Now, I find them through other podcasters, former guests, friends, and colleagues in the personal development space. I am so excited about the evolution of the show and plan to continue to bring you powerful guests, like my guest, Alicia Zielinski Straub, today.

Alicia and I met through former podcast guest, colleague, and somatic breathwork teacher, Nicole Smith Levay. Alicia and I have been on a breathwork journey together, and now we are taking a meditation and breathwork mentorship (certification together)! It has been wonderful to get to know Alicia, and I am happy to have her as a guest on the show.

During my conversation with Alicia, we chatted about:

1. Her experience many years ago with Hurricane Sandy, and how it cracked her wide open and started her healing journey.
2. Alicia’s vision for her life and how she suggests other women go about finding their own bigger vision for their life and career.
3. The idea of not knowing and how we can be as calm as possible in the middle of that phase of transformation.
4. How we soften into our hearts when we are on a healing or change journey.
5. The advice Alicia would have for any woman who is looking to tap into herself, find stillness, and get prepared for transformation.

Have you ever held your vacation time back to use towards the end of the year? I have several weeks off coming up, and boy, do I need it! I am feeling the burn a little and can’t wait for my upcoming travels. I have a trip with a dear friend to NYC, and we are also going to Disney as a family, so we are excited! What about you? Have you been taking your vacation? If not, here’s your reminder. Take your time off and don’t waste your vacation time before year-end. Enjoy and make sure to take breaks, especially as we are entering Q4 of the year, which is always a busy time!

Today on the show, I have Nancy Lyons, who owns multiple business and is also an in-demand keynote speaker on the future of work.

During my chat with Nancy, we discussed:

1.         How leadership has evolved since Nancy started her company, Clockwork, back in 2002.

2.         What the role of companies and individuals is when discussing the future of work?

3.         Her thoughts on work-from-home in a time when many employers are asking or mandating their employees to come back to the office.

4.         How we can start using ChatGPT if we haven’t already and why AI is important to know for the future at work.

5.         How companies can win the war for top talent.

6.         How we can keep our “new employee” energy and why that is important.

You’ll notice this conversation has a focus on the energy that we feel and bring to our jobs is what matters and is the foundation for the future of work. It’s no longer simply about our output, but it’s also how we show up at work as whole people, with feelings, families, dreams, and more.

Do you want to be happier? I'm guessing the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Most of us, including me, have lived our lives thinking when I finish my degree, I'll be happier. When I get a promotion, I'll be happier. When I leave this company and start a new job, I'll be happier. And so on.

And you know what? When we get a taste of success, we are happier for a short while. Then the dance of seeking happiness outside ourselves starts all over again because that bit of excitement wears off. The great news is that we can learn how to improve our happiness!

During this episode, I spoke with Barbara Leggett, owner of the Happiness Center of WNY, and certified professional coach about the following:

- What is the happiness set point?

- How can we improve our personal and professional happiness?

- What does it mean to redefine our success

- How we can get off the happiness hamster wheel

If you would like to learn more about Barbara's work with happiness, please visit her site at www.wnyhappiness.com.

Visit Brave Women at Work here: www.bravewomenatwork.com

Join the free, private Brave Women at Work community:

www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Welcome to the second part of my conversation with Kristin Harrison! 

If you haven’t listened to episode #79 (the prior episode on Moving Through a Man’s World), this show will make even more sense if you go back and listen to it. 

If you want to jump in here, you will still get something out of our conversation. 

During this second part of my conversation with Kristin, we discussed: 

As a reminder, this show is marked explicit, so please make sure to listen to this away from little ears or on your earbuds. 

Resources: 

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/ 

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork 

Kristin Harrison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-harrison/

Have you ever heard of corporate gaslighting? I didn't before my conversation with Laura Weldy, professional coach for women who are looking for more in their careers. Corporate gaslighting is when you are praised for your personal performance at work, but you are not given an opportunity to advance or are told that you're not ready for advancement. Corporate gaslighting can leave you feeling stuck in place in your career. Laura and I had an extensive conversation about this and the following other topics:

- Male and female communication styles at work

- Communication breakdowns for women at work

- How women need to often communicate like their male counterparts to get ahead in the corporate world

- How to overcome corporate gaslighting

- How Laura works with her clients on the Personal Power Code

- Laura's insights on how women can be braver at work

If you are interested in joining the Brave Women at Work Facebook Community, please click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

To see the latest happenings with Brave Women at Work, visit the website: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Laura Weldy Coaching: https://lauraweldy.com/

Laura Weldy Free Communication Guide: https://lauraweldy.com/free-communication-guide

If you’ve been listening to Brave Women at Work for a while, you know that I love the Enneagram. If you’re new to the show, welcome to my obsession.

The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system, and it helps us better understand ourselves and others in the world. My guest today, Erin Baute, is an expert on the Enneagram and is even writing her PhD thesis on the topic.

During my conversation with Erin, we discussed:

1. What the Enneagram is and how it’s different than other personality assessments

2. The Enneagram numbers between 1-9 3. The differences between the primary type, the dominant wing and the dominant subtype

4. The instincts of the Enneagram - preservation, social and relational

5. How women can discover their personal Enneagram number

6. How we use our Enneagram knowledge personally and professionally

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Living the Enneagram: https://livingtheenneagram.com/

The Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Enneagram-Paths-Greater-Self-Knowledge/dp/1938314549/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=enneagram+beatrice+chestnut&qid=1652019244&sprefix=enneagram+beat%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-1

The Road Back To You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830846190/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=3d65688eab5d921b746ff0dabc87c983&hsa_cr_id=8108096160501&pd_rd_plhdr=t&pd_rd_r=45898321-c0b6-4436-a4b8-7fefb7f27160&pd_rd_w=qFNVE&pd_rd_wg=VG3rb&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_img

During today's podcast, I’m talking with Tosca DiMatteo, a coach and corporate changemaker who wrote her own manifesto called the Corporate Culture Revolution.

I think it’s fair to say that we’re all in some sort of corporate revolution regarding how, when, and where we work.

I love Tosca's perspective on what's happening today and what we need to do to find more joy and ease in our workplaces.

During my conversation with Tosca, we discussed:

1. Her backstory with feeling different and how she navigated it

2. What drove her to write her own manifesto (and we’ll link up to it in the show notes)

3. How we can recognize toxic work environments

4. Why marketers are on the front lines of corporate change

5. What we can all do about this, so we work in better environments

6. How companies can put people first Learn more about how we can all put people first and be the change we want to see at work.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Tosca DiMatteo Coaching and Consulting: https://toscadimatteo.com/

The Corporate Culture Revolution: https://toscadimatteo.com/corporate-culture/manifesto/

Have you ever been afraid to speak up at work for fear of being labeled bossy, pushy, or aggressive?

I have, and for the longest time, I stayed quiet because of it. I was too busy criticizing my own thoughts and worrying about what others thought, rather than sharing my ideas, asking questions, or stating my opinions based on my education and experience.

When I have shared my opinions, asked questions, or presented ideas, I've been labeled as "too this or that," but it doesn't stop me anymore. I've probably even been called a bitch behind my back, and that's okay. My guest today, Dr. Alessandra Wall, and I discuss how to be a powerhouse, avoid negative labels, and stop worrying about backlash.

During our conversation, Dr. Alessandra and I discuss:

●       Her transition from a full-time counseling practice to her work as an executive coach for women

●       What led her to start her company, Noteworthy

●       The importance of visibility for women who want to get promoted

●       How women can be visible and own their authority without being called a bitch

●       The science behind this process

●       The internal resistance that executive women face when seeking visibility and authority, and how to overcome it

●       The systems that executive women need to put in place

●       How Dr. Alessandra works with her female executive clients

Believe me, I learned some valuable lessons during this conversation that I wish I had known when whispers of "she’s a bitch" were being said behind my back. Let’s learn together how to artfully gain visibility, get promoted, and own our authority. Shall we?

It’s almost fall! My favorite time of year. I’ve been working with Charlotte, my 5th grader, on her fall wardrobe. I don’t remember being as concerned about what I was wearing to school when I was in 5th grade, but I have a budding fashionista.

We’ve recently discovered Plato’s Closet and thrifting at Goodwill for the latest “cool” trends. Charlotte is already building her pre-teen brand and doesn’t even know it!

Well, the school year prep that I’m doing with Charlotte fits right in line with my conversation with my guest today, Cari Rutkoskie. Cari is the owner of not one, but 2 businesses. Cari is an expert in communications, whether that’s with your words or your wardrobe.

Today, we’re going to talk about both of her businesses, but there’s a special focus on her business with Cabi, an online clothing specifically serving women.

During my conversation with Cari, we covered:

1. Why our professional image is so important

2. What are the building blocks of a professional image?

3. How what we wear affects our confidence

4. How having “go-to” or loved pieces in our wardrobe helps

5. And much more

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Words Matter Consulting: https://wordsmatterconsulting.com/

Cari Rutkoski Cabi Online Site: https://carirutkoskie.cabionline.com/

In this episode, we talk about slowing down and paying attention with Neen James. Neen James is the author of Folding Time and her most recent book, Attention Pays. She is frequently named one of the top 30 Leadership Speakers by Global Guru because of her work with companies such as Viacom, Comcast, Cisco, Virgin, Pfizer, BMV, the FBI, and others. Neen shares with us how paying intentional attention lets us get more done both at work and home.

Folding Time by Neen James  (Complete Book) 

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__t.sidekickopen85.com_s2t_c_5_f18dQhb0S7kF8cFC00VnTZKk59hl3kW7-5Fk2847sD3qkVNxvrw7w3-2DhvW2dykdP1n0Lht101-3Fte-3DW3R5hFj4cm2zwW41RjcR3VWt0kW4cg7sG3-5FrjH0W1Gy-2DqY4fGC1KW1LFz3l43N9LSW1L6zDG22TdLsW1Lg-5FH03H6wV1W1GrKP13JF3SVW1GpcB741nZgkF3-5FSNXRPDdn1-26si-3D7000000001156569-26pi-3D6b36fcc1-2Dcc38-2D47d1-2Dfa97-2Db9fb126a272c&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=rlA1j0AkegbWI60GGcdCyhBZlplYFRV3-qxZ2-7-fQ0&m=9iDtgsiGD10nAwjn8v_cowkdLpzJFOXQLqi7HG-V_tE&s=-5F6X1jj0RnyuyshpuXdP0hs3md0SjMm-N9-YZnfIpk&e=

Attention Pays by Neen James (Sample Chapter)

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__t.sidekickopen85.com_s2t_c_5_f18dQhb0S7kF8cFC00VnTZKk59hl3kW7-5Fk2847sD3qkVNxvrw7w3-2DhvW2dykdP1n0Lht101-3Fte-3DW3R5hFj4cm2zwW4cj79h3-5FR6GJW41PGWL1JxwY5W1LvdXT3K78gSW43TCZB4rF77tW43SmPX3-5FYlyBW3F7xMM4fGCnGW1LdXLK3K78gSW43TvW83zkyn7W32wWrg3ZV65JW3QZngs3K8R3x4PDdn1-26si-3D7000000001156569-26pi-3D6b36fcc1-2Dcc38-2D47d1-2Dfa97-2Db9fb126a272c&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=rlA1j0AkegbWI60GGcdCyhBZlplYFRV3-qxZ2-7-fQ0&m=9iDtgsiGD10nAwjn8v_cowkdLpzJFOXQLqi7HG-V_tE&s=KkJSVPcq0lpyluAWvGXt6p8tPSwaPCZIgnpcjUnrbzc&e=

Moment App

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moment-cut-screen-time/id771541926

Freedom App

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freedom-block-distractions/id1269788228

TRIGGER WARNING

My guest and I have a powerful conversation which includes domestic violence and suicide. Please listen with care. 

Have you ever met someone that you were in awe of? That’s my guest and me today, Susie Carder.

I don’t want to spoil it, but Susie has faced quite a few odds to get to where she is today. Let me give you a few of her past challenges:

1. Being a single mom

2. Running a business while parenting two girls

3. Have a failed business that left her in financial ruin

4. Having to rebuild her business from scratch.

And with that, Susie has not been willing to let her circumstances stop her. Susie has built two $10 million companies, even after facing these challenges!

This conversation was so "feel good" to me because it reminds me that no matter what I’m facing, I can get through it. And whatever challenges you're facing, you can get through them too.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Susie Carder: https://susiecarder.com/

Power Your Profits: How to Take Your Business from $10,000 to $10,000,000: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Your-Profits-Take-Business/dp/B081VS9HCB/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=power+your+profits+susie+carder&qid=1658009101&sprefix=Power+your+profit%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1

According to a Harvard Business Review Study, 40% of executives and leaders are introverted. Korn Ferry completed a similar study, and in their study, they found that 40-50% of leaders are introverted.

So, what does this mean? It means that it is important to talk about this because if you are an introverted employee or people leader at work, the chances are that someone you work with is as well.

Just like many of us land in leadership roles without training and fake it until we make it, it can be similar to an introvert. In a working world that is designed for extroverts, it can be difficult for introverts to navigate. My guest today, Julianna Yau Yorgan, a self-proclaimed introvert, former corporate leader, and career strategist and coach, provides us with guidance on how to do just that.

During our conversation, Julianna and I discussed:

1. The difference between a career strategist and a career coach.
2. Her journey to a director-level role while being an introverted leader.
3. The difference between introversion and shyness.
4. How to network successfully as an introvert.
5. How we can get to a place where we are unapologetically introverted.
6. Navigating various difficult personalities at work as an introvert. We chat about narcissists, backstabbers, and more.
7. Julianna also shares what her Introverted Leader Community is all about.

It’s an exciting day at Brave Women at Work! Our second book baby, Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Confidence, comes out in hardcover today! Woo hoo! This book was such a joy to write. I hope that you are inspired and motivated by all the authors’ stories to build your confidence so you can reach the professional and personal fulfillment and success you deserve.

Also, we are hosting a Brave Women at Work Virtual Author Summit today, August 24th, from 12:00 – 1:30 pm CT/1:00 – 2:30 pm ET today. At this event, the authors and I are sharing the 5 Steps in the Building Your Confidence framework. These steps will help you identify what may be holding you back from getting that promotion, speaking up at work, getting recognized, and more. You will receive tangible steps you can take today to build your confidence.

And spoiler alert, this content is NOT in the book! Visit bravewomenatwork.com for more details and to register.

I’m also so excited that I get the opportunity to chat with one of the authors, Marilyn Vetter! Marilyn is not only an author in the book, but my friend and colleague. Marilyn’s chapter, Why Not Me?, is the first chapter in the book and so powerful. I am pumped that she’s with us!

During my chat with Marilyn, we discussed:

1. How she has had three distinct parts of her career, starting with journalism, then to the pharmaceutical industry, and now to non-profits

2. Why she decided to write a chapter in Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Leadership and what she gained from the experience

3. She provided an overview of her chapter on how asking and thinking why not me can make a big difference in our careers

4. How her chapter helped someone get a promotion just by reading it.

5. What mental hurdles she faced as she decided to become the CEO of the current non-profit organization she leads.

6. Marilyn’s top tip for developing confidence

Happy Holidays! I am practicing what I preach at Brave Women at Work and taking a break over the holidays. I am bringing back one of my favorite episodes before the end of the year to remind you to take care of yourself during this busy season.

During this episode, my guest, Courtney Carver, blogger, author, podcaster, and speaker talks about the importance of minimalism and being more with less. I

n a season of "all the things," it's a breath of fresh air to think we can simplify and declutter our professional and personal lives.

During this conversation, Courtney and I discuss the following:

1. What minimalism is, and why it is important

2. What led Courtney to minimalism

3. How simplifying can help us professionally and personally

4. And much more!

Resources:

Be More with Less - https://bemorewithless.com/

Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More https://www.amazon.com/Project-333-Minimalist-Fashion-Challenge-ebook/dp/B07X6RPYL3/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Be+more+with+less&qid=1614711932&sr=8-2

The Simplicity Space: https://courses.bemorewithless.com/the-simplicity-space/

As you know, I find a lot of people to interview for Brave Women at Work either in my personal network or via LinkedIn. Megan Witherspoon, my guest today, is no exception. The interesting thing about Megan is that she is similar to you listening to the show. She doesn’t have a book or a business. She’s still working a “normal” 9-to-5 job. She’s a working mom.

The one big difference is that she made a decision within the last year to give back by creating an online platform via LinkedIn. Her purpose with this platform is to further the conversation about work-life flexibility.

Megan posts at least 1 time per day and receives many likes and comments. In fact, one of Megan’s posts garnered millions of views, almost 105,000 likes, and 2,257 comments! Apparently her thoughts on work-life flexibility resonated with people.

When I read that post, I knew that I had to meet Megan and hear her thoughts on this subject first hand.

Here’s more about Megan:

Megan Witherspoon is the VP of Communications at Altria and has been at the company for 17 years. She’s a mom and executive leader and she’s passionate about building culture, bringing humanity into business, work/life harmony, and pushing for positive change. Her post on LinkedIn on flexible working hours went viral resonating with many working parents juggling demands during and post-pandemic, https://www.mother.ly/life/viral-linkedin-post-flexible-work/.

Her ongoing posts bring relentless optimism and best practices for leaders to create a flexible working environment for all.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work:

https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Freebie:

https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Brave Women at Work Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Megan Witherspoon LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6841686990073688064/ 

Megan Witherspoon Viral Post:

https://www.mother.ly/life/viral-linkedin-post-flexible-work/

Hello everyone! How are you doing out there?

Happy Summer to you! It’s beautiful out in Chicago as I’m recording this. In fact, I’m going to take a walk out there with my dog, Jake. My buddy Jake is almost 17 years old. Yes, that’s right 17-years young. He’s still kicking though and we show him all the love.

I will also tell you something else that my husband, John, gifted me with this week. He and my daughters went to visit his parents, so I have the house to myself. You heard that right too. Even though I’m working this week, it feels like I’m on vacation! I’m loving every minute of the peace and quiet before they get home tomorrow. I miss them, but mom still needs some silence every now and then.

Speaking about the younger generation, that is something that I cover with my guest, Tammy Dowley-Blackman. When I met Tammy, I knew I had to have her on the show because she is focusing some of her awesome work on Gen Z and how they will shape future generations of work. Tammy is busy though because she has multiple companies including the TDB Group, the Looking Forward Lab, and more.

During our conversation, Tammy and I talked about:

1.      How wearing multiple hats, including CEO, board member, consultant, and more helped her in her career.

2.      Tammy’s thoughts on Gen Z and what changes they are bringing to work.

3.      We also touch on Gen Alpha because my little one, Olivia, is a Gen Alpha.

4.      What other leadership and leadership development trends Tammy is seeing with the companies that she works with day in and day out.

5.      And how Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging (DEIAB) and racial equity (RE) are critical in today’s workplaces.

I’m sorry for the inconvenience. Maybe that was a bad idea. Does that make sense? I was just….fill in the blank. I’m sorry I bumped into you. That was good, right? I’m still policing myself for using weak language.

Weak language takes us out of our power at work and puts us in a lower position of credibility. Weak words don't help us get our point across, present our ideas, sell the thing and help us rise up the ladder or lattice of our careers.

I welcome you to listen to the list I’ve compiled of weak words we all use and to reflect if you use any or all of these. If you recognize yourself in this list, don’t beat yourself up over it.

We are conditioned when we are little girls to use this language, whether it’s at home, school or at work. It’s cultural and environmental. All I ask is that after you listen to this show that you start to notice your language. If you start to notice your language, you’re already on the path to changing it.

When you notice you are using weak language, you can change it. And standing in your power and using powerful language are key ways to being braver at work.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work site:

https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work freebie: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Join the free, Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Sources for Podcast: https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/powerful-language-at-work/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bonniemarcus/2011/12/09/do-you-sabotage-yourself-by-using-weak-language/?sh=2dc9f42b1987

https://www.fastcompany.com/90562682/4-words-that-make-you-sound-weak-to-your-co-workers

https://koolkanya.com/blogs/career/heres-how-you-can-avoid-using-weak-language-at-work/

Have you ever felt stuck or powerless in a situation? Have you started believing your inner critic's monologue about how you're not good enough, smart enough, accomplished enough, blah, blah, blah? 

If so, you need to listen to my conversation with Lia Garvin, author, speaker, and coach. Lia and I had an awesome conversation about her book, Unstuck: Reframe Your Thinking to Free Yourself from the Patterns and People That Hold You Back. 

During my conversation with Lia, we discussed: 

Resources: 

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/ 

Brave Women at Work FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork 

Lia Garvin You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlJ3Z-ulrQk&t=216s 

Lia Garvin: https://www.liagarvin.com/ 

Reframe with Lisa: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Sx-ppBe8gx1Jad2ubshwQ

We talk a lot about perfectionism at Brave Women at Work, and how it can truly cripple us in achieving our goals and dreams. As Brené says, there is no perfection. I often tell my daughters, “Do your best and leave the rest.” I say this so I can hopefully break the cycle of perfectionism in my family. What about you? How has perfectionism affected you, your life, or your work?

I met my guest, L’Oreal Thompson Payton, in an interesting way. L’Oreal is a freelance writer and an author, so I stumbled on one of her freelance pieces and was enthralled by it. I connected with her on LinkedIn and asked her if she wanted to be on the show. It just so happened that her book, Stop Waiting for Perfect, was coming out soon, so she agreed. How about that for coincidence! On top of that, L’Oreal is a Chicagoan just like me. The synergies are crazy!

During my chat with L’Oreal, we discussed:

●       What drove L’Oreal to write her book Stop Waiting for Perfect: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and into Your Power?

●       How was this book her own personal lesson in not being perfect?

●       What’s a success junkie and how can this book help them?

●       Where does our lack of self-trust come from? How can we trust our dopeness?

●       How black and other women of color face different societal and cultural expectations and how we can help them succeed in all places and spaces.

●       How we can step out of our comfort zone and take our power back.

●       And what black girl magic means to L’Oreal! I’ve seen it on memes and hashtags, but I wanted to hear it firsthand from someone truly creating black girl magic!

Do you want to manage your stress better? I know I do! In this episode, I spoke with Colonel Deb Lewis. Deb taught me that we can make stress work for us and not against us. Stress doesn't have to be the enemy. Along with this, I learned more about Deb's experience at West Point, her position as a colonel in the Army and more. What I loved most about this conversation is how Deb shared her tips with us so we can make stress our superpower and learn how to be more mentally tough in professional and personal situations.

Here's a bit more about Deb:

Colonel Deb Lewis is a West Point graduate from its first class with women. A retired Army Colonel and Harvard MBA, Deb commanded three US Army Corps of Engineer Districts, including a $2.1 billion reconstruction program in combat. She survived the 9/11 Pentagon attack while serving on the Joint Staff anti-terrorism team. Colonel Deb's experiences leading while under fire inspired her "Mentally Tough Women" (MTW) program to help women handle more stress - not de-stress- and put it to work for them. MTW arms women with the proven strategies, insights and tools they need in good times and times of crisis.

As Deb says, "The better you get at handling stress, the easier it becomes to do insanely hard things and really love doing them."

Brave Women at Work Website: www.bravewomenatwork.com

Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

10 Steps to Being Brave at Work: www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Mentally Tough Women Website: www.mentallytoughwomen.com

Why is Pono Not Pono Today? book: www.mentallytoughwomen.com/ponobook

Mentally Tough Women Stress Training Tools: www.mentallytoughwomen.com/stresstools

Have you ever met someone and immediately connected with them? When I met my guest for this episode that's exactly what happened!

Dion Johnson, AKA the Womanologist, has an amazing story of struggle and triumph that I'm excited for you to hear. 

Do you stay in a job or a relationship because it's just comfortable or safer to stay? So many of us struggle with wearing masks and not letting our true selves shine. Dion has worn both a physical and metaphorical mask which caused her to lose confidence, the ability to speak, and held her back from success. 

In this episode, you'll hear Dion's story and learn how to drop your mask, especially to succeed as a woman in higher management. 

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Dion Johnson:  http://thewomanologist.com/

In this episode, we talk clarity with Motivational Speaker Debbie Peterson. Debbie shares how she left the corporate world after years of frustration and burnout that manifested as health issues. Debbie shares the steps she took to go from working a job that damaged her health to have clarity of direction in her career. We covered all things mindset, from releasing limiting beliefs to creating new positive thoughts.

Debbie Peterson Website 

www.debbiepetersonspeaks.com/getting-to-clarity

CLARITY: How Smart Professionals Create Career Success www.debbiepetersonspeaks.com/debbies-book

Have you had that moment where time seemed to stand still, and you had a ton done without little effort? Like you were in a state of flow? I love it when this happens to me. It feels so good to effortlessly get stuff done and the day is not a slog.

Last year, I was introduced to Hortense le Gentil, an executive coach and author. I picked up her book, Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be, and I was inspired by it and knew I needed her on the show. I wanted to pick Hortense’s brain to learn how I can multiply these states of flow so that I’m in alignment more often. As we know, being in this state of alignment is better for our health and happiness. It drives better results and makes us better leaders.

During our discussion, Hortense and I talked about:

1.      What alignment means at work.

2.      Signs or symptoms of not being aligned.

3.      What prevents us from being aligned, including mental hurdles?

4.      The steps we need to get back on track.

5.      How intuition and mindfulness play a role in alignment in leadership.

6.      How our work environment and the people we surround ourselves with impact us.

You are brave and a rockstar at work but please know that YOU CAN NOT DO IT ALL. Spoiler Alert: You aren't supposed to. Remember that you have a support system and what better example to show than that it is okay to ask for help.

In this episode, we talk with Cara Pollard about how parent coaching can help women in the workforce. Cara Pollard is a Certified Parent Coach. She offers coaching services to families, couples, women, teens, and companies. Covid has strongly impacted our work-life balance, especially those working from home or unemployed and spending more time at home with the kids. We delve into the importance of having mindfulness practices and self-care.

Resources mentioned in episode:

Cara Pollard website - www.carapollardcoaching.com

Mindfulness at Work Podcast - www.carapollardcoaching.com/category/podcast/

Are you ready for a power-packed episode today? Get ready to take notes or listen to this show more than once. My guest, Shelmina Abji, shared so many wonderful tools on what it takes to show your worth, build your confidence, and emerge as a leader. I wish that I had known Shelmina earlier in my career. Her story was inspiring and motivating to me, and I am sure it will be for you!

During my chat with Shelmina, we discussed:

Show Your Worth: 8 Intentional Strategies for Women to Emerge as Leaders at Work

• Redefining short-term and long-term success.
• The most valuable resource.
• How to say no to things that don’t fit our top priorities?
• The importance of personal brand.
• The role of sponsorship in emerging as a leader.
• Strategy to build a work-life balance.

To be a strong leader and a brave woman at work, I am confident that we need to know what our strengths are and how to harness them. I don’t know about you, but for the longest time I thought I needed to shore up my weaknesses to be “right” for a particular role. On top of that, I was convinced I had to know everything about the role too, all the ins and outs.

Wrong. After over 20 years in corporate, I have learned that we all have a balance sheet of strengths and weaknesses. I need to double-down on my strengths, not waste time trying to shore up my weaknesses. In place of doing that, I need to find people in my team that complement my strengths. Maybe these team members are strong in my areas of weakness. And no, I cannot know everything about a job.

My guest today, Dr. Cheryl Lovell, helps me further understand the CliftonStrengths Assessment by the Gallup Organization. This was an awesome conversation, and one I am sure you will enjoy.

During our conversation, Dr. Cheryl and I chatted about:

1. What the CliftonStrengths assessment is and why knowing our strengths is important
2. If we need to take the assessment again after taking it the first time
3. What we do next with our results to improve our personal and professional lives
4. How leaders and teams can use CliftonStrengths to their advantage
5. The ROI of the CliftonStrengths assessment
6. How the assessment can help you navigate challenging personal and professional relationships

You may or may not believe this, but I was really shy as a kid. A true wallflower. It was so painful. I was the kid that didn’t know why I felt so out of place.

After meeting Claire O'Hanlon, writer, entrepreneur, coach, and speaker, I felt like I met a kindred spirit. Claire is a wealth of knowledge on what it means to be shy or introverted.

She explained to me that you can be a shy or introverted leader, and they are not one and the same. If you are shy or are naturally introverted, this show is for you!

During my conversation with Claire, we discussed:

1. What the difference is between shyness and introversion

2. If shyness is a learned behavior or genetic

3. The moment when Claire decided she was no longer going to be shy

4. Claire’s favorite quote and how it guides her actions

5. How you can be a shy or introverted leader

6. The Shypreneur Society Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Claire O’Hanlon:

Home - https://claireohanloncoaching.com/

ShyPreneur Society: https://claire-o-hanlon.mykajabi.com/shypreneur-society-8248a084-f184-4ecc-bfe0-d485784aac6f

I’m very excited about our guest today! Annie Leib is someone I met via LinkedIn after watching her create awesome, real, and vulnerable content on LinkedIn. If you have been on LinkedIn in the last few years, real and vulnerable content is starting to emerge, but it wasn’t always that way. Annie was one of the pioneers of keeping it real on this professional platform. And that’s what made her stand out to me and I wanted to connect with her. When we met, Annie didn’t disappoint. She’s as real in person as she is in her content.

During our discussion, Annie and I chatted about:

1. Her road to becoming an executive leadership coach.
2. What her BREATH Framework™ is and why it is important
3. Why reclaiming your power and control can be challenging steps in healing
4. How authenticity plays a role in her framework
5. How Annie organically grew a network in LinkedIn of over 35,000 followers. Yes, 35,000.
6. And how you can do it too!
7. And finally, how working within the BREATH Framework™ is not a one and done type of exercise. It is something that you need to learn and repeat.

Are you ready for a firecracker of a conversation with my sister from another mister, Diana Patton, my guest today on the podcast? Diana and I met during an online presentation I was giving for another women’s organization, PINKK, led by another Brave Women at Work podcast guest, Athena Golianis. Athena sure knows how to connect people! There was energy immediately between Diana and I, and we knew we needed to be in one another’s orbits.

During our conversation, Diana and I talked about:

1. Diana’s challenging past and how it forged who she is today.
2. The pivotal moment in Diana’s life when she knew she needed to run her own business and not stay solely focused on law.
3. What rising means to Diana.
4. What challenges Diana sees that prevent women from rising.
5. Books and other resources that Diana used in her own rising journey.
6. Her All Rise Live Summit here in Chi-town – Chicago!

Do you like to take risks? How are you with change? Do you adapt easily, or is it difficult for you? Today’s guest, Christie Hunter Arscott, the author of Begin Boldly: How Women Can Reimagine Risk, Embrace Uncertainty, and Launch a Brilliant Career, dives into a different thought behind career risks and acting boldly at work. Self-doubt and other negative behaviors will hold us from taking good risks that can pay off in our careers. Christie shares the three mindsets that can benefit us at any point in our careers and how we can begin boldly. 

As a Type-A overachiever and recovering perfectionist, I will come clean about something:

I often override my body’s signals to get one more thing done.

How does this look in real life?

• It may be squeezing in another hour of work when I am tired and know I should go to bed.

• It may be me being consistently late for appointments which causes my heart to race.

• It may be me crashing into the couch on Friday evenings because I didn't take enough breaks for rest and play during the week.

Does this resonate? When we wear the badge of busy, we can often neglect our health and well-being. My guest today, Dr. Susan Lovelle, explains why it is time for us to invest in our health and well-being as much as we do in our careers.

During our conversation, Dr. Susan and I chatted about:

1. The building blocks for optimized health and well-being
2. The signs and symptoms that may pop up when your well-being is out of whack
3. What benefits are for us and our companies when we are in a balanced state of performance
4. What the LeanHormone Metabolic Reset is and how it works
5. What the Hormones in Heels Masterclass is and how it leads deeper into Dr. Susan’s work
6. And we touched on Dr. Susan’s book, Thrive: The Five-Week Guide to Mastering Your Energy at Any Age

There’s a lot of powerful information that we packed into this interview, so listen in!

I am excited for my guest today, Liz Kislik! Liz was an executive coach and consultant before it was even an industry. She brings over 30 years of experience in developing high-performing leaders and organizations to our conversation, so I'm very happy that she took some time out to be a guest on the show! 

During my conversation with Liz, we discussed: 

- How you and other employees can transition back to the office with ease 

- How to navigate work environments where some employees are pro-remote, some are pro-in-office and some want hybrid 

- How we can build relationships with our colleagues and even bosses remotely

 - What companies can do to support various employees’ flexibility needs

 - And most importantly, how we can support one another 

As you know, this is a real hot potato conversation. Admittedly, it’s difficult to return to the office if you’ve been working remotely and either enjoy it or find that you are more productive. It’s also a challenge for employers to serve various employee needs. 

Dive into this conversation to see how we can find a middle ground with this divisive topic. 

Resources: 

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/ 

Brave Women at Work FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork 

Liz Kislik Website:https://lizkislik.com/ 

Why There’s So Much Conflict at Work and What You Can Do to Fix It | Liz Kislik | TedX: https://www.ted.com/talks/liz_kislik_why_there_s_so_much_conflict_at_work_and_what_you_can_do_to_fix_it?language=en 

Free Ebook: How to Resolve Interpersonal Conflicts in the Workplace: https://lizkislik.com/resolve-conflict/

Here’s a confession. I think I bought into a lie early in my career. I thought I needed to contort myself into one of the boys to get ahead. I thought if I kept my head down and worked hard, I would be recognized. I thought if I brought up my accomplishments in front of my boss during my annual review, I was being boisterous or not humble.

Guess what? These learnings, and many more, were lies that were fed to me and so many other women. We were not taught that self-promotion was a good thing because if we don’t market ourselves, who is going to? We were not told to be clear about our intentions with our expectations at work. We were not taught to advocate for ourselves in performance reviews or any other negotiations. We weren’t taught these things, but it’s better late than never to learn these things.

I am honored to have my guest Sally Helgesen, on the show today. Sally is a pioneer and has been named by Forbes as one of the premier experts on women’s leadership. It was a pleasure to speak with Sally and to learn from her extensive experience, research, and the eight books that she has written over the last 30+ years.

During our conversation, Sally and I talked about:

1. What rising means.
2. What habits prevent women from rising personally and professionally.
3. What rising together means for organizations.
4. What are the patterns inside organizations that trigger us.
5. How women can build and leverage allies.
6. How we can repair organizational divides to build more inclusive workplaces.

As we get closer to the end of the year, we typically think about our New Year’s Resolutions. One resolution that ends up on many people’s lists is to get out of debt and save more money.

What we don’t often talk about is the powerful connection between our wealth and our health. Like my guest today, Krissina Wise, we may take our health for granted in the pursuit of wealth and not even know we are doing it.

Krisstina spent between $250,000 and $500,000 getting her health back after a major health scare while at the pinnacle of her career success and has made it her mission to help people not only have a love affair with their money, but also with taking care of themselves so they can lead fulfilling lives.

This conversation is power-packed, so get ready!

During my conversation with Krisstina, we chatted about:

1. The pivotal moment in which she almost lost her life.
2. What Krisstina needed to learn to get her life back on track.
3. What wealthywellthy means and why it is important.
4. Does wealthy have to mean having a lot in your bank account?
5. How do we find our financial sweet spot?
6. What does it take to be a millionaire?
7. What steps we can take to fall in our love with our money without sacrificing our health.

You all know that I love a good negotiation. I believe knowing how to ask for what you want is so critical. Today’s guest, Penny Rosema, is an expert in negotiation, so I’m excited for you to listen to our conversation.

During my discussion with Penny, we covered:

1. The components of a successful negotiation (and a not so successful one) 2. Why preparation is so important 3. The power of being quiet and listening 4. What happens when you receive a counteroffer? 5. Going beyond pay in our negotiations 6. What happens if you can’t come to agreement?

If you feel like you’re not a good negotiator or if you would like to hone your skills, this conversation is for you, so listen in!

Resources: Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/ Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork  Penny Rosema: https://www.pennyrosema.com/  Penny's Free Negotiation Resources: https://www.pennyrosema.com/resources-2/  

Minimalism: Purposely living with your items so we can make more time and space for what’s important to us all in our careers and our lives. 

In today’s episode, blogger, author, and speaker Courtney Carver joins us at Brave Women at Work. We will be speaking about the importance of minimalism, not only for personal reasons but also for professional. Courtney explains why she got into minimalism, what it is, and a few tips to help your thoughts and careers.

About our guest:

Courtney Carver is one of the most known bloggers, authors, and speakers within the minimalism world. She has also written two books called Soulful Simplicity and Project 333. She also has a simplicity blog bemorewithless.com.

Resources:

Be More With Less - https://bemorewithless.com/

Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More

https://www.amazon.com/Project-333-Minimalist-Fashion-Challenge-ebook/dp/B07X6RPYL3/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Be+more+with+less&qid=1614711932&sr=8-2

Soulful Simplicity:

https://www.amazon.com/Soulful-Simplicity-Living-Less-Lead-ebook/dp/B06XZJFDWJ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1614711969&sr=8-1

The Simplicity Space:

https://courses.bemorewithless.com/the-simplicity-space/

If you listened to my prior episode with Courtney Carver of Be More with Less, you know that I’m an aspiring minimalist. A minimalist is a person that thinks about what they bring into work and life. Instead of having or doing all the things, they purposely remove things that no longer serve them.

You might be wondering, how does this impact my work? As it turns out, I think it impacts our work a lot. Whether you have a cluttered desk with paper or a messy email inbox (guilty as charged over here), it can affect your productivity, your mindset, and your career success.

So, I had to have Laurie Palau on our show! Laurie is the founder of Simply B Organized (SBO) where she writes, teaches, and works with people of all ages helping them to declutter and work smarter. She also hosts This ORGANIZED Life, a weekly podcast where Laurie chats with awesome guests about life, work, parenting, and the role that organization has in their lives.

During this show, Laurie and I talked about:

- the different types of clutter - how clutter has a direct impact on your work - different tips to tackle clutter at work and at home - what the Enneagram is and how it relates to clutter

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

10 Steps to Being Brave at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Join the free, private Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Simply B Organized: https://simplyborganized.com/

ESP Method: https://simplyborganized.com/2014/05/19/do-you-have-esp/

Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized: https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Mess-Practical-Getting-Organized/dp/0692921621

Enneagram and Clutter Course: https://simplyborganized.com/enneagram-clutter-course/

Happy Holidays! I am practicing what I preach at Brave Women at Work and taking a break over the holidays. I am bringing back two episodes for the end of the year to remind you to take care of yourself during this busy season. If you haven't yet listened to Stress Reset with Sarah Marie Liddle, it's a must. Sarah is an expert in stress management and burnout recovery.

During my conversation with Sarah, we discussed:

1. The blatant and subliminal signs of stress.

2. The relationship between stress and overwhelm.

3. Ways that we try to override our stress.

They can be positive and not-so-positive. Netflix binge or Ben and Jerry’s, anyone?

4. Micro steps we can take today to start resetting our stress.

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Sarah Marie Liddle: https://sarahmarieliddle.com/

Many of us start the new year with resolutions. And saving a certain amount, paying debt, or creating a financial or retirement plan may be on your resolution list.

My guest today, Mikelann Valterra, is Seattle's money coach. Mikelann helps women with their thoughts and feelings around money; after our conversation, I learned that how we feel about money, saving, debt, etc., has a lot to do with reaching our financial goals!

During my conversation with Mikelann, we discussed:

1. Why do women feel anxiety when it comes to money

2. Money fog and why we get trapped in it

3. Financial anxiety is not only about overspending; it can also be about money hoarding too

4. How to deal with golden handcuffs

5. The role money plays in relationships

6. The importance of women having a retirement plan

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Mikelann Valterra site: https://www.seattlemoneycoach.com/

We’ve had an eventful January in the Pestikas household. Our family is in full swing again between kids in activities, post-holiday parties (yes, that’s a thing), and more. But you know what? I love the start of the new year. It’s a new chapter with a clean white page with fresh opportunities. What about you? How has your new year started?

I had a great conversation with my guest today, Susan Mackenty Brady. Susan is an expert in helping women excel in leadership, no matter what their career levels. Susan is also a wealth of knowledge in managing our inner critics, which is something we all struggle with at one point in our lives.

During my conversation with Susan, we discussed:

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: [https://bravewomenatwork.com/](https://bravewomenatwork.com/ "smartCard-inline")  

Brave Women at Work Community: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork](https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork "smartCard-inline")

Susan M Brady Coaching: DEI Expert & Leader - Susan MacKenty Brady ([http://susanmbrady.com](http://susanmbrady.com "smartCard-inline") )

Arrive and Thrive: [https://www.amazon.com/Arrive-Thrive-Impactful-Navigating-Leadership-ebook/dp/B09MV5T7Q6?ref\_=ast\_sto_dp](https://www.amazon.com/Arrive-Thrive-Impactful-Navigating-Leadership-ebook/dp/B09MV5T7Q6?ref_=ast_sto_dp "‌")

Mastering Your Inner Critic: [https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Inner-Critic-Hurdles-Advancement-ebook/dp/B07HYFB551?ref\_=ast\_sto_dp](https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Inner-Critic-Hurdles-Advancement-ebook/dp/B07HYFB551?ref_=ast_sto_dp "‌")

The 30-Second Guide to Managing Your Inner Critic: [https://www.amazon.com/30-Second-Guide-Coaching-Inner-Critic/dp/099096230X?ref\_=ast\_sto_dp](https://www.amazon.com/30-Second-Guide-Coaching-Inner-Critic/dp/099096230X?ref_=ast_sto_dp "‌")

We have all faced difficult times in our lives. There are some periods that are extraordinarily challenging, such as losing a partner or child, facing a scary diagnosis, losing a job, and more.

During my conversation with Jody LaVoie, she shares her story of losing her husband, Steve LaVoie, after a workplace violence crime at his organization ArrowStream in July 2014. Steve ultimately succumbed to his injuries and passed away in October 2014.

During my conversation with Jody, we discussed how she was faced with being a leader of ArrowStream all while being a mom to three daughters. Jody shares how she walked through that time to find clarity and peace on the other side.

She also shared her experience as the CEO of Female Strong, an organization that empowers girls to step into leadership at work and in life.

Brave Women at Work: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

10 Steps to Being Brave at Work Freebie: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie

Join the free, private Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Jody LaVoie Coaching: https://jodylavoiecoaching.com/

Female Strong: https://femalestrong.org/

In this episode, we talk about setting healthy boundaries at work. Are you always saying yes to others and every request? Do you have a problem saying no to others? Are you working through your lunchtime and working long hours in order to please others? I share 7 tips to build better boundaries at work, this can also be applied to other areas in your life.

Resources mentioned in episode:

What do you think of when you hear the word power? Does it sound off-putting? Too masculine or dominant? Do you think women can be powerful or hold positions of power? I do, but I know that I often give my power away, whether through self-doubt, Imposter Syndrome, or my old standbys, perfectionism and people-pleasing.

I’m so excited about my guest today, Dr. Sharon Melnick, and to share this conversation with you!

During the podcast, Dr. Sharon and I discussed:

1. What being in your power means

2. What it feels like to be outside of your power

3. How you can vacillate between being in and out of your power

4. We can take steps to reclaim our power if we've lost it

4. What to do when your spouse, family or friends don’t support the new powerful version of you

5. What the difference is between being a thermometer and a thermostat

7. And so much more

This conversation blew my mind in so many ways, so I’m pumped for you to hear it!

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work FB Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Dr. Sharon Melnick site: https://sharonmelnick.com/

In Your Power Book: https://inyourpowerbook.com/

Have you met someone who stopped you in your tracks significantly? “Wow, I can’t believe she’s doing kind of way?"

My guest today, Miriam Lawrence, is a beautiful example of an inspiring and brave woman, and I knew I had to have her on the show. Why, might you ask? Miriam’s LinkedIn profile is unique because she’s also a powerlifter. Like in 200-pound+ weights.

Miriam started powerlifting at 48 and competing all over the world by the age of 50. And she’s finding a way of integrating her work and her strength training. I love how authentic Miriam is and the moxie she has gained by being in the world's top third of female powerlifters.

During my conversation with Miriam, we discussed the following:

1. How can we find something that lights us up at any age

2. Imposter Syndrome and how to manage it

3. The correlation between physical strength and how we move through the world

4. Our Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) at work

5. How stoicism helps Miriam train her mind and live her life

Resources: Brave Women at Work:

https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Miriam Lawrence Site: https://thatbadassbroad.com/

Miriam Lawrence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-lawrence-6a3764/

Glute Lab: https://www.amazon.com/Glute-Lab-Art-Science-Training/dp/1628603461/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3M4CY9UP18Z1G&keywords=booty+by+brett&qid=1662603751&s=audible&sprefix=booty+by+brett%2Caudible%2C109&sr=1-1 Ryan Holiday Book: https://www.amazon.com/The-Obstacle-Is-Way-Ryan-Holiday-audiobook/dp/B00K5JUNSU/ref=sr_1_3?adgrpid=1338106221327991&hvadid=83631710809864&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=103346&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83631995884220%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=21871_10482322&keywords=holiday+ryan&qid=1662603282&sr=8-3

Let’s talk about something very important today – getting paid for what you’re worth in an existing job. If you find out that you are being underpaid in comparison to your peers and especially based on the duties you are completing in your role, how do you broach the conversation with your manager or Human Resources?

This podcast explores this scenario and provides you with a step-by-step blueprint of how to face this situation. In this show, we discuss the following:

If you’re in this situation or approaching your semi-annual or annual review, you don’t want to miss this important conversation!

Important Links:

Brave Women at Work Website: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Freebie: https://www.bravewomenatwork.com/freebie 

Join the free, private Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/05/25/gender-pay-gap-facts/ - Pew Research Gender Pay Study, 2020

Hello everyone! How are you doing out there?

I wanted to provide you all with a personal update. It’s been a whirlwind so far this year. We’ve done some remodeling on our house after having some water damage issues for the last several years. I traveled to Las Vegas in February to co-host a women’s leadership retreat. And now, I am about to go to Europe with a dear friend for two weeks.

Two weeks! I have not been to Europe this long without my family, well, ever. The last time I went to Europe without my husband and family was 16 years ago. To tell you I’ve had a little bit of travel anxiety and mom guilt would be an understatement. I have gone through all the feelings. What kind of a mom am I to leave my kiddos that long? Ouch. That Imposter Syndrome and shameful voice has been loud. I’m sharing this with you because I’m not immune to this work. I have to do it too. And I’ve had to let all that go because if I fill my cup, I know I will be a better mom to my girls. I will also be a better wife, daughter, friend, podcaster, and the list goes on.

I would like to thank my friend, Jennie, for inviting me on this trip. If you are curious about where we are going, we are traveling to Croatia, Montenegro, and Portugal. I’m collecting those passport stamps this year! I would also like to thank my husband, John, for encouraging me to do this. And of course, a thank you to my girls for being excited for me too.

So, let’s switch gears. During the show today, I speak with my guest, April Roberts, about time freedom and having a Vixen Voice. I don’t know about you, but anything to do with time freedom, and owning my voice interests me. I’m a free spirit at heart, obviously with the upcoming trip to Europe. I like the idea of having as much autonomy as possible over my time and life.

During my conversation with April, we chatted about:

1. What drove April to do the work she does today
2. How we can structure our calendars to achieve time freedom
3. What you should be adding and removing from your calendar
4. How time and energy management are directly related
5. What the Vixen Voice is and how we can claim it for ourselves

Would you like to be more productive? AKA get more done with less stress. What if I told you that this is possible? You would probably tell me I was joking, but I’m not.

My guest today, Dr. Nicole Byers, is an expert in neuropsychology. She helps all of us recovering high achievers get off the hamster wheel of to-do lists, self-doubt, and other limiting behaviors in favor of being more productive without overworking and burning out.

I say a big “yes” to all of this!

During our conversation, Dr. Byers and I discussed the following: 

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork/?multi_permalinks=1278095969643348¬if_id=1668529930282213¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif

Dr. Nicole Byers: https://www.drnicolebyers.com/ Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Book: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/0374159122

I’m super excited about our guest today, Lydia Fenet. As I mentioned during the show, it was fate that I had Lydia on. So many people kept recommending that I read Lydia’s finished book, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You, so I took it as a sign and grabbed a copy. I loved the book and thought Lydia would be a good guest for the show. And do you know what happened? Poof! I received an email from Lydia’s podcast placement agency asking if she could be on the show. I was like, yes please!

And after the recording of this show, I recently finished her second book, Claim Your Confidence: Unlock Your Superpower and Create the Life You Want. The lessons in that book hit me even harder and I must admit, I shed a few tears while reading the end. I highly recommend both books. And you can read them independently, so you can start with Claim Your Confidence if it appeals to you more or vice versa.

Either way, Lydia was a joy to talk with and she really motivated and inspired me, and I’m sure she will do the same for you.

During our conversation, Lydia and I talked about:

1.      Her backstory as a powerful auctioneer at Christie’s and how she navigated Imposter Syndrome regularly to find success in her career.

2.      What led her to write her books, especially when she was working full-time and is a mom of three kiddos.

3.      Why self-promotion is absolutely critical for all working women.

4.      What the gavel strike is and how we can find our own to command attention in any room.

5.      How learning to love failure is a necessary part of success and growth.

6.      And finally, Lydia’s thoughts on the mythical work-life balance.

In this episode, we talk with Pattie Grimm about kicking the glass in your career and life. Being self-aware is so important and why perfectionism could be doing you more wrong than good. Pattie is an empowerment expert for teams and women. She has over 25 years of experience working with large corporations such as Microsoft. We talk with Pattie about hitting rock bottom and how she utilized burnout leave to find herself and establish herself as an entrepreneur.

Resources mentioned:

Pattie Grimm's website: https://advantage-training.com/

Book: Quiet Women Never Changed History Be Strong, Stand Up and Stand Out: Let's Go Kick Some Glass!

Vision Statement: If you would like follow-up resources to create your personal vision statement, contact Pattie at pattiegrimm@live.com.

Are you ready for a scary statistic? Only 9% of women are female CEOs of the biggest companies on the S&P 500. That is 45 spots out of 500, folks. But let’s be positive. It’s up from August 2018, when there were only 24 women in the CEO spot. The question is, WHY? Why aren’t more women in that top spot? And if they go there, why aren’t they sticking?

Jenna Fisher, my guest today, decided to find out how we as women can find a path to the top. She interviewed top female executives at Nike, Visa, IBM, Salesforce, Atlantic Records, just to name a few, to find out.

During our discussion, Jenna and I talked about:

1. Why she decided to write her book, To the Top: How Women in Corporate Leadership are Rewriting the Rules for Success?
2. What key themes popped out when she interviewed these female executives?
3. Jenna’s perspective on how COVID changed the game for working women and what we need in our workplaces to flourish now and in the future.
4. We discussed the thought of “having it all”? Is it really possible?
5. What leaving loud means for women? I loved this part of our conversation.
6. And how compassionate command is the new name of the game for both male and female leaders.

"Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order." - Anne Wilson Schaef

In this episode, we talk about perfectionism, something I've struggled with my whole life. Perfectionism is self-abuse because it drives you to chase an ideal that is unachievable. It is an effort in futility that is fraught with self-loathing and being paralyzed by procrastination or fear.

The good news is that this often silent issue can be managed with ongoing awareness, setting expectations, and more. Learn the impact of perfectionism on our lives and careers and what you can do to overcome it.

Excellence vs. Perfection Comparison: http://thebluecollarsuccessgroup.com/

Brave Women at Work: www.bravewomenatwork.com

Free, private Brave Women at Work Facebook Community: facebook.com/broups/bravewomenatwork

Have you ever had sweaty palms before a speech? Have you ever felt like you could get sick before a big presentation because of nerves? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Yet, speaking in front of others is a necessary skill, especially if we want to have visibility and success at work and in life. This may sound dramatic, but I believe it’s a life skill. Both of my daughters go to swimming classes because it’s a life skill I want them to learn. And I talk about presenting like a boss because it is a skill I think we all should learn and continue learning throughout our lives.

My guest today, Bobbie Carlton, is someone I consider to be very skilled in speaking. Bobbie and I have been running in the same circles for a while and she owns not one, two, or three businesses but FIVE of them, so I am grateful she made time to join me for this conversation.

During our discussion, Bobbie and I talked about:

1.      How Bobbie came to own and run FIVE businesses and how she does it

2.      Bobbie’s tips on how we can move past our fear of public speaking.

3.      How Toastmasters and even an improv class can help.

4.      Why speaking can help us up our visibility personally and professionally.

5.      Why waiting for someone to notice our hard work is a mistake and how we need to speak up and advocate for ourselves

6.      How Innovation Women can be a great way for women to dip their toes into speaking and get the exposure they need.

I’ve been on a communication kick lately with the podcast. I believe that clear and concise communication is an important ingredient to being a brave woman at work. I’ve brought on a communications expert, Jennifer Furlong, that brought a new and interesting spin to being an effective communicator. Jen talks about communication styles. And this got me thinking about my own communication style and how it has helped and hurt me in my professional and personal interactions.

During our conversation, Jen and I talked about:

1. The four different communication styles.
2. Why being mindful of your communication style is crucial for strong and healthy communication.
3. How men and women have more in common than differences in terms of communicating.
4. How listening comes into play.
5. The BPI technique with tough conversations at work.

This show applies to everyone, so make sure to share this one with all the people in your life. Everyone can benefit from learning their communication style, how to improve their listening, and more.

Learn more about Communication TwentyFourSeven LLC here!

Take the assessment and find out your communication style here!

Check out our website: Brave Women at Work

There's a commonality between Brave Women at Work guests, they've all discussed the importance of mindset. If you don’t believe in yourself, you can’t be brave. And that’s what this show is all about.

My guest today, Dr. Zenobia Tantra, takes it a step further. Yes, mindset is essential, but it also is your overall energy. Zenobia is a dear friend and colleague. She is also a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor therapy and an expert on chakras on how the state of our energy affects every area of our lives.

During my conversation with Zenobia, we discussed:

1. What the chakras are, and why we should care.

2. The solar plexus or power/self-confidence chakra and how we know when it’s out of balance

3. The heart chakra and knowing when this one is out of balance

4. And finally, the throat chakra and when do know when it’s off

5. What steps can we take to maintain chakra balance

Resources:

Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Zenxuality - Dr. Zenobia Tantra's site:

https://www.zenxuality.com/

I’m going to start being personal and vulnerable today. When I went through burnout in 2019, I went through the dark muck of depression and anxiety. I had no idea how to leave that place, so I am thankful for medication and therapy. While I went through this experience, I also felt a little weird and secretive about it at the time because I didn’t want my team to think that I was less than them. I didn’t want them to wonder if I could still do the job or lead the team. I didn’t come forward with my story until this podcast and my first book, Brave Women at Work: Stories of Resilience. I realized that sharing the story was a braver thing to do than keeping it hidden.

My guest today, Kimi Culp, also brings a similar, yet different, story to the show.

During my chat with Kimi, we discussed:

●   More about her backstory and her career in film and television production.

●   Her experience working with Oprah and the OWN Network in its heyday.

●   What led Kimi to keep her bipolar disorder hidden throughout her career and to begin talking about it publicly.

●   The reaction of the public and her friends, family, and colleagues after she shared her personal story.

●   How we can be compassionate with others that may be silently struggling with mental illness or other challenges.

●   And what led Kimi to start her podcast, All the Wiser.

I’m doing this show today because it’s real, it’s honest, and so many of us are facing mental health challenges. I’m confident that if we bring this out in the open, it will be less and less stigmatized. It will be an act of bravery to say that you have a mental illness. It will be an act of love towards others who may be suffering silently. And it will make our workplaces more inclusive and drive a sense of psychological safety that many of us yearn for at work.

Quick personal update here. This year, I have been telling people that I am living my best life. During COVID and even beyond, I feel like I was holding back just a little bit and not really going for it. By going for it, I mean take the trip, eat the gelato, make the call, take the action. Yes, I was making an effort, but a little bit of my magic was missing, and I felt like I needed to get it back.

Well, as we are coming to mid-year in 2024, I’ve got my mojo back, baby! And I’m going for it. I’m taking trips I’ve always wanted to take. I’m taking bolder and braver action, just like I teach my coaching clients. And you know what? It feels so good!

So, it feels appropriate that today’s guest is just as motivating and inspirational. When I met Vera Quinn, my guest today, I felt like a fire was lit underneath me. I love Vera’s energy, grit, and perseverance. She is a woman who achieves her goals, but also gives back, which is inspiring to see. I’m sure you will be inspired by Vera’s personal story of her road to CEO, just like I was.

During our conversation, Vera and I chatted about:

1. Why perseverance and drive are the backbone of who Vera is
2. Vera’s personal and professional values and why they are the underpinning of everything she has done in her career
3. What strategic and people-centered leadership are and how Vera has used these principles to become the CEO of Cydcor
4. The book that Vera has been reading for 23 years in a row and why
5. We also touched on the foundation that she runs called the MyTQuinn Foundation, which is an amazing story in and of itself

How do women leak their power at work? Today, Jennifer Pestikas flies solo to share the five power leaks she sees among women from time to time, whether that be within herself or when coaching her clients. Take back your power once you notice that you are giving your power away, and as a result, you can stand in your power personally and professionally. So, what is a power leak? What happens when you are in a state of power leak? Join Jennifer in this episode as she gives the answers and shares some of the things that cause the power leaks and what we can do about it to plug those holes and move forward.

In this episode, we talk about interviewing tips to help you land the job, whether it's in a person or virtual interview. The interview is the time to showcase the value you bring and why they should hire you. We discuss the importance of preparing for the interview and practicing your interview skills even if you are not actively looking.

Welcome to 2021! It has been a whirlwind hasn't it? Even though January is flying by, I have been taking this entire month to personally plan my 2021 year. Tune in to this episode as I talk about New Year's Resolutions, personal planning, and creating a 2021 that fits you. Enjoy!

I hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving with your family and friends today. Take a break from turkey eating and pre-Black Friday shopping and listen to the latest episode of Brave Women at Work!

In this episode, I cover something very timely….gratitude! Gratitude is the answer at work, whether that’s one-on-one with your colleagues, if you are a people leader working with teams, or if you run a business and have the privilege and responsibility of setting the cultural tone of your organization.

During this show solo, I also share my thoughts on how gratitude may be an anecdote for the Quiet Quit and the Great Resignation. We all know that competitive pay and benefits are important, but employees today are demanding more than that. Maybe they want to feel valued, and that all starts with gratitude.

Brave Women at Work: http://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

“Spending time around people who inspire you will not only affect your career, it will change your life.” 

Shannon Siriano Greenwood

My guest today, Shannon Siriano Greenwood, was inspiring throughout our conversation. It felt like Shannon was my older sister, and I was learning from her wisdom. She’s made bold choices in her personal and professional life after experiencing postpartum depression and burnout.

We have a lot in common, so it was great to talk with someone that truly gets it.

During my conversation with Shannon, we covered:

1. What hyperfunctioning, overdriving, and chasing all the gold stars means

2. What prompted Shannon to start the Rebelle community

3. How Rebelle is different than Chief, another female membership community

4. What inspires Shannon and the book she gives away to all of her friends

5. The power of friendships and close community

6. How we can burn it down, change our habits, and start paying attention to our happiness

Resources: Brave Women at Work: https://bravewomenatwork.com/

Brave Women at Work Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bravewomenatwork

Rebelle: https://readytorebelle.com/

Rebelle Magazine: https://readytorebelle.com/summer-issue-2022

Playing Big by Tara Mohr: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Big-Practical-Wisdom-Create-ebook/dp/B00INIXMW4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1663713631&sr=8-1

It’s been a season of transitions, with both endings and new beginnings. I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world this year, including Greece, Croatia, Portugal, Ireland, and Aruba. After a period of constant movement, it feels good to know that I’ll be home for most of the time moving forward. The crazy travel is coming to an end, at least for now. My birthday just passed, marking my 47th trip around the sun. 47 years old! Another new beginning. Wow! Remember when that used to feel old? Well, not anymore. There have also been some significant beginnings and endings in my corporate work. While I won’t dive into the details, I’ve found that transitions in work can stir up emotions too. I’m sharing this because it’s important to acknowledge that we bring our whole selves to work. When things are in a state of flux, it’s okay to feel excited, sad, worried, frustrated—whatever feels right for you at the moment.

My guest today, Jennifer Mulholland, joins me for a conversation on a much-needed topic—what it means to practice Conscious Leadership. As the memes say, anyone can be a manager, but it takes radical honesty, self-awareness, a sense of responsibility for ourselves and our people, a willingness to put in the work, and so much more to truly be a leader.

During our conversation, Jennifer and I discussed:

• The story behind Jennifer co-founding Plenty Consulting
• What ThetaHealing is, and how it’s similar and different from Reiki
• How Jennifer integrates both the practical and the spiritual in her work with individual clients, groups, and corporations
• Why passion—what gets us up in the morning—is so important to Jennifer
• Her book, Leading with Light: Choosing Conscious Leadership When You’re Ready for More, and the four lights of conscious leadership
• How surrender plays a crucial role in Conscious Leadership