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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern explores why Business Intelligence (BQ) is the missing link for women’s leadership success. She explores how developing and demonstrating BQ—alongside Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Social Intelligence (SQ)—can help women advance in their careers, close the gender leadership gap, and be perceived as strategic, results-driven leaders.

What You’ll Learn:

The status quo for women in leadership globally—and why progress remains slow

The three components of leadership: BQ, EQ, and SQ

How BQ impacts career advancement and why women must be known for business, strategic, and financial acumen

The six steps to reaching your full potential as a leader

Why women aren’t getting the right career advice—and what to ask for instead

How to audit your leadership strengths and gaps

The importance of perception in leadership and why being seen as a high-BQ leader is crucial

Resources & Takeaways:

The Leadership Compass: Michelle’s book on leadership success for women

No Ceiling, No Walls: Susan Colantuono’s research on The Missing 33% and leadership

BQ Audit & Career SWOT Analysis (Available for Lead to Soar members)

Join the Lead to Soar Network for exclusive leadership resources and mentoring leadtosoar.network

Attend the Weekly Hour of Power: A dedicated session for real-time leadership coaching and peer support

Action Steps for Listeners:

Assess your leadership perception: How are you perceived by decision-makers in your organization?

Identify your leadership strengths and gaps: Are you strong in EQ and SQ but missing critical BQ skills?

Demand better career advice: Ask for guidance on strategic, business, and financial acumen.

Develop your BQ skills: Learn how to think and speak like a business leader.

Expand your strategic network: Connect with mentors and sponsors who recognize and support your leadership potential.

Final Thought:

Women are already great leaders, but to close the leadership gender gap, we need to be seen as business leaders first. Developing and demonstrating BQ is the key to unlocking more opportunities, higher salaries, and greater influence.

Join the Conversation:

Follow Michelle Redfern on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleredfern/

Follow Mel Butcher on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabutcher/

Subscribe to the Lead to Soar Podcast

Become a Lead to Soar Network member https://leadtosoar.network/landing

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Welcome to Lead to Soar Presents: The Strategic Skills Series—a new podcast series where real leadership meets real career growth. In this launch episode, Michelle Redfern drops three truth bombs every ambitious woman must hear about the state of women’s leadership, the flawed advice we’ve been given, and what it really takes to advance.

This isn’t about surface-level fixes or being told to “raise your profile.” This is about the strategic skills that matter—skills that get women promoted, paid, and positioned for power.

Michelle lays out the three pillars of effective leadership taught inside the Lead to Soar Network and in her book The Leadership Compass:

• Business Intelligence (BQ): Strategic, financial, and commercial acumen.

• Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Mastering self-awareness, self-regulation, and leadership of others.

• Social Intelligence (SQ): Building influence, credibility, and strategic visibility.

You’ll also hear about the real reasons women are underestimated at work, why traditional career advice keeps missing the mark, and how to speak the language of business to shift perceptions and outcomes.

This series features live coaching sessions, exclusive workshops, and no-nonsense conversations with women from inside the Lead to Soar Network who are navigating complex leadership challenges and rising—strategically.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why being seen as a high-impact, commercial leader is essential for advancement

• How BQ, EQ, and SQ combine to form the leadership trifecta

• What advice to stop listening to—and what to ask for instead

• How to navigate systems built by men, for men, without losing your ambition or your edge

• Why confidence is not the issue—access to strategic skill-building is

Key Resources:

• The Leadership Compass by Michelle Redfern

• No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono

• Lead to Soar Strategic Skills Audit and Career SWOT tool (exclusive to network members)

Join the Lead to Soar Network:

Membership is $255 annually or $30 monthly (USD). Inside, you’ll gain access to strategic tools, live coaching, mentoring, and a powerful global community of women leaders. This is not another networking group. It’s a leadership lab for ambitious women ready to lead with purpose, power, and commercial impact.

Subscribe now to Lead to Soar Presents: The Strategic Skills Series and visit www.leadtosoar.network to become a member.

From conversation to action. From overlooked to in-demand. From busy to strategic. Lead to Soar.

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Helga Svendsen is a self-confessed 'governance nerd' who is a facilitator, coach and mentor specializing in strategy and planning, governance and stakeholder engagement. She hosts the Take on Board podcast, a weekly pod where she talks all things governance, as well as the Take on Board community, which is a thriving community of women who connect through active Facebook group events. Helga also runs programs to enable to get onto their first board and to a program to help women who are establishing their board careers. In this episode, Michelle asks Helga what women should pay attention to and when they aspire for a board career.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
• Take on Board podcast https://helgasvendsen.com.au/take-on-board-podcast/
• Take on Board Community - https://helgasvendsen.com.au/community/
• About Helga - https://helgasvendsen.com.au/about/

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In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert Michelle Redfern sits down for an interview with Jo Thomas, the CEO of the Australian Institute of Business. Jo shares her career story, how she ended up living in Australia, and how she climbed the career ladder to hold multiple C-Suite positions.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Jo Thomas' Bio: Jo Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Business. Jo is all about flawless execution, authentic leadership, and innovation. She is experienced with both online and offline customer offerings, and leading teams. Jo is extremely passionate about the human experience and enjoys making both the workplace and customer interactions life-enhancing experiences. In her words, success lies where people, process and data intersect.

Michelle Redfern's Bio: Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Day and Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert Michelle Redfern sits down for an interview with Semiconductor engineer and DEI expert Alicia Scott. Alicia joins us to share her experiences advancing in a highly male-dominated space - semiconductors and shares her thoughts and experience as a Woman of Colour in STEM.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com.

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Bio for Guest Alicia Scott

Alicia Scott has 25 years of professional experience in the semiconductor industry and is currently the Senior Director of People, Culture and DEI at onsemi. Alicia earned a BS in Microelectronic Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Arizona State University.

Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle founded Advancing Women, an enterprise that provides research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion, and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Day and Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and has various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert Michelle Redfern sits down for an interview with the one and only Sheila Flavell. Sheila is an extraordinary leader (by our full ACtS! definition!) in the truest sense. She has created exceptional outcomes for business and women in the Tech industry. She continues leading today and has the curiosity and energy to keep learning and pushing herself into new territory. We were so inspired by this episode, and hope you are too!

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Bio for Guest, Sheila Flavell

Sheila Flavell has over 30 years experience in the global tech sector. She played an integral role in FDM’s flotation on AIM in 2005 and was a key instigator of the management buy-out of the Group in 2010 and the subsequent listing onto the main FTSE Market in 2014. Sheila’s sector knowledge has been crucial in driving FDM’s global expansion programme, taking them into the FTSE250. She spearheads the ‘Global Women in Tech’ campaign and created FDM’s hugely successful Returners Programme. Sheila is Deputy President of TechUK and chairs the Institute of Coding’s Industry Advisory Board. One of her proudest moments in business was when FDM achieved a zero gender pay gap. She has won numerous awards during her career for services to the tech industry and was recognised in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list with ‘Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire’ for her services to gender equality in IT and the employment of graduates and returners. She is also listed in Computer Weekly’s ‘Most Influential Women in UK Tech, Hall of Fame.’

Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle founded Advancing Women, an enterprise that provides research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion, and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! The Women Who Get It is the founder of the women’s network, co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women), and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Day and Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and has various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker, a regular contributor to the discussion, and an advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sports and business workplaces.

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Cheryl Morrison Deutsch, CEO of Zillion, joins us on episode 28 of the Lead to Soar podcast to share her career story and philosophies on leadership.

Guest Bio: Cheryl Morrison Deutsch, CEO of Zillion, brings almost three decades of experience in translating business and technology requirements into actionable plans to provide superior user experiences. Morrison Deutsch most recently served as Executive Director of Customer Experience, Collaboration & Transformation at Kronos. Before this, she was a thought leader at Cloud Technology Partners, a premier cloud services and software company serving Fortune 500 companies, developing technical and organizational strategies to support customers’ business transformations. Morrison Deutsch also served as Chief Application Officer at Health Dialog, overseeing the design, development and implementation of a proprietary coaching application developed to convert predictive analytics into easily digestible contextual patient information.

NOTABLE QUOTES

QUOTES "It's ok that you don't know everything. You just surround yourself with people who can support you. You don't have to be an accountant to understand finance and its implications for your business. You add value in your experience and [through] your thoughtfulness around any subject... except maybe surgery." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch on Business, Strategic and Financial Acumen

"Information is only power when you share it." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch

"We don't care where you sit. We care what you do and how you do it." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch on leading the remote workforce of the future

"Don't let fear guide your [career] decisions." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch

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Guest Bio: Laura Ryan BA (Hons), MSc, DipM MCIM

Laura has a First-Class Honours in Marketing and a Masters in Management and has also achieved Chartered Marketer status via the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Laura joined the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in 2007 after successfully launching premium beef & lamb brands within a large butchery business in the North East of England. Working her way through the ranks she was appointed as Sector Strategy Director for Beef & Lamb Board in 2015. She led the strategic review and development for the Beef & Lamb sector in England by identifying key challenges and opportunities which deliver long-term growth. Last year, Laura successfully launched Lavenpark, her own consultancy business, which is working with levy boards and government and commercial companies to achieve greater success through improved industry insight, connectivity, business development, marketing, and communications. Laura is the founder and global Chair of Meat Business Women, launched in 2015. The United Nations have recently recognized it with Laura presenting on the contribution Meat Business Women makes to the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Link

Meat Business Women

Episode Quotes

On Strategy -- “Don’t let folks tell you that it’s more complicated than that. Understand, do the research, understand where you are now, what’s the ambition, what’s the macro-environmental impact, what are your competitors doing, get the research, get the data, and then map out a road map.” - Laura Ryan “Strategic networking is essentially about generosity and reciprocity, but we have to invest time in it. And [we’re] debunking the myth that your networking is turning up to conferences or after-work functions with mediocre wine and dreadful canapes... It’s genuine care, but also having that strategic intent. And being able to say – this is where I want to be able have an impact in my industry, my sector, wherever it may be.” -Michelle Redfern "I think the networking piece is really important... investing in your network, in your personal board.” - Laura Ryan “Be brave and push yourself outside your comfort zone.” - Laura Ryan

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Guest bio: Julie Escobar is a sharpened international market-driven leader and international businesswoman. She has driven the achievement of tremendous sales goals - from $20M to $50M in 3 years. Escobar is co-founder of Global Women Fresh, an organization whose mission is to leverage the talent of Women in produce to close the food industry’s gender divide by inspiring, connecting, and empowering women around the world.

Episode Quotes

“To go where you really want to go, you have to put the hours, you have to put the energy, the investment – financial and non-financial – and ultimately that takes determination, right? I mean you have to have determination, you have to be incredibly intentional about what your goals and your dreams are.” - Julie Escobar “Rock the boat. Ask difficult questions.” - Julie Escobar “Hope is not a strategy.” - Michelle Redfern “You need to understand how the company is making money. And when you are comfortable articulating – how does the company make money and how do you add value to that equation – and you can articulate that well in front of anyone... then I think that’s ultimately when you become someone critical in the equation.” - Julie Escobar “The advice given to women is so rarely around developing your business, strategic, and financial acumen. It’s so rarely about how to harness and point your ambition in the right way. It’s so rarely about unleashing their potential. It’s so often about their appearance. It’s so often about work-life balance. It’s so often about the very gendered things...” - Michelle Redfern “Absolutely, it is important to hit the numbers, and to hit the revenue and the profits, but at the same time it Is incredibly important to bring the team and to have an environment and a culture that you are supporting and empowering and mentoring the people behind you. Because if not, then it doesn’t really work. The company can be making millions and billions of dollars, but if everyone hates coming to work, it’s a nightmare for everyone”. - Julie Escobar “Putting your head down and your bottom up doing really good work is OK. But you need to also build those internal and external relationships.” - Michelle Redfern

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Heather Polinsky is an environmental consulting professional with over 20 years of experience. She started as a civilian project manager for the US Army Environmental Command. She found herself in consulting not too long ago and has had a wonderful career trajectory that's taken her from Project Management through Program Management and Client Development. She is now a leader of leaders in Operations. In this episode of the Lead to Soar Podcast, Heather reflects on some of the ways mentors have helped her most, the best career advice she's ever received, and how she has developed The Missing 33% (business strategic and financial acumen) throughout her career. Heather was recently appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of Arcadis North America, with a staff of ~6,000 professionals.

Learn more about Arcadis by visiting Arcadis.com

Notable Quotes from Heather Polinsky:

On advice for professionals growing in leadership: "Really make sure that you're willing to ask questions, and the second part is - trust your team... We're all at the table because of something we offer that's unique... and if you've built a good team, it's designed that way. So use it!"

"You have to understand what your picture looks like and be happy with your picture. Don't spend your days comparing yourself to other people, families, or pictures. Because they might not be the same, but it's OK..."

"My message is: go for it now. If you think you'll be ready in a year, you're probably ready now."

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Michelle Redfern sits down with Lizzy Goldfinch to explore the crucial intersection of money, leadership, and women’s potential. Lizzy shares her professional expertise and personal experiences to illuminate how financial literacy and independence are foundational for closing the leadership gender gap. The conversation focuses on breaking down harmful money myths, embracing financial empowerment, and taking actionable steps to build wealth and create choices.

Whether you’re navigating your career, seeking financial freedom, or dreaming of a larger impact in your community, this episode will inspire you to take control of your financial future.

Episode Highlights

The “3 Ds” of Financial Vulnerability:

• Death, Divorce, and Domestic Violence often leave women in precarious financial positions.

• Women aged 55+ are the fastest-growing demographic of homeless people in Australia, emphasizing the need for financial independence.

Why Money Matters:

• Financial resources give women the power of choice and freedom, enabling them to escape abusive situations or transition careers without fear.

• By 2034, women are projected to control 65% of Australia’s wealth, making financial literacy more crucial than ever.

Reframing Harmful Money Mindsets:

• Common limiting beliefs:

• “I’m not good with money.”

• “Money is vulgar or shameful to talk about.”

• Empowering reframes:

• “I’m learning to get better with money.”

• “I love money and the choices it brings.”

Investing in Yourself:

• Warren Buffett’s advice: The best investment you can make is in yourself.

• Tips for self-investment: podcasts, networking, online courses, and continuous learning.

The Power of Choice Through Money:

• Financial independence allows women to:

• Volunteer and engage in meaningful causes.

• Leave unsupportive workplaces or unhealthy relationships.

Practical Tips to Build Wealth:

• Create a “Runaway Fund” for emergencies or unexpected life transitions.

• Start small with consistent saving and investing—compounding interest is a game changer.

• Keep a record of your accomplishments to ensure fair remuneration at work.

Leadership Call to Action

1. Examine Your Money Mindset:

Identify any limiting beliefs you have about money. Write them down and consciously work to reframe them into empowering affirmations.

1. Start Building Wealth Today:

Open a savings account and set up an automated transfer—even $5 per paycheck can snowball over time.

1. Prepare for Your Next Salary Negotiation:

Document your accomplishments and contributions to the business. Set a target remuneration goal and plan your negotiation strategy now.

1. Get Educated:

Listen to podcasts like She’s on the Money, read books like The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape, or follow Lizzie Goldfinch for actionable financial insights.

1. Support Your Community:

Use your financial resources or time to give back in meaningful ways—whether by mentoring, volunteering, or donating to causes you care about.

Connect with Lizzy Goldfinch:

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

• The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

• PepTalkHer App by Meggie Palmer

• The Snowball - Warren Buffet

Make sure to subscribe to Lead to Soar on your favourite podcast platform and share this episode with women in your network who are ready to take control of their financial futures.

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In this follow-up episode, Michelle and Renata Bernade, host of The Job Hunting Podcast, tackle the other side of the equation—job hunting. For job seekers, the holiday season can be a nerve-wracking time, but Renata offers insights and strategies to stay proactive, avoid burnout, and prepare for success when the market picks up.

Topics include:

• Navigating the anxiety of job hunting during the quieter holiday season.

• Crafting your personal narrative for holiday gatherings and professional networking.

• Why LinkedIn optimization is critical for being found by recruiters.

• Using downtime to reflect, strategize, and strengthen your career assets.

• The importance of taking a break to recharge and avoid burnout.

Key Takeaways:

1. Prepare your narrative: Be ready to confidently answer, “What are you up to?” at holiday gatherings.

2. Leverage LinkedIn: Optimize your profile to ensure recruiters find you for the roles you want.

3. Reflect and strategize: Use the slower holiday season to assess your strengths and career goals.

4. Take a break: Job hunting is emotionally taxing—allow yourself time to recharge.

Links & Resources:

• Renata's LinkedIn Audit Services: https://www.renatabernarde.com/linkedin/

• The Job Hunting Podcast: https://www.thejobhuntingpodcast.com/podcast

• Lead to Soar Network: https://leadtosoar.network/landing

Final Thought:

Renata reminds listeners, “You will find a job. Take this time to focus on yourself, recharge, and set yourself up for success in the new year.”

Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.

We support women and organisations in 5 ways;

The Lead to Network: https://leadtosoar.network/landing

The Lead to Soar Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/lead-to-soar

The Lead to Soar Summit: https://www.leadtosoar.com/summit

Women’s Leadership Programs: https://www.michelleredfern.com/advancing-women-in-business-sport

DEI Consulting & Advisory: https://www.michelleredfern.com/consulting

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In this episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle welcomes back friend of the pod, Renata Bernarde to discuss hiring from the manager’s perspective.

Does the thought of hiring fill you with joy or dread? They explore this question because managers tell us that hiring often feels like a burden.

Topics include:

• Why hiring feels like a chore for many leaders.

• Common pitfalls in hiring practices, including rushing decisions or hiring for “ghost jobs.”

• Strategies to make hiring purposeful and aligned with organizational goals.

• The importance of skills matrices, workforce planning, and building intentional hiring processes.

• How job descriptions can attract a diverse pool of candidates by moving away from unrealistic “unicorn” expectations.

Key Takeaways:

1. Plan ahead: Workforce planning and clear job descriptions are essential to hiring effectively.

2. Train hiring managers: Equip them with tools and strategies to align hiring with strategic goals.

3. Focus on strengths: Hire for skills and cultural fit, rather than ticking off an unrealistic checklist.

Links & Resources:

• Contact Renata: https://www.thejobhuntingpodcast.com/contact

• The Job Hunting Podcast: https://www.thejobhuntingpodcast.com/podcast

Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.

We support women and organisations in 5 ways;

The Lead to Network: https://leadtosoar.network/landing

The Lead to Soar Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/lead-to-soar

The Lead to Soar Summit: https://www.leadtosoar.com/summit

Women’s Leadership Programs: https://www.michelleredfern.com/advancing-women-in-business-sport

DEI Consulting & Advisory: https://www.michelleredfern.com/consulting

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Michelle Redfern is joined by Lisa Saunders and Natalie Moore from Own Your Health Collective to explore how workplaces can better support women through perimenopause and menopause, pivotal life stages impacting women at the peak of their careers. Together, they address the often-taboo subject of menopause, highlighting the need for awareness, education, and supportive policies to ensure that women can continue to thrive professionally during these changes. Lisa and Natalie share actionable insights for both organizational leaders and individuals to foster inclusive environments, reduce stigma, and introduce practical solutions that make a difference for women's health and well-being at work.

Episode Highlights

Menopause in the Workplace

• Roughly one in five women consider leaving their job due to menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, brain fog, and fatigue.

Normalizing Menopause Conversations

• The conversation around menopause is currently where mental health awareness was a decade ago—leaders must build an open culture to reduce stigma.

• Natalie emphasizes introducing “menopause vocabulary” in the workplace to increase understanding and normalize discussions about women’s health.

Impacts on Mental and Physical Health

• Beyond physical symptoms, menopause often brings cognitive and emotional challenges, like anxiety, depression, and brain fog, which can affect work performance and confidence.

• Supporting women through perimenopause and menopause contributes to healthier, more engaged employees and retains valuable leadership experience within companies.

Practical Ways Leaders Can Offer Support

• Embrace flexibility in work hours, hybrid work, and options for part-time adjustments when symptoms are especially challenging.

• Introduce menopause awareness training for managers to equip them with the language and empathy needed to support affected employees.

• Implement workplace policies, such as health leave for menopause, to alleviate the pressure on women to “push through” symptoms without adequate support.

Breaking Down Stigmas and Biases

• Michelle shares personal experiences of reluctance to discuss menopause and emphasizes the importance of visible role models to normalize the conversation.

• Lisa and Natalie note that while many women feel uncomfortable discussing menopause, it is often a colleague or manager showing empathy that encourages them to seek support and open up.

Leadership Call to Action

Educate Yourself and Your Team:

• Encourage company-wide learning sessions about menopause to introduce inclusive language and destigmatize the topic.

• Train managers specifically on recognizing symptoms, creating open dialogue, and offering support to women who may be struggling with symptoms.

Be a Role Model and Normalize Menopause Discussions:

• Women leaders can play a pivotal role by speaking openly about menopause experiences to pave the way for younger generations.

• Encourage leaders to leverage existing frameworks like mental health awareness initiatives, using familiar concepts to open conversations on menopause as well.

Resources

• Own Your Health Collective: https://ownyourhealthco.com.au

• Own Your Health Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/company/own-your-health-collective/posts/?feedView=all

• Podcast: Perimenopause Power: https://omny.fm/shows/peri-menopause-power

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In this episode, Michelle Redfern is joined by Susan Colantuono, founder of Be Business Savvy and co-founder of the Lead to Soar Network, to discuss the transformative coaching approaches needed to support women’s advancement into senior leadership. This conversation focuses on how managers, mentors, and coaches can go beyond traditional coaching frameworks to build their own business acumen—and effectively coach women on these skills. By developing these critical coaching capabilities, we can bridge the leadership gender gap and elevate women leaders to new heights.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Transformative Coaching for Women Leaders: Michelle and Susan explore why standard coaching methods, often centered on Emotional Intelligence (EQ), fall short in preparing women for executive roles. They emphasize the need to integrate Business Intelligence (BQ) into coaching strategies, equipping women with essential business, financial, and strategic skills.

• The Missing Thirty-Three Percent: Susan shares her concept of the Missing Thirty-Three Percent—the skills gap in business, financial, and strategic acumen that women often face. This gap, left unaddressed, limits women’s advancement to senior positions. She urges coaches and mentors to prioritize building BQ to help women become recognized as invaluable business partners.

• Practical Coaching Approaches to BQ: Susan and Michelle outline actionable coaching techniques that managers, mentors, and coaches can adopt to help women develop and showcase business acumen. They discuss the value of guiding women to interpret financial metrics, contribute to strategic initiatives, and effectively communicate business outcomes to senior leaders.

• Gender Dynamics and Coaching: Susan offers insights on how gender biases in coaching can reinforce stereotypes, such as focusing on women’s confidence and work-life balance over business skills. By recognizing these dynamics, coaches can shift their approach to empower women with the skills that truly drive career advancement.

Actionable Insights:

1. For Coaches and Mentors: Build your own BQ skills to coach women effectively on business, financial, and strategic acumen. Make it a priority to help women develop the skills and language needed to be recognized as strategic partners within the organization.

2. For Managers and Leaders: Transform coaching by focusing on how women’s roles contribute to business results. Encourage them to engage with business metrics, strategy discussions, and broader organizational goals to build their reputation as key business players.

3. For Women in Leadership: Seek out opportunities to develop your business savvy. Understand how your work impacts the organization’s strategic objectives, and learn to communicate these impacts in ways that demonstrate your value as a leader.

Resources Mentioned:

• No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono

• Be Business Savvy: BeBusinessSavvy.com

• Michelle Redfern’s The Leadership Compass for insights on BQ and leadership success.

Final Thoughts:

Michelle and Susan call on all managers, mentors, and coaches to step up their coaching game by integrating business acumen development into their support of women leaders. By strengthening their own BQ skills, these supporters can play a pivotal role in closing the leadership gender gap and positioning women as invaluable partners in the business.

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In this episode of Lead to Soar, host Michelle Redfern is joined by Trina Sunday, founder of Reimagine HR, for a candid conversation about the need for a major overhaul in HR. Michelle and Trina unpack the shortcomings in traditional HR practices, including the “policy police” reputation, and discuss how HR functions must evolve to be effective partners in strategic leadership. They explore why HR often catches criticism, how changing workplace expectations impact HR’s responsibilities, and the skills gap preventing HR from meeting the needs of a modern workforce. From adopting design thinking to embracing proactive relationship-building, they advocate for a reimagined HR that better supports both employee well-being and organizational goals.

Episode Highlights:

Why HR Needs Reimagining: Trina explains that HR’s “policy police” reputation often undermines its credibility. The function frequently finds itself torn between advocating for leaders or employees, resulting in a perceived lack of alignment and strategic value.

The Dual Role of HR: Michelle and Trina discuss the unique challenge HR faces in balancing the needs of both employees and leadership. This "dual loyalty" requires HR professionals to demonstrate social intelligence, transparency, and consistency to foster trust on both sides.

Modern Skill Requirements for HR: To thrive in today’s environment, HR must master new skills, including data analysis, digital literacy, business acumen, and values-based decision-making. The need to focus on employee experience design and inclusivity is also highlighted.

Barriers to HR Transformation: Limited budgets, outdated perceptions, and a lack of digital resources hinder HR's ability to drive innovation. Additionally, traditional HR education often fails to equip practitioners with the modern skills necessary for impactful leadership.

The Role of Design Thinking in HR: Both Michelle and Trina advocate for using human-centered design to tailor HR practices to meet diverse employee needs effectively. However, they acknowledge that this is rarely part of traditional HR training.

Leadership Call to Action:

Reevaluate HR's Role: For senior leaders, clarify HR’s strategic role within the organization. Openly communicate this vision across departments to ensure alignment and mutual understanding.

Voice of the Customer Listening Tour: Encourage HR to regularly engage with both employees and leadership to understand their evolving needs. Use focus groups or one-on-one conversations to gain insights rather than relying on impersonal surveys.

Invest in Skill Development: Equip HR teams with critical skills such as business acumen, data literacy, and design thinking to address both organizational and employee needs proactively. Prioritize continuous learning, networking, and skill-building.

Embrace Proactive Communication: Transparent, values-driven communication is essential in building trust. Ensure HR consistently communicates decisions and expectations, maintaining clear, ethical standards.

Challenge Traditional Practices: Question outdated processes that hinder HR’s ability to be a proactive partner in the business. Shift HR’s focus away from compliance to prioritize collaboration, strategic input, and employee advocacy.

You can find, listen to and connect with Trina at:

http://www.reimaginehr.com.au/

https://podcast.reimaginehr.com.au/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinasunday/

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern explores the concept of learning conversations and their role in career and leadership development. Michelle shares how mastering the art of these informal but intentional discussions can significantly enhance your leadership journey.

Key Discussion Points:

What are Learning Conversations?

Michelle defines learning conversations as informal, intentional dialogues with someone whose experience can help broaden your perspective. Unlike traditional mentoring, learning conversations are more flexible and less structured, focusing on real-time knowledge sharing and feedback.

Why Learning Conversations Matter for Leaders

Research from Dan Pink emphasizes that asking smart, open-ended questions invites deeper engagement and leads to more meaningful learning experiences. Learning conversations allow leaders to develop cognitive diversity by connecting with people who have different lived experiences. This helps you become a more adaptable and agile leader.

Practical Steps to Initiate Learning Conversations

Michelle shares actionable advice on how to start a learning conversation:

1. Identify your goals or challenges.

2. Reflect on who in your network might offer valuable insights.

3. Frame your request thoughtfully to respect the other person’s time and expertise.

4. Focus on active listening and mutual benefit during the conversation.

The Coffee Experiment

Michelle challenges listeners to try The Coffee Experiment by reaching out to someone in their network for an informal conversation. This simple yet powerful strategy can help you test ideas, seek feedback, and develop deeper professional relationships.

The Role of Confidence in Learning Conversations

Michelle emphasizes that asking for a learning conversation demonstrates leadership qualities such as self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and a willingness to grow. For women in particular, engaging in these conversations is a way to build confidence and navigate workplace challenges.

Resources Mentioned:

Dan Pink’s work on the power of questions in leadership (e.g., To Sell is Human)

Holly Ransom’s Love Mondays newsletter on learning conversations

Actionable Challenge:

This week, try The Coffee Experiment. Reach out to someone in your network for a 30-minute conversation focused on learning from their experience. Frame your request thoughtfully, listen actively, and reflect on what you gain from the conversation.

Join the Conversation:

We’d love to hear how you’re using learning conversations in your leadership journey. Share your experiences with us on the Lead to Soar network or email us directly.

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In this episode, Michelle Redfern discusses the Hour of Power, a weekly group coaching call within the Lead to Soar network. This session provides a safe and consistent space for women to share their career challenges and insights, offering practical advice, support, and a strategic network that empowers women to thrive. Michelle highlights the importance of psychological safety, the value of women supporting each other in their careers, and the real-world outcomes participants experience through Hour of Power.

Key Takeaways:

What is Hour of Power?

Hour of Power is a weekly, one-hour online session where Lead to Soar members come together to share challenges, receive support, and engage in meaningful, action-oriented discussions. It's a safe space where women can show up, whether in strength or vulnerability, to receive practical and constructive advice.

Consistency and Psychological Safety:

The power of Hour of Power lies in its consistency and the psychological safety it provides. One participant describes it as, "The consistency of the experience and the psychological safety of the space. I can turn up in my robustness or my vulnerability, and both are met with honest, practical, and kind reflection." This safe, non-judgmental space enables women to explore career challenges and take meaningful risks.

The Power of Women Supporting Women:

Research, such as McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report, highlights the importance of strong professional networks in advancing women’s careers. In Hour of Power, women support each other strategically, providing mentorship, sponsorship, and emotional support. One member noted, "Even if you don’t feel confident or want to talk, there is so much gold in this hour. The key takeaways are always—you are far from alone, the knowledge bank is next level, and the women in this community always help."

Real-World Impact:

Participants in Hour of Power have shared numerous success stories, from landing remote roles to negotiating promotions. As one participant said, "Hour of Power is my energy boost and a chance to engage my brain with brilliant, intelligent, supportive women." The session offers both tangible takeaways and a renewed sense of motivation and community.

Call to Action for Leaders:

Michelle challenges leaders to create similar safe spaces in their workplaces, ensuring that underrepresented and marginalized individuals have the opportunity to share their ideas and concerns. These spaces foster innovation, growth, and progress for both individuals and organizations.

Resources Mentioned:

Harvard Business Review: The Key to Inclusive Leadership

McKinsey & Company: Women in the Workplace 2023

Join the Lead to Soar Network:

If you’re a Lead to Soar member and haven’t yet participated in Hour of Power, this is your invitation to join us. And if you’re not a member yet, visit Lead to Soar Network to learn more about how you can become part of this powerful community of women supporting women. leadtosoar.network/landing

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In this solo episode, Michelle tackles a deeply challenging issue many women face: hostile workplaces. From subtle microaggressions to outright discrimination, hostile environments can undermine confidence, drain emotional energy, and hinder career progression. Michelle breaks down practical strategies to protect yourself, build resilience, and—if necessary—find your way out. This episode is filled with actionable advice on how to survive and thrive even in the most difficult work environments.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understand What a Hostile Workplace Is: Hostile environments are more than just overt harassment—they include subtle behaviors like exclusion, being passed over for key projects, or being assigned non-promotable tasks.

2. Build a Network: Don't isolate yourself. Find allies and accomplices both inside and outside your workplace who can offer support and validation.

3. Document Everything: Keep detailed records of hostile behaviors, including dates, times, what was said, and how it made you feel. This can serve as crucial evidence if you need to escalate the issue.

4. Know Your Rights: Familiarize yourself with workplace policies and legal protections like the Respect @ Work legislation in Australia. Know what resources and recourse are available to you.

5. Develop Emotional Resilience: Take care of your mental and physical health by practicing self-care, and don’t hesitate to seek professional support if needed.

6. Evaluate Your Options: If the hostility continues, decide whether escalating the issue or leaving the organization is the best path for you. Be prepared with an exit strategy.

7. Prepare for an Exit: Continuously network and keep your LinkedIn updated. Having options and an exit strategy will empower you, even if you don’t immediately leave.

Call to Action:

Join the Lead to Soar network for access to weekly group coaching sessions where women from all over the world come together for support and advice on navigating their careers.

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with someone who might benefit from these strategies.

Additional Resources:

Lead to Soar Network

Respect @ Work Legislation (Australia)

Hour of Power Group Coaching

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In this episode of Lead to Soar, hosts Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher tackle the crucial topic of taking risks in your career. From deciding whether to apply for new roles to managing toxic work environments, the conversation covers practical strategies for assessing risks, taking bold steps, and learning from past decisions. Michelle introduces the concept of a "risk matrix" to help you evaluate career moves, while Mel shares personal insights on making big life changes. The episode also explores overcoming fear of rejection, managing workplace politics, and how to become proactive in your career growth.

Episode Highlights:

- Risk-taking in career moves: Michelle encourages women to take risks by applying for new opportunities without overthinking or creating problems that haven't arisen yet.

“If something’s piqued your interest, why wouldn’t you explore it? You don’t have a decision to make until a new offer is on the table.”

- The risk matrix: Michelle shares a simple framework for evaluating risks based on probability and impact, applicable to both business and personal career decisions.

Example: The risk of losing your job may be low, but the impact could be high, so always be prepared with updated CVs, LinkedIn profiles, and professional networks.

Managing toxic workplaces: Both hosts discuss strategies for handling toxic bosses and environments, including the importance of having a support network and proactive mitigation strategies.

Taking career risks as opportunities: Instead of avoiding risk, view new job opportunities as a chance to build networks, explore roles, and raise your profile—without the fear of “what if.”

Risk vs. reward in networking: Mel and Michelle emphasize the importance of strategic networking, both for career advancement and to help others, highlighting the reciprocity and generosity required in building professional relationships.

“Don’t wait for someone to invite you—create your own table.”

Learning from failure: The episode touches on how we can make good decisions that don’t always lead to good outcomes and how reflecting on those experiences leads to growth.

“We can’t do life over, but we can stop, breathe, reflect, and ask: What did I learn from that situation?”

Leadership Call to Action:

Apply for opportunities, even if unsure: Don’t hesitate to apply for a role that interests you. You’re not obligated to make a final decision until an offer is in hand.

Use a risk matrix for career decisions: Evaluate risks using a simple matrix based on probability and impact, and mitigate risks with strategies like maintaining an updated CV and strong professional networks.

Strategic networking: Be proactive in your networking efforts. Reach out to industry professionals, create opportunities to connect, and offer value in return.

Take calculated risks: Whether it’s applying for a new job, starting a conversation with a recruiter, or advocating for yourself in a difficult work environment, weigh the risk vs. reward. Remember, staying in the comfort zone carries its own risks.

Mitigate the impact of toxic work environments: If you’re dealing with a toxic boss or workplace, build a support system and have a clear strategy to protect your wellbeing while working through the situation.

Download a career risk management matrix here:

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Mel and Michelle have an unfiltered chat about a challenging and often uncomfortable topic—bad behaviour among senior women in leadership, particularly the so-called "Queen Bee" syndrome. Drawing on listener questions and their personal experiences, they tackle the issue of women who pull up the ladder after achieving success, refusing to mentor or support other women. The discussion also explores the societal expectations of women in power, double standards, and how leadership behaviours are judged differently for men and women.

This episode is less formal, featuring a conversational and reflective tone as Michelle and Mel "shoot the shit" over a glass of wine (Mel) and coffee (Michelle). Together, they explore the complexities of navigating toxic leadership from senior women and offer advice on coping with and addressing these situations.

Highlights:

Quote Reflection: Madeleine Albright's famous quote,"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women," sparks a debate on whether this mindset perpetuates unfair expectations of women in leadership.

Queen Bee Syndrome: Discussion on women in power who refuse to mentor or sponsor other women, often stemming from their struggles to the top.

Double Standards: Women are often held to a higher standard than men when it comes to leadership behaviour. Men are seen as assertive, while women displaying the same traits are labelled aggressive or unlikeable.

Personal Experiences: Your hosts share their own encounters with toxic female leaders and the lasting impact they can have on careers and workplace dynamics.

Resisting Change: Exploring the psychological and systemic resistance to change within organisations and why some women leaders might cling to outdated or damaging behaviours.

Navigating Toxic Leaders: Advice on survival and strategising in workplaces where senior women engage in bullying or unsupportive behaviour, emphasising self-awareness and knowing when to draw personal boundaries.

Leadership Call to Action:

Acknowledge the Behaviour: Recognise when a senior leader's behaviour is inappropriate or damaging. Acknowledging this to yourself or a trusted colleague is the first step toward dealing with it.

Surround Yourself with Allies: Build a support network of people who can help you navigate difficult workplace dynamics. Find mentors and colleagues who uplift you.

Set Boundaries: Learn where your personal boundaries lie. If you cannot address the behaviour directly or leave the situation, create coping strategies to protect your mental and emotional health.

Document Everything: Keep detailed records of incidents and interactions involving toxic behaviour. This documentation can serve as a tool for reflection or as evidence if needed.

Know Your Outcome: Evaluate what you want to achieve before taking action. Do you want to report the behaviour, move to another role, or make it through the current situation? This will guide your decisions.

Seek External Support: Engage with networks like Lead to Soar that offer a safe space to discuss these challenges and provide guidance for navigating workplace obstacles.

This episode is a must-listen for women who have encountered challenging dynamics with senior women colleagues. It encourages reflection on how we judge leadership behaviours and emphasises the importance of women supporting women in the workplace.

Explore the Lead to Soar network for more strategies and insights on navigating toxic workplace environments or dealing with difficult colleagues.

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Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern are discussing growth leadership on todays episode. They explore the idea that every employee, regardless of their department or career stage, plays a critical role in driving the growth of their organization. Growth is not limited to revenue and sales—it extends to overall impact, customer satisfaction, and internal efficiency. The episode also emphasizes that leadership manifests at all levels, from early career professionals to C-suite executives. Michelle shares insights on how understanding the business of the business and aligning with organizational strategy is essential for contributing to growth.

Episode Highlights:

Growth Leadership for Everyone: All organizations aim to grow, and this responsibility isn't limited to those in sales or customer-facing roles. Every employee contributes to this growth.

Understanding BQ (Business Intelligence): Early career professionals should focus on understanding how their role fits into the broader organizational goals. Knowing the organization's growth strategy is essential.

Positional Purpose: Each role within a company has a purpose that ties back to the strategic objectives. Michelle stresses the importance of knowing how your role contributes to the organization's success.

Collaboration and Team Contribution: Leadership is not just about doing your job, it's about helping others and collaborating effectively to ensure the team succeeds together.

Curiosity and Engagement: Being curious about the organization’s objectives and asking thoughtful questions can help employees align their work with the business’s overall goals. Managers are encouraged to foster curiosity in their teams.

Middle and Senior Management's Role: These managers are responsible for translating the organization’s strategy into action. They must ensure their teams understand how their daily work contributes to the company’s larger objectives.

Executive Leadership: For executives, growth leadership involves setting the vision, aligning resources, and ensuring the company’s strategy is clear at all levels.

Culture and Communication: Effective leaders create environments that are transparent, encourage collaboration, and enable employees to contribute to organizational goals.

Leadership Call to Action:

For Early Career Professionals:

Understand the business of the business—learn about your company’s growth strategy and how your role contributes.

Develop a curiosity about organizational objectives and ask questions about how your work ties to the company's strategic goals.

Be proactive in sharing knowledge and collaborating with your peers to uplift the team’s performance.

For Middle and Senior Managers:

Prioritize strategic alignment by translating the company's goals into clear, actionable steps for your team.

Ensure everyone in your team understands how their work impacts the organization’s broader objectives and that they’re rowing in the same direction.

Remove barriers and provide enablers that help your team thrive and contribute to growth.

For Executives:

Focus on creating a strong communication strategy that ensures everyone is aligned with the company’s vision and goals.

Build a culture where employees feel empowered to innovate, solve problems, and contribute to the organization’s growth in unexpected ways.

Read The Leadership Compass to discover more www.michelleredfern.com/books

Why You Must Know Your Positional Purpose: https://www.bebusinesssavvy.com/podcasts/be-business-savvy-create-a-career-that-soars/episodes/2148419633

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, host Michelle Redfern welcomes back Noa Rein, an organizational psychologist and HR advisor, to discuss navigating career crossroads. Together, they explore the concept of being the main character in your career story and the challenges of decision-making when faced with career transitions. Noa shares her expert insights on how individuals, especially women, can recognize when they are at a career crossroads, the emotions and fears that often accompany it, and how to take control of the narrative of their career. They also discuss the power of imagination, the importance of reflection, and practical tools to help people move forward with agency.

Episode Highlights:

What is a Career Crossroad?

Noa defines a career crossroad as the moment when you recognize you're in transition. It's often marked by feelings of being stuck or lost, or external events like redundancy. While change can feel overwhelming, it's crucial to see it as an opportunity for growth.

Internal vs. External Crossroads:

Career transitions can be internally generated (e.g., feeling unfulfilled) or externally imposed (e.g., being laid off). Both require self-awareness and reflection to navigate.

Recognizing Misalignment in Your Career:

Noa emphasizes that feelings of “meh” or dissatisfaction can indicate a deeper misalignment between who you are now and what you're doing. These feelings are key signals that it's time for change.

The Role of Imagination and Exploration:

Career exploration begins with curiosity. Noa encourages using imagination to explore new possibilities without the immediate pressure to act. Asking questions like "What am I longing for?" can spark powerful insights.

Agency in Career Transitions:

Both Michelle and Noa discuss how understanding that you are the author of your own career story gives you agency. Reflecting on your experiences and considering alternative paths can empower you to make deliberate career decisions.

Letting Go of the Past:

One of the hardest parts of navigating a career crossroads is letting go of past investments, both emotional and professional. But letting go is essential to move forward and embrace new opportunities.

Leadership Call to Action:

1. Reflect on Your Current Path: Take a moment to assess your career satisfaction. Are you feeling aligned with your current work, or is there a “meh” sensation creeping in? Make time for self-reflection.

2. Give Yourself Permission to Explore: Use your imagination to consider new possibilities without the pressure to act right away. What are you longing for in your career? Begin by allowing yourself to dream.

3. Find Your Spark: Identify small moments or thoughts that stand out to you, like a spark on a blank page. Let those moments guide you toward deeper exploration.

4. Practice Self-Compassion: As you navigate career transitions, show yourself kindness. Let go of the narrative that you need to have everything figured out immediately. Progress, not perfection, is key.

5. Seek Support: Whether through a mentor, coach, or peer network like Lead to Soar, find a buddy who can support you through your transition. Remember, no one navigates their career alone.

Connect with Noa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noaerein/?originalSubdomain=au or at Career Science: https://www.careerscience.com.au/index.html

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher discuss the persistent workplace gender gap, its causes, and actionable steps to close it. The conversation covers the current state of gender disparity in leadership roles, the impact on women's economic potential, and strategies for organizations and managers to foster gender equity. They also highlight the importance of business intelligence (BQ) skills for women and discuss resources like the Lead to Soar Summit and Michelle's book, "The Leadership Compass."

Episode Highlights

Current State of the Gender Gap: Women have lower workforce participation, higher unemployment, and hold fewer leadership positions globally.

Economic Impact: The gender wage gap leads to significantly lower retirement savings for women, contributing to higher rates of poverty among older women.

Causes of the Gender Gap:

Corporate Systems: Policies and practices that inadvertently hold women back.

Managers' Mindsets: Unexamined biases affecting decisions about women's advancement.

Women’s Skills: Lack of exposure to critical business, strategic, and financial acumen (BQ).

Actions for Leaders and Managers:

Develop a Gender Equity Strategy: Include DEI accountability and skill sets in leadership.

Implement Transparent Performance Evaluations: Ensure women are evaluated on performance, not personality.

Support Working Families: Promote shared caregiving responsibilities.

Invest in Women's Professional Development: Focus on building BQ skills.

The Importance of Strategic Networking: Aligning networking efforts with personal and organizational goals for effective career advancement.

Lead to Soar Summit: An event offering workshops, keynote speakers, and panels with C-suite women to help women develop leadership skills and build strategic networks.

Leadership Call to Action

Diagnose the Current State: Understand your organization’s leadership gender gap through diagnostics and lived experiences.

Define Goals and Design a Blueprint: Set clear goals for gender equity and create a detailed plan to achieve them.

Develop DEI Accountability: Build DEI skill sets in leaders and ensure they are held accountable for gender equity.

Evaluate and Adjust Managerial Practices: Train managers to recognize and correct biases and to actively support women’s career advancement.

Invest in BQ Skill Development: Provide women with opportunities to build and demonstrate business, strategic, and financial acumen.

Promote Inclusive Workplaces: Develop policies that support family responsibilities and career mobility for women.

Encourage Strategic Networking: Help women build networks aligned with their career goals and organizational objectives.

Join the Leadership Summits: Participate in events like the Lead to Soar Summit to gain insights and actionable strategies for closing the leadership gender gap.

Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.

We support women and organisations in 5 ways;

The Lead to Network: https://leadtosoar.network/landing

The Lead to Soar Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/lead-to-soar

The Lead to Soar Summit: https://www.leadtosoar.com/summit

Women’s Leadership Programs: https://www.michelleredfern.com/advancing-women-in-business-sport

DEI Consulting & Advisory: https://www.michelleredfern.com/consulting

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In this episode, Mel and Michelle tackle the pervasive issue of imposter syndrome, particularly how it affects women in the workplace. They challenge the traditional views of imposter syndrome, suggesting it is often a result of systemic biases rather than individual shortcomings. The discussion emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing these biases to support women's career advancement. They also provide insights into how women can navigate these challenges and how organizations can create more inclusive policies.

Episode Highlights:

Rethinking Imposter Syndrome: Imposter syndrome is often career gaslighting, a symptom of a system not designed for women's success.

Double Bind for Women: Women are punished for traits celebrated in men, such as assertiveness and ambition, leading to a confidence gap.

Systemic Biases:

Confidence vs. Competence: Society often rewards confident and charismatic individuals over competent ones.

Perceived Ambition: Women are frequently perceived as less ambitious due to biases, impacting their career progression.

Inclusive Policies and Practices:

Gender Equity in Succession Planning: Ensure a balanced representation in succession plans with clear development paths.

Manager Training: Equip managers with the skills to be inclusive and provide equitable feedback and opportunities.

Leadership Call to Action:

Challenge Assumptions: Do not assume a woman’s ambition or capabilities based on her demeanor or past biases.

Support Career Advancement: Have open conversations about career aspirations and provide clear development plans.

Implement Inclusive Policies: Ensure that policies and practices support gender equity, such as balanced succession planning.

Train for Inclusivity: Regularly train managers on diversity, equity, and inclusion to foster an environment where all team members can thrive.

Encourage Visibility: Help women increase their visibility and demonstrate their competencies through strategic mentoring and opportunities.

References:

Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? https://youtu.be/zeAEFEXvcBg?si=9QKmezoOUzLCsyS1

The Ambition Penalty: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/ambition-penalty

The Leadership Compass: https://www.michelleredfern.com/books

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In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss the opportunity for leaders to learn how to provide better feedback, with a keen focus on the gender differences in feedback reception. They discuss the importance of specific, clear, and timely feedback to foster growth and avoid the pitfalls of vague critiques. Additionally, they explore the systemic biases women face, particularly in performance reviews, and offer practical strategies for managers to provide equitable and constructive feedback. The episode also touches on the often detrimental "compliment sandwich" method and the significance of avoiding personality-based feedback.

Episode Highlights:

Importance of Actionable Feedback: Feedback should be specific, timely, and clear, focusing on measurable actions rather than vague or personality-based comments.

Gender Bias in Feedback: Women often receive more personality-based and less actionable feedback compared to men, which can hinder their career progression.

Effective Feedback Structure:

Communicate Expectations: Clearly outline what is expected and why it is important.

Check for Understanding: Ensure the recipient fully understands the feedback and the expected outcomes.

Follow-up for Compliance: Regularly check in to monitor progress and offer support.

Pitfalls of the Compliment Sandwich: Research shows that sandwiching critical feedback between compliments is ineffective and can be confusing.

Feedback Example:

Ineffective: "Great job, but you need to improve your performance."

Effective: "Your facilitation in the client meeting was excellent because it included everyone and generated great ideas. This reassured our client about the project's progress."

Leadership Call to Action:

Provide Specific Feedback: Avoid general comments. Instead, give detailed, actionable feedback that outlines what was done well and what can be improved.

Train Managers: Ensure that all managers are trained to give equitable and constructive feedback, avoiding biases.

Create Clear Success Criteria: Define and communicate clear success criteria at the beginning of any project or performance period.

Seek Feedback Actively: Encourage team members to ask for specific feedback on their performance and career progression.

Avoid Personality Critiques: Focus feedback on behaviors and outcomes, not on personality traits.

Textio Research: https://textio.com/feedback-bias-2023

The Leadership Compass: https://www.michelleredfern.com/books

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss the power of LinkedIn as a strategic tool for professional women. They explore the common hesitations women face in using LinkedIn and provide actionable advice on how to effectively utilize the platform to enhance career opportunities, build networks, and establish a strong professional brand.

Episode Highlights:

Hesitations Women Face on LinkedIn:

• Lack of time and prioritization.

• Uncertainty about how to use the platform effectively.

• Feelings of shyness or being overwhelmed by the information available.

Addressing the 'Busy' Mindset:

• "Busy" often signals being overwhelmed or using it as an ego boost.

• The importance of examining what "busy" means and how it impacts professional growth.

Importance of LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn is a powerful tool for visibility, networking, and staying connected to the business world.

• It offers a platform to showcase expertise, connect with broader networks, and access opportunities like speaking engagements and job offers.

Practical Steps for LinkedIn Engagement:

• Allocate at least 15 minutes a week to engage on LinkedIn.

• Start by liking and commenting on posts from respected professionals.

• Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up-to-date with a professional photo, clear headline, and detailed "About" section.

Creating and Sharing Content:

• Share interesting articles, industry insights, and thought-provoking content.

• Repost others' content with your own comments to add value and build connections.

• Express your opinions and expertise confidently to build your personal brand.

Diversifying Your Network:

• Engage with diverse voices and amplify the expertise of women, people of color, and underrepresented groups on LinkedIn.

Leadership Call to Action:

Allocate Time for LinkedIn:

Dedicate at least 15 minutes a week to strategic networking on LinkedIn.

Engage with Content:

Start by liking and commenting on posts from industry leaders and respected professionals.

Optimize Your Profile:

Update your LinkedIn profile with a professional photo, clear headline, and detailed "About" section to effectively represent your professional brand.

Share Valuable Content:

Post interesting articles, insights, and thought leadership content relevant to your industry.

Repost others' content with your comments to add value and build connections.

Diversify Your Network:

Engage with and amplify the voices of women, people of color, and underrepresented groups on LinkedIn.

Special Resource:

Michelle has created a comprehensive "how-to" resource for LinkedIn. This includes step-by-step guidance on auditing and refreshing your LinkedIn profile, tips for using LinkedIn effectively, and additional podcast recommendations on strategic networking.

Access this resource

The Leadership Compass

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In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern continue their Career Compass series by discussing the importance of creating clear career paths within organisations. They explore how managers can understand their team members' career aspirations and the strategic benefits of having robust internal mobility programs. The conversation emphasises the need for leaders to foster employee growth and engagement through visible and accessible career development opportunities.

Episode Highlights:

Career Conversations: Regular career conversations between managers and their team members are essential to understanding their strengths and aspirations.

Intrinsic Motivation: How aligning employees' intrinsic motivations with their work leads to higher productivity and engagement.

Career Path Visuals: Examples of visual career paths, like the career tree in a contact centre, help employees see potential growth opportunities within the organisation.

Internal Mobility Programs: Practical examples of successful internal mobility programs include career weeks and inside-first hiring policies.

Manager Accountability: The need for managers to actively engage in their team members' career development and be accountable for talent retention and growth.

Leadership Call to Action:

Engage in Career Conversations: Managers should regularly discuss career aspirations and development plans with their team members.

Create Visual Career Paths: Develop and publicise visual career path graphics to help employees understand potential growth opportunities.

Implement Internal Mobility Programs: Establish structured internal mobility programs that prioritise internal candidates for new roles and provide visibility into career opportunities.

Train and Hold Managers Accountable: Ensure managers are trained in talent management and accountable for their team members' development and retention.

Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.

We support women and organisations in 5 ways;

The Lead to Network

The Lead to Soar Podcast

The Lead to Soar Summit

Women’s Leadership Programs

DEI Consulting & Advisory

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In this episode of Lead to Soar, hosts Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss the critical topic of navigating career advice for women aiming for CEO roles. The conversation highlights the disparity in career advice, which focuses heavily on emotional intelligence (EQ) over business intelligence (BQ) and the importance of developing BQ skills for career advancement. They share insights from successful women CEOs like Nickie Gibson and emphasise the need for actionable advice that prepares women for executive leadership roles.

Episode Highlights:

Career Advice Landscape: We discuss the disproportionate focus on EQ in career advice for women and the significant gap in advice on BQ.

Nickie Gibson's Insights: Nikki Gibson (formerly Nickie Scriven), a successful CEO, provided great insights for Michelle's book, The Leadership Compass. Nickie's advice emphasises the importance of BQ skills such as strategic thinking, business growth, and leadership.

Business Intelligence (BQ): Michelle explains BQ in leadership and its critical role in advancing to senior executive and C-suite roles.

Challenges for Ambitious Women: Addressing societal biases against ambitious women and the "ambition penalty" they face in their careers.

Actionable Advice for Women and Managers: Practical steps for women to develop BQ skills and advice for managers to support the career development of women on their teams.

Leadership Call to Action:

Audit Development Programs: Ensure that women-focused programs include substantial business strategic and financial acumen content.

Train Managers: Educate managers on how to coach and develop women in BQ skills and understand the impact of gender dynamics on talent management.

Encourage Self-Development: Women should take charge of their development, seek out resources like the Lead to Soar Network, and attend events like the Lead to Soar Summit.

Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.

We support women and organisations in 5 ways:

The Lead to Network

The Lead to Soar Podcast

The Lead to Soar Summit

Women’s Leadership Programs

DEI Consulting & Advisory

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In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss into a phenomenon hindering women's career progression. They discuss the scenario where managers, mentors, or sponsors fail to recognize the current abilities and potential of women, instead seeing them as they were in the past. This "frozen in time" perception can prevent deserving women from being considered for advancement. The hosts explore strategies women can use to overcome this barrier and offer advice to managers and mentors on how to better support their team members and mentees.

Episode Highlights:

Phenomenon Overview: Managers seeing women as their old selves rather than recognizing their current abilities and contributions.

Impact: This perception can hinder career advancement, causing distress and frustration.

Strategic Advice for Women:

Diverse Personal Board of Advisors: Establish a diverse network both inside and outside your organization.

Regular Updates: Keep your advisors informed about your achievements and career progression.

LinkedIn Utilization: Actively use LinkedIn to share your work and expertise.

Demonstrate Business Intelligence: Showcase your skills and contributions regularly.

Managerial Responsibilities:

Regular Conversations: Conduct frequent one-on-ones to understand team members' skills, strengths, and aspirations.

Talent Profiles: Maintain updated profiles of team members to recognize their growth and potential.

Strategic Engagement: Align team members' capabilities with organizational goals.

Mentoring Strategies:

Strategic Questions: Ask questions that push mentees to think about their business understanding and career aspirations.

Stretch and Challenge: Encourage mentees to step out of their comfort zones and demonstrate their abilities.

Sponsorship Potential: Be prepared to leverage your social and political capital to support mentees.

Leadership Call to Action:

Women:

Build Your Network: Develop a personal board of advisors from diverse backgrounds and keep them updated.

Use LinkedIn: Regularly share your professional achievements and insights on LinkedIn.

Boast and Demonstrate: Confidently showcase your accomplishments and the impact of your work.

Managers:

Know Your Team: Have regular, meaningful conversations with your team members about their career goals.

Develop Talent: Create and maintain talent profiles to help guide your team's growth and align their skills with organizational needs.

Mentors:

Ask Strategic Questions: Challenge your mentees with questions that promote growth and strategic thinking.

Encourage Demonstration: Push mentees to actively demonstrate their capabilities and readiness for new opportunities.

Be Prepared to Sponsor: When mentees show growth and capability, advocate for them and help them advance.

Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.

We support women and organisations in 5 ways;

The Lead to Network

The Lead to Soar Podcast

The Lead to Soar Summit

Women’s Leadership Programs: https://www.michelleredfern.com/advancing-women-in-business-sport

DEI Consulting & Advisory: https://www.michelleredfern.com/consulting

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Michelle and Mel discuss "accidental managers"—individuals promoted into management roles without formal training. They explore the distinction between managers and leaders, examine the prevalence and impact of untrained managers, and offer actionable advice for organizations to better support their management teams. The conversation emphasizes the importance of core managerial competencies, ongoing professional development, and strategic investment in management training, especially for frontline leaders.

Episode Highlights

Definition of Accidental Managers: Individuals promoted to management roles due to their proficiency in their previous positions, but without proper training or preparation.

Distinction Between Managers and Leaders:

Managers: Focus on administering tasks, organizing, and getting things done.

Leaders: Inspire greatness and drive extraordinary outcomes by engaging others.

Statistics on Managerial Training:

59% of managers with 1-2 employees report no training.

41% of managers with 3-5 employees report no training.

42% of new managers develop their style by mimicking previous managers rather than formal training.

Key Managerial Competencies:

Delegation

Communication, especially in difficult conversations

Positive attitude

Fostering teamwork and collaboration

Emotional intelligence (EQ)

Conflict resolution

Flexibility and adaptability

Realistic goal setting

Coaching and mentoring

Misconceptions About Managerial Competencies:

Strategic thinking

Sales expertise

Technical expertise

Entrepreneurial spirit

Recommendations for Organizations:

Invest in management training, especially for lower-level managers.

Focus on competencies over confidence when selecting leaders.

Provide ongoing professional development, not just one-time training.

Leadership Call to Action

Assess Training Investments: Evaluate the balance of spending on employee engagement versus management training. Redirect resources to better support managerial development.

Develop Comprehensive Training Programs: Implement onboarding programs like "leadership fundamentals" that cover essential managerial tasks and skills.

Prioritize Competencies: Focus on recruiting and developing managers based on their competencies in business, emotional, and social intelligence.

Ongoing Development: Ensure continuous professional development opportunities for all management levels, not just senior leaders.

Support First-Time Managers: Recognize the unique challenges faced by frontline leaders and provide targeted support to help them succeed.

Lead to Soar is a multi-platform resource for ambitious women on a leadership journey and for organisations serious about closing the leadership gender gap.

We support women and organisations in 5 ways;

The Lead to Network

The Lead to Soar Podcast

The Lead to Soar Summit

Women’s Leadership Programs

DEI Consulting & Advisory

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In this mini-episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle Redfern, author of "The Leadership Compass," reads an excerpt from her book. Michelle emphasizes that women do not need fixing; instead, the focus should be on transforming the patriarchal systems that hinder their progress. Inspired by Catherine Fox's book "Stop Fixing Women," Michelle highlights the importance of addressing workplace policies and leadership frameworks designed for men.

Episode Highlights

• Systemic Change Over Individual Fixes: Women aren't the problem; the system is.

• The Leadership Compass: Aims to help women navigate and change the workplace.

• Role of Organizations: Companies must address barriers to women's advancement, not just focus on skill-building for women.

Leadership Call to Action

• For Individuals: Develop business, strategic, and financial skills. Advocate for meaningful coaching and development.

• For Organizations: Implement comprehensive gender equity strategies and ensure leaders are accountable.

• For Governments: Legislate minimum standards to promote workplace gender equity.

You can find more about The Leadership Compass including where to purchase at www.michelleredfern.com/books

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In this mini episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle Redfern, author of "The Leadership Compass," shares a reading from the book's first chapter. Michelle reflects on a transformative leadership retreat and the journey to discovering her true calling as a leader.

Episode Highlights

• Transformational Retreat: A pivotal 2013 leadership retreat prompted Michelle to reflect deeply with the question, "Who are you called to become?"

• Self-Discovery Journey: Michelle emphasizes the importance of listening to one's inner voice, reflecting on past experiences, and understanding personal and professional growth.

• Mentorship Wisdom: Advice from a regional general manager about being a proactive leader and integrating career with personal life.

• Practical Insights: Navigating career and family responsibilities, continuous self-improvement, and leveraging mentor advice to shape leadership style.

Leadership Call to Action

• Reflect on Your Calling: Consider the question, "Who are you called to become?" and document your reflections.

• Self-Assessment: Regularly evaluate whether you're making things happen, observing, or feeling lost.

• Seek Feedback: Get insights from mentors or colleagues to improve your leadership approach.

• Integrate Life and Career: Maintain harmony between your career and personal life for sustainable leadership.

• Embrace Lifelong Learning: Commit to ongoing personal and professional development to enhance leadership skills.

You can find more about The Leadership Compass incuding where to purchase at www.michelleredfern.com/books

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Show Highlights

How are workplace dynamics evolving? What must leaders know and do to create workplaces of the future?

• We need all hands on deck to contribute to innovation. There's room for everyone to contribute. Join us. AND it's ok to move the naysayers to another room; don't let them suck the energy away from those ready to do creative, innovative work.

• Cultivate the environment for team members to take responsibility versus waiting to be granted authority

• Don't conflate people and project managers.

• Be specific about behaviors you value in managers and lead accordingly.

Recognize and reward the good behavior you want to see more of in managers.

• Leaders are responsible for building and maintaining the foundation of the house.

• If someone on your team wants to be a better people leader, where's theLearning and Development budget for them?

• You've gotta get rid of the brilliant kers. No exceptions.

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n this milestone episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher, Michelle Redfern and Erika Jefferson to discuss the recent FTC ruling banning non-compete agreements. They dive into the implications of this rule for employees and employers, exploring how non-competes have been used historically and why they are problematic. The conversation also touches on trust, leadership, and the essential elements of creating a high-engagement work environment.

Episode Highlights

• FTC Ruling on Non-Competes: In April 2024, the FTC announced a rule banning non-compete agreements, which traditionally prevented employees from working for competitors within a certain geographic area and time period.

• Non-Competes as Control Mechanisms: Erica and Michelle discuss how non-competes are often used in industries to maintain control over employees and prevent them from sharing internal issues with competitors.

• Industries and Impact: Erica highlights the prevalence of non-competes in high-tech industries and the medical field, where sensitive information and long contracts are common. Mel shares an example of a medical doctor restricted by a non-compete from pursuing preferred career opportunities.

• Trust and Leadership: The episode emphasizes the importance of trust in leadership. High-trust organizations report significantly lower stress, higher productivity, and greater employee satisfaction and engagement.

US Chamber of Commerce Response: The US Chamber of Commerce is suing the FTC over the ban, arguing that it undermines American businesses' competitiveness. The hosts critique this stance, suggesting it reveals underlying issues within organizations that rely heavily on non-competes.

• Practical Advice for Leaders: Leaders are encouraged to trust their employees, set clear expectations, and avoid over-reliance on legal agreements to enforce loyalty. Instead, creating a supportive and engaging work environment is key.

Leadership Call to Action

• Evaluate Hiring Processes: Ensure your hiring practices are robust and focused on finding the right fit for your organization. This includes thorough vetting and clear communication of expectations.

• Foster a Trusting Environment: Develop a workplace culture where trust is the foundation. This involves transparent communication, regular check-ins, and providing the necessary tools for employees to succeed.

• Embrace High-Trust Practices: Move away from non-competes and towards practices that build trust and engagement. This includes recognizing and rewarding employees, offering growth opportunities, and creating a safe environment for feedback.

• Ask the Right Questions: When interviewing new hires, inquire about non-compete and non-disclosure agreements to understand the company’s stance on trust and employee freedom.

• Leadership Mindset: Shift your mindset to believe in the goodness and capability of your employees. Empower them to take ownership of their work and provide support to help them thrive.

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In this milestone episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher, Michelle Redfern and Erika Jefferson to discuss the recent FTC ruling banning non-compete agreements. They dive into the implications of this rule for employees and employers, exploring how non-competes have been used historically and why they are problematic. The conversation also touches on trust, leadership, and the essential elements of creating a high-engagement work environment.

Episode Highlights

• FTC Ruling on Non-Competes: In April 2024, the FTC announced a rule banning non-compete agreements, which traditionally prevented employees from working for competitors within a certain geographic area and time period.

• Non-Competes as Control Mechanisms: Erica and Michelle discuss how non-competes are often used in industries to maintain control over employees and prevent them from sharing internal issues with competitors.

• Industries and Impact: Erica highlights the prevalence of non-competes in high-tech industries and the medical field, where sensitive information and long contracts are common. Mel shares an example of a medical doctor restricted by a non-compete from pursuing preferred career opportunities.

• Trust and Leadership: The episode emphasizes the importance of trust in leadership. High-trust organizations report significantly lower stress, higher productivity, and greater employee satisfaction and engagement.

US Chamber of Commerce Response: The US Chamber of Commerce is suing the FTC over the ban, arguing that it undermines American businesses' competitiveness. The hosts critique this stance, suggesting it reveals underlying issues within organizations that rely heavily on non-competes.

• Practical Advice for Leaders: Leaders are encouraged to trust their employees, set clear expectations, and avoid over-reliance on legal agreements to enforce loyalty. Instead, creating a supportive and engaging work environment is key.

Leadership Call to Action

• Evaluate Hiring Processes: Ensure your hiring practices are robust and focused on finding the right fit for your organization. This includes thorough vetting and clear communication of expectations.

• Foster a Trusting Environment: Develop a workplace culture where trust is the foundation. This involves transparent communication, regular check-ins, and providing the necessary tools for employees to succeed.

• Embrace High-Trust Practices: Move away from non-competes and towards practices that build trust and engagement. This includes recognizing and rewarding employees, offering growth opportunities, and creating a safe environment for feedback.

• Ask the Right Questions: When interviewing new hires, inquire about non-compete and non-disclosure agreements to understand the company’s stance on trust and employee freedom.

• Leadership Mindset: Shift your mindset to believe in the goodness and capability of your employees. Empower them to take ownership of their work and provide support to help them thrive.

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On this episode, Mel Butcher and Erika Jefferson (founder of Black Women in Science and Engineering, BWiSE) discuss the latest on the state of women in STEM. Hear from Erika what trends she is seeing in STEM heavy industries for talent recruitment, attrition, employee priorities, and what leaders can do to attract and retain the best and brightest.

Reference Links:

• Study, Women in STEM are Struggling in the Workplace
• Women Making Gains in STEM Occupations, But Still Underrepresented
• Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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In this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel, Michelle and Erika explore the ethical challenges of layoff culture and executive decision-making. Inspired by Seth Godin's Akimbo podcast, they discuss how stock options influence corporate decisions and the importance of ethical frameworks like ESG. The conversation covers the impacts of layoffs on employee trust and morale, differences in labor laws, and strategies for leaders to foster ethical practices.

Episode Highlights

Ethics in Leadership:

Importance of compliance and ethics frameworks.

Universal ethical standards in business.

Incentives and Decision Making:

Impact of executive stock options on business decisions.

Examples of strategic profit-driven decisions, like Google’s email promotions.

Layoff Culture:

Negative effects of frequent layoffs.

Labor law differences between the US and Australia.

Trust and Employee Relations:

Building trust in leadership.

The erosion of trust due to layoff culture.

Unionization and Employee Advocacy:

Unionization as a response to unethical behavior.

Importance of diverse and ethical board governance.

Practical Advice for Leaders:

Strategies for influencing ethical practices.

Importance of personal integrity and aligning actions with values.

Leadership Call to Action

Implement Ethical Frameworks: Establish and enforce clear ethics and compliance frameworks.

Foster Trust: Create an environment where employees feel valued and trusted.

Encourage Board Diversity: Advocate for diverse and accountable board members.

Promote Open Communication: Allow employees to voice concerns without fear.

Prepare for Unionization: Address underlying issues that lead to unionization.

Reflect on Leadership Values: Align your actions with personal and organizational ethical standards.

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, hosts Mel and Michelle discuss the pressing topic of the backlash against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the United States with special guest Erika Jefferson, founder of Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE).

Erika, Mel and Michelle explore the controversies and criticisms surrounding DEI, examining public statements by figures like Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, who argue that DEI efforts compromise meritocracy and introduce new forms of discrimination. The conversation challenges these assertions by exploring the myths surrounding meritocracy and the embedded structural biases that hinder how people reach their full potential.

This discussion is a call to action for executives to engage deeply with DEI initiatives, recognising their potential to transform individual organisations and the broader societal landscape.

Episode Highlights

• Critiques by Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk: Mel, Michelle, and Erika analyse statements from these public figures criticising DEI, discussing their claims about meritocracy and the alleged negative impacts of DEI initiatives.

• Debunking the Meritocracy Myth: The hosts critically address the idea of a true meritocracy in America, pointing out the historical and ongoing biases that skew opportunities away from deserving individuals based on race, gender, and other factors.

• The Challenges of Women of Colour: Erika shares personal anecdotes and professional observations on systemic biases in education and employment, emphasising the challenges women and people of colour face in STEM fields.

• Corporate Resistance to DEI: The discussion highlights how some corporate leaders and structures resist DEI, maintaining traditional advantages for dominant groups while overlooking the benefits of a diverse workforce.

• Role of HR as Gatekeepers: There is a focused discussion on the role of HR professionals in promoting or hindering DEI through recruitment and policy practices, as well as the need for accountability in these roles.

• Business Case for DEI: The hosts argue that embracing DEI is a moral imperative and a strategic business advantage that broadens talent pools and drives innovation.

Leadership Call to Action

• Confront and Address Personal and Organisational Biases: Leaders are encouraged to reflect on their own biases and the systemic biases within their organisations, particularly in recruitment, promotion, and policymaking.

• Foster Open Dialogues on DEI: Create safe spaces for employees to discuss DEI issues openly and constructively, promoting understanding and actionable change.

• Implement Substantive DEI Strategies: Move beyond tokenistic measures to implement strategies that affect real organisational culture and operational practice change.

• Educate and Advocate for Equity: Use leadership platforms to educate others about the benefits of DEI and advocate for practices that ensure equity and inclusion across all levels of the organisation.

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In the continuation of this deep dive into the complexities of modern leadership challenges, the Lead to Soar podcast with Mel Butcher, Erika Jefferson, and Michelle Redfern shifts focus towards organizational values, transparency, and the evolving expectations of the workforce. The conversation critically examines the traditional emphasis on mission, vision, and values within corporations, challenging leaders to prioritize genuine engagement and meaningful actions over empty rhetoric. The episode boldly confronts the barriers to innovative HR practices, including the resistance to change within corporate cultures and the necessity for executive support to foster bold, strategic HR initiatives.

Episode Highlights:

• Mission, Vision, Values – More Than Just Words: Erika Jefferson criticizes the often superficial approach to corporate values, advocating for simplicity and authenticity in organizational mission statements and emphasizing the importance of actions that genuinely reflect those values.

• The Role of Leadership and HR in Cultural Change: The discussion uncovers the obstacles that prevent HR leaders from implementing bold and innovative strategies, including a lack of support from executive leadership and the fear of punitive backlash for challenging the status quo.

• Transparency and Trust in Leadership: The co-hosts engage in a thought-provoking discussion on the importance of transparency within organizations. They argue for a balanced approach to sharing information, ensuring employees are informed and feel valued without compromising sensitive business operations.

• Redefining Talent Management: Reflecting on the changing dynamics of the workforce, the episode highlights the need for a shift in how talent is managed, suggesting organizations should embrace the transient nature of modern employment and view departures as opportunities for brand advocacy rather than betrayal.

• Innovation in Employee Engagement: The conversation emphasizes the necessity for HR to adopt more innovative and strategic approaches to employee engagement, moving beyond traditional engagement surveys to practices that genuinely improve workplace culture and employee satisfaction.

Leadership Call to Action:

• Redefine Organizational Values: Leaders are encouraged to critically assess and simplify their mission, vision, and values, ensuring they are genuinely reflective of the organization's culture and aspirations.

• Support Innovative HR Practices: Executives are called upon to provide the necessary support and resources for HR to implement strategic and innovative practices, recognizing the pivotal role of HR in driving organizational change.

• Foster a Culture of Transparency: Cultivate an environment where open and honest communication is valued, balancing the need for business confidentiality with the importance of making employees feel included and informed.

• Embrace the Evolution of the Workforce: Acknowledge the changing expectations and priorities of the workforce, particularly among younger employees, and adapt talent management strategies accordingly.

• Innovate Employee Engagement Strategies: Move beyond conventional engagement metrics and invest in strategies that truly enhance the employee experience, fostering a culture of happiness, productivity, and retention.

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern are joined by Erika Jefferson to discuss into the intricate topics of loneliness, civility, and employee retention in the modern workplace. The discussion is catalysed by statistics revealing a surge in loneliness among American workers and a notable rise in workplace incivility, which has not only doubled over the past two decades but also incurs significant financial costs to organizations. The hosts explore the role of HR in this landscape, pondering its capacity and strategies to reverse these trends. Insights from Gallup highlight the increasing importance of having a best friend at work, especially post-pandemic, linking it to better business outcomes and underlining the necessity for HR to take a strategic stance in fostering workplace relationships and a supportive culture.

Episode Highlights:

• Alarming Trends: Discussion on the significant uptick in loneliness at work and the doubling of workplace incivility over the past twenty years, highlighting the negative impact on both employees and organizational costs.

• Strategic Role of HR: The conversation critically examines whether HR departments are equipped to address and mitigate these issues. The hosts argue for a strategic transformation within HR, emphasizing its potential role in improving workplace culture and employee well-being.

• The Value of Workplace Relationships: Insights into recent Gallup research underscore the critical role of having close relationships, particularly a best friend at work, in enhancing employee engagement and linking it to positive business outcomes.

• Management's Impact on Retention: Data points are shared to illustrate that a significant percentage of employee dissatisfaction and subsequent turnover can be attributed to management, spotlighting the urgent need for leadership development and HR's role in this arena.

• Innovative Solutions: The episode highlights innovative approaches, such as Rivet Software's use of AI to help employees find their best friends at work, showcasing how technology can facilitate meaningful connections within the workplace.

Leadership Call to Action:

• Foster Workplace Connections: Leaders and HR professionals are encouraged to cultivate environments that foster meaningful relationships among employees, recognizing the value these connections bring to both individual well-being and organizational success.

• Reevaluate HR's Role: A call for HR to adopt a more strategic and proactive approach in addressing loneliness, civility, and retention, moving beyond traditional administrative roles to become a key player in crafting a positive workplace culture.

• Mindset Shift Among Leaders: The episode urges leaders to reconsider their perspectives on work and workplace satisfaction, challenging the notion that work must involve suffering and advocating for a culture where enjoyment and fulfillment are part of the work experience.

• Strategic Investment in Employee Well-being: Highlighting the need for executive and HR leaders to scrutinize where their efforts and resources are being directed, encouraging innovation and strategic thinking in how to genuinely enhance employee engagement and satisfaction.

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In this episode, the conversation turns towards the future of work, specifically the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and its effects on the job landscape and required human skills.

Episode Highlights:

AI's Impact on Jobs: The hosts explore how AI is poised to eliminate some jobs while augmenting others, raising questions about the roles humans will play in a technologically advanced workforce.

Skills for the Future: The discussion emphasizes the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ), creativity, and interpersonal skills, which AI cannot replicate, as critical for future success.

Workplace Changes and Challenges: The episode examines how workplaces need to adapt to these technological advancements by fostering environments that prioritize these uniquely human skills.

Real-World Examples: Through anecdotes and examples, including innovative HR practices and leadership initiatives focused on listening and engagement, the hosts illustrate potential strategies for navigating the future work landscape positively.

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This episode dives into the controversial and widely debated topic of performance reviews within the workplace. Drawing from personal experiences and current studies, the hosts examine the effectiveness and impact of traditional performance review systems.

Episode Highlights:

The Problem with Performance Reviews: Citing studies from Gallup and SHRM, the episode begins by highlighting the general dissatisfaction with performance appraisals, described as time-consuming, demotivating, and biased.

McKinsey's Approach: Discussion on McKinsey's "up or out" performance management strategy and its implications for employee motivation and workplace culture.

Personal Anecdotes: Michelle shares her experiences and the emotional toll of administering performance reviews, critiquing the forced ranking system that fails to genuinely engage employees' potential.

Alternative Perspectives: The episode challenges traditional performance management practices, questioning their purpose and effectiveness in fostering a supportive and productive workplace environment.

Bias in Reviews: The hosts discuss research indicating gender bias in performance evaluations, where women often receive vague feedback that hinders their professional growth.

Solutions and Alternatives: The conversation shifts towards alternative methods of performance assessment, including more frequent, constructive feedback mechanisms that aim to genuinely support employee development.

Links and Resources

Gallup Study

SHRM study reference

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, co-hosts Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern, along with special guest Erica Jefferson, tackle the pervasive challenges within the recruitment industry. The discussion centres on the inefficiencies and impersonal nature of recruiting practices, advocating for a radical transformation that prioritizes human connection, candidate care, and the dismantling of outdated systems. Through trio sheds light on the importance of networking in job acquisition, critiques the reliance on artificial intelligence in recruiting, and proposes actionable solutions aimed at creating a more inclusive, efficient, and respectful hiring process.

Episode Highlights

• The Human Element in Recruitment: The episode kicks off with statistics from HubSpot and CNBC, revealing that a significant majority of jobs are filled through networking, and many positions never reach public advertisement. This underscores the importance of human connections in the job market.

• Critique of Current Practices: Erica Jefferson passionately criticizes the grueling and often dehumanizing interview processes that resemble an episode of "The Hunger Games," highlighting the industry's failure to value genuine talent and potential.

• Call for a Recruitment Revolution: The conversation calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the recruitment process, drawing parallels between the transformation seen in the taxi industry with the advent of Lyft and Uber and the potential for similar innovation in recruitment.

• The Role of AI in Recruitment: The trio expresses scepticism about the reliance on AI for solving recruitment woes, emphasizing that technology alone cannot replace the nuanced understanding and empathy of human recruiters.

• Impact on Brand Equity: Michelle Redfern points out how poor recruitment practices can tarnish an organization's brand equity, stressing that candidate experience is integral to the company's overall reputation.

• Open Hiring as an Innovative Model: Mel Butcher introduces the concept of open hiring practiced by a company associated with Ben & Jerry's, which simplifies the hiring process by removing interviews and selecting candidates based on their willingness to work.

• Leadership and HR’s Role in Engagement: The discussion touches upon the limited influence HR has on employee engagement and the necessity for executive leaders to play a more active role in fostering a positive organizational culture.

Leadership Call to Action

• Revitalize the HR Function: Leaders are encouraged to reconceptualize the role of HR within their organizations, integrating technical skills, strategic thinking, and a genuine care for employee wellbeing into the fabric of HR practices.

• Embrace Metrics That Matter: Companies should adopt meaningful metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of their recruitment processes, focusing not just on filling positions quickly but on the long-term success and satisfaction of hires.

• Prioritize Candidate Experience: Recognizing that every interaction with a candidate reflects on the brand, companies must ensure their recruitment practices are respectful, efficient, and aligned with the organization's core values and strategic goals.

• Consider Alternative Hiring Models: Leaders are urged to explore innovative recruitment strategies, such as open hiring, to simplify the process and focus on the essential qualifications and willingness to work.

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In this thought-provoking episode, Mel, Michelle, and Erika discuss the intersection of human resources (HR) and artificial intelligence (AI), exploring the implications, opportunities, and challenges that HR professionals face in the era of AI-driven automation and decision-making. As organizations globally adopt AI technologies to enhance hiring processes and operational efficiency, the trio sheds light on the necessity for HR to evolve, the fears surrounding job replacement, and the critical need for strategic, informed decision-making within HR departments.

Episode Highlights:

• AI in Hiring: Reflection on the widespread use of automation and AI in hiring processes among Fortune 500 companies, including robot avatars and resume scanning algorithms.
• The HR Fear Factor: Erika discusses the anxiety within HR communities about AI potentially replacing human jobs, highlighting a general lack of analytics and technology training within traditional HR roles.
• The Need for HR Upskilling: Both Erika and Michelle emphasize the urgency for HR professionals to acquire technology and analytics skills, not only for job security but also to ensure they can contribute strategically to organizational growth and ethics in AI usage.
• Generative AI and Bias Concerns: The conversation touches on the risks associated with generative AI, such as biased algorithms influencing hiring decisions, underscoring the importance of knowledge and ethical considerations in AI deployment.
• Strategic Role of HR in AI Era: Michelle stresses the potential for HR to act as a conduit for upskilling the broader organization in AI literacy, while also advocating for HR itself to undergo significant upskilling.
• Legal and Ethical Implications: Erika warns of the increasing likelihood of lawsuits arising from misapplications of AI in HR, pointing to a crucial need for bespoke, organization-specific AI solutions to mitigate risk.
• Cultural and Organizational Transformation: The discussion extends to the role of HR in driving cultural and organizational change, advocating for a transformational approach to HR that leverages AI for strategic advantage rather than mere cost-cutting.

Leadership Call to Action

• For HR Professionals: Embrace technology and analytics training. Engage with AI tools critically and ethically. Innovate in your role to become a strategic partner in your organization.
• For Organizations: Invest in upskilling HR teams. Consider the development of bespoke AI solutions that align with company policies and ethical standards. Promote a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this insightful episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern tackle the often overlooked yet critical aspect of leadership—succession planning. They explore why leaders tend to shy away from this responsibility and provide a roadmap for effective succession planning that prepares organizations for future challenges. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in a leadership position, offering practical strategies for cultivating the next generation of leaders.

Episode Highlights:

• The Importance of Succession Planning: An exploration of why succession planning is essential for sustainable organizational growth and leadership transition.
• Overcoming Avoidance: Michelle shares insights on the common reasons leaders avoid succession planning and how to overcome these hurdles.
• Evaluating Talent: Strategies for evaluating in-house versus outside talent, emphasizing the importance of knowing potential successors' capabilities and developmental needs.
• Developing Talent: Discussion on the necessity of grooming potential candidates through mentoring, coaching, and training to prepare them for leadership roles.
• Continuous Planning: The significance of continuously updating succession plans to ensure the organization's readiness for future leadership needs.
• Transparent Communication: The value of clear and transparent communication about succession planning processes within the organization.

Leadership Call to Action

• Start the succession planning process by evaluating your organization's future leadership needs.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of potential candidates' strengths and areas for growth.
• Create a culture of continuous professional development and open communication about career paths and leadership opportunities.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern discuss the importance of creating a strategic mentoring program. They challenge the traditional, often questionable effectiveness of mentoring programs and present a strategic approach that promises to elevate these initiatives from good to great. Targeted at leaders, HR professionals, and decision-makers, this episode is a masterclass on designing mentoring programs that genuinely advance women's careers.

Episode Highlights:

• The Strategic Importance of Mentoring: Michelle Redfern highlights the need for mentoring programs to be strategic, aligning with organizational goals and the advancement of women.
• Organizational Goals Alignment: The episode discusses how strategic mentoring programs are essential components of talent management strategies, emphasizing the alignment with organizational goals for true effectiveness.
• Selection of Mentors: A critical examination of mentor selection processes, pointing out that not every high-level executive is naturally equipped to mentor effectively.
• Mentor Training: Insights into the necessity of providing mentors with the training and development they need to guide their mentees successfully.
• Beyond Confidence: The conversation moves beyond the conventional focus on boosting confidence, advocating for mentoring that focuses on critical skill development, especially for women.
• Strategic Mentoring’s Impact: The episode wraps up by underlining the significant impact strategic mentoring can have on closing the leadership gender gap within organizations.

Actionable Advice:

• Assess and align your mentoring program with the broader goals of your organization.
• Be thoughtful and strategic in selecting mentors, recognizing that not all are suited for this role.
• Invest in mentor training to ensure they are equipped to provide valuable guidance.
• Focus mentoring efforts on skill development rather than just confidence building.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Gloria Tabi, founder of Everyday Inclusion, joins Mel & Michelle to share her powerful journey from confronting workplace racism and sexism to developing a platform that bridges the gap between diversity policies and their real-world impact.

Gloria’s experience highlights the structural barriers that marginalise individuals, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and addressing these challenges to create genuinely inclusive workplaces.

Links and resources

Everyday Inclusion

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This episode is the third in our series about The Leadership Compass. Mel discusses the concept of Social Intelligence (SQ), with Michelle. SQ is a crucial component of The Leadership Compass. She articulates SQ as essential for leaders to intentionally build their professional brand and leverage strategic networks. This skill complements Business Intelligence (BQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ), enhancing a leader's ability to succeed in their roles.

Michelle emphasizes the importance of SQ in the context of leadership, highlighting the need for women, in particular, to balance interpersonal skills with business acumen. She shares insights on creating a robust professional identity, strategic networking, and using powered up communication to enhance visibility and credibility.

The conversation also touches on the practical benefits of a strategic network in achieving business goals and advancing careers. Michelle's personal revelations and the strategic approach to networking and brand building serve as a guide for listeners to refine their SQ.

Listeners interested in a deeper exploration of SQ and its integration with BQ and EQ can find Michelle's book, "The Leadership Compass," available for purchase. The book is a comprehensive guide for women leaders to reach their full potential, available on michelleredfern.com and major retailers like Amazon and Booktopia.

Links and Resources

The Leadership Compass book offers a deeper look at essential leadership skills. For more information and to pre-order, visit michelleredfern.com/books.

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Leadership Compass: Mastering the Art of Emotional Intelligence in LeadershipIn this episode of the "Lead to Soar" podcast, Mel interviews Michelle regarding the definition of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in leadership, as described in her book, The Leadership Compass.

Michelle shares personal stories, highlighting the importance of self-awareness, empathy, adaptability, and a growth mindset in navigating the complexities of professional environments. The episode also explores the significance of reflective practice in personal and professional growth, providing valuable insights for aspiring and experienced leaders.

Links and Resources

The Leadership Compass book offers a deeper look at essential leadership skills. For more information and to pre-order, visit michelleredfern.com/books.

Subscribe to Lead to Soar for more practical advice and inspirational stories from leaders like Michelle. Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This episode is the first in a series exploring leadership skills detailed in "The Leadership Compass." Stay tuned for more insights on SQ and EQ in upcoming episodes. In this episode, Mel interviews Michelle about Business Intelligence (BQ) as a critical skill for effective leadership. Unlike innate strengths, BQ, along with Social (SQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ), can be developed through practice. Michelle shares transformative experiences from her career, emphasising the importance of continuous learning and adaptability in leadership roles. Some of the key takeaways:

• Leadership Development: Michelle's journey highlights the power of self-reflection in personal and professional growth.

• Importance of BQ:Understanding business, strategic and financial management is crucial for leadership success.

• Continuous Learning: Michelle's stories underscore the need for leaders to constantly evolve and acquire new skills.

• Visibility of Skills: Advancing in leadership requires women to not only development critical skills but also being recognised for those skills.

Links and Resources

The Leadership Compass book offers a deeper look at essential leadership skills. For more information and to pre-order, visit michelleredfern.com/books.

Subscribe to Lead to Soar for more practical advice and inspirational stories from leaders like Michelle. Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode, Michelle and Mel discuss the findings of a BBC article, addressing why women are less likely to ask questions in public settings, such as academic seminars and business meetings. They explore how this trend impacts women's visibility and participation in professional environments.

Links and resources

Article: Why are Women Less Likely to Ask Questions in Public

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode of the Lead to Soar podcast, hosts Mel and Michelle discuss the complexities and often performative nature of International Women's Day (IWD). They examine how businesses frequently fall short in meaningful support of gender equality and issue a clear call to action for more than just superficial acknowledgments of workplace gender equality.

The discussion covers a range of topics, including the expectation of women to contribute free labour for IWD events, the role of leadership in fostering genuine diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the importance of intersectionality in understanding the varied experiences of women in the workplace. This episode is a call to action for leaders and organisations to move beyond token gestures (like cupcakes!) and engage in substantive and sustained support and advocacy for workplace gender equality.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode, Michelle and Mel use the metaphor of a flower blooming to discuss the growth of women in the workplace. They talk about the importance of enhancing the work environment for women's growth rather than trying to "fix" them. The episode also highlights workplace challenges faced by women, emphasizes the need to ask better questions about workplace environments and women's barriers, and provides practical advice for leaders to create inclusive environments and address systemic biases.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Sam Trattles, CEO and Lead Negotiation Strategist at Other Side of the Table, helps leaders negotiate better outcomes. In this episode we're going to explore:

• The importance of influencing and negotiating for the right outcomes
• What can leaders do to foster these skills in their team members?
• How leaders can continually update and enhance their negotiation and influencing skills.
• What are some practical strategies to consider when negotiating high-stakes negotiations - including salary negotiations?

Links and Resources

Sam on LinkedIn and at her website: Other Side of the Table

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle talks with Diana Taylor AM, a pioneering figure law and Australian rules football. Diana imparts her wisdom and insights on leadership, business savvy, and the pivotal role of women in sports and business. The conversation includes i the importance of embracing failure as a learning opportunity, the advantages of leveraging legal expertise in sports and business, and the critical need for financial literacy among leaders.

Diana offers invaluable advice for emerging professionals on specialization, hard work, and the significance of networking and volunteering. She also explores strategies for effective leadership and influence, the power of networking and sponsorship, and emphasizes the urgent need to elevate women into leadership positions across various fields. This episode not only provides a roadmap for professional growth but also highlights Diana's contributions to fostering opportunities for women in leadership, encapsulated in her book, "The Playbook: Crossing the White Line to Succeed in Life, Business and the AFL," available here.

Links and Resources

The Playbook: Crossing the White Line to Succeed in Life, Business and the AFL by Diana Taylor.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mel and Michelle interview Charlotte Blair, a Gallup strengths coach, on the importance of leveraging personal strengths for career advancement and team effectiveness. The episode explores Charlotte's transition from a corporate role to strengths-based coaching, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness in this journey.

Discussion points include the transformative impact of Gallup's StrengthsFinder, both in Charlotte's coaching approach and for leadership development. The conversation highlights the significance of understanding and leveraging strengths in team management and leadership, underscoring the leader's role in fostering a strengths-aware environment for enhanced team performance and decision-making.

This interview will provide you with a comprehensive view of how personal and team strengths can be harnessed for greater career and leadership success. Charlotte's book, Career Unstuck is now available at: https://www.careerunstuck.com.au

Links and Resources

Career Unstuck

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this first episode of Season 7, Michelle Redfern joins Mel to discuss her upcoming book, "The Leadership Compass: The ultimate guide for women leaders to reach their full potential." Set to be published on March 26, the book aims to guide women through their careers and leadership journeys.

Links and Resources

Pre-order and additional information about "The Leadership Compass" can be found at michelleredfern.com under the 'books' tab.

Exclusive updates and resources are available for those who join the Leadership Compass community.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Erika Jefferson is the President and Founder of Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE), an organization focused on bridging the leadership gap for Black women in STEM. She received a MBA from Georgia Tech and a BS in Chemical Engineering from LSU.

Learn more about BWiSE

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield is a sociologist who researches racial and gender inequality in professional occupations. She is currently the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, where she also co-directs the Program for Public Scholarship and am Vice Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity.

She has served as President of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS), the Southern Sociological Society (SSS), and in 2023 was elected the 116th President of the American Sociological Association. In addition to academic work, Dr. Wingfield regularly writes for mainstream outlets including The Atlantic, Vox, Slate, and Harvard Business Review.

You can purchase Gray Areas by Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield wherever books are sold.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Tania Ibarra, CPA, is a founder and board member of the Latino Professionals Association and is co-founder of DEI consultancy, Step Up: Equity Matters. Tania is a dynamic and agile solutionary who strives to help people reach their full potential. She believes in powerful environments where people can contribute their talents, knowledge, and skills freely. A professional with diverse industry experience in finance, accounting, and assurance, her strength lies in connecting process with financial and operational results while consistently seeking efficiencies via manual procedures automation.

Links and Resources

Learn more about Step Up: Equity Matters

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mary Chung Hayashi is an award-winning author who is among the US' most accomplished champions for diversity and women’s rights. As a national healthcare leader, public affairs consultant, and former California State Assembly member, Mary has dedicated her life to serving America and its most vulnerable citizens.

Mary has been the driving force behind meaningful reforms to expand the coverage of healthcare. She also established unprecedented partnerships in support of social causes that previously had no financial or public backing.

You can purchase Women in Politics by Mary Hayashi or wherever books are sold.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher engage in a informative Career Q&A discussion, based on questions from their members and listeners, sharing practical strategies and insights for self-promotion, networking, leadership, job hunting, and career advancement.

They provide actionable advice and guidance on how to build credibility, thought leadership, and strategic relationships, and emphasize the importance of showing up, demonstrating value, and mastering your current role. With their engaging and informative conversation, Michelle and Mel offer valuable tips and tools for listeners to take their careers to the next level. Tune in now to listen and learn!

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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On this episode of Lead to Soar, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher discuss the significance of our mindsets when it comes to advancing in our careers. Drawing from their personal experiences, they dispel the misconception that leaders are born and instead promote the notion that leadership is a skill that can be learned.

The hosts encourage listeners to assess their own beliefs and attitudes, highlighting the importance of self-awareness and personal growth. The episode concludes with a call to action, urging individuals to reflect on their mindsets and strive for greater leadership potential. This episode is a valuable resource for those seeking to improve their mindset and enhance their leadership abilities.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Catch the replay of Lead to Soar Live when Mel & Michelle talked with Rana Hussain about intersectional inclusion and how excited they are for her keynote speech at the upcoming Lead to Soar Summit in Australia.

Links and Resources

Rana Hussain on LinkedIn

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mel and Michelle discuss books and podcasts they've read and listened to and highlight their impact on workplace culture and leadership.

Book referenced in this episode:

Thrive by Design by Don Rim.

Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Hien.

Beyond Leaning In by Melanie Home.

Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode, Mel & Michelle take a deep dive into the structure of organizations and question the common practice of DEI reporting to HR.

They explore the underlying reasons behind this arrangement, the potential drawbacks, and discuss alternative approaches that could lead to more effective DEI initiatives. Listen to the discussion as they challenge the status quo and rethink how leaders can better incorporate DEI into the organizational structure to create more inclusive and equitable workplaces.

Links and Resources

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Recent research tells us (again) that women outperform men on a range of different leadership metrics. That same research informs us that leaders are baffled that, given how competent women are, there are more of us at the top of organizations.

Well, we want you to stop your bafflement about the leadership gender gap. It might be an okay place to start, but leaders must move on from admiring the problem and start taking action. And that does not mean enrolling all your workers in unconscious bias training! In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern call on leaders to take deliberate action to change the playing field to support their female talent pipeline.

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Gaslighting in the workplace is Bullying. This form of toxic behavior is particularly insidious, and it can't be ignored if it's happening in your workplace. Because for the victims of this gaslighting, it can cause anxiety, depression, and even nervous breakdowns. It can cause the victim to even question their own sanity. In this episode, Mel and Michelle explore what gaslighting can look like, sound like and feel like for women in the workplace so that they at work know how to recognize it. We also give advice to workplace leaders about how to recognise, respond and refer to when Gaslighting comes to their attention.

Links and Resources

Find an ally within the Lead to Soar community

Gaslit - a series starring Julia Roberts about the real-life story of Martha Mitchell

What Should I Do If My Boss is Gaslighting Me?

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This episode of the Lead to Soar podcast explores the implications of artificial intelligence, Web3, and the metaverse for women in leadership.

Nikkie Scriven, CEO of Chief Meta Chicks and Alchemy8 shares her career journey and insights on topics such as the 'bro culture' in AI, the importance of smart contracts in the metaverse, and ethical considerations in using AI. This informative episode provides valuable advice for women and leaders navigating emerging technologies.

Links and Resources

Chief Meta Chicks

Alchemy8

Nikkie Scriven on LinkedIn

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mel Interviews Author Suzanne Wertheim - the Inclusive Language Field Guide. In today’s fast-moving and combative culture, language can feel like a minefield. Terms around gender, disability, race, sexuality and more are constantly evolving.

Words that used to be acceptable can now get you “cancelled.” People are afraid of making embarrassing mistakes. Or sounding outdated or out of touch. Or not being as respectful as they intended.

But it’s not as complicated as it might seem. Linguistic anthropologist Suzanne Wertheim offers six easy-to-understand principles to guide any communication—written or spoken—with anyone in her book, The Inclusive Language Field Guide.

Links and Resources

Suzanne Wertheim, PhD

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mel Interviews Author Suzanne Wertheim - the Inclusive Language Field Guide. In today’s fast-moving and combative culture, language can feel like a minefield. Terms around gender, disability, race, sexuality and more are constantly evolving.

Words that used to be acceptable can now get you “cancelled.” People are afraid of making embarrassing mistakes. Or sounding outdated or out of touch. Or not being as respectful as they intended.

But it’s not as complicated as it might seem. Linguistic anthropologist Suzanne Wertheim offers six easy-to-understand principles to guide any communication—written or spoken—with anyone in her book, The Inclusive Language Field Guide.

Links and Resources

Suzanne Wertheim, PhD

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Join Mel and Michelle in this episode as they explore the concepts of benevolent bias and everyday sexism, and how they affect women in the workplace. They delve into the ways these issues can be addressed by leaders to ensure women are treated fairly. Tune in to learn how everyone can work towards a more equitable workplace.

Links and Resources

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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Kathryn Elliott, an alcohol mindset coach, joins Michelle for this episode about alcohol and the workplace. Now, we know what you're thinking, alcohol and leadership? What's the connection? Stick with us because we're diving deep into drinking culture, workplace dynamics, and how it intersects with leadership.

Kath opens up about her own journey with alcohol and how it affected her life and career. She shares insights on binge drinking, the rise of the sober curious movement, and the changing habits of younger Australians.

We also tackle the tough questions. Does your workplace have a drinking culture? And if so, what does that mean for inclusivity? Kath and Michelle discuss the importance of creating environments where everyone feels welcome, whether they choose to drink or not. We explore alternative activities, open conversations, and the power of respecting people's choices.

This episode is a must-listen for leaders looking to make positive organisational changes. We discuss strategies for dialing down the focus on alcohol, promoting employee well-being, and achieving extraordinary outcomes. Plus, we dive into the impact of alcohol on sleep quality and overall productivity.

So grab your headphones and join us on this insightful and thought-provoking journey. It's time to reimagine leadership and create inclusive workplaces that embrace diversity and care for the well-being of all.

Links and Resources

The Alcohol Mindset Coach

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Do you ever wonder why some people seem to effortlessly communicate their ideas and persuade others, while others struggle to get their point across? The secret is in the language of power, which is the language of business outcomes. In this informative episode, Mel and Michelle discuss the importance of using business-focused language in communication and aligning with the CEO's vision and strategy. They cover topics such as understanding what the CEO wants you to know, using outcome-driven communication, connecting personal goals with organizational objectives, and developing executive presence. This episode is a must-listen for women looking to improve their strategic communication skills and make a positive impact on their business.

Links and Resources

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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(TW: Rape, Assault) Join us in this eye-opening episode, where Mel and Michelle delve into the complex and prevalent issues around sexism, gender bias, sexual assault, and the need for better workplaces for women. Our hosts debunk misconceptions, provide pertinent statistics, and shed light on the subtle and overt forms of discrimination and harassment women face daily. The discussion sparks critical thought on organizational culture, the perpetuation of harmful behavior through gender stereotypes, and the role of organisational leaders in fostering a respectful and safe environment for their female colleagues.

The episode goes beyond the surface, addressing the need for continuous improvement, understanding how language has evolved and needs to keep evolving, and the importance of acknowledging and addressing unwelcome behavior. Listen, be inspired, and learn how both men and women can work together to contribute to positive change and eliminate harassment in the workplace.

Topics Discussed:

• Semantics around sexism, gender bias, and sexual assault

• Distinguishing sexual harassment from gender bias or sexism at work

• Respect at Work legislation in Australia

• Statistics on sexual assault, harassment, and experience of women

• Organization culture and leadership roles

• Gender stereotypes and their impact

• The importance of listening and providing a safe environment

• Strategies for leaders to create a safer and thriving workplace

• Examples of gender bias and sexism in the workplace

• Me too movement and its origins

• Closing the leadership gender gap

LINKS

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

6 types of sexism, examples, and their impact

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this podcast episode, Michelle explores the importance of trauma-informed communication practices for team leaders in the modern workplace with Karen Percy, an accomplished journalist, media and communications expert, and trauma trainer.

By listening in, you'll gain valuable insights and strategies for creating a safe and supportive work environment for everyone, as well as understanding if any team members are experiencing trauma and what steps you can take to address it.

Links and Resources

Karen Percy on LinkedIn

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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Come join us for an engaging episode where we delve into the importance of media and communication training specifically for women.

Our special guest, Karen Percy, is an accomplished journalist and media trainer who shares her insights on how this type of training can enhance your career and communication abilities. Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation!

Links and Resources

Karen Percy on LinkedIn

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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As women move into more senior roles and their teams and tasks become more extensive and complex, they must adjust and evolve their leadership style to have the desired impact on the business (achieving and sustaining extraordinary outcomes.)

For some women, moving to a ‘leader of leaders’ role is pivotal in their leadership journey. It can mean less time for what they used to do a lot of, and what they were expert at and comfortable with. They are (now) required to spend more time on the balcony (working strategically) rather than on the dance floor (working tactically).

This episode offers advice to make your transition from expert to executive rewarding and successful. Take the From Expert to Executive Quiz.

Links and Resources

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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To become a good businesswoman and leader you must STRETCH beyond a fixed notion of “yourself” to embrace the complete skill set required for inspired leadership and career success. Instead, we offer the advice, “be your best self.”

Being your 'best self' means deeply understanding and showing up demonstrating 'the greatness in you'.

Links and Resources

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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"Despite advances made by women in the workplace, pay inequity and underrepresentation in top positions are still a reality. Unfortunately, the situation looks worse for older women, who face the double whammy of gendered ageism.

As a woman over 50, you ay be wondering if there is anything you can do to face down diminished responsibilities, decreasing visibility, and the looming specter of being aged out." Join us for this discussion with author, Bonnie Marcus.

Links and Resources

Bonnie Marcus Leadership

The Politics of Promotion

Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Glass Cliff is a phenomenon that describes the tendency for women to be appointed to leadership positions in challenging or risky situations, such as when a company is experiencing financial difficulties or when there is a high likelihood of failure.

The term "glass cliff" was coined by researchers Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam in 2005. Mel and Michelle discuss what The Glass Cliff is, and importantly, how women can be on the lookout for it when moving up.

Links and Resources

The Glass Cliff: Exploring the Dynamics Surrounding the Appointment of Women to Precarious Leadership Positions by Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam

Lead to Soar Network

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Mel and Michelle discuss how some powerful leaders are demanding that people return to the office now the global pandemic is over.

We shine a light on what we think are outdated views, and leadership philosophies, and provide advice to leaders about the risks of mandating that team members are shackled to the office.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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Tara McMullin is the author of What Works: A Comprehensive Framework to Change the Way We Approach Goal-Setting.

The book examines the social and economic systems that influence what we strive for. It guides the reader through turning an achievement-oriented life into a practice-oriented life, reshaping how they set goals, make plans, and execute daily work in the process.

Links and Resources

More on Tara McMullin

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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One of the most admirable and arguably underrated qualities of leadership is the capacity for reflection. Confucius called it the most noble way to learn wisdom. Mel and Michelle discuss the power of reflective practice for your career and share some actionable insights and tools for leaders to use.

1. Download our Stop. Breathe. Reflect. Activity. https://www.theadvancingwomenformula.com/whatsyourstory

2. Take our Life Audit. A simple, yet powerful way for women to prioritise themselves and to be mindful, deliberate and purposeful about what matters to them and why.

3. Read: Why You Should Make Time for Self-Reflection (Even If You Hate Doing It)

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Bonnie Marcus is an executive coach and speaker. Her mission is to help women proudly own their talent and ambition. She is the author of two books, The Politics of Promotion, and Not Done Yet!: How Women Over 50 Regain Their Confidence and Claim Workplace Power.

In this episode, Bonnie joins us for a discussion on her first book, The Politics of Promotion, which is all about how women can navigate the politics of any workplace and use their superb people skills for career advancement. As a related aside, this is the first real career book Mel read and it remains one of her favorites.

Bonnie is scheduled to join us again on a future episode to discuss her second book, gendered ageism, and how women over 50 can continue to have a career that soars! So, stay tuned!

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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How does she do it?

Do you know what strategy is?

Do you know why strategy is set?

Do you know why boards are interested in strategy?

Can you describe the relationship between strategy and business outcomes?

Being able to answer all these questions means you're likely to have strategic acumen.

In this epsiode Helga Svendsen FAICD and Michelle Redfern discuss Helga's experience from both sides of the boardroom table - as an executive and CEO as well as a Board Chair and Director, as well as provide practical advice about how women can build and demonstrate their strategic acumen.

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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We are so proud to bring you the 100th episode of the Lead to Soar podcast. Mel and Michelle are joined by our Lead to Soar Network co-hosts Amal Yusuf and Susan Colantuono to reflect on where we’ve come from in 100 episodes as well as some of the standout themes.

We discuss how we’re all determined to provide women with the advice they need that goes beyond the conventional advice directed at women. Namely, how to build and demonstrate critical business and leadership skills.

We also discuss the current workplace issues affecting women that we are paying attention to and share some of the upcoming interviews on the pod.

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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We’ve all been to an ineffective meeting. Sadly, some of us have been to LOTS of ineffective meetings. You know, the ones that start 10 minutes late, there is no agenda, and the facilitator has no clue about how to engage the greatness in everyone in the meeting. As the meeting wraps up, you think, “There’s an hour of my life that I’ll never get back!”

In this episode, Mel and Michelle discuss how to facilitate effective and inclusive meeting inclusive meetings.

“Your goal should be to treat your leadership capacity—a finite resource—as seriously as your company treats financial capital (an equally finite one).” https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/want-a-better-decision-plan-a-better-meeting#/ We’re going to wait five minutes for everyone to join.

Often among the first words uttered by an online meeting host, this practice dishonors the time of those who joined on time and does nothing to establish a culture of punctuality for meetings. At the same time, there are legitimate reasons why an individual may be late to a Zoom meeting (or an in-person one). To make the most of those inevitable few minutes when you’re waiting for stragglers, one idea is to start with brief tone-setting exercises. I often start by asking everyone to remove one distraction. That may mean moving something off their desk, opening a window in their room, or closing a window on their computer. Another exercise I like is asking everyone to write down their intention or objective for the meeting. This isn’t something that will be shared publicly, but the practice of thinking about one’s objectives before a meeting begins can be grounding.

Links and Resources

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode, Michelle welcomes Melanie Ho, author of Beyond Leaning In, to the pod to discuss this unique book and how she became an author and a visual storytelling artist.

There is a lot to cover regarding women's experiences in workplaces, including how ‘mental autocompletes’, the Queen Bee syndrome and generational differences hold women back in their professional careers. We also discuss what leaders must do to remove the barriers for women at work.

Links and Resources

Beyond Leaning In: Gender Equity and What Organizations are Up Against

Instagram

Melanie Ho on LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Are you feeling underwhelmed by the environment in your current workplace? Do you think twice about speaking up because of how other colleagues may react? Are certain norms making it difficult for women to thrive in your workplace? If this sounds familiar, you could be in a toxic workplace for women.

Our work environment directly impacts our professional performance and productivity. Our workplace culture also influences our overall well-being and mental health - a fact that must not be understated. Consequently, women must be cognizant of what constitutes a toxic workplace to formulate a strategy.

In this episode, Michelle Redfern explores five signs that a workplace isn't working for women. Because recognising them early can help protect yourself (and other women) from being adversely affected by them.She will also share five strategies to help women navigate a workplace that isn’t working for them.

Links and Resources

Our Watch – How to do something

She Defined Magazine Article

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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“Menopausal women are the fastest growing workforce demographic.” (Office of National Statistics UK) - so what must we do as leaders to ensure that we (re)design workplaces and attitudes to support this huge demographic? This discussion with Natalie Moore, L2S member and workplace wellbeing expert will give us insights into the role of leaders so that workplaces become more inclusive, and high performing as a result. We cover:

• What happens during perimenopause?

• Support mechanisms for women in the workplace experiencing menopause.

• How to educate the wider team at work?

• How can leaders support women in the workplace?

• The impact on businesses of not paying attention to women’s health.

• Me. We. Us. Natalie’s call to action around menopause.

Links and Resources

Own Your Own Health Collective

Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn

Listen to the Podcast, Peri Menopause Power

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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An HBR article says that "it is assumed that exceptional men will job hop to get a promotion, it’s assumed that exceptional women will stay loyal to their firm because they value their relationships with their coworkers." Mel and Michelle discuss the two-way street that signifies loyalty, and what women might want to consider next time they self-describe as loyal!

Links and Resources

Harvard Business Review - Stop Undervaluing Exceptional Women

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Barbara Bruno has an informative discussion with Mel that covers:

• What leaders need to do differently to attract talent.

• How to improve the candidate experience

• What leaders should know about the recruiting and hiring process

• Why tech companies are laying off their employees

• How women can market themselves as candidates for leadership roles, stand out from the crowd and negotiation tips.

Links and Resources

Barbara Bruno on LinkedIn

Good as Gold Training

Lead to Soar Summit



Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host live-streaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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How not being a cool kid at school and not making the A Grade Netball team led to playing elite sport, then an extraordinary corporate career and now a Board Director portfolio career.

Marlene Elliot shares her elite sporting background, her career, moving cities to pursue opportunities and expanding her Board portfolio. She shares advice for aspiring and developing board directors, leadership around the boardroom table and networking.

Links and Resources

Marlene Elliott on LinkedIn

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host livestreaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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Mel & Michelle discuss going on vacation, the mechanics of it and how leaders can set boundaries to ensure they are rested, recovered and rejuvenated.

Links and Resources

Funny OOO messages that inspire Michelle!

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host livestreaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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Selena Rezvani is a recognized author, speaker, and consultant on leadership. Her book, Quick Confidence (Wiley, May 2023), was born out of a viral newsletter she started in 2020, to help people build their confidence through small actions. Selena helps women and marginalised groups tap into their confidence and carve out a path to leadership. In this interview, Michelle discusses with Selena:

• How gender plays a role in confidence.

• How to boost your self-confidence when conditions around you aren’t ideal

• How to gracefully accept praise.

• The importance of self-promotion.

• The importance of your inner confidence coach.

Pre-order Quick Confidence - coming May 9 wherever you can find books!

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host livestreaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Is being 'busy' a badge of honour? Or does it mean you are outta control? Mel and Michelle discuss why saying 'I'm busy" when someone asks after you is a career limiting move and what you might say (and do) instead.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host livestreaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

Links and Resources

Why I want to start a “Ban Busy” movement

How to stop saying (& feeling) "I'm so busy!"

Never say you're "busy"

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Have you sat back to consider how you choose your job references? One Lead to Soar coaching client learned a tough lesson - not every referee will promote your skills like you want them to. So Michelle and Mel breakdown how best to choose and prepare your referees so you land exactly where you want to.

Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host livestreaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

On episode this episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher talk about brilliant jerks. We've all worked with one (trying hard not to name names here), but what is a brilliant jerk and how do you work with one. Plus, Michelle and Mel have tips for taking your complaint to your boss or human resources.

This is a recording from a LinkedIn in Live find out more about all the Lead to Soar events.

Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of A Career that Soars! (ACts!) and the primary host of the Lead to Soar podcast. Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces). Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential. Michelle “Gets Shit Done!” She helps clients get shit done to create gender equal and inclusive workplaces through her consulting and advisory work. She helps women from all walks of life get shit done for themselves and their careers through A Career that Soars! and Culturally Diverse Women. -- Get in touch with Michelle

Mel Butcher is a co-host in A Career that Soars! and executive producer (and occasional host) of the Lead to Soar podcast. During the day, Mel serves as a consultant for Carollo Engineers, where she is most passionate about helping corporate enterprise clients achieve and exceed their water risk, resilience, and sustainability goals.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

On episode this episode, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher connect after their very successful Leadership Summit (2022). They have reflections on how the conference went, why most professional development fails women and whether they are going to offer another opportunity to help you get A Career that Soars! (see what we did there)!?!

This is a recording from a LinkedIn in Live find out more about all the Lead to Soar events.

Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of A Career that Soars! (ACts!) and the primary host of the Lead to Soar podcast. Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces). Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential. Michelle “Gets Shit Done!” She helps clients get shit done to create gender equal and inclusive workplaces through her consulting and advisory work. She helps women from all walks of life get shit done for themselves and their careers through A Career that Soars! and Culturally Diverse Women. -- Get in touch with Michelle Mel Butcher is a co-host in A Career that Soars! and executive producer (and occasional host) of the Lead to Soar podcast. During the day, Mel serves as a consultant for Carollo Engineers, where she is most passionate about helping corporate enterprise clients achieve and exceed their water risk, resilience, and sustainability goals.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars! Welcome to our "BEST OF SERIES".

Molly Beck spend her days running Messi FM which is a B2B internal podcasting platform for companies to use podcast to talk to their employees. Molly also wrote the networking guidebook Reach Out, Reach Out, is about how to create a community around your work. The strategy it focuses on is sending one message every weekday to someone on the edge of your network. This is a practice Molly has been doing since 2012, and it has transformed her career and life.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces.  In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars! Welcome to our "BEST OF SERIES".

On episode this episode, Susan Colantuono, Michelle Redfern, and Mel Butcher sit down for a discussion on confidence... What is confidence? Where does confidence come from? How do you get it? Where does traditional advice on confidence go wrong? LINKS

• Book: What the CEO Want You To Know by Ram Charan
• Book: No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono

SPEAKER BIOs Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women. She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views). ​Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form A Career that Soars!, and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life. Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring which takes a close look at the conventional wisdom keeping women from rising from middle management. Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of A Career that Soars! (ACts!) and the primary host of the Lead to Soar podcast. Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces). Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential. Michelle “Gets Shit Done!” She helps clients get shit done to create gender equal and inclusive workplaces through her consulting and advisory work. She helps women from all walks of life get shit done for themselves and their careers through A Career that Soars! and Culturally Diverse Women. -- Get in touch with Michelle Mel Butcher is a co-host in A Career that Soars! and executive producer (and occasional host) of the Lead to Soar podcast. During the day, Mel serves as a consultant for Carollo Engineers, where she is most passionate about helping corporate enterprise clients achieve and exceed their water risk, resilience, and sustainability goals. ​ NOTABLE EPISODE QUOTES “Confidence is not absolute.” -Susan Colantuono “Go beyond the headline. Go deeper. And think about - what does the CEO really want you to know... The CEO really wants you to know about being confident about how to run the business. Then ask yourself, is the advice you're getting about confidence really going to help you do that?" - Michelle Redfern

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars! Welcome to our "BEST OF SERIES".

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with Amal Yusuf, newest host for a Career That Soars, to discuss her career path, and the leadership and wisdom she brings to our organization. Amal shares with us her path from immigrant to corporate business leader, and how she views networking and building connections for women in business.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Amal Yusuf Bio:

Amal Yusuf is the newest president of SHE BRG, Delta’s Women’s Business Resource Group, and project manager for the Employee Relations Center of Expertise at Delta, where she ensures her team has the process and technology capabilities to drive results for 75K employees. Amal has served Delta’s employees and customers in many roles, including onboarding program manager for flight attendants and manager of Safety Leadership and Promotion, where she designed and delivered programs to promote a culture of personal safety.

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

How do you describe what leadership is? What words do you use? Chances are, if you’re a woman, you'll use words and phrases based on the coaching, training, mentoring and content that you received since the outset of your career. The trouble with that is that most women are still recieving incomplete advice about leadership. That's one of the reasons for the global leadership gender gap. Have a listen and discover whats missing for women in leadership advice.  Lead to Soar is a global online network for businesswomen, a podcast, and we host livestreaming and in person events to help women have a career that soars! The podcast is hosted by Mel Butcher (melbutcher.com) and Michelle Redfern (michelleredfern.com)

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

In our final episode for 2022, Amal, Mel, Susan, and Michelle reflect on a concept that drives us to distraction. The Queen Bee syndrome! Warning listeners, we get a little bit sweary in this episode because we've been trying to manage the double bind and double standards that women face for decades. We ask, are you on the women's team or not? We also muse upon the 4-day working week trials that are happening across the world as we're uncertain if a gender lens has been applied and wonder if women will be better off or worse off.

Resources:

• Yes, sometimes women are sexist too: Jamila Rizvi:
• The Double Bind: https://www.catalyst.org/research/infographic-the-double-bind-dilemma-for-women-in-leadership/
• Unilever 4-Day Working Week Trial: https://www.unilever.com.au/news/press-releases/2022/unilever-australia-new-zealand-expands-fourday-work-week-trial-following-encouraging-results/
• The biggest ever 4-day working week trial: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/17/four-day-week-british-new-bill-workers-businesses
• 4-day working week: https://www.4dayweek.com

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

Commander Emma Conway was a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy for 12 years.

She exchanged that career for one in firefighting and emergency services and is now a Commander in the Victorian Country Fire Authority (Australia). Emma is an inspiring leader and has some great advice for women who are navigating male-dominated (in some cases hyper-masculine) workplaces.

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Resources

Emma's LinkedIn

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Michelle and Jo have a conversation about a question they're asked a lot by women. Should I do an MBA? We discuss how an MBA builds confidence, how to fit an MBA into real life, and why you must have this conversation with your boss (and boss’s boss!)

Jo also shares practical tips on how to successfully navigate and complete an MBA – sourced from her MBA students around the world.

About Jo
With well over 15 years of experience in senior roles for some of Australia's most iconic companies, including iSelect and Compare the Market, Jo is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Business, Australia’s leader in online postgraduate education.
Over her career, she has learned a lot about what drives rapid and sustainable growth - flawless execution, authentic leadership, and innovation. Operating at the intersection of technology, people, and data, Jo gets a kick out of making both the workplace and customer interactions life-enhancing experiences.
With a track record of transformational leadership in digital businesses, she has had the privilege of leading large teams of extraordinary people to deliver exponential growth.

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Resources

The Confidence Scoop Episode
Jo Thomas LinkedIn
Simon Sinek, start with why Video
Australian Institute of Business

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Hear Organisationsal Psychologist Noa Rein in conversation with Mel and Michelle about how to recognise toxic or hostile workplaces, behaviours and how to navigate them, as well as the questions from members about managing The Brilliant Jerk as well! Noa will help us tp find the language to articulate the problem to leaders (using the language of power)

This is a recording of a live, interactive Q&A session with the members of A Career that Soars.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Let's examine the word ambition, or ambitious, or… 'ambitious woman'. When applied to women, the adjective "ambitious" is usually used pejoratively, as discussed in Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's recent podcast with Serena Williams. Many women Mel and Michelle know do not identify as being ambitious, but they are ambitious for the world, their organizations, and their families. We think it's time to pull this word apart to see what it really means for women.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
• https://www.theadvancingwomenformula.com/life-audit
• https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/ambition-why-is-it-still-a-dirty-word-for-women-1.3665720
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2019/07/28/why-ambition-isnt-a-dirty-word-for-women/?sh=1eb4eafc6e07

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Cindy Gallop likes to blow shit up. She says she is the Michael Bay of business. She is a serial entrepreneur and is also a fearless advocate for women, especially when it comes to equal pay. In this lively conversation, we cover critical topics for businesswomen … Personal Brand - if you don't promote yourself, then who else will? Plus, "Don't empower me, pay me!" is how to ask for and get the salary you deserve. And how to navigate The Patriarchy in the Workplace.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
• https://cindygallop.com
• 7 Pieces of Advice Women Should Ignore: https://hbr.org/2021/04/7-pieces-of-bad-career-advice-women-should-ignore
• How to Build Your Personal Brand
  https://youtu.be/ETMBi79fJmw
• How to Get Paid What You’re Worth
  https://www.forbesindia.com/article/storyboard18/storyboard18-dont-empower-me-pay-me/74301/1

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Bio for Cindy

Cindy is a brand and business innovator, consultant, coach and keynote speaker, available to work with anybody who wants to change the game in their particular sector. Come to me for radical, innovative, groundbreaking, transformative - I don't do status quo. That's why I sum up my approach as, "I like to blow shit up. I am the Michael Bay of business." I can help you own the future as the leader you want to be, the business you want to be, and the gender-equal, diverse, inclusive workplace you want to be.

Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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If you are wondering how to be a better ally to members of the #LGBTIQA+ community, especially those people who identify as trans, gender diverse, or non-binary, then this episode is a good start.

Michelle Redfern shares how the Rainbow Community, as many of us call it needs more of you to step up and call it out.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
• LGBTIQA+ glossary of common terms https://aifs.gov.au/resources/resource-sheets/lgbtiqa-glossary-common-terms
• GLAAD: GLAAD works through entertainment, news, and digital media to share stories from the LGBTQ community that accelerate acceptance. - https://www.glaad.org/about
• Wear It Purple Day: Wear It Purple strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people - https://www.wearitpurple.org/our-story
• PFLAG: Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families. PFLAG’s network of hundreds of chapters and more than 325,000 members and supporters works to create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. https://pflag.org/about

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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In this episode, we tap into the collective wisdom of the hosts of A Career that Soars to discuss the art of delegation. We discuss how learning to delegate effectively is a career enabler and, conversely, if you are not perceived as an effective delegator, how it will be a career derailer.

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Join A Career that Soars! The global network for businesswomen.

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sports and business workplaces.

Bio For Susan Colantuono

Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women. She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views).
​Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form A Career that Soars!, and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life.
Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring which takes a close look at the conventional wisdom keeping women from rising from middle management.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Helga Svendsen is a self-confessed 'governance nerd' who is a facilitator, coach and mentor specializing in strategy and planning, governance and stakeholder engagement. She hosts the Take on Board podcast, a weekly pod, where she talks all things governance, as well as the take on board community which is a thriving community of women who connect through an active Facebook group events. Helga also runs programs to enable to get onto their first board and to a program to help women who are establishing their board career. In this episode, Michelle asks Helga what women should pay attention to, and when, if they aspire for a board career.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
• Take on Board podcast https://helgasvendsen.com.au/take-on-board-podcast/
• Take on Board Community - https://helgasvendsen.com.au/community/
• About Helga - https://helgasvendsen.com.au/about/

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Money matters a lot for women. Money opens the doors of choice and access. Michelle interviews Mel about her personal money story and about how she came to realize that money really does matter, as does your mindset about money.

The inspiration for this discussion came from two powerful posts Mel shared with our community of businesswomen in A Career that Soars. Mel says, "We all have stories in our heads about almost everything in our lives, especially money". Mel shares the money lessons she now shares with other women about how to get focused on creating a career that will fuel lifetime financial security.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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"Who are you, and what does your company pay you to do?"

In this episode, Mel and Michelle discuss the research and work of Susan Colantuono about how women can step into their Personal Greatness by introducing themselves confidently and memorably. This is so much more than a lesson in developing an elevator pitch, it is a coaching masterclass in talking about what you do and why it matters.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
• Confident Self-Introductions Article

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Join Mel & Michelle as they share what's coming up in Season 5 as well as discuss our next live event for business women in the US in 2023.

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Join A Career that Soars! The global network for businesswomen.

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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This episode features all four hosts of A Career that Soars together to answer the questions of ACtS members and Lead to Soar listeners.

Join Amal Yusuf, Mel Butcher, Susan Colantuono, and Michelle Redfern and benefit from their combined collective wisdom. We discuss career planning, asking for a salary increase, dealing with sexual harassment, questions to ask in a job interview, and much, much more. For more advice, support, and the tools and techniques to have YOUR career that soars, join us in A Career that Soars, read Susan's books, and, of course, listen to the back catalog of Lead to Soar episodes.

Resources:

Join A Career that Soars!
https://www.acareerthatsoars.com/landing

The global online platform for women who are serious about unlocking, showcasing and reaching their full leadership and career potential.

A Career that Soars creates safe spaces for women to stop, breathe and reflect. It enables women to learn, connect and advance towards a life and career that soars. Our mission is to provide more women in more workplaces access to leadership and career development experiences and the mentorship and camaraderie of a supremely supportive women's network.

If you are a woman, work in an organisation and want access to our growing network, then join us.

Listen to the TED Talk

https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_colantuono_the_career_advice_you_probably_didn_t_get/up-next?language=en

Connect with us
Susan LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susancolantuono/

Mel LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissabutcher/

Amal LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amalyusuf/

Michelle LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleredfern/

Buy the Books

No Ceilings, No Walls Book
https://acareerthatsoars.square.site/product/no-ceiling-no-walls/2?cs=true
Make the Most of Mentoring Book
https://acareerthatsoars.square.site/product/make-the-most-of-mentoring/1?cs=true

Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

Gaslighting in the workplace is Bullying. This form of toxic behavior is particularly insidious, and it can't be ignored if it's happening in your workplace. Because for the victims of this gaslighting, it can cause anxiety, depression, and even nervous breakdowns. It can cause the victim to even question their own sanity.

In this episode, Mel and Michelle explore what gaslighting can look like, sound like and feel like for women in the workplace so that they at work know how to recognize it. We also give advice to workplace leaders about how to recognise, respond and refer to when Gaslighting comes to their attention.

Resources

Find an ally in A Career that Soars.

www.acareerthatsoars.com

Watch

Gaslit: a series starring Julia Roberts about the real-life story of Martha Mitchell. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11834592/

Read

What Should I Do If My Boss is Gaslighting Me? https://hbr.org/2020/11/ask-an-expert-what-should-i-do-if-my-boss-is-gaslighting-me

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Do you have a “brilliant jerk” (or two) in your workplace?

A Brilliant Jerk, also known as a Toxic Rock Star, is a person, typically in a position of power who has awful toxic behaviours that negatively impact colleagues. Their toxic bullying behaviour “evades consequences” because they’re typically high performing in another metric. The brilliant jerk has a particularly [negative] impact on women with Women of Colour reporting significantly higher rates of bullying than their white counterparts.

Mel and Michelle share their experience of Brilliant Jerks and issue a strong call to action for leaders to eliminate the Brilliant Jerk from workplaces once and for all!

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium
• Download: The Inclusive Leaders Guide to Listening https://www.theadvancingwomenformula.com/the-advancing-women-5x5-method
• Read: Do You Have a Brilliant Jerk Or Two In Your Workplace? https://michelleredfern.com/do-you-have-a-brilliant-jerk-or-two-in-your-workplace/
• Read: Leaders, Stop Rewarding Toxic Rock Stars https://hbr.org/2022/04/leaders-stop-rewarding-toxic-rock-stars

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

Women face some tough workplace challenges from time to time. Often, we can find ourselves in a Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn response. Its where the amygdala takes over our own behaviour.
Mel and Michelle discuss the types of challenges women might face at work, including hostile workplaces, the types of human behaviour that occurs, the impact it has and importantly, what language is helpful versus not helpful when tackling the poor behaviour of co-workers. They even role play a situation that will be useful for workers and leaders alike.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, Dr. Catriona Wallace is our guest. Catriona is a serial entrepreneur and seasoned CEO. She talks with Michelle about why we need more women in AI, and how she has thrived in the manosphere of AI, STEM, and Venture Capitalism. Catriona also gives women some absolute gold about what great CEOs know and do.

https://mumbrella.com.au/youtube-algorithms-exposing-young-men-to-the-manosphere-reset-australia-734877

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Dr. Catriona Wallace Bio:

Dr. Catriona Wallace is recognized as an entrepreneur in the artificial intelligence and machine learning fields. Catriona also has a global reputation as a leading practitioner, speaker, and media commentator on Responsible Technology, AI ethics, and the future of work. Dr. Wallace is the CEO of ethical AI advisory, the chair of venture capital fund Boab AI, and she was the founder of Flamingo AI and machine learning company with headquarters in New York and Sydney. Dr. Wallace has been recognized by the Australian Financial Review as the most influential woman in business and entrepreneurship in 2018. And as the FinTech leader, and overall excellence in finance award by women in finance, 2018

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

Recent research tells us (again) that women outperform men on a range of different leadership metrics. That same research informs us that leaders are baffled that, given how competent women are, there are more of us at the top of organizations. Well, we want you to stop your bafflement about the leadership gender gap. It might be an okay place to start, but leaders must move on from admiring the problem and start taking action. And that does not mean enrolling all your workers in unconscious bias training! In this episode, Mel Butcher and Michelle Redfern call on leaders to take deliberate action to change the playing field to support their female talent pipeline.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, we discuss how we want leaders to interact with HR to support women, how we want HR to call bullshit on workplace fuckery, and what exactly is a Fuckeroni Pizza? All this and more in this energetic conversation with "Not the HR LAdy" Tara Furiani.

https://www.notthehrlady.com

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Tara Furiani Bio:

I'm Tara Furiani and after spending 20 years in the corporate world of work, 12 of those as an International Chief People Officer, I founded Not the HR Lady, A ‘People’ Consultancy Firm, a Popular Web Series & Podcast, Learning Community and a movement toward… All Things People. No BS.

My mission is simple… to create an on-going dialogue and affect change related to previously thought of as “taboo” topics for the workplace (like bullying, racism, good old boys’ clubs, brilliant a**holes, and more) that often marginalize, harm & oppress Women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ employees.

Companies all over the world hire my successful 'People Firm' to aid with: Business Strategy & Executive Team Building, Board Facilitator, HR & DEIB Consulting, C-Level Coaching & Executive Brand Management, to Speak at Events (virtual and live), to help them find the right executives for their organizations and, to change their business through people.

I hold several certifications, including Predictive Index, DiSC, Dale Carnegie, Franklin Covey, Meyers-Briggs and more. I also have my BBA in Marketing, an MS in Organizational Leadership, and 2nd MS in Psychology.

I've recently wrote my first book, F*ck Your Office Snacks and am working on a 2nd book & learning series called Don't Suck As A Boss.

I spend my free time with my seven children (5 bio, 2 adopted, Single Parent) and our fun family team enjoys traveling (before COVID-19), dark hide and seek, going to the lake, making music together, scary movies, dance parties, roller coasters, and cooking together.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

In this episode, Mel and Michelle discuss why politics at work need to be rebadged and rethought by women who want a career that soars. Politics, when viewed through the lens of our 3-part leadership definition, is engaging the greatness in others and aligning them towards to strategic and financial goals of the organization. Furthermore, women are rated by bosses as having superior EQ and engagement skills. We discuss how leveraging those skills, strategically and authentically is part of the successful woman's career toolkit.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

Mel and Michelle discuss why work-life balance is bullshit! Especially for women. They recommend that listeners challenge the notion of a two-dimensional existence (eg: work + life) and instead, consider striving for harmony where all the aspects of a person's life - family, interests, passion projects, and work can be integrated. Michelle also challenges the Patriarchy which assumes that women are still responsible for "balancing"  their career with the "3 C's" (cooking, cleaning, and caring).  

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

Episode 60 Resources:

• We recommend listeners download our Life Audit activity to start them on a pathway to a harmonious life. https://www.theadvancingwomenformula.com/life-audit

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with Amal Yusuf, newest host for a Career That Soars, to discuss her career path, and the leadership and wisdom she brings to our organization. Amal shares with us her path from immigrant to corporate business leader, and how she views networking and building connections for women in business.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Amal Yusuf Bio:

Amal Yusuf is the newest president of SHE BRG, Delta’s Women’s Business Resource Group, and project manager for the Employee Relations Center of Expertise at Delta, where she ensures her team has the process and technology capabilities to drive results for 75K employees. Amal has served Delta’s employees and customers in many roles, including onboarding program manager for flight attendants and manager of Safety Leadership and Promotion, where she designed and delivered programs to promote a culture of personal safety.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

Mel and Michelle talk about how to get (good) shit done when you're interviewing for a new role and/or starting a new job by sharing 10 'must ask' questions.  Tune in so you can find all the ways to nail the interview and start off a new job on the right foot, or level up your conversations with your boss.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

Episode 60 Resources:

• HBR - 7 Questions to Ask Your New Boss by Tomas Chomorro-Premuzic
• 5 Questions to Ask a Future Manager by Lily Konings

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

In this episode, Mel and Michelle discuss why women doing great work is just not enough. They talk about and share tips on, how women can communicate more about their work, their contributions, and their team's contributions in support of reaching goals. These goals are those that support, staff, team members, and the needs of other colleagues as you move up the career ladder.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

Molly Beck spend her days running Messi FM which is a B2B internal podcasting platform for companies to use podcast to talk to their employees. Molly also wrote the networking guidebook Reach Out, Reach Out, is about how to create a community around your work.

The strategy it focuses on is sending one message every weekday to someone on the edge of your network. This is a practice Molly has been doing since 2012, and it has transformed her career and life.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces.  In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

This episode was inspired by Carla Harris who gave a TED Talk called 'How to find the person who can help you get ahead at work'. Mel and Michelle explore just what a career sponsor is, how to go about getting one (hint: its not easy but there are ways) and importantly, what to pay attention to if you want to advance your career with the help of an advocate.

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

Have you ever thought or said “I’m just not that confident” or do you identify strongly with having imposter syndrome? Mel and Michelle talk about this and that we've both had at times in our lives, an internal dialogue or voice that we listen to that tells us that we're just not enough. So how do women get beyond this mindset, and start telling ourselves a much much better story?

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

Recorded live in 2021, this is an interview not to miss if you want to learn from an expert about how to not only get onto a board but how to be a boardroom star. Bev has significant wisdom to share with us, no matter what career stage (board or management) we are at.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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About Beverley
Beverly Behan has worked with nearly 200 Boards of Directors over the past 25 years ranging from the Fortune 500 to recent IPOs in the US, Canada and around the world.

Because she fervently believes that Great Companies Deserve Great Boards, Bev's work focuses on taking boards to the top of their game in overseeing the companies they govern. She specializes in board and director evaluations that have a real impact and yield positive changes in board composition and operations. One CFO of a company whose board she worked with commented two years later: "Our board is night and day from the way they were before. This board now - they're better than McKinsey!"

A significant component of her practice has increasingly involved advising boards relative to succession planning for the Chief Executive Officer, arguably the single most important decision any board will make. She also works with CEOs and senior management teams to increase their own effectiveness in working with their boards.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars

What happens when you don't know what to do next in your career? Or you are faced with a difficult choice? Or, you feel like you haven't got any choices? Mel and Michelle get to the heart of making career decisions and what women can do to help themselves gain clarity when they find themselves at the crossroads.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

Are you managing key personnel risk well enough in your organisation? Have you identified a potential successor or successors for your role? Do you have at least one woman or PoC on your succession plan? Have you identified what role(s) you would like to be considered a successor for? Answers to these and many more questions about succession planning are in this lively episode with Mel and Michelle.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Resources

• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode, friend of the podcast and job hunting coach Renata Bernarde shares with Michelle the ABCs of job hunting as well as discussing how The Great Resignation/Resent, etc. is a GREAT opportunity for women to make a bold career move.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Renata Bernarde Bio:

Renata Bernarde is the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. She's also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. She teaches corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Welcome back for Season 4 of the podcast. In this episode, Mel and Michelle discuss the importance of your industry or workplace women's network or one of the various employee resource groups that you may have in your organization. Michelle also shares how powerful a women's network can be for creating change as well as providing leadership development opportunities for women who want to have a career that soars. She also shares some tips about how to set and run a successful ERG. 

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down with hosts from a Career That Soars, as part of a live event to discuss career advice, what they think of the "Great Resignation", and so much more.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

SPEAKER BIOs

Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women. She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views). Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form A Career that Soars!, and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life. Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring which takes a close look at the conventional wisdom keeping women from rising from middle management.

Michelle Redfern is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast. Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career. Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organizational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.Mel Butcher is a co-host in A Career that Soars! and executive producer co-host of the Lead to Soar podcast.
During the day, Mel serves as an engineering consultant, where she is most passionate about helping corporate enterprise clients achieve and exceed their water risk, resilience, and sustainability goals. Mel is also the creator of Underdog Engineers, providing courses and resources for early-career engineers to launch their career.

Amal Yusuf is the newest president of SHE BRG, Delta’s Women’s Business Resource Group, and project manager for the Employee Relations Center of Expertise at Delta, where she ensures her team has the process and technology capabilities to drive results for 75K employees. Amal has served Delta’s employees and customers in many roles, including onboarding program manager for flight attendants and manager of Safety Leadership and Promotion, where she designed and delivered programs to promote a culture of personal safety.

Theresa Haywood-McCarley is currently the senior director for global corporate social responsibility. She’s held a number of managerial positions in the automotive (Delco Electronics) and semiconductor industries in the social responsibility, quality and supply chain organizations. Theresa has a B.S. Mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Masters of Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. Her passion is social responsibility and her interests include reading murder mystery novels.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

On this episode, Michelle and Mel give some much-needed advice on dealing with a sh*t boss, what you can do, and how to recognize if you are being that boss for someone else.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

On this episode, Michelle and Mel give an overview of what emotional vampires are, how to spot them, and what we can do about them as coworkers and leaders.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with Amal Yusuf, newest host for a Career That Soars, to discuss her career path, and the leadership and wisdom she brings to our organization. Amal shares with us her path from immigrant to corporate business leader, and how she views networking and building connections for women in business.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Amal Yusuf Bio:

Amal Yusuf is the newest president of SHE BRG, Delta’s Women’s Business Resource Group, and project manager for the Employee Relations Center of Expertise at Delta, where she ensures her team has the process and technology capabilities to drive results for 75K employees. Amal has served Delta’s employees and customers in many roles, including onboarding program manager for flight attendants and manager of Safety Leadership and Promotion, where she designed and delivered programs to promote a culture of personal safety.

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with Dr. Jen Frahm, a global expert on organizational change and transformation and an executive coach, to discuss the difference between leading change and being a change leader. They really dig into the importance of emotional intelligence, and inquiring, curious mind. There is so much to change and it's not just data from spreadsheets, you have to pay attention to what our bodies tell us about change. Leaders must change, now, to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Dr. Jen Frahm Bio:

Dr. Jen Frahm is a global expert on organizational change and transformation and an executive coach. Jen is a tamer of ambiguity, speaker of truths, and solver of problems. A sought-after speaker she is known for being at the frontier of business agility. She is also the co-founder of The Agile Change Leadership Institute and author of Change. Leader – The changes you need to make (2021), The Agile Change Playbook (Co-author, 2020), and Conversations of Change: A guide to workplace change (2017) She has designed and delivered change across multiple industries and professions, from wine sales to wedding dresses, veterinary products to energy retailers, nuns and engineers, big banks, small IT companies, publicly listed, privately owned and non-profit organizations, and across 28 countries. She grew up on the land of the Yuwibara people and now resides on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung. 

• Website https://drjenfrahm.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenfrahm/

• Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferfrahm/

  • Books: https://drjenfrahm.com/change-leader/
  • Agile Change Leadership Institute: https://aclinstitute.com
  • Cameron Schwab: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronschwab/

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

On this episode, Michelle and Mel give a snappy overview of 5 fundamentals of networking that will help women tap into their superpowers and network like a boss.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with Renata Bernarde, job hunting coach, about imposter syndrome, and gives her views of what it really is when people are job hunting and the fear of success. She has some terrific knowledge bombs about changing our mindsets when it comes to progressing our careers - like "what could go right?" instead of thinking "what could go wrong?"

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Renata Bernarde Bio:

Renata Bernarde is the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. She's also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. She teaches corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S! - leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, and Mel Butcher come together to share insights on the concepts that not all feedback is a gift and that women often receive feedback that isn't helpful to their careers. Because it is incomplete or vague. both women and leaders of women will benefit from the tips we share about giving and receiving GREAT career advice to lift performance.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Resources

• The Get Sh*t Done Experience inside A Career that Soars!
• The 12 Elements of Emotional Intelligence by Dr. Danial Goleman
• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

In this episode, Michelle and Mel talk about the importance of EQ in leadership, how to engage the greatness in others by using a range of leadership styles interchangeably. They also talk about our 5 engagement strategies as well as Dr. Daniel Goleman's Leadership That Gets Results.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with Jo Thomas, the CEO of the Australian Institute of Business. Jo shares her career story, how she ended living in Australia, and how she climbed the career ladder to hold multiple different C-Suite positions.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Jo Thomas' Bio: Jo Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Business. Jo is all about flawless execution, authentic leadership, and innovation. She is experienced with both online and offline customer offerings, and leading teams. Jo is extremely passionate about human experience, and enjoys making both the workplace and customer interactions life enhancing experiences. In her words, success lies where people, process and data intersect.

Michelle Redfern's Bio:

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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On episode 40 of Lead to Soar, Susan Colantuono, Michelle Redfern, and Mel Butcher sit down for a discussion on Executive Presence... What is executive presence? Why do you need it? And how do you get it? Where is traditional advice on executive advice missing, particularly for women?

SPEAKER BIOs
Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women. She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views).
​Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form A Career that Soars!, and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life.
Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring which takes a close look at the conventional wisdom keeping women from rising from middle management.

Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of A Career that Soars! (ACts!) and the primary host of the Lead to Soar podcast.
Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces). Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential.
Michelle “Gets Shit Done!” She helps clients get shit done to create gender equal and inclusive workplaces through her consulting and advisory work. She helps women from all walks of life get shit done for themselves and their careers through A Career that Soars! and Culturally Diverse Women. -- Get in touch with Michelle

Mel Butcher is a co-host in A Career that Soars! and executive producer co-host of the Lead to Soar podcast.
During the day, Mel serves as an engineering consultant, where she is most passionate about helping corporate enterprise clients achieve and exceed their water risk, resilience, and sustainability goals. Mel is also the creator of Underdog Engineers, providing courses and resources for early-career engineers to launch their career.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

On this episode, Michelle and Mel talk about avoiding office housework - how to gracefully step away from the menial tasks that won't get you a raise or a promotion.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with Semiconductor engineer and DEI expert, Alicia Scott. Alicia joins us to share her experiences advancing in an extremely male-dominated space - semiconductors, and shares her thoughts and experience as a Woman of Colour in STEM.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Bio for Guest, Alicia Scott

Alicia Scott has 25 years of professional experience in the semiconductor industry, and currently serves as the Senior Director of People, Culture and DEI at onsemi. Alicia earned a BS in Microelectronic Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, and an MBA from Arizona State University.

Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S! - leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, and Mel Butcher come together for a discussion on financial acumen in the business. This is for any person who hasn't learned what the story that numbers tell about the business, or women who have told themselves, "well, I'm just not that good with numbers." Michelle provides easy to understand, financial acumen 101.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Resources

• The Get Sh*t Done Experience inside A Career that Soars!
• The Your Mantle of Leadership Course
• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

On this episode, Michelle and Mel talk about the "I Don't" List - quick tips to help you take things off your plate that aren't in line with your best and highest purpose in life and career.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down for an interview with the one and only Sheila Flavell. Sheila is an extraordinary leader (by our full ACtS! definition!) in the truest sense. She has created exceptional outcomes for business and women in the Tech industry. She continues leading today and has a curiosity and energy to keep learning and pushing herself into new territory. We were so inspired by this episode and hope you are too!

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Bio for Guest, Sheila Flavell

Sheila Flavell has over 30 years experience in the global tech sector. She played an integral role in FDM’s flotation on AIM in 2005 and was a key instigator of the management buy-out of the Group in 2010 and the subsequent listing onto the main FTSE Market in 2014. Sheila’s knowledge of the sector has been crucial in driving FDM’s global expansion programme, taking them into the FTSE250. She spearheads the ‘Global Women in Tech’ campaign and created FDM’s hugely successful Returners Programme. Sheila is Deputy President of TechUK and chairs the Institute of Coding’s Industry Advisory Board. One of her proudest moments in business was when FDM achieved a zero gender pay gap.

She has won numerous awards during her career for services to the tech industry and was recognised in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list with ‘Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire’ for her services to gender equality in IT and the employment of graduates and returners. She is also listed in Computer Weekly’s ‘Most Influential Women in UK Tech, Hall of Fame.’

Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Day and Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S! - leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, and Mel Butcher come together to share insights on better understanding emotional intelligence and how to explore the question, "what do you cause?".

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Resources

• The Get Sh*t Done Experience inside A Career that Soars!
• The 12 Elements of Emotional Intelligence by Dr. Danial Goleman
• Sign up for A Career that Soars! *Premium

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Get Sh*t Done!

Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

On this episode, Michelle and Mel talk salary negotiation - quick tips to prepare for a successful salary negotiation up at your current employer.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern, sits down with guest Peta Sitcheff for a candid interview. They cover her exceptional career in sales and talk about a very rural problem for women in the workforce - burnout. We're incredibly proud of this episode and hope you find it engaging and helpful.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Bio for Guest, Peta Sitcheff

Peta Sitcheff is an author (My Beautiful Mess) and consultant based in Melbourne, Australia. She works with clients who would benefit most from her Sales leadership, and supports organizations to discover opportunity in unchartered waters.

Peta is an advocate for professional practices that are sustainable & minimize burnout, Peta inspires teams to consider the reputation they are trying to foster through her Lead with your Legacy coaching framework - content that refines communication skills & promotes behaviour that facilitates customer trust.

Peta’s passion projects are; mentoring young women through career change & unlocking workplace conversations through her story on burnout & navigating a male dominated customer environment.

Peta is a mother and is a passionate advocate for mental health and well-being in the work place.

Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Day and Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher come together to give YOU some tips and tactics on How to Network Like a Boss. Cultivating and maintaining a strategic network with the right others is key to your long-term career success.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Lead to Soar! is a production of A Career that Soars!

In this episode of L2S!, leadership and gender equality expert, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher come together to discuss the idea of "having it all!" and the damage this can do to women and their mindsets. In particular, they discuss "having it all" in the context of juggling career, motherhood, relations and beyond.

Learn more about Lead to Soar! and A Career that Soars! by visiting LeadToSoar.com

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Bio for Michelle Redfern

Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion and diversity. She is co-host of A Career that Soars! the founder of women’s network Women Who Get It co-founder of CDW (Culturally Diverse Women) and host of the Lead to Soar podcast.

Michelle is an experienced Non-Executive Director with Board and advisory roles in the finance, sport, for purpose and supply chain sectors. She is a proud Ambassador for Flexible Working Dayand Girls Uniform Agenda. She has held executive leadership roles at ASX & FTSE listed companies NAB, Telstra and Serco during her 30-year corporate career.

Michelle is a Graduate of the AICD, holds an Executive MBA (Distinction) and holds various accreditations in organisational diversity and coaching. She is an in-demand speaker and is a regular contributor to the discussion and advocate for gender equality and inclusion in sport and business workplaces.

Bio for Mel Butcher

Mel Butcher is a consulting engineer focused on growing business through serving enterprise industrial clients in the environmental, water, and sustainability spaces. In her free time, she is a host inside A Career That Soars! and on the Lead to Soar! podcast where she supports women in achieving their highest career ambitions. Mel is a goal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in the engineering and industrial world. She also gives time to supporting young engineers early in their career. Reach out here.

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Get Sh*t Done!

Get Sh*t Done! (GSD!) are Lead to Soar's short, snappy, roughly ~10 minute mini-episodes to bring you a quick fix of career advice.

On this episode, Michelle shares "the life audit," getting your priorities back on straight so you can focus on getting the right sh*t done.

Visit LeadToSoar.com for show notes or to leave Michelle and Mel a question. 

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Cheryl Morrison Deutsch, CEO of Zillion, joins is on episode 28 of the Lead to Soar podcast to share her career story and philosophies on leadership.

Guest Bio: Cheryl Morrison Deutsch, CEO of Zillion brings almost three decades of experience in translating business and technology requirements into actionable plans to provide superior user experiences. Morrison Deutsch most recently served as Executive Director of Customer Experience, Collaboration & Transformation at Kronos. Prior to this, she was a thought leader at Cloud Technology Partners, a premier cloud services and software company serving fortune 500 companies, developing technical and organizational strategies to support customers’ business transformations. Morrison Deutsch also served as Chief Application Officer at Health Dialog, where she oversaw the design, development and implementation of a proprietary coaching application developed to convert predictive analytics into easily digestible contextual patient information.

NOTABLE QUOTES

QUOTES
"It's ok that you don't know everything. You just surround yourself with people who can support you. You don't have to be an accountant to understand finance and its implications for your business. You add value in your experience and [through] your thoughtfulness around any subject... except maybe surgery." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch on Business, Strategic and Financial Acumen

"Information is only power when you share it." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch

"We don't care where you sit. We care what you do and how you do it." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch on leading the remote workforce of the future

"Don't let fear guide your [career] decisions." -- Cheryl Morrison Deutsch

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It's one of Michelle's favorite things... helping you GET SH*T DONE!

In this episode, we discuss getting the right sh*t done in your organization; Michelle outlines some handy tips and ways of organizing your thinking. You can think of this as a nice long intro to the GSD mini episodes we'll be dropping later in the season!

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career that Soars! Learn more at LeadToSoar.com

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Your hosts, Michelle Redfern and Mel Butcher, share the scoop on what to expect in Season 3 of the Lead to Soar podcast and what's coming up next inside A Career that Soars!

A Career that Soars! is a network and learning environment for ambitious women who want to take their careers to the next level. Premium members can access free and discounted courses and workshops created by the founder and hosts -- Susan Colantuono (author of No Ceiling, No Walls), Michelle Redfern, Mel Butcher and more. We can't wait to see you inside!

Visit LeadToSoar.com to learn more...

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Take a listen to this episode to hear a brief message from Lead to Soar producer, Mel Butcher.

Links:

• Join us inside A Career that Soars!
• No Ceiling, No Walls book by Susan Colantuono
• Make the Most of Mentoring book by Susan Colauntuono
• The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get - a TED talk by Susan Colantuono
• Learn more about Michelle Redfern
• Learn more about Mel Butcher

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Bio for Emily McKie: Emily has coached sports for 10 years using an exploratory facilitation and athlete-centred coaching style, and is currently working with the U18 female program at Dandenong Stingrays as a development coach in the semi elite pathway. Emily created and managed what is now one of the biggest female junior football leagues in Victoria, Australia - the Eastern Region Girls Football League. She has used sport to go around the world - either playing, coaching, or running Auskick clinics in France, Sweden, Amsterdam, Germany, and Belgium.

Notable Episode Quotes:

“If you understand why you’re doing something, how you do it will come… If you can sell it and do it with conviction, you’re set." - Emily McKie

“A mentoring relationship is not sycophantic. You don’t have to agree and slavishly follow everything, however, it gives you that perspective – those different perspectives." -Michelle Redfern

“One of the myths I want to bust [around mentoring] is that you have to form this bosom buddies, symbiotic, chemistry laden, 25 year relationship that’s just going to be amazing… It won’t always be like that. Sometimes it’s short and sharp and mutually beneficial..” -Michelle Redfern

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On this episode of Lead to Soar, we answer questions from you - our listeners! This episode's questions cover career progress obstacles, recognition, supporting diversity at work, and handling tricky feedback a superior. Leave your own questions to be answered on a future episode at LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Bio: Wendy Hanson is the co-founder and COO of BetterManager. At Better Manager, Wendy and her team believe that Managers are the single most important factor in employee engagement and happiness. The employee-manager relationship determines up to 70% of an employee's engagement. And, engaged employees are the key to company performance. Companies with highly engaged teams outperform peers by 147% in earnings per share. To create effective and lasting change, companies need to invest in a solution that is adaptive, responsive and meets the needs of all managers. That’s where BetterManager comes in. BetterManager executive coaches provide cost-effective, personalized guidance that any manager can benefit. The BetterManager team facilitates through a combination of Coaching, Workshops and Technology.

Wendy joined Michelle today to talk about her personal journey from employee, to her first side hustle, to leadership and entrepreneurship. They explore how anyone can take their entrepreneurial spirit and apply it to becoming an "intreprerneur" inside their organization.

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Guest Bio: Kerry Ashbrook is an entrepreneur, business women, inspirational speaker, author, corporate executive and investor. Kerry is the founder of Life You Choose, where she supports women in achieving financial independence and to live the life they would truly choose.

Kerry has subject matter expertise that extends across business strategy, customer service, sales & marketing, information technology, enterprise transformation and program management, business architecture, retail and courier operations as well as corporate sourcing and supply chain.

Kerry is the author of: A Life Reinvented

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Disclaimer: In providing this podcast, no leaders or members of A Career that Soars!, nor producers of Lead to Soar, nor Lead to Soar guests, nor Michelle Redfern, nor Susan Colantuono, nor Mel Butcher are acting as a certified financial planner, advisor, a certified financial analyst, an economist, CPA, accountant or lawyer. Neither A Career that Soars! nor Lead to Soar make any recommendations as to any specific securities or investments. All content is for informational and general purposes only and does not constitute financial, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and financial advisors regarding your particular situation. Neither A Career that Soars! nor Lead to Soar, nor Susan Colantuono, nor Michelle Redfern, nor Mel Butcher accepts any responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information from within this podcast. And to the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude all liability for loss or damages, direct or indirect, arising from the use of the information.

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Guest Bio: Libby Mears is the CEO of Leisure Networks and over the past 8 years has driven transformative change, significantly extending the reach and impact of the organization. Libby is well-known for her passion for enabling a high performing and positive culture and has built a highly regarded community organisation and leading provider of disability services. Leisure Networks’ team of passionate people are driven by the organisational mission of connecting people to community to build inclusive, health promoting places, and enabling people of all abilities to direct their own lives.
In addition to her role at Leisure Networks, Libby is deeply committed to making a broader leadership contribution and for eight years was a local council and Mayor of the surf Coast shire. Libby is currently Chair of the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority and GForce Employment Services.

Notable Quotes
“You are worth being invested in.” - Libby Mears
“As women, we often just pull our sleeves up and get on with the job. But there is something about being able to stand up, stand in front of people and really own what you’ve achieved. And that’s empowering with other women...” -Libby Mears
“Take confidence in what you’ve achieved.” - Libby Mears
“Relationships matter... Invest and put into building relationships...” -Libby Mears
“The privilege of leadership is very powerful. And amplifying others, shining a light, creating a better world... these are all important things." -Libby Mears

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On episode 19 of Lead to Soar, Susan Colantuono, Michelle Redfern, and Mel Butcher sit down for a discussion on confidence... What is confidence? Where does confidence come from? How do you get it? Where does traditional advice on confidence go wrong?

LINKS

• Book: What the CEO Want You To Know by Ram Charan
• Book: No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono

SPEAKER BIOs
Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women. She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views).
​Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form A Career that Soars!, and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life.
Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring which takes a close look at the conventional wisdom keeping women from rising from middle management.

Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of A Career that Soars! (ACts!) and the primary host of the Lead to Soar podcast.
Michelle is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces). Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential.
Michelle “Gets Shit Done!” She helps clients get shit done to create gender equal and inclusive workplaces through her consulting and advisory work. She helps women from all walks of life get shit done for themselves and their careers through A Career that Soars! and Culturally Diverse Women. -- Get in touch with Michelle

Mel Butcher is a co-host in A Career that Soars! and executive producer (and occasional host) of the Lead to Soar podcast.
During the day, Mel serves as a consultant for Carollo Engineers, where she is most passionate about helping corporate enterprise clients achieve and exceed their water risk, resilience, and sustainability goals.
​
NOTABLE EPISODE QUOTES
“Confidence is not absolute.” -Susan Colantuono
“Go beyond the headline. Go deeper. And think about - what does the CEO really want you to know... The CEO really wants you to know about being confident about how to run the business. Then ask yourself, is the advice you're getting about confidence really going to help you do that?" - Michelle Redfern

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Be Known and Strategic Networks Matter
Florence restarted her career (late) after she worked out she needed to do something more with her life.
She took a risk, began a job in mining (because it paid well) and then worked out that this could take her and her community places.
Florence values a mindset of abundance, giving with open arms, and this along with her growing network and influence to be in service of her community (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women) meant she formed IWIMRA. She was determined to create better, more sustainable outcomes and part of that was forming a strategic network for indigenous women in mining and resources.
Just get going, be known and always show up. Know how your internal compass is guiding you, align your activities to your values and keep actively learning about what matters.

Notable Quotes
“Show up.”
“Trust your internal compass.”
“Align things to your values - your family, your culture.”
“Flex that network... Be known. Be proactive to be known.”

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About Nina Patil:

Patil started career as a social worker. She became involved in business through her marriage, and is now a successful 26 year tenured CEO.
Patil experienced a rocky start in business, but she was open to learning and really valued having a mentor to help her close her gaps, particularly around numbers (she was terrified of numbers) – she also strategically networked to learn about the business of the business. Patil took charge of her professional development by getting involved in different learning opportunities and strategic networking activities.
Nina Patil has achieved and sustained extraordinary outcomes including:
Environmental outcomes for farmers by using unconventional ideas to farm more naturally
Women's empowerment - for women to own land and also helping women become economically empowered. She challenged the system to empower women who had little financial literacy or agency over their finances, work, and lives.

Notable Episode Quotes

“There is so much to give and so much to share. Give with open arms and you definitely receive the same.” -NP

“We tend to make excuses for ourselves – oh but this happened and that happened... Let’s just get going. Embrace life with both your hands.” -NP

“I think the future is woman.” -NP

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Guest Bio: Laura Ryan BA (Hons), MSc, DipM MCIM

Laura has a First-Class Honours in Marketing and a Masters in Management and has also achieved Chartered Marketer status via the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Laura joined the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in 2007 after successfully launching premium beef & lamb brands within a large butchery business in the North East of England. Working her way through the ranks she was appointed as Sector Strategy Director for Beef & Lamb Board in 2015.She led the strategic review and development for the Beef & Lamb sector in England by identifying key challenges and opportunities which deliver long term growth. Last year Laura successfully launched Lavenpark, her own consultancy business which is working with levy boards, government and commercial companies to achieve greater success through improved industry insight, connectivity, business development, marketing, and communications. Laura is the founder and global Chair of Meat Business Women which launched in 2015. It has recently been recognized by the United Nations with Laura presenting on the contribution Meat Business Women makes to the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Link

Meat Business Women

Episode Quotes

On Strategy -- “Don’t let folks tell you that it’s more complicated than that. Understand, do the research, understand where you are now, what’s the ambition, what’s the macro-environmental impact, what are your competitors doing, get the research, get the data, and then map out a road map.” - Laura Ryan

“Strategic networking is essentially about generosity and reciprocity, but we have to invest time in it. And [we’re] debunking the myth that your networking is turning up to conferences or after work functions with mediocre wine and dreadful canapes... It’s genuine care, but also having that strategic intent. And being able to say – this is where I want to be able have an impact in my industry, my sector, wherever it may be.” -Michelle Redfern

"I think the networking piece is really important... investing in your network, in your personal board.” - Laura Ryan

“Be brave and push yourself outside your comfort zone.” - Laura Ryan

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Guest bio: Julie Escobar is a sharpened international market-driven leader and international business woman. She has driven the achievement of tremendous sales goals - from $20M to $50M in 3 years. Escobar is co-founder of Global Women Fresh, an organization whose mission is to leverage the talent of Women in produce to close the food industry’s gender divide by inspiring, connecting, and empowering women around the world.

Episode Quotes

“To go where you really want to go, you have to put the hours, you have to put the energy, the investment – financial and non-financial – and ultimately that takes determination, right? I mean you have to have determination, you have to be incredibly intentional about what your goals and your dreams are.” - Julie Escobar
“Rock the boat. Ask difficult questions.” - Julie Escobar
“Hope is not a strategy.” - Michelle Redfern
“You need to understand how the company is making money. And when you are comfortable articulating – how does the company make money and how do you add value to that equation – and you can articulate that well in front of anyone... then I think that’s ultimately when you become someone critical in the equation.” - Julie Escobar
“The advice given to women is so rarely around developing your business, strategic, and financial acumen. It’s so rarely about how to harness and point your ambition in the right way. It’s so rarely about unleashing their potential. It’s so often about their appearance. It’s so often about work-life balance. It’s so often about the very gendered things...” - Michelle Redfern
“Absolutely, it is important to hit the numbers, and to hit the revenue and the profits, but at the same time it Is incredibly important to bring the team and to have an environment and a culture that you are supporting and empowering and mentoring the people behind you. Because if not, then it doesn’t really work. The company can be making millions and billions of dollars, but if everyone hates coming to work, it’s a nightmare for everyone”. - Julie Escobar
“Putting your head down and your bottom up doing really good work is OK. But you need to also build those internal and external relationships.” - Michelle Redfern

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On this episode of Lead to Soar, we hear and answer questions from you - our listeners! This episode's questions cover career growth, asking for a promotion and raise, paid mentorship/coaching, and recognizing bad bosses in interviews. Leave your own questions to be answered on a future episode at LeadToSoar.com

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Guest Bio: Libby Lyons was appointed Director of Australia's Workplace Gender Equality Agency in 2015. She oversees the process that gathers gender equality data from over 10,000 employers, covering more than 4 million employees. In leading the Agency, Libby is focused on working closely with employers to achieve gender equality.

Soon after her appointment, Libby initiated the development of a strategic plan aimed at maximizing the Agency’s world-leading dataset and expanding the reach and impact of gender reporting nationally and internationally.

As part of this strategic vision, Libby presented at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2018 and 2019.

Libby was listed in Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential People Working in Gender Policy for both 2018 and 2019. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and an Ambassador for Honour a Woman.

Prior to joining the Agency, Libby had a distinguished career in corporate affairs and government relations, including senior roles at BHP’s Olympic Dam, Alcoa of Australia, the Western Power Corporation, and Telstra.

Learn more: WGEA

Notable Episode Quotes:

“You know, government is no different to business. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.” -LL

“I will only ever be as good at my job as those that work with me, those that put the wind under my wings. So, we have to look out for how we can help move them on and help progress their careers.” -LL
“If I know that there is a particular issue that has to be addressed, and it’s coming up in a meeting, and I know that my view is probably contrary or my thoughts or contrary to the majority or particularly the leader.... I’ll caucus. I’ll go out and individually start talking to the different people that are going to be at the table and talk to them and tell them what I think and caucus to try to get that support and say to them, “will you support me in tis. If you don’t I’ll bring it up anyway, but it would be great to have some support around the table.” -LL
“The one thing that I think we all need to work really hard on, as women, is: supporting other women. I still see, much to my disappointment, many senior women... who are not supportive of other women. Who still have that attitude of – I had to do it tough, you can too." -LL

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Heather Polinsky is an environmental consulting professional with over 20 years of experience. She started her career working as a civilian project manager for the US Army Environmental Command. She found herself in consulting not too long later, and has had a wonderful career trajectory that's taken her from Project Management, through Program Management, Client Development, and now a leader of leaders in Operations. In this episode of the Lead to Soar Podcast, Heather reflects on some of the ways mentors have helped her most, the best career advice she's ever received, and how she has developed The Missing 33% (business strategic and financial acumen) throughout her career. Heather was recently appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of Arcadis North America, which has a staff of ~6,000 professionals.

Learn more about Arcadis by visiting Arcadis.com

Notable Quotes from Heather Polinsky:

On advice for professionals growing in leadership: "Really make sure that you're willing to ask questions, and the second part is - trust your team... We're all at the table because of something we offer that's unique... and if you've built a good team, it's designed that way. So use it!"

"You have to understand what your picture looks like and be happy with your picture. Don't spend your days comparing yourself to other people, other families, other pictures. Because they might not be the same, but it's OK..."

"My message is: go for it now. If you think in a year you'll be ready, you're probably ready now."

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Karen Catlin bio: After spending 25 years building software products and serving as a vice president of engineering at Macromedia and Adobe, Karen Catlin witnessed a sharp decline in the number of women working in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, she knew it was time to switch gears. Today, Karen is an acclaimed author and speaker on inclusive workplaces. She is the author of three books: "Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces," "The Better Allies Approach to Hiring,” and "Present! A Techie's Guide to Public Speaking."

“We all need to build our network *before we need it…” -Karen Catlin

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Susan Colantuono has made it her life’s mission to support the career success of women. She is the Founder of and now retired CEO of Leading Women, an international management consulting company focused on bringing gender balance to leadership teams. She is globally known for her TED Talk on The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get (now with over 4 million views). Recognizing that many women around the globe do not have access to the leadership and career development resources they need in order to advance, Susan envisioned that a global network of aspiring women could fill such a gap. She embarked on the journey to form A Career that Soars!, and joined forces with Michelle Redfern to bring it to life.

​Susan is also the author of two internationally acclaimed books: No Ceiling, No Walls: what women haven’t been told about leadership and Make the Most of Mentoring which takes a close look at the conventional wisdom keeping women from rising from middle management.

Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of A Career that Soars! (ACts!). She is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces).​ Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential.

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On this episode of Lead to Soar, Susan interviews Michelle and they have a deep discussion on their experiences in mentorship, and the meaning and importance of distinguishing CAKE versus PIE mentoring.

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Michelle Redfern is the co-founder of A Career that Soars! (ACts!) She is the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on equality, inclusion and gender diversity. She is co-founder of social enterprise CDW (Culturally Diverse Women and Workforces) a

​Everything Michelle does is grounded in her personal mission and purpose to contribute to creating a gender equal world. She wants her son and daughter, nieces and nephews to inhabit a world where women and girls are valued and respected and equal. She wants them to live in a world where every human, no matter how they identify, can reach their full potential.

​On this episode of Lead to Soar, Mel Butcher interviews Michelle about Mentoring 101. What is mentoring? How does one mentor effectively? How can you be an amazing protege?

Links

• Join A Career that Soars!
  • After joining, you can find when the next 'Make the Most of Mentoring' course is going to be offered by clicking the "Courses" option in the menu.

Book Links

• Make the Most of Mentoring by Susan Colantuono
• No Ceiling, No Walls by Susan Colantuono
• Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman

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Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, co-founders of A Career that Soars!, Susan Colantuono & Michelle Redfern, join Mel Butcher (ACtS! co-host and Lead to Soar producer) to share reflections one 2020 - the good and bad. And then, the ACtS! give some insight into what's ahead for the organization and podcast, welcoming 2021...

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! L2S is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher.

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Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, Lisa Alexander, professional sports coach, joins us to discuss what it means to lead in business and sport.

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher.

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Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, ACtS! co-founder, Michelle Redfern, interviews water/wastewater engineer and consultant, Laurel Rowse. An important theme of their discussion is positive self talk.

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher

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Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, ACtS! co-founder, Michelle Redfern, discusses what the leadership mindset looks like at different carer stages and the difference between conventional and strategic career advice for women.

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher

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Lead to Soar provides actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. Who is Michelle Redfern? On this episode, Mel Butcher interviews A Career that Soars! (ACtS!) co-founder, Michelle Redfern, about her life and career, setting the stage for future discussion on career ambition and advice.

Lead to Soar is a production of ACtS! It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher

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Lead to Soar shares actionable advice for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, ACtS! co-founders Susan Colantuono interviews Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of XEROX. Anne became the CEO of XEROX during an extremely tumultuous financial period for the company; under her leadership, the company avoided bankruptcy  and led their revenue back to a positive trajectory.

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher

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Lead to Soar provides insights and guidance for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, ACtS! co-founders Susan Colantuono and Michelle Redfern, discuss the 3 main career stages - Individual Contributor, Leader/Manager, Director/Executive - and what leadership looks like at each career stage.

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher

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Lead to Soar provides insights and guidance for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. On this episode, ACtS! co-founders Susan Colantuono and Michelle Redfern, discuss the foundations of Leadership and why these key pillars lead to a career that soars.

Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars! (ACtS!) It is hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher

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Lead to Soar provides insights and guidance for ambitious career women working their way up inside public and private organizations. Lead to Soar is a production of A Career That Soars. It's hosted by Michelle Redfern and executive produced by Mel Butcher. Learn more at www.LeadToSoar.com