The Empowering Women Podcast: Recent Episodes
Empowering Women in Industry
Interviews with successful career women from a variety of industries. We hope to empower women in their career aspirations, whether that's climbing a corporate ladder or becoming an entrepreneur.
What if the biggest thing holding your career back...
...is waiting for someone else to choose you?
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon sits down with leadership expert, former CEO, and Equipt Women founder Kelly Mooney, co-author of the newly released book UP!: The Playbook for Every Woman on the Rise.
But this conversation isn't just about career advancement.
It's about choosing yourself before someone else does. It's about letting go of perfection, building the courage to take the next step, and creating a career - and a life - with intention instead of waiting for opportunity to arrive.
Together, Shannon and Kelly explore why so many women hesitate to raise their hands, how to navigate workplaces that weren't always designed for them, the power of champions and sponsors, and why the smallest move today can change the trajectory of tomorrow.
Whether you're considering a new opportunity, feeling stuck where you are, or simply wondering what comes next, this episode is a reminder that you don't have to have the entire journey figured out.
Sometimes...
The most important move is simply deciding to move.
Watch on YouTube.
đŹ Gems from Kelly:
"Why not me?"
âIt never occurred to me that I was capable and qualified. That I should raise my hand.â
"You have to work with people whose values you respect. You are much happier and more fulfilled at work when you do.â
"Opportunities don't come to you when you're sitting comfortably in your comfort zone."
"Being a role model is important, but being perfect isn't."
"Make a move."
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Connect with Kelly
Website: https://equiptwomen.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pkmooney/
đ Books and Resources
Kellyâs New Book: https://equiptwomen.com/upbook/
Subscribe to Kellyâs Newsletter: https://equiptwomen.com/get-equipt/
đď¸ Learn More
Equipt Women Programs https://equiptwomen.com/programs/
Equipt Essentials: Free Career and Life Tools https://equiptwomen.com/essentials/
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Annual Conference Sept 30_October 1 New Orleans
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
What if the biggest adventure of your life isn't standing on top of a mountain...
...but taking the first step toward something that scares you?
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon sits down with international mountain leader, polar guide, photographer, and author Alexandra Nemethâthe first Hungarian to climb the highest mountain on every continent, including Mount Everest.
But this conversation isn't just about mountaineering.
It's about choosing courage when certainty would feel easier. It's about finding purpose through unexpected twists, embracing discomfort as a path to growth, and discovering that resilience is built one step at a time.
Together, Shannon and Alexandra explore the risks worth taking, the lessons hidden inside failure, the confidence that comes from doing hard things, and why adventure looks different for every one of us.
Whether your next climb is changing careers, chasing a dream, speaking up, or simply trying something new, this episode will remind you that growth rarely happens inside your comfort zone.
Because sometimes...
The greatest summit you'll ever reach is the one you choose to climb.
Watch the fill interview on YouTube.
đŹ Gems from Alexandra:
"I would rather adjust along the way than never know if it would have worked or not."
"Less about avoiding risk, but more about understanding what matters."
"Adventure is stepping slightly beyond what feels comfortable."
"I think people regret things they didn't do far more than the mistakes that they made along the way."
"If there is the spark, that curiosity, then listen to it."
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Connect with Alexandra
¡ Website: https://alex7summits.com
¡ Instagram: @alex7summits
¡ Email: alex7summits@gmail.com
đ Books and Resources
- Alexâs New Book: https://www.alex7summits.com/the-book
đď¸ Learn More
- Speaking and Keynotes https://www.alex7summits.com/speaking
- Alpine Seasons Series https://www.alex7summits.com/alpine-seasons-series
- Private Alpine Tours: https://www.alex7summits.com/alpine-tours
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
NEW Empowering Women in Industry Annual Conference Sept 30_October 1 New Orleans
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
June 23 marks International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), a global celebration of the women designing, building, and shaping the future around us.
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon sits down with Jossie Haines - Princeton-educated engineer, technical Emmy Award winner, former VP of Engineering at Tile, and executive coach for women in technology leadership.
With more than 25 years of experience spanning Apple, Zynga, and Tile, Jossie has seen both the incredible opportunities and very real challenges that come with building a career in engineering. From navigating burnout and imposter syndrome to creating her own executive role and helping leaders thrive in the age of AI, Jossie shares an honest and refreshing perspective on what it means to lead with both ambition and humanity.
Together, Shannon and Jossie explore belonging, career reinvention, workplace culture, networking, and why the most valuable skills in an AI-powered world may be the most human ones.
Whether you're an engineer, a leader, or simply someone wondering what's next in your career, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom and encouragement to help you define success on your own terms.
Because the future isn't something that happens to us.
It's something we help create.
Watch this interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbbBtRJ_Z9A
đŹ Gems from Jossie:
âI truly believe that with inclusive cultures, we can actually build technology that fulfills the needs of our diverse world.â
âDon't gaslight yourself.â
âWhat you can control is staying open to looking at the possibilities.â
âOnly you can connect the dots based on the perspective you have.â
âThe best leaders in the AI world are the ones who are leaning into the human-centric skills that they can uniquely use.â
âYou get to define what your version of success is. You get to own that.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Connect with Jossie
- Website
đź Media to Explore
- Past Podcast Interviews
- Women in Tech Guide
International Women in Engineering Day
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Carolinas Conference
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
What happens when women find a community that truly sees them?
In this special bonus episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, host Shannon Bumgarner sits down with Empowering Women in Industry founder Charli Matthews Carruth to talk about the vision behind the inaugural Carolinas Conference and the power of connection in industry.
Together, they explore why community matters, how mentorship and advocacy help women grow, and what makes Empowering Women events feel different from other professional conferences. They also discuss leadership lessons, the importance of investing in yourself, and why the next generation of women in manufacturing, engineering, and skilled trades gives them so much hope.
Whether you're attending the Carolinas Conference on July 9th or simply looking for encouragement in your career journey, this conversation is a reminder that you belong, your voice matters, and you don't have to go it alone.
Watch this interview on YouTube.
đŹ Gems from Charli:
âWe're really just putting up a mirror to show them that they already have it within themselves to accomplish.â
âYou absolutely belong in the room.â
âIt's amazing how much you can do when you're not letting the pressures of work, family, or friends direct your steps.â
âAllow people to help you. Allow people to use their gifts and support you.â
âYou're not leaving alone anymore. You have a whole community, a whole network of resources.â
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Carolinas Conference
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
May is Mental Health Awareness Month - a time to pause and rethink how we care for ourselves and the people around us. Because the truth is, many of us are running fast⌠and, letâs be honest, running tired.
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon sits down with workplace wellbeing expert, keynote speaker, and author Jen Fisher to explore a powerful idea: hope isnât just a feelingâitâs a leadership skill.
Jen shaped the conversation around wellbeing as the first-ever Chief Wellbeing Officer at Deloitte, helping organizations rethink burnout, human sustainability, and what it truly means to lead peopleânot just manage performance.
But Jenâs work didnât start in a boardroom. It started with her own experience navigating burnout and discovering that real hope is not passive. Itâs intentional. Itâs actionable. And it can transform the way we lead, work, and live.
Together, Shannon and Jen unpack why hope matters more than ever in todayâs world of work, how leaders can cultivate it within their teams, and why the smallest steps forward often create the biggest change.
If youâve ever felt overwhelmed, burned out, or unsure how to keep moving forward - this conversation the breath of fresh air youâve been looking for.
And maybe a reminder that hope isnât naĂŻve. Itâs strategic.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Kuz0wuf9NKY
đŹ Gems from Jen:
âI want you to behave and lead in a way that inspires hope.â
âDo you want to be the leader of a hopeful organization or a hopeless organization?â
âHope requires three things. It requires a goal, clarity around that goal, pathways to reach it, and the agency to actually impact change.â
âReal hope requires action.â
âEleven years ago we weren't having these conversations in the workplaceâwe werenât talking about well-being, and we certainly werenât talking about burnout.â
âIf one pathway is blocked, you can switch and say: that didnât work, what did I learn? Iâm going to move to the next pathway.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Connect with Jen Fisher
- Website
đź Media to Explore
- TEDx Talk: The Future of Work
- The WorkWell Podcast
đ Books & Research Mentioned
- Hope Is the Strategy â Jen Fisher
- Hope Theory Research â C.R. Snyder
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Carolinas Conference
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
May 6 is National Skilled Trades Day â a day dedicated to celebrating the makers, builders, and problem-solvers who quite literally shape the world around us.
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon sits down with Rebecca Heustess, certified tile installer, lead tile setter at Grazzini Brothers & Company, and the 2025 Empowering Women in Industry Tradeswoman of the Year.
Rebeccaâs journey into the trades didnât begin with a master plan. It began with curiosity, grit, and a willingness to try something new. Over the years, she has worked her way from helper to lead tile setter, mentoring others along the way and becoming a powerful advocate for women entering the skilled trades.
Together, Shannon and Rebecca talk about the art and science behind tile setting, the confidence that comes with mastering a craft, and why community organizations like NAWIC and Empowering Women in Industry can transform careers.
Rebecca also shares a powerful story about allyship on the job site, the myths sheâd love to bust about women in construction, and why she believes the skilled trades are one of the most rewarding career paths out there.
If youâve ever wondered what it looks like to build a career â and a community â with your own two hands, this conversation is for you.
Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/njTPlehwWRY
đŹ Gems from Rebecca:
âGrout is her glitterâ
âThereâs something about tile that when it just gets in your blood, itâs in your blood. Tile people stay in it for the longevity.â
âOnce I gained the confidence in myself is really when I knew this is where I was meant to be.â
âWhen I joined NAWIC, it gave me a newfound appreciation for what I actually do and the impact that I can make in this industry, being a woman in construction.â
âItâs not a puzzle. Itâs a puzzle that we have to build, cut, and then put back together.â
âJust because I have pretty nails doesnât mean I donât get them dirty.â
âIf we werenât built to do everything a man can do, weâre built to do what a man canât do.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đˇOrganizations Mentioned
National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)
National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA)
đ Articles
NAWIC Article
Tile Letter Article
đź Connect with Rebecca on social media
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Carolinas Conference
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
April is Neurodiversity Month - a time to expand how we think about communication, intelligence, progress, and belonging.
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon sits down with writer, keynote speaker, and neurodiversity advocate Sarah Kernion, the voice behind Inchstonesâ˘, a movement redefining how we measure progress for children with profound autism and for the caregivers who support them.
Sarah shares the deeply personal journey that led her to become an advocate for neurodivergent families after two of her children were diagnosed with profound, non-speaking autism. Through storytelling, lived experience, and strategic insight, she challenges traditional narratives about milestones, success, and strength.
Together, Shannon and Sarah explore the idea that progress doesnât always come in leaps. It often comes inch by inch. They also discuss how lessons from neurodiversity can reshape leadership, systems thinking, and the way organizations approach inclusion.
From redefining motherhood to celebrating small wins, this conversation is a powerful reminder that difference is not a deficit - itâs an adaptive advantage.
If youâre ready to rethink progress, leadership, and what it truly means to support one another, this episode is for you.
đŹ Gems from Sarah:
âDifference isn't a deficit, it's actually an adaptive advantage. Our systems work better when they work for everyone.â
âThe hardships of life don't happen to you; they happen for you.â
âI have to focus on their inchstones of development. If I don't, I will constantly be lagging behind what everyone else is expecting of them.â
âStrength is never the goal. Support, in any evolution, that's the goal.â
âStories don't replace data or KPIs⌠but what they do is they give data a pulse.â
âYou are allowed to be. There's no fill-in. You are allowed to be.â
âIf you can, inchstone by inchstone, challenge all assumptions about what you are or are to be⌠it will change your life in more ways than you can imagine.â
Watch the Interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n5wJ1g8vuP8
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đLinks, Newsletters, and Resources
Saturday Story Website
Inchstones Substack
Inchstones Podcast
đ Books, Articles, and Concepts
The Artistâs Way
OODA Loop (ObserveâOrientâDecideâAct decision framework)
đź Connect with Sarah on social media
LinkedIn
Instagram
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
March is Womenâs History Month. This month and this yearâs International Womenâs Day theme, Give to Gain, invites us to rethink what it means to open doors.
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon is joined by Katie Fortunato, co-founder and EVP of Hire Innovations, who is working to fix whatâs broken in todayâs hiring systems. She is challenging ghosting, phantom job posts, and processes that forget thereâs a human on the other side of the screen. Together, they explore how giving transparency, dignity, and access in hiring doesnât weaken organizationsâit strengthens them.
From redefining rejection to meeting the next generation where they are, Katie shares how human-centered AI and intentional visibility can help create more equitable pathways to opportunityâespecially for women navigating bias, career breaks, and evolving expectations in the workforce.
This conversation is a powerful reminder that every opportunity weâve received likely came from someone who chose to give and that we now have the chance to do the same.
If youâre ready to rethink hiring, leadership, and what it means to lift as you climb, this episode is for you.
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49-e1XEVnuo
đŹ Gems from Katie Fortunato:
âGive to gain isn't just a theme, it's also a way of living.â
âLet's build a relationship on your career success, and I want to make that happen.â
âGiving the visibility and access doesn't diminish the power but multiplies it.â
âLegacy lesson here is every door that I can look at in my past that someoneâs opened for me is someone who didnât have to do it. â
âVisibility is free to give; you just have to be intentional about it.â
âAutomate yourself before someone automates you.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đĽWays for YOU to get involved with the new way of hiring
¡ Become a career creator by posting jobs to your community â and earn up to $25/application
¡ Jobstream career influencer who is drawn to the mission and cares about helping people find work.
Your sign-up link for the creator types: https://app.getjobstream.com/creator-quick-signup Code: Mpower
đLinks, Newsletters, and Resources
Hire Innovations
Jobstream
Recruitics
Talivity
The Onward & Upward Charitable Foundation
đź Connect with Kate Fortunato and Hire Innovations on social media
LinkedIn
Talivity
Recruitics
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
March brings us International Womenâs Dayâand with it, this yearâs powerful theme: Give to Gain.
In this special episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon is joined by Emily Lampkin, a trusted advisor to women leaders and Founder of the Women Leaders Series, whose new book Duct Tape and White Lies delivers the honest, practical leadership advice women have been craving.
Together, they explore what it really means to lead with confidence, ask for what you want, stop apologizing, set healthy boundaries, and build meaningful relationshipsâwithout burning out or shrinking yourself.
Emily shares behind-the-scenes stories from her decades of work in politics, public service, and coaching women across industries, along with simple, actionable tools you can start using today. From networking with intention, to overcoming âdream slashing,â to learning whenâand howâto say no, this conversation is a masterclass in giving boldly so we can grow strongerâtogether.
If youâre ready to stop waiting, start trusting yourself, and step fully into the leader you already are, this episode is for you.
đŹ Gems from Emily Lampkin:
âIt is okay for us to want things for ourselves. It does not make us selfish.â
âIf we want to be women succeeding in life, we have to start asking for what we want.â
âEvery time we [over] apologize, we lose a little bit of power. It needs to stop and itâs easy to do.â
âDecided, in your mind, that you belong in whatever space youâre in.â
âTake risks. Women who are thriving in their lives and living without regret, take risks.â
âNobody dictates my character but me.â
âWe have got to go now. This waiting for things to happen, it leads to women living a life of regret.â
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Duct Tape and White Lies by Emily Lampkin
đ Emily Lampkin Website
đź Connect with Emily Lampkin on social media
LinkedIn
Facebook
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
February is a month that calls us to lead with heart and purposeâand this conversation delivers both.
In this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Shannon is joined by Dr. Natoshia Anderson, engineer turned educator, CEO and Founder of The Anderson Strategy Group, and host of the STEMming in Stilettos⢠podcast. Together, they explore what it really takes to build STEM programs that lastâprograms rooted in community, equity, and intentional leadership.
Dr. Anderson shares her journey from being âthe onlyâ in many rooms to designing culturally responsive STEM initiatives that engage not just students, but families, educators, and entire communities. From busting the myth that âexposure is enough,â to redefining what it means to scale with integrity, this episode is a powerful reminder that STEM isnât just about technologyâitâs about people.
⨠If you care about education, leadership, equity, or building programs with purpose and heart, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.
đŹ Gems from Dr. Natoshia Anderson:
âYouâre in the room because you deserve to be in the room.â
âFailure is first attempt in learning.â
âWhat lights me up is the opportunity STEM programs afford to kids who otherwise might not get it.â
âThe myth that I wish we would go away from is that exposure is enough. Weâve been exposing for like 20 years. We gotta get past exposure.â
âSTEM is simple⌠you donât have to have coding and robots and all that other stuff to do STEM.â
âWhen youâre walking in your purpose, itâs not always easy⌠but it is meaningful and impactful.â
Watch on YouTube
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ STEMming in Stilettos⢠Podcast
đź Connect with Dr. Natoshia Anderson on social media
LinkedIn
Instagram
TikTok
WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/OjEkckeVOkA
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
January is National Mentoring Month, and weâre kicking off Season 8 of the Empowering Women Podcast with a powerful conversation on what mentoring really means today.
Shannon is joined by Kathryn Spitznagle, author of Rock Star Millennials, leadership coach, speaker, and founder of Mentoring Women Millennials. Kathryn shares her journey from a âself-proclaimed lousy leader with a quick temper and a sharp tongueâ to becoming a passionate mentor who believes developing people for life is the true work of leadership.
Together, they explore 360 mentoring, debunk myths about millennials, and unpack why connection, purpose, and freedom matter more than ever. Kathryn also shares why âat best, mentors are mirrorsââand how great mentors help others see whatâs already inside them.
⨠Whether youâre a mentor, a mentee, or a leader navigating a multigenerational workplace, this episode will leave you inspired to invest in people and lead with intention.
Watch on YouTube
đŹ Gems from Kathryn Spitnagle:
âNever confuse what we make with why weâre here⌠why weâre here is to develop people for life.â
âThey (Millennials) are driven by purpose. They want to connect. They want you to know them. They want to know you.â
âAt best, mentors are mirrors. We donât create what isnât already there.â
âDonât judge. Find out. Go deeper.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Rock Star Millennials: Developing the Next Generation of Leaders
đ Mentoring Women Millennials
đź Connect with Kathryn on social media: LinkedIn Facebook Instagram
đź Connect with Mentoring and Rockstar Millennials on social media: Facebook Instagram
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
Itâs the season of givingâand today, weâre unwrapping one of the most transformative gifts of all: the gift of mirrors.
In this episode, Shannon sits down with Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, biotech entrepreneur, physician, and trailblazer whose career has taken her from Harvard to the helm of Gossamer Bioâand into the heart of human-centric leadership. You may know her from her TED Talk, âShattering the Glass Ceiling by Finding the Right Mirrors,â and her book, The Mirror Effect, which helps leaders everywhere see themselvesâand each otherâmore clearly.
Together, Shannon and Sheila explore how to shatter the glass ceilings not only above us, but within us. They discuss how fear, insecurity, doubt, and shameâthe âFIDS,â as Sheila calls themâcan quietly hold us back, and how surrounding ourselves with mirrors who see our brilliance can change everything.
From learning to âhave your own back,â to creating your personal board of directors, this episode is a reminder that confidence begins when we start believing the reflections that lift us higher.
⨠This December, give yourself the gift of belongingâand pass it on.
đ Host Note from Shannon:
As I wrapped this conversation, one moment stood outâwhen Sheila said that our deepest fear isnât inadequacy, but our own light. That line still gives me chills.
This episode reminded me that being human-fueled isnât about perfection; itâs about presence. Itâs about seeing the fire in others and fanning it with encouragement.
So as you gather around your own tables this holiday season, may you remember: we all belong. And sometimes, the best gift we can give is simply to hold up a mirror and say, âI see you.â
đŹ Gems from Dr. Sheila Gujrathi:
âOur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.â
âI realized the glass ceiling I had heard about since I was a little girl wasnât just above meâit was inside of me.â
âWe all have FIDS: fear, insecurity, doubt, and shame. Just naming them is freeingâbecause once you see them, they no longer have to rule you.â
âHaving your own back is preciousâbecause once you find it, no one can take that away from you.â
âLeadership is independent of position or title. Weâre all leaders in our own lives, and we can all be mirrors for someone else.â
âIf I could bottle up that feeling of belonging, I would take it every dayâand give it to everyone I know.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Dr. Sheila Gujrathi Website
đ The Mirror Effect: A Transformative Approach to Growth for the Next Generation of Female Leaders â https://sheilagujrathimd.com/book/
đĽ TED Talk: âShattering the Glass Ceiling by Finding the Right Mirrorsâ
đź Connect with Dr. Sheila Gujrathi on LinkedIn
đź Follow Dr. Sheila Gujrathi on Instagram
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
This Veterans Day, weâre honoring those whoâve servedâand continuing the conversation on what service looks like after the uniform comes off.
Shannon is joined by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz, Founder and CEO of Vanguard Veteran, an organization dedicated to equipping civilians to become Veteran Champions. Kathyâs mission is clear: bridge the gap between military and civilian life and empower veterans to thrive in the workplace, community, and beyond.
From leading teams in uniform to leading a movement of understanding, Kathy shares her insight on building âvanguardâ communitiesâthose at the front of meaningful change. Youâll hear leadership lessons born from service, the truth behind common misconceptions, and how we can all be part of reshaping what veteran employment looks like today.
đĽ Whether youâre a veteran, a leader, or simply someone who believes in the power of purposeâthis episode will remind you that service never ends. It just evolves.
đ Host Note from Shannon:
As I wrapped this conversation with Kathy, one thing stuck with meâleadership, at its core, is about service. Whether thatâs to our teams, our communities, or our country, the call to lead is also the call to lift others.
Kathy reminded me that being âhuman-fueledâ means seeing the person behind the title and the story behind the salute. This Veterans Day, I hope youâll take a moment to do just thatâto connect, to listen, and to thank those who serve not just with words, but with opportunity and understanding.
Because together, we are the vanguard of change.
Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/85h1sIh5uM8
đŹ Quotes from Kathy in this episode:
âDo it afraid.â
âListen to that small, still voice inside of you that says, âThis is important. I need to do this.â Step into your voice.â
âWe need to go beyond thank you for our service and be purposeful, intentional, with substantive actions.â
âLead with your heart. Go outside your comfort zone. Be willing to say, âI donât understand, but Iâd like to learn more.â
âThe great news is that veteran unemployment is consistently lower than non-veteran employment... but about one-third of veterans in your company are underemployed.â
âI believe that when veterans thrive, America prospers.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Vanguard Veteran Website
đź Connect with Kathy Gallowitz on LinkedIn
đź Follow Vanguard Veteran on LinkedIn
đ Beyond âThank You for Your Serviceâ by Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz
đ U.S. Department of Labor Veteran Employment Data
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
đ Description
Itâs Women in AI Month â and weâre diving into the human side of artificial intelligence.
Shannon is joined by Lei Comerford, an award-winning executive coach, certified AI consultant, and leadership facilitator who brings 25+ years of experience in healthcare, hospitality, and professional services. In this fast-paced and thought-provoking conversation, Lei unpacks what it means to become an âAI-powered professional,â and why the future of leadership is both human and machine.
From mindset shifts to mental load relief, and from prompt engineering to cognitive assistants (available 24/7/365!), this episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about integrating AI into their workâwithout losing their humanity.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9X8Gkfl1IsY
đŹ Quotes from Lei in this episode:
âWomen donât need to code to belong in this AI era. We simply need visibility, access, and spaces to learn with confidence.â
âLearning is wonderful, but itâs when you move it forward to impact that you really begin to make a difference.â
âWhen we begin to build that fluency, you can start to use AI as a trusted tool. Ultimately, it transforms yourself, how you do your role, how it impacts your team as well as your organization for the better.â
âTransformation changes curiosityâchanges whatâs possible.â
âAI wonât replace adaptable leaders, but those who ignore it may be replaced by others who donât.â
âThink of AI as augmenting the human. It doesnât replace our human intelligence.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
đ Lei Comerfordâs Website
đź Connect with Lei on LinkedIn
đź Connect with Lei on Instagram
đ¨ Sign up for Leiâs Monthly Newsletter
đ§ Short list of AI Tools:
o ChatGPT
o Claude
o Perplexity
o Gamma
o Canva
o Ideogram
o Descript
o Microsoft Copilot
đĽ Whether you're AI-curious, tech-hesitant, or just wondering what âprompt engineeringâ actually meansâthis episode will expand your thinking, ease your fears, and remind you that the future of work needs more women with both courage and curiosity.
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
đ Description:
What really powers manufacturing? People.
In this Manufacturing Day episode, Shannon is joined by Ellen Sieminski, a lean expert, continuous improvement coach, and board member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). With 25+ years in the industry, Ellen brings deep experience and fresh perspective on how women, allies, and curious leaders are shaping the future of manufacturing.
From the shop floor to the boardroom, Ellen shares why lean is never just about processâitâs about engagement, culture, and people.
đŹ Quotes from Ellen in this episode:
- âIf youâre not engaging the people doing the work, youâre missing the point of lean.â
- âI want to be the person who brings the energy and saysâlet's not be afraid to try something new.â
- âWomen bring a level of awareness and perspective that is essential to long-term improvement and innovation.â
- âManufacturing doesnât look like it did 30 years ago. And it shouldnât.â
đ Episode Resources & Links:
- AME Website: https://www.ame.org
- AME International Conference (St. Louis | Oct 6â9, 2025): AME St. Louis 2025 International Conference | Association for Manufacturing Excellence
- Books Mentioned: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
- Connect with Ellen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ellen-sieminski-364b54
đĽ Whether you're deep in manufacturing or just love a good leadership storyâthis episode is your reminder that excellence doesnât start with machines⌠it starts with us.
Watch on YouTube
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
National Event - Registration Link!!
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
September has us juggling back-to-school, conferences, fall festivals, and holiday prep before we can even say âpumpkin spice.â Feeling like youâre already running on fumes? Youâre not alone. And thatâs why todayâs episode is pure gold.
Iâm joined by Marisa Wheeling Cieslukâburnout survivor, recovering perfectionist, and Chief Firestarter at MWC Leadership. With over 20 years of experience in leadership development, she helps ambitious women and people-centered leaders grow without burning out, lead without losing themselves, and want moreâwithout compromise.
Marisa doesnât just talk theory. She knows firsthand the cost of burnout and how to build self-trust, clarity, and that inner fire that keeps us leading strong.
⨠What Youâll Hear in This Episode:
- Why September is basically a âsecond Januaryâ (and how burnout sneaks in the back door).
- Practical, no-fluff strategies to stay grounded while life is spinning.
- How to want moreâcareer growth, family time, personal fulfillmentâwithout playing tug-of-war with yourself.
- What it really means to âlead without losing yourself.â
đĄ Quotes from Marisa in this episode:
âYou can grow without burning out. You can lead without losing yourself. You can want moreâwithout compromise.â
- âIf I just push harder, Iâll get through this seasonâthatâs the lie so many leaders tell themselves. But that mindset always backfires.â
- âThe smallest step, taken with clarity, has a ripple effect that changes everything.â
This conversation is equal parts wisdom, laughter, and a gentle nudge to put down the Superwoman cape and pick up something better: clarity, courage, and joy.
đ Books Mentioned in This Episode:
- Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith â exploring the 7 types of rest we all need.
- Playing Big by Tara Mohr â a must-read for women ready to step fully into their leadership.
đ Connect with Marisa:
Website: mwcleadership.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwheelingciesluk
Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/HljvFIRmuiY
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
National Event - Registration Link!!
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
On this special Womenâs Equality Day episode, host Shannon Bumgarner sits down with Maria Brinckâleadership advisor, founder of Zynergy International, and author of The Leadership We Need: A New Mindset for a Brighter Future.
Mariaâs career has spanned continents and boardrooms, but her mission is simple: to transform the way we lead. In this conversation, she shares why the leaders of today cannot be the leaders of tomorrow, how unconscious bias still shapes who gets a seat at the table, and why feminine values like compassion and inclusion are the leadership superpowers we need right now.
If youâre ready to challenge outdated leadership models and imagine a brighter, more human-centered future, this episode will leave you inspired, motivated, and ready to take action.
đĄListen in, be inspired, and letâs rewrite the leadership playbookâtogether.
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDVxLsosGxY
CONNECT WITH MARIA
Social Media: LinkedIn
Zynergy International: Website
â¨Highlights & Takeaways from Maria Brinck
âWe are in a polycrisis, and the leadership that got us here is not the leadership that will get us out.â
âThe leaders of today should not be the leaders of tomorrowâbecause tomorrow requires a completely different mindset.â
âMasculine monoculture in leadership is costing us 8.8 trillion dollars in disengagement. That is not sustainableâfinancially or humanly.â
âDiversity of thought isnât just a nice-to-have. Itâs the only way to solve the complex problems we face today.â
âGDP is not a prerequisite for happiness, nor does it guarantee it. We have to stop confusing growth with well-being.â
âPrimitive subconscious bias still tells us what a leader is supposed to look likeâand it keeps too many women out of the room.â
âItâs not about women leading like men. Itâs about integrating feminine valuesâlike compassion, inclusion, and sustainabilityâinto leadership everywhere.â
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Upcoming Book: The Leadership We Need Releasing on Oct 7 2025
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
National Event - Registration Link!!
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
With several decades of leadership experience in the staffing sector, Todd Warner recognized the need to disrupt the status quo and create a full-service staffing deliverable that meets the needs of todayâs hourly workers while delivering a reliable flexible workforce at some of the largest manufacturing and distribution facilities in the U.S.
Prior to joining MyWorkChoice, Todd held executive leadership positions at Select Staffing, Clearpoint, Weststaff, Acsys, and Adecco while overseeing multiple IPOs and M&As. With over 35 years of expertise in business development, strategic planning, and operations, Todd has been a leader in innovation and growth in the staffing and human capital management industry and continues to position MyWorkChoice as a trailblazer in flexible staffing solutions.
CONNECT WITH TODD
Personal Social Media: LinkedIn
MyWorkChoice: Website
MyWorkChoice Social Media: LinkedIn
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
National Event - Registration Link!!
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âFlexibility isnât a perk. Itâs a necessity.â
âLetâs stop making people choose between a paycheck and their life.â
âI just spent a whole career really in and around this idea of trying to make work betterâfor both companies and people.â
âDriven by trying to be successful. [In staffing], that's trying to make two sides of the worldâbusiness needs and human needsâactually work together, not against each other.â
âMaybe I can make the job a little bit more flexible, a little more humanâso people donât have to choose between a paycheck and their life.â
âI can make working in manufacturing cool. Not sure cool, I can make it viable and that leads to more women in the industry. Manufacturing has a 32% female population, distribution is 28%. Both of these numbers include office staff.â
âWeâve created flexible offerings and have opened [manufacturing] up to new workers. One of the great sideline workers that we have discovered is the female worker who has to have built-in flexibility. Necessary for single family homes who are raising children. 82% of those are female.â
âThere is the unnecessary churn we seeâpeople who could thrive in these jobs, but the policies or culture push them out."
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
NoĂŤl Kreidler, a recovering perfectionist, is known for passionately supporting college students in finding and succeeding in careers they love. She is an Associate Director of Career Development at the Santa Clara University Career Center and has 30+ years of work experience in talent acquisition, human resources, and career services. As a person with a lifelong physical disability, she champions the inclusion of people with disabilities at work and in the community.
Noel has a MEd with a counseling emphasis from Northern Arizona University and a BA in Economics from The University of Arizona. She is excited about her latest 3-year venture - being a co-author of Faceplant: FREE Yourself from Failureâs Funk, coming out in November 2025. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her sweetie, friends and family, swimming, art, reading, writing, interior design, and avoiding sleep to try to fit it all in!
CONNECT WITH NOEL
Social Media: LinkedIn
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
https://youtu.be/Oct_-9XdkHM
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Faceplant: Free Yourself from Failure's Funk
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
National Event - Registration Link!!
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âOne of the things Iâve gotten really good at is problem solvingâbecause I have to be. The world isnât built for me, so I figure it out.â
"I am living my life powerfully with a disability, not in spite of having one."
â"There isnât one right way to do anything. We all have different abilities and different ways of doing things."
âItâs a privilege to work with students. They really move me. They give me the perspective of trying and taking risks.â
"Helping students discover careers they love is a privilege. I get to live a billion different dreams through them."
"Universal design doesnât just help people with disabilitiesâit makes life easier for everyone."
On failure: âMy mode is to just power through and prove that I can. I didn't really see how it impacted me from a failure perspective. I had no idea that it had crept into that part of my life.â
Dealing with your faceplant moment: âDeal with whatever's going on. Deal with yourself. But have self-compassion. You're human. You're going to make a mistake.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jennifer Black is a powerhouse of grit, strategy, and results. With decades of experience leading cross-functional teams for multi-billion-dollar companies, sheâs known for driving innovation, building strong teams, and moving complex initiatives forward with clarity and confidence.
She currently serves as Mission Critical Senior Principal Program Manager at Trane Technologies, leading high-stakes projects in the Commercial HVAC business. From concept to execution, Jennifer brings teams together to deliver global, multimillion-dollar solutions that raise the bar.
In previous roles, she led new product development for major HVAC platforms, unlocking $20M+ in investments and pushing for energy-efficient, sustainable innovations. Sheâs also tackled roles in equipment finance and pricing strategy, all while delivering measurable, mission-aligned value.
Jennifer holds a mechanical engineering degree from Gannon University and is a certified Project Management Professional. Sheâs passionate about developing the next generation of talent, serving on advisory boards for Women in STEM and Women in Science & Engineering. Her leadership has earned her multiple awardsâincluding the 2024 Commercial HVAC Presidentâs Award and the 2014 Latin America Presidentâs Award for Operational Excellence.
CONNECT WITH JENNIFER
Social Media: LinkedIn
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
https://youtu.be/ky1aimARPa0
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth | TED
GRIT by Angela Duckworth | Animated CORE Message
The three secrets of resilient people | Lucy Hone | TEDxChristchurch
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
National Event - Registration Link!!
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âGrit isnât a solo sport. It takes a teamâyour project team, your support system, your people.â
âNever give up. There's always a different path.
âEvery time I get into a difficult place, I remember that conversation with my dad⌠because that was devastating to me. But it shaped how I handle things. I never give upâI just might have to find a different way to do it.â
âIf you come in saying, âWell, I donât know how weâre going to get this done,â everyone starts believing that it canât be done. But when youâre positive, people start believing in themselves.â
âI wasnât going to give up. I was just going to redo it.â (âon disassembling and rebuilding a crib solo. Grit in action!)
âYou have to have passion in what youâre doing. If you donât enjoy it, you might not be as positiveâand you might not be as persistentâbecause you donât like what youâre doing.â
âI love going onto those campuses... I like seeing all this enthusiasm for what their next steps are. That, to me, is really exciting. It brings me back to bei
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Sameedha Mahajan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP ND, is an Architectural Designer at HDR, currently involved in critical infrastructure projects and aviation architecture in the USA. As a graduate of KRVIA, India, and Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, her journey as a first-generation immigrant and a woman of color in the Architecture-Engineering-Construction industry has been both challenging and rewarding. Recently, she was honored to receive the O-1 visa, which is awarded to professionals for extraordinary ability in their fields.
Sameedha is deeply committed to mentoring students and emerging professionals and fostering inclusive growth within the design community. She also writes about architecture and urban design for various print and digital publications, contributing to the broader discourse on the built environment.
WATCH SAMEEDHA'S INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JVaMGdfZXY
CONNECT WITH SAMEEDHA
Social Media: LinkedIn
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Sameedha's Design Observer Article Link
Allyship Episode with H.J. Dewes
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
National Event - Registration Link!!
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âYou donât need to wait until you feel ready to take up space. Please take up spaceâbecause if you wait for the perfect moment, you may never begin.â
âEven small, everyday actions can make someone feel seen and valuedâand that makes a big difference.â
âMy story begins in India, where I was raised in a household deeply influenced by design. My father is an architect and an urban designer, so I was surrounded by drawings, construction sites, and conversations about design.â
âI was struck by the messy beauty of Indian urban life.â
âAs a first-generation immigrant, navigating a new country, new people, new experiencesâit was exciting... and kind of scary.â
âIndia is like a melting pot of different cultures and settlements. I realized how good design can elevate your lifeâby giving access to resources like healthcare and education.â
âThis role of design was highlighted for me early on, and I knew I wanted to help people shape their lives through it.â
âGiven how the world is changingâwith data science, sustainability, and public policy touching everythingâI wanted to explore how those forces impact design.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Shannon Tymosko is a driven, enthusiastic Electrical Apprentice and proud member of IBEW Local 105. With a passion for learning and a thirst for new challenges, she brings a unique combination of attention to detail and diverse skills to every project.
As a skilled trades ambassador, Shannon advocates for alternative career paths, educating and mentoring individuals on the benefits of trades. Her greatest passion lies in teaching and empowering others to succeed.
Shannonâs own journey in the trades has been transformative - boosting her self-confidence, physical health, and financial stability. She is living proof that doing what you love can lead to a thriving career.
CONNECT WITH SHANNON
Website: https://www.shannontymosko.com/
Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter (X)
Watch Shannon's Interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ypD3bG-yPc
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
"You donât have to have it all figured out â you just have to take the first step."
âYour past experience doesnât define you. It's what you do next that matters most."
"Skilled trades donât just build things â they build confidence, community, and real opportunities."
"It wasnât until I was about 29 that I realized the trades could be a real career for me â and it all started with saying yes to helping a friend renovate a house."
"Representation matters. Growing up, it wasnât that I was discouraged from building or fixing things â it just wasnât shown to me as a real career path."
"I realized I wasnât thriving â I was just surviving. And the skilled trades offered me a way to build a life, not just make a living."
"Sometimes itâs not about having the perfect background â itâs about being willing to learn, being resourceful, and saying yes to new opportunities."
"Free programs that help women transition into the trades are life-changing. They open doors that many of us didnât even know existed."
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jenny Mitchell is an executive coach, a podcaster, and a published author who is on a mission to help people have more meaningful conversations. She is a lifelong learner who holds an executive coaching degree from Royal Roads University, a CFRE fundraising designation, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook in piano performance.
Jenny is the Founder & CEO of Chavender, a sought-after partner for companies in Canada and the U.S. in the areas of executive coaching, mentorship, talent development, succession planning and group coaching in both non-profit and corporate settings. Jennyâs engaging style makes her a sought-after keynote speaker, having presented at major Fundraising Leadership Conferences (AFP, CAGP, AHP, Planet Philanthropy, bbcon) across North America as well as for the Government of Canada and corporate America. She fulfills her mission to help #2s become #1âs in work and life through both one-on-one and group coaching experiences for women leaders.
CONNECT WITH JENNY
Website: https://chavender.com/
Personal Social Media: LinkedIn Twitter(X)
Business Social Media: Facebook YouTube
Watch Jenny's Interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQSf21jq5NE
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Book: Embracing Ambition â Empowering Women to Step Out, Be Seen, and Lead
Embrace Ambition Conference
Book: The Big Leap
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âI have never gone wrong on betting on myself.â
âConfidence is having the trust and knowing in your abilities that even when youâre in a situation that you donât understand that you can trust yourself to figure it out.â
âHelping Number 2s become Number 1s in work and life. They get some competent as a Number 2 they never get to access their place of genius. They get stuck or pigeonholed.â
âAs soon as you identify something as a problem, itâs attached to a threat. Versus calling it âsolution strategyâ which immediately puts it in their prefrontal cortex. Immediately has it as âWhat options do I have?â â
Glass Cliff Assignment: âBrought in as a last chance candidate to a position because no one else in their right mind would take it.â
Visionary: âSuccessful women tend to be able to see something with potential before others see it and be able to bring others along.â
âWe need to find a way to use and leverage our social capital (our political capital) for our own uses because we are really good at doing it for others.â
âHow can you change your relationship to self doubt? If you accepted from
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Daryl Anne Estill is an experienced Project Manager and Leader in the commercial MEP construction industry; spanning semiconductor, pharmaceutical, offices, CNG stations, and multifamily markets.
In addition to her direct role as a PM, she is integral to strategic planning, training and development, process improvements, and mentorship for her organization.
As a public speaker, mentor, and industry leader, her advocacy work focuses on Women in Construction/Industry, Gender Equity and Equity in general, Mental Health, and Servant Leadership. Daryl is recognized as Empowering Women in Industryâs 2024 Mentor of the Year.
Watch Daryl Anne and Jill on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPMhkdDnT1E
CONNECT WITH DARYL ANNE
Website: https://linktr.ee/darylanneestill
Social Media: LinkedIn
Jill Miller is a visionary leader making work human again, dedicated to advancing economic mobility for workers. As the Founder & CEO of Lunum, Jill is transforming how businesses measure workforce investments, driving economic growth and stronger ecosystems where everyone is valued.
Jill has a proven history of fostering partnerships and creating solutions that align operational excellence with workforce advancement. She previously founded Below the Line, an advisory firm that supported employee ownership transitions and developed entrepreneurship programs for underserved communities.
Jill serves on the Board of Directors for the Spondylitis Association of America and hosts Spondycast. She is a member of the National Small Business Association Leadership Council and was named the 2024 Innovator of the Year by Empowering Women in Industry.
CONNECT WITH JILL
Website: https://lunum.io/
Social Media: LinkedIn
EPISODE LINKS
DEI Deconstructed Book
Reconstructing DEI Book
Flipping Table Meme
EWII Membership
EWII Magazine
EWII Website
EWII Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
Equity: âGiving people what they need when they need it.â
âFirst one through the door opens the door for the rest.â
âWe need to start talking in terms of individuals and talking in systems. Weâre here because it was designed for us to be here.â
Overlooked Potential Effect: Men tend to be promoted based on potential. Women tend to be promoted based on demonstrated performance.
âYou have to be looking right through a telescope and through a microscope.â
âYour intention does not override impact.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Dr. Janet Polach is a global authority in executive coaching, team development, and leadership. With her unique ability to elevate leaders from the minutiae to drive unparalleled organizational success, she serves as a trusted strategist and advisor to senior executives worldwide. Janet has expertly coached an array of executive and frontline leaders across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Her expertise in guiding diverse, cross-geography teams to uncover their core purpose and align for success is unparalleled.
CONNECT WITH JANET
Website: www.janetpolach.com
Social Media: LinkedIn
Watch Janet's Interviews on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfgmfLDlw-c
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Book Link: Strategic Leader's Mindset
Book Link: The Seven Mistakes New Managers Make
The Covey Time Management Matrix Explained
HBR Blog Why Strategic Leadership Matters
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âWhat I have found on where I could be successful was figuring out who I was and how I wanted to show up.â
âAs women we tend to overwork issues. We are afraid to make mistakes. We feel the spotlight is particularly on us as women. So we want everything to be right. When we do that, we miss opportunities.â
âWomen sometimes struggle with going up against the grain because theyâve worked so hard to get where they are at and they donât want to mess anything up. And yet the great women we all know are the ones who broke the mold.â
âWhen a business is growing, it is so easy to get insulated.â
Strategic Mindset: âItâs really about thinking differently not just acting differently.â
âYour value becomes the ability to look beyond the here and now.â
Strategic Thinking: âYouâre much more outward focused from your organization than inward focused to getting things done.â
âItâs nearly impossible for us to switch in the moment from tactical to strategic.â
âAt an executive level, itâs all about people leadership. Itâs about developing your team, helping them learn more, and getting them excite
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Bose Akadiri is a Motivational Speaker, Corporate Trainer and founder of Goal and Grind LLC where she partners with high achievers to turn their dreams into their reality using her 5 step Vision and Goals Method(â˘). Renowned for her dynamic corporate workshops where Bose empowers dreams, elevates teams and transforms organizations. In addition to Goal and Grind, she has led a distinguished career in Corporate Social Responsibility at Boeing, Salesforce, and JPMorgan Chase.
Bose is an IMPACT Fellow with the Chicago Urban League, Ladies of Virtue Board Member, She Shines Honoree by Girls Inc. of Chicago, 40 under 40 honoree by OKC Biz Magazine, Leadership Oklahoma City alumnae and was named by ionOklahoma Magazine as a 30/30 Next Generation of Leaders.
TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE ROADMAP: https://talk.ac/bose?code=EWPODCAST2025
CONNECT WITH BOSE & GOAL AND GRIND
Website: https://www.goalandgrind.com
Keynote Speaking & Corporate Workshop Topics: https://www.goalandgrind.com/speaking
Email: bose@goalandgrind.com
IG Page: @goalandgrind
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boseakadiri/
LinkedIn Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/goalandgrind/
YouTube Channel: @goalandgrind
Watch Bose's Interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHFZZhs4XCg
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
BCG Work: Enjoying Work Matters More Than You May Realize
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âI am building the business case for joy.â
âBring more joy, goals, and purpose to the world.â
âI believe goal crushing is a team sport.â
âJoy is the foundation of goal setting not just the reward.â
âI attribute my tenacity and being able to go after it to my mother. Sheâs my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, and my biggest advocate. She has never asked me âwhyâ; she has always said âhowâ.â
âWeâre not trying to place external expectations onto our lives. We are focused on inner joy.â
Four Areas of Life: Personal, Professional, Health, and Financial
âVision and Goals method helps people to be strategic with their life, productive in their career, consistent with their health, and intentional about their finances.â
BCG Finding: Employees who enjoy their work are 49% less likely to be looking for outside employment.
Where Bose finds joy: âI have to pour into myself. Focusing on wins on a regular basis.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Stephanie Hajducek is a Project Specialist for Enbridge â Project YaREN. Project YaREN is a proposed low carbon ammonia production and export facility in Ingleside, Texas, being developed by Enbridge and Yara. Stephanie has also held positions with industry leading companies such as Bechtel, ChevronPhillips, Citgo, Steel Dynamics and The Chemours Company.
In January 2022 Stephanie started a 501c3 nonprofit organization called This Oneâs for the Gals that helps girls with career exploration and workforce development. Focusing their efforts on the construction, energy, manufacturing and maritime industries, TOFTG likes to say that they talk to girls about career pathways that not a lot of people talk to girls about, from Skilled Trades to STEM and everything in between!
After almost 20 years out of high school, and with the support of her husband and three children, Stephanie earned her bachelorâs degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from The University of Southern Mississippi while working full time. She hopes that by sharing her experiences and lessons learned she can help girls step out of their comfort zone and step into a world of endless possibilities in industry!WATCH ON YOUTUBE CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE
LinkedInInstagramFacebookX (Formerly Twitter)
CONNECT WITH THIS ONEâS FOR THE GALS
LinkedIn InstagramFacebookX (Formerly Twitter)Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Podcast Specific Link
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âYour network is your net worth.â
âItâs not always about who you know but who you meet.â
âThere is power in community.â
âGirls canât be what they canât see.â
âStart where you are at and it will grow.â
âSurround yourself. Seek out mentors. There are women out there who want to help you.â
âI have learned how important it is for me to be visible. Be visible to girls. Show up and be present.â
âDreams donât work unless you do.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Kate Yoder dynamic Project Management Professional (PMP) known for delivering innovative results through creative engineering practices and a people-centric approach. She received her B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and her M.Sc. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating, Kate honed her analytical skills as a modeling & simulation engineer for several years. She then transitioned into project management, where she has a proven track record of coordinating project interdependencies, streamlining processes, and reducing processing time for her team.
In her current role at Trane Technologies, Kate combines her engineering expertise and project management skills to spearhead innovative digital solutions that enhance operational efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.
When she's not at Trane Technologies, you can find Kate crocheting cute animals while snuggling with her two adorable cats, Pip and Figaro.
CONNECT WITH KATE
Watch Kate's Interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PgGF9AhQbw
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Real Self-Care by Pooja Lakshmin
Problems in a Spreadsheet Cartoon
Spoon Theory â Link One
Spoon Theory â Link Two
POTS Info â Link One
POTS Info â Link Two
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âLife is nonlinear.â
âEven after I got the diagnosis, I had to relearn how to live. The things I could do before I couldnât. Some of them I still canât.â
âPush through, keep going attitude was not going to work anymore.â
âReally have to trust in yourself along the way.â
âEnergy In = Energy Outâ
Kateâs âFind Balanceâ Framework: BIOS (Define your boundaries, Identify Inputs and Outputs, Solve for Balanceâ
Quote from Real Self Care on Setting Boundaries. âCreating space to make the best choice for you. Communicating that choice clearly.â
Some topics we covered: Time Blocking, Meeting Inventory, Setting Flexible âMust Doâ depending on your day.
Kateâs learnings on her career journey: Knowing when you are stagnant, Scan the environment, Be open to things that donât see
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
H.J. Dewes is a strategic leader with a proven record leveraging cross-functional teams to achieve optimal results. He is currently a Business Development Manager at ABB where he has spent his 30+ year career across diverse roles in business development, strategy, sales, marketing and channel, operations and logistics. Prior to joining ABB, H.J. was an Enlisted Operations Specialist in the United States Navy where he earned the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
H.J. is an active or former member of the Hydraulic Institute, the National Electrical Manufacturerâs Association, The Water Council, The Midwest Energy Research Consortium and several other associations all with a focus on helping their members to find more efficient and sustainable solutions. He has been named the EPIC Industry Person of the Year and to the ABB Circle of Excellence.
He is an active member of the Empowering Women in Industry community where is engaged ally â bringing diverse voices to the table for discussion, learning, and support. An allyship thought leader, H.J. works tirelessly every day to bring about equity in the workplace.
CONNECT WITH H.J. DEWES
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Equal Opportunity? Different Starting Lines Video
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âShow up. Be there.â
âBy showing up, I grew. Showing up is not just good for the people I am trying to support. Itâs also good for me.â
âLean all in. Forget the fear.â
âBe curious and open minded.â
âRecognize that you donât have to be perfect.â
On Allyship: âReally showing up for the people that you believe in. Being willing to take a stand. Being willing to take a risk. Being there.â
âWe all have paradigms that shape the way we live. They are so strong and embedded in who we are. Sometimes it is little bit hard to challenge our assumptions. One of the things that is really important about being an ally is to challenge your own assumptions.â
âI think one of the things we forget is people are being allies for us all the time. Maybe you donât necessarily realize that there are people there supporting you that are helping to pave a path for you and create opportunity for you.â
âAs you grow in your career, you start to earn more privilege and influence. Using that privilege to help others who might just need a nudge, help, or support. Working to use that privilege to create opportunities.â
On being an active ally: âRecognize that you are going to screw up. Recognize that this is a journey for us as well. Know that the people you are trying to be allies for are not expecting you to be perfect in any way, shape, or form.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Giovanna Gray Lockhart moved to Yarmouth, Maine full time three years ago. Her national experience spans work in government from an advisor to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York to national nonprofit leadership as a member of the Board of Directors for StoryCorps.
Previously, Lockhart held senior roles at venture-backed companies, as the Senior Director of Impact at The Wing and as Chief Strategy Officer at The Riveter. Immediately prior to coming to the Center, she provided strategic consulting, advising executive level clients across the country on philanthropy, advocacy, board-building, and communications. Lockhart sits on the Board of Trustees for the Waynflete School in Portland
CONNECT WITH FRANCIS PERKINS CENTER
Website Instagram Facebook
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
SIGN THE PETITON for Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark
Frances Perkins: Learning Resources
Books on Frances Perkins
History Channel: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âWhen a door opens, you must walk through it.â
âI really feel like we are at a turning point where you donât have to hide who you are to be powerful and lead.â
âA woman in her early thirties that is totally unafraid and out there advocating for people. She really believed in what she was doing.â
âShe had fears and insecurities, like we all do, but when you have that vision and determination that is what drove her.â
âI came to Washington to work for God, FDR, and the millions of forgotten, plain, common working men.â
On Francesâ impact: âShe was the pioneering advocate for economic security, social justice, labor rights, and the policy issues surrounding that. The kinds of protections that she secured are the cornerstones of modern policy and our society today: social security, minimum wage, forty-hour work week, unemployment insurance, and banning of child labor.â
Francesâ Driving Force: âWhen she saw these injustices and these working conditions and how people were kept in poverty through generations, there is a policy that needs to be put in place. Me helping people one at a time as a social worker is wonderful but there needs to be something more impactful and all encompassing.â
Only 12 out of ~430 National Park sites have been specifically created to recognize womenâs history.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Meaghan Ziemba is an industrial tech writer, brand storyteller, and marketer for industrial manufacturers. She has a B.A. and M.A. in Professional and Technical Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has been writing for manufacturing since 2008.
Meaghan also hosts a live video broadcast series called Mavens of Manufacturing. The series focuses on women in the sector and aims to attract younger generations to join manufacturing or engineering career pathways to help close the skills and gender gaps. Meaghan is a proud mother of three. She enjoys cooking, CrossFit, and a great cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey.
CONNECT WITH MEAGHAN
LinkedIn Instagram
CONNECT WITH MAVENS OF MANUFACTURING
Website YouTube
CONNECT WITH Z INK SOLUTIONS
Website LinkedIn
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Manufacturing Day Website
Smart Girls HQ
Women in STEM Gap Study by AAUW
Goldie Blox
Project Scientist
Inspiring the next generation of female engineers | Debbie Sterling | TedX
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âEspecially with young girls, we need to encourage innovation not perfection.â
âWeâre programmed to squirm at that word - failure.â
âWe need to start stepping out of our own personal experiences and stop assuming someone is coming into a conversation with malicious intent.â
âWhen you put yourself in that position of the person who doesnât know and you want to learn, other people are comfortable enough to have those authentic conversations with you.â
âThe reason I became an entrepreneur is because, for most of my work experience, I couldnât show up as myself.â
âManufacturing is the great equalizer.â
Closing the manufacturing skills gap: âWe need to help the general public really understand why manufacturing is important and what it does, as a whole, for our country.â
âBring awareness to the financial opportunities that are available through each pathway. Bring awareness to how manufacturing helps communities flourish.â
âThere are a lot of communities that donât even realize manufacturing is in their backyard. Encourage manufactures to be proactive and open up their doors and let their community members come in⌠to see what they are making and why they are making it.â
âWhy are stories important to this industry? Because you need that emotional connection with your audience. If you donât have it, they are not going to care. They are not going to know what they donât know.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Martie Edmunds Zakas has been Mueller Water Productsâ CEO since August 2023 and served as President and CEO from August 2023 to May 2024. She previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Mueller Water Products since 2018. She has directed Muellerâs strategic planning, corporate development, investor relations and corporate communications activities since joining the Company in 2006.
Prior to joining Mueller, Martie spent five years with Russell Corporation where she held a variety of positions culminating in her role as Corporate Vice President, Chief of Staff, Business Development and Treasurer, until its 2006 acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway. From 1993 to 2000, Martie served as Corporate Vice President, Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Secretary for Equifax, Inc., a global data, analytics and technology company. She began her career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.
Martie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Randolph-Macon Womanâs College (now Randolph College), a MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a Director of Mueller Water Products and BlueLinx Holdings, Inc., and is a former Director of Atlantic Capital Bancshares, Inc. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation.
CONNECT WITH MARTIE
CONNECT WITH MUELLER WATER PRODUCTS
Website X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Registration
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âI am really honored to be a female leading a manufacturing company in the U.S. because you do not see as many female CEOs of public manufacturing companies. By seeing the unexpected, I think it will help us all move forward and hopefully in the future we will see more female CEOs in the manufacturing industry. Then it becomes expected.â
Inclusion: âImportantly, if you feel included and feel part of that team then I think we then are going to get the benefits of hearing all the different voices, ideas, and backgrounds such that we can have collective success.â
âYou want to feel that the contributions you are making or the organization you are working with are making important contributions.â
âYou need to have your own personal set of values. As you go through this, ensure you have your baseline of what your values are and you ensure that is an integral part of the work that you are doing.â
Most important skill: âBe adaptable and be curious. Because whatever the headlines are today, they are going to change.â
âObserve what you see that you like and that you may want to emulate. As importantly, see what you donât like. You can take that and say I do not want that to be part of my toolkit.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Cheryl Merchant has 40 years of leadership and management experience in manufacturing. She has held leadership positions with industry giants like GM, Mazda, Ford, and Lear Corporation and led teams in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and throughout Europe and Asia. Cheryl spent 19 years as the President and CEO of Hope Global, a manufacturing company with over 2,000 employees and operations in the U.S., Mexico, Czech Republic, China, and Brazil. During that period, Hope Global grew five times in revenue and became a Tier II leader in the Automotive Industry.
In 2019, Cheryl joined Taco as President of Taco Family of Companies, North America. In March of 2020, Cheryl was promoted to CEO of Taco Family of Companies Global operations. Since taking the helm, Taco has doubled in revenue, expanded the workforce by 350 team members, acquired a new business unit in England and currently have global operational facility expansions of over 243,000 sq, ft. underway.
CONNECT WITH CHERYL
CONNECT WITH TACO COMFORT SOLUTIONS - WEBSITES
Main Website HydroFlo Pump Solutions Taco Italia Taconova
CONNECT WITH TACO COMFORT SOLUTIONS â SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Registration
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âWhatever you think youâre going through, you are not alone.â
âConstitution said we the people for the people; it didnât say we the men for the men.â
âThat is what it is about. Just trying to make people the best they can be.â
âWomen are needed everywhere. They are needed are boards and needed in management because they bring a whole new perspective. â
âPeople are different and that is special. We need to push that; not look down on it.â
âOwnership is everyoneâs responsibility. Putting your name on your job.â
âI believe that every single person is important. We cannot get it done by ourselves.â
âMentality is the hardest thing in the world to change. Itâs in everything you hear. The mental barriers are so ingrained.â
âI make a point of having at least 5 mentees at all times if I can.â
âThink about how you want to be remembered. Now go live your life. Go be how you want to be remembered.â
âStrive to be the leader you always wanted.â
âTo the women who blazed the trail before us, you are going to forever have our gratitude. To the women who are currently on the trail, let us all stay focused and keep up the great work. For the women to follow, reach out your hand.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Tiffany Waddell Tate (she/her) helps individuals and companies reimagine the future of work through coaching, digital education, and training & development for organizations and teams. As an in-demand coach, consultant, speaker and thought leader, she has been featured on Well + Good, The Everymom, The Muse, and a variety of podcasts. She is a master in coaching professionals to learn, lead, and grow at work while being true to their authentic selves and building their personal brand. Tate earned her BA and MA from Wake Forest University, and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Diversity Educator, and MBTI Certified.
Tiffany is also the founder of Career Maven Consulting. This team is on a mission to help people become the CEO of their professional lives, and organizations retain great people through career advancement support & leadership development rooted in clarity, confidence, and agency for all.
CONNECT WITH TIFFANY
LinkedIn Instagram
CONNECT WITH CAREER MAVEN CONSULTING
LinkedIn Instagram Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Career Maven Academy
How to Ally for #BlackWomenatWork
Everymom Article: How to Support Black Women at Work
Empowering Women in Industry Conference
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âDo good work on purpose.â
âPart of my coaching practice is helping people to not just react to things that are happening to them but be really thoughtful about what their non-negotiables are, what they want to learn, and what they want to earn. Get comfortable naming those things, talking about them, and making decisions based on those things rather than just responding to situations that they find themselves in.â
âPeople should get really clear on what matters to them as humans who are working so they have thoughtful intention in both spheres.â
âI think people often under sell and they under pitch because they think they have to do more to prove themselves.â
Career Coaching Framework: Clarity, Confidence, and Agency
Career branding documents should be STICKY: Skill-based, Tailored, Intentionality, Confidence, Keep it real, You
âSkills language is the value add. This is what you do and how does what you do add value to the organization.â
âHaving a career strategy can mean having a really clear list of the things you want to learn/do or the problems you want to solve. Or it could be an clear awareness of your known boundaries or personal catalysts.â
âRight now is what we have. Be really thoughtful about right now as you are planning for the future.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
As the founder of Tech & Thrive, Denise Acosta Musselwhite leverages her extensive experience to empower diverse technology professionals. Notably, Denise stands out as one of the few Latina women globally to have held both Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Board Chair positionsâachievements held by only 5% of professionals worldwide.
She has made significant contributions across various sectors, including education, technology, and nonprofits. Denise's innovative T.H.R.I.V.E. Operating System⢠underpins personalized development programs that are delivered through tailored consulting, and individual or group coaching, fostering significant growth and retention. Her legacy is marked by her commitment to transforming technology leadership, underscored by her impactful collaborations with over 10 Nobel Peace Laureates through her work with the PeaceJam organization..
CONNECT WITH DENISE AND TECH AND THRIVE
LinkedIn Tech and Thrive Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
T.H.R.I.V.E Quiz: http://www.techthrive.me/
Complimentary "Embracing Your Unique Drivers" e-workbook: https://techthrive.me/drivers
Mission Impact Academy: https://www.themia.world/
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Registration
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âDonât wait for someone else to create your future.â
âThe pandemic was going to actually move us backwards because of the challenges that women face uniquely during the pandemic with their kids home and their need to work from home more.â
âMy work was never something that was on the side. It was part of my identity and part of my whole life. I love technology that much and I love working with people that much.â
âThe thing that resonates with me the most that I see as a common thread is a deeper clarity of who they are themselves as a leader and moving away from what their employer, or their supervisors, have told them about themselves.â
âWe, as human beings, want to feel satisfied in our lives more holistically than just in our work.â
T.H.R.I.V.E Operating System â âThe number one step is transparent assessment to really uncover who you are as your unique leadership self.â
T.H.R.I.V.E Operating System â âVoicing your vision step is encouragement, a challenge to people, to record themselves on audio, giving a TED talk that is for them about what they have learned about themselves.â
âWhen you are clear on who you are, all kinds of stuff happens. You cannot unsee it anymore.â
âFor anyone working in a male dominated industry, the fact that we are ashamed to talk about our successes and about ourselves holds us back.â
âWomen are always looking for how they are not ready instead of how they are ready.â
âWe want to be 150% ready when really science tells us we really just need to be 50% ready for the role and we can fill in the rest with growth.â
âEvery single woman who is listening to this should be talking about artificial intelligence and the way it changes the work that we do.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
DeIla Ray is a seasoned welder with a deep love for the skilled trades. Her career began as a traveling pipe welder, taking her across the country. In recent years, DeIla discovered a new passion for inspiring the next generation. She will be entering her 3rd year as a welding instructor, sharing her knowledge and experience with future welders.
DeIla's dedication extends beyond the classroom. She is a prominent figure in the industry, serving as the Vice President of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Central Missouri Chapter #341 and the National Tradeswomen Committee Co-Chair. This year, DeIla will be installed as the President of NAWIC Chapter #341 as well as the National Tradeswomen Committee Chair.
With the unique blend of experience, passion, and leadership, DeIlaâs journey from welder to instructor is a testament to her dedication to the trades. DeIla's insights will be valuable to anyone interested in the skilled trades.
CONNECT WITH DEILA AND ALPHA DUO
LinkedIn DeIla IG Alpha Duo IG Facebook
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Registration
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âSeeing what is possible is what kept drawing me in. Every time I would level up and succeed in something. It was still that added attraction of I have done it and continue to do it.â
âAccepting the chaos.â
âLooking back now, if I would not have said yes to trying something new I would not be where I am today. That is one of the coolest things. It is like a âwhose done itâ story. I never had the experience and look where it took me â just from saying yes and taking on a challenge.â
âThere is just something about putting that hood down; I was immediately drawn to it. It was, âHow much more can I get? Do I have to sleep? Can I keep doing this?ââ
âThe opportunity of the trades is what enticed me in the beginning. Realizing I was one of the only on the only ones there was also a little enticing. I am a pretty bold person; I beat to my own drum most of the time.â
âI am creating a space here for other women and young girls to see that they can do it too.â
âMale dominated taking away the light on the fact that women can be there too. If we can say âmale populated; there it indicates there be more males there but it does not mean that males are the only ones that can dominate in that field.â
âImposter syndrome can creep up on people. They do not think you are supposed to be there so why should you think you are supposed to be there. You should know that, if are going to insert yourself somewhere and put time and effort into it, you deserve to be there.â
âIf you have that thought, that desire, donât let it fade away. Try it out. You may find your passion and not even realize it.â
âIf you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.â William Arthur Ward
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Sanya Mathura is the Founder of Strategic Reliability Solutions Ltd based in Trinidad and operates in the capacity of Managing Director and Senior Consultant. She works with global affiliates in the areas of Reliability and Asset Management to bring these specialty niches to her clients.
Sanya possesses a strong engineering background with a BSc in Electrical & Computer Engineering and MSc in Engineering Asset Management. She has worked in the lubrication industry for the past decade and has used her background across diverse industries both locally in Trinidad and Tobago, regionally and internationally.
She is the first person (and female) in her country (Trinidad & Tobago) to attain an ICML MLE (Machinery Lubrication Engineer). She is also the first female in the world to achieve the ICML VPR & VIM badges, full list here.
CONNECT WITH SANYA AND STRATEGIC RELIABILITY SOLUTIONS
Sanya's LinkedIn Company LinkedIn IG Website Facebook
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in STEM: Personal Stories and Career Journeys from Around the World
Empowering Women in STEM: Working Together to Inspire the Future
Empowering Women in Industry â Early Bird Conference Registration!
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âItâs all about being able to see the change. And be that change for others. Itâs not about us. It is not about the ones breaking the barriers. It is about the ones that are coming behind us.â
âYou cannot evolve if you keep doing the same things.â
âWomen change the way we think about certain things. It cannot be done the same way every time.â
âOne of the things I have seen change is people are more open; more willing to listen to the woman in the field.â
âAt the end of the day, gender should not be tied to job performance.â
âOne of the main barriers I still see are women who are pregnant in the industry. While theyâre pregnant, after their pregnancy, and during their parenthood. For example, we are not getting PPE that is fitted for pregnant women.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Stephanie Slocum is on a mission to normalize engineering, technology, and STEM women in leadership. She helps women become influential leaders while having a life, and she helps organizations committed to gender equity in STEM create work environments that retain and engage their women.
After two engineering degrees and 15 years working in a technical structural engineering consulting role, Stephanie wrote her Amazon.com category bestselling book, She Engineers, to help other women engineers have careers on their own terms. She also founded her own firm, Engineers Rising LLC, focusing on closing the womenâs retention and leadership gap in STEM.
As a mom of three girls, engineer, author, and professional speaker, Stephanie is determined to help women step into their power, redefine leadership norms, and use their unique genius to impact the world.
CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE
LinkedIn Facebook IG Engineers Rising Website Email
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
She Leads STEM 100 Leaders Report
Intentional Power Book
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âI entered a workforce where I felt like I didnât fit. I felt like there was something wrong with me.â
âI would observe that my male colleagues were treated a little bit differently. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what was going on other than I feel like I have to spend a lot more time, effort, and energy convincing people that I know what I am talking about.â
âThe only way you conquer that âhardâ is by having the support system around you, even if it is just one person.â
âIn the United States, we still have a very strong messaging issue around STEM that says if you are good at science and math that you should go this direction. There is this discounting of the other skills that allowed me to succeed in may engineering degree around leadership skills, communication skills, and power skills.â
âWomen feel betrayed. They feel, in a way, that they were brought up to come to science, technology, engineering, and math. We want you here. And they come into the workforce and wonder where is all that support now?â
âThe number one thing that people pointed to and said, âthis moment in my career changed my trajectory in a positive way forever was a mentorship moment. Mentorship also went right along with self-advocacy.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Dr. Nicole T. Rochester is a Board-certified pediatrician, TEDx and keynote speaker, and the CEO of Your GPS Doc, LLC, an innovative company committed to eliminating health disparities and bridging the gap between healthcare providers, patients, and family caregivers. Dr. Rochester was inspired to start her company after caring for her late father and witnessing the complicated healthcare system from the other side of the stethoscope.
Dr. Rochester has been featured on television and radio, is a frequent podcast guest, has an active presence on social media, and has contributed to numerous digital publications. Dr. Rochester is a powerful and engaging speaker and presents locally and nationally about navigating the healthcare system, elevating the patient and family caregiver voice, diversity, equity and inclusion in the healthcare workforce, and eliminating health inequities.
CONNECT WITH NICOLE
LinkedIn Facebook IG Your GPS Doc Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
TedX Talk: Overcoming Invisibility: The Doctor-Patient Relationship
Racism, Sexism, and the Crisis of Black Women's Health
NPR: How Poverty and Racism 'weather' the body, accelerating aging and disease
LinkedIn Article - The Empathy Gap: Revisiting the 90 Second Encounter
Documentary: The Color of Care
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âIn order to be your healthiest self, you have to have wealth. You have to have power, You have to have influence. Those qualities are not what we typically see in women, black women, and women of color.â
âRacism and sexism literally changes your biology. It is a form of stress. It is a form of trauma. Stress and trauma change the hormones your body produces which has an effect on your blood vessels.â
âRacism and sexism also impact the care. We receive different care as a result of the biases on behalf of providers that may not even be aware that they have sexist or racist beliefs.â
âThere are literally today, in 2024, neighborhoods in black communities across the U.S. where there are no grocery stores.â
âBlack doctors are 5% of physicians.â
âHealth care would look completely different if we all approached patients and families with empathy. If we took the time and explored and invested in understanding how our patients got to where they are. â
âWhat would it look like for us to put humanity first?â
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Carol Morgan Cox is the founder and CEO of Speaking Your BrandÂŽ, a coaching and training company that helps high-performing, purpose-driven women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and thought leadership platforms. Carol is host of the weekly 5-star rated Speaking Your BrandÂŽ podcast and during election seasons serves as a Democratic political analyst on TV news. Carol was named as one of Orlando's Women of the Year in 2021 and has been featured in Forbes. Through her company and content, her mission is to empower more women to find and use their voice, to tell the stories that need to be told, and to activate ideas for change.
As Lead Speaking Coach and Personal Brand Strategist with Speaking Your BrandÂŽ, Diane Diaz has coached dozens of speakers in crafting their signature talks, TED-style talks, and virtual presentations Diane has been speaking for over 15 years to groups of all sizes, including keynotes delivered on stage to audiences of 500+ people, smaller business and association groups of 10-20 people, and lunch and learn style sessions with 20-50 people or more. She has also hosted events, moderated panel discussions, and led workshops and training sessions both in person and virtually. Diane has also been a guest expert on podcasts, radio, and television. Diane regularly speaks on the topics of storytelling, personal branding, LinkedIn strategy, and women's empowerment.
CONNECT WITH CAROL
LinkedIn (Primary) Twitter IG Email
CONNECT WITH DIANE
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Speaking Your Brand Website
Speaking Your Brand Podcast
Speaker Archetype Quiz
Diane's Comedy Debut on LinkedIn
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âShare your truth. Imagine the impact that will have.â
âBeing able to articulate and communicate your message to your audiences is the way to establish leadership.â
âYouâre taking the audience on a journey; not just receiving information. They are having an experience with you.
âFeels really physiologically vulnerable to stand in front of a group of people and speak to them."
âStorytelling often requires a little bit of vulnerability. You are telling a story which requires openness and a personal touch.â
âWe often want to separate our business brands from our personal brands. They are not separate; they are all the same brand.â
âHumor in your presentations is important no matter what your topic is. Laughing is a form of social bonding. It connects us as a speaker with our audience.â
IDEAL Storytelling Framework: Imagery, Dialogue, Emotion, Action, and Lesson.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Dannette Nelson (Dani), uses she/her/hers pronouns and is a seasoned diversity leader and expert with over 20 years of experience in legal, human resources, and DE&I. She has successfully led in the startup space at companies like LinkedIn and Gusto. With a law degree and a master's degree in HR Management, she's demonstrated her commitment to personal development. Currently, Dani is the owner of Stone Soup Diversity consulting where she transforms workplaces into thriving inclusive communities â specializing in providing tailored programs and solutions for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
CONNECT WITH DANNETTE (DANI)
Stone Soup Diversity Consulting LinkedIn
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Story of Stone Soup
The Invisible Knapsack
Privilege Video Link
YouTube Channel: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man
Book: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man
Dare to Lead Podcast: Aiko Bethea on Inclusivity at Work: The Heart of Hard Conversations
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âPut the broccoli in the brownie. You want to get the nutrients in there but it is okay to still make it taste good.â
âChallenge I have seen is implementing diversity initiatives in a performative way. What I mean by performative is there is nothing really behind why the diversity initiative is being implemented. There is no conversation. It is being implemented for the sake of being implemented; for âkeeping up with the Jonesesââ.
âPeople need to be vulnerable in those moments that matter.â
âDEI&B is not compliance training â it is a discussion. It is not a lecture. It is a time for us to come together and get comfortable with the uncomfortable. And then be able to share that conversation with others.â
âPart of the diversity journey is meeting people where they are. Not where you think you should be. There is no finger pointing. There is no shaming. There is no blaming around the teaching, training, and learning of diversity.â
âWant to make sure a company knows who they are first. And then being able to incorporate DEI&B initiatives within the mission, vision, and values.â
âWithout a story, people are not going to attach to it. They are not going to see themselves. They are not going to be able to explain it to others.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Liz Hansen is the owner and photographer at Chicago Boudoir Photography, a boutique studio that empowers women to feel confident in their bodies, relationships, and lives. Liz opened her business in 2018 and quickly grew it to be pthe Chicago area's premier boudoir studio. She also coaches photographers to reach their dreams through her online coaching program, Million Dollar Studio Program.
Liz has been featured on the TEDx stage, on National Public Radio and with the Association of International Boudoir Photographers. Liz holds a BA in Art and an MA in Education. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, two teenage daughters and their French bulldog named Quarantina.
CONNECT WITH LIZ
Photo Studio Website Coaching Program Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Liz Hansen TEDx Talk
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âMy mission in life is to help women be empowered.â
âI believe that every woman at every age at any stage of your journey, itâs worth celebrating.â
âI think there are really important reasons for every one at every stage to document themselves, to feel pampered, and to feel beautiful.â
âThe only confidence you need is the confidence to show up.â
âIn so many aspects of our lives, we are nervous to do things not because we are not able to do them, but just because they are new.â
âThere are these things in life that require us to put aside our ego, put aside our fears, and allow ourselves to be vulnerable and try new things.â
âWhen you keep a catalog of those things youâve achieved; it allows you to achieve even more.â
âMy goal is to help women see a REAL version of themselves.â
âProfessional headshot is no longer your grandmaâs headshot⌠You can create a set of images that represent you for who you are. You are a brand.â
âSit down with the photographer and come up with three words that you want to convey with your pictures.
âIt is hard to be what you cannot see.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Dina Boggess is a results-oriented procurement and integrated supply chain executive with a proven track record of delivering top tier performance and driving digital transformation within Fortune 500 companies.
Sheâs held progressive leadership roles with scopes including direct material, indirect goods and services as well as new product development. Sheâs also spent time in multiple industries including retail apparel with Tween Brands, industrial manufacturing with Ingersoll Rand and Trane Technologies and the logistics industry with XPO.
Dina is an advocate of helping support women in industry and devotes time to coaching and mentoring to aid others in unlocking their greatest potential. She also participates in and supports organizations such as the Women In Manufacturing (WiM) national trade association and the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC).
CONNECT WITH DINA
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Cowbell Link
Gratitude Journal for Women
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âSometimes being courageous does not have to be this gigantic, really tough thing that you step into. It could be something really small that does not seem like a lot for you. But it is really impactful to the other person. Courage can be big or small.â
Dinaâs mantra, âGrit. Grace. Gratitude.â
âCourage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor - the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart.â â Brene Brown
Courage: âStepping into unknown purposefully with your head held high. Tackling that challenge head on.â
âShowing up is courageous. Sometimes we overthink. It is just showing up and letting what will be, will be.â
âFake it till you become it.â
Connection: âBe mindful to not just gravitate towards the people that are naturally in your circle. Be purposeful. Find other (connections) that you would not normally have in the day-to-day.â
Connection: âBe really thoughtful on how and what connections you are going to keep.â
On Purpose Over Time: âWhatever your (purpose) answer is, that is the answer for right now. It does not mean that is what it has to look like go forward. â
âThere is no such thing as perfect work life balance. There is an integration of the two where you are going to have peaks and valleys. Itâs how you comingle those.â
On Grace: âSelf-compassion and kindness; not only for others but for yourself.â
âCreate space and time for trust and honesty on your team. If you can cultivate that, it is priceless.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jennifer is a speaker, agent of change, vitality + high performance leadership coach and integrative practitioner. Her true passion is working with ambitious + conscious leaders to create their true wellness by breaking free permanently of their core wounds/blocks, expand their leadership by fanning their unique INFLUENCE so they can live the soul-aligned life that they were created for with Ease & FLOW. âŚ
CONNECT WITH JENNIFER
LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Jennifer Watson Leadership Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
My Human Design Website
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âThere are two moments in someoneâs life. The first is the day you were born. The second is when you realize why.â
âSometimes you have to take a leap and build your wings on the way down.â
âWhen you step into your calling, it is a true spiritual journeyâ
âWhen you stay more in alignment, you are more in your frequency. When you are in frequency, everything you desire as a leader of your deeper purpose of impact is going to happen at rate that feels accelerated and with ease, joy, and flow.â
âWhen you are truly stepping into your deeper purpose, your calling, you are stepping into a growth zone. You will be starting to do things differently in all areas of your life. It is going to be required of you.â
âWhen you step into your calling, it is a true spiritual journeyâ
âIf you can understand that good things shall pass and bad things shall pass, yet you still have who you are and the gifts you have to give to the world. Itâs all good.â
âIf we can sit in the mastery of what we are trying to create, the journey of it, knowing our gifts will always be there. It allows us to empower ourselves to know we are significant with and without successes. This is just a journey of mastery of our self with our unique gifts.â
âWhen you are doing things that are aligned with you, stepping in your truth, and aligned with your core values; your frequency starts changing.â
âWe feed off each otherâs frequency. Itâs called masterminding. When you start elevating your creation, your team feeds off of that. Your ability to take care of you first helps influence everyone around you.â
âWhen we have a lot of chaos in our brain, writing it and speaking it physiologically takes it out of our head and purges it through the body. So now the brain has space for a solution.â
âYour brain is so brilliant. It wants to work for you, but it needs room.â
âWhen you actually believe something and you say you are going to do it. And you do not do it for yourself. Your brain starts not trusting you. Actually starts giving you activities that are far from the activity you want to trust yourself in.â
âHow can we create empathy for someone else if you do not have empathy for yourself.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Tiffany is a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Yoga Teacher. She is an experienced executive leader and transformational coach who has a passion for helping others thrive by guiding them to shift their mindset, take action towards goals and embrace self-care. An explorer at heart, with a never ending curiosity for learning new things, she is constantly expanding her education and has received additional training in Nutrigenomics (DNA Testing), Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), Bioenergetics, Hypnotherapy (Board Certified), Quantum Biology and Biophysics.
CONNECT WITH TIFFANY
LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Tiffany Cagwin Website Tiffany's Email
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
My Human Design Website
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âIf you understand your why, there is something liberating about learning how to work with that.â
Reason for the shortage: âWe are being drained of our energy for many reasons and we are not filling up with the right inputs.â
âThere is rhythm our body is programmed to be attuned to.â
âUnfortunately, we reach for the abundance of energy in the wrong ways â caffeine, comfort foods, etc. Your body is in survival mode and youâre doing everything you can to get to moment to moment.â
âThe only inputs that can restore the bodyâs charge come from whole food (that actually has the charge from nature), the sun, the natural water, and grounding from the earth.â
Survival Mode: â When we are stuck in the fight or flight modes. There is no rest or digest. No parasympathetic mode. It is like the light switch is always on.â
Burnout: âWhen that (survival mode) has been the case way too long.â
Burnout: âIt can be described as metabolic chaos.â
âCreativity, I think, is what drives all of us. When you are so depleted, there is no space for that.â
âI am so addicted to being busy because it feels productive.â
âRequires us to let go of stuff that we think is important but is actually not.â
On action steps: âStart with the things that make the biggest impact. As soon as you start to feel a little bit better, you will be amazed at what other space opens up.â
On action steps: âLook at existing routines to see if they can be tweaked.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jamie Dandar McKinney, MBA, is the best-selling author of Speak Up, Sister! The Professional Womanâs Guide to Confidence and Success as well as a certified professional coach for businesswomen, a keynote speaker, and a virtual workshop leader.
Jamie ignites action by sharing key lessons learned while working her way up in heavily male-dominated industries. Recognized by the Denver Business Journal as a Top Woman in Energy, she jokes that her stilettos have steel-toes. Jamie is fully immersed in her company mission to empower women to ditch doubts, speak up, and achieve the careers they deserve and desire.
CONNECT WITH JAMIE
LinkedIn Instagram Jamie McKinney Website Jamieâs Contact Page
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Speak Up Sister Book
Link to Jamie's Positive Intelligence Program - Including Assessment Tool
Positive Intelligence Website
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Oct 5
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âI feel good from the inside out. When you are centered in your confidence, there are no secrets to that. There is no competition; itâs about collaboration. Lifting each other up.â
âTurning obstacle into an opportunity.â
âConfidence is an inside game. The mistake sometimes people make. They are seeking external validation for their confidence.â
âYour authentic self is your most powerful version of you.â
âOnly way self-doubt wins is if we let it. We have a lot more power and control than we realize.â
âPositive Intelligence (PQ) is a measure of your mental fitness. Itâs the ratio of how your brain defaults to either positive or negative thoughts.â
âWhat you can control is what you do with it once you hear it.â
âSome people go through life never actually hearing their self-doubt, simply feeling it.â
âOur body speaks our truth louder than our words all the time.â
âName it to tame it.â
Our self-doubt has names. Nine primary saboteur voices: Controller, Hyper achiever, Restless, Stickler, Pleaser, Hyper vigilant, Avoider, Victim, and Hyper rationale.
âSelf-Doubt does not discriminate. When you are playing big, setting big goals, and you are stepping out of your comfort zone; that is when your self-doubt wants you to listen. Our brains are wired to protect us.â
âYou can turn the impossible to possible when you silence those saboteurs and lean into your sage voices where your full potential and power truly lives.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, is on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them simple strategies to ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond.
Coached by her father, Karen first recognized the power of confident communication when she successfully negotiated her first flea market purchase at six years old. She now guides women to transform self-doubt into self-confidence resulting in more clients, job promotions, and negotiation wins. With 25 years serving as C-Suite advisor and commanding coveted stages such as Google, Starbucks and NASA, Karen leads the frontline of best practices for creating results through confident communication. She guides corporations and individuals with a proven model and is known for her actionable tips and ability to build trust quickly. During her corporate career, she led a team of facilitators while traveling the globe consulting industry leaders on the seemingly soft skills that impact the bottom line.
Karen is the author of Trust Your Own Voice: Growing Your Influence Through Confident Communication, as well as the host of her highly ranked podcast, Ignite Your Confidence, equipping women to stop holding back and start taking their seat at the table. Following her lifelong dream to live in Manhattan, she rented an apartment there for the month of her 50th Birthday.
CONNECT WITH KAREN
LinkedIn Instagram Karen Laos Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Book: Trust Your Own Voice
Ignite Your Confidence Podcast
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Oct 5
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âTrust yourself.â
âThat moment when I realized I didnât need permission was a huge âah haâ moment for me.â
âItâs amazing how many people are still held back and that is why they donât speak up.â
âYou want to show up in your presence, in your voice, and in your body language as if you are the expert. Because if you donât come across as confident then how would someone want to buy anything from you.â
âEvery time we open up our mouths we have the opportunity to influence someone.â
PPU Introduction Guide: Say something personal, professional, and unique about yourself.
âWhen we are confident, we have a better ability to be able to influence others because we come across as more connected and we come across with more clarity.â
âWhen you are sharing your story back to someone who shared something, and youâre attempting to connect with them, your part should not be more than 45 seconds. Once it gets longer than that, the other person shuts down, feels dismissed, or both.â
âEvery word has a job. Does that word do the job? Is it needed to do the job?â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jaclyn Herrera is the Chief Marketing Officer and Bridgebuilder at ChasmBridge, a CHIEF member. Whether planning for long term brand management or driving revenue results, Jaclyn brings a strategic mind with clear road paths and measurable results.
She specializes in high growth-oriented businesses that are aiming to make a transaction, enter new markets, dramatically improve revenue results or that are going through major cultural change. Through a relentless focus on the customer experience, Jaclyn has increased revenue opportunities through lead generation by $6M/month, improved total cost of ownership of technologies through aftermarket pull through by 28%, and designed customer journey maps that improve experience and engagement with NPS results as high as 9.
Her incredible leadership has resulted in many personal and business awards including - business industry recognition, marketing recognition for product launches and exhibition results, and project industry recognition.
CONNECT WITH JACLYN
LinkedIn Instagram Continuity Consequence Agency
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Black-owned Business Directories
Guide to Customer Journey Mapping
HBR Article on Blind Hiring
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Oct 5
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âYou need to be intentional about how others experience you.â
âFind your voice and find your voice early. Donât be afraid of it.â
âSo many people sit and wait for the opportunity to come to them. Just doing your job isnât the only way to make that happen.â
What does a good customer experience look like? Combination of the transactional customer experience and the lifecycle experience (considering all those touch points in between).
âElevating what youâre delivering from the personâs expectations of you.â
What should we avoid when weâre trying to create positive customer experiences? âNot doing what you say youâre going to do.â
Customer Journey Mapping - Key questions to think about:
(1) What is the customer going through when they need a product like ours?
(2) What are the touch points that us, as a company, is giving that person as they are trying to understand our product or evaluating our competitorâs product?
(3) What digital tools are we using to communicate along that way?
On Blind Hiring: âAllowed me to understand the content of their (candidates) character and the capabilities as it relates to the role.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Bolanle Williams-Olley is the CFO and co-owner at Mancini Duffy, a national design firm with a 100+-year-old history and tech-forward approach based in New York City, where she oversees the firm's financial and operational performance. She has over 15 years of experience working in the AEC industry with a strong background in financial analysis and strategic initiatives. At her core, she thrives on building relationships between finance and management teams to ensure the overall financial success of projects and her firm.
Bolanle is passionate about service and is the founder of several impact organizations including:
¡ SheBuildsWaves:a collective of women who make waves in the built industry by engaging each other and striving for more, together
¡ SheBuildsMoney: a company to help small design firms with financial solutions to empower these firms to be successful and thrive, financially
CONNECT WITH BOLANLE
Instagram LinkedIn Twitter
CONNECT WITH MANCINI DUFFY
Website Instagram LinkedIn Facebook Twitter
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Link to the book âBuild Boldly: Chart Your Unique Career Path and Lead with Courageâ
NOMA Project Pipeline
Raising Smart Girls
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Article
WTW Gender Wealth Equity Study
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Oct 5
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âCharacter speaks for you.â
âPivotal moments in my career was when I was truly myself. Represented myself. And I was bold.â
âIf workplaces are not flexible, then there is not going to be an opportunity for me to even progress.â
âItâs a domino effect. Racial discrimination affects education. It affects housing. It affects job opportunities. All of these things translate and affect why that gap (wealth) is so wide.â
âBe aware of the water you are swimming in.â
Bold Framework: B is Be Yourself. D is Donât Wait, Do it Now.
âFeel the fear and do it anyway.â
The opinions voiced in this podcast are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which strategies or investments may be suitable for you, consult the appropriate qualified professional prior to making a decision.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Amy Westbrook is a certified life coach and professional wealth coach. Using her corporate background in neuroscience, she has developed innovative neuropsychological tools and high performance strategies to help ambitious professionals get out of their own way to achieve extraordinary success faster, easier and on their own terms.
Amy is a Co-Active Certified coach (CPCC) and a member of the International Coaching Federation. She was also one of the original coaches on the Capital One Money Coaching team. Amy spent 18 years as an award winning sales representative focused in the area of neuroscience and turned her passion for people into a successful coaching business in 2015. She's always had a passion for numbers and completed her MBA early in her career.
CONNECT WITH AMY
Website Instagram @MoneyMojoCoach LinkedIn Facebook @moneymojocoach
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Oct 5
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âYou have to be able to experience worth, happiness, joy. You have to be able to experience that now. What makes you think $10,000, $100,000 is going to make a difference.â
âBorn (from those experiences} is an interpretation. That interpretation is shame, guilt, resentment, and unworthiness.â
âYou cannot feel empowered to move forward if youâre focused in the past.â
âWe donât have the language to talk about money. Money is a new thing for our brain⌠Itâs lumped in with the other reward pathways.â
âFor women, weâre not real clear on what wealth means to us individually.â
âImportant first step is what are my values and what life do I want to create. Being intentional with that life.â
âIâve climbed the ladder and itâs up against the wrong building.â
âMoney really is just numbers on page but we assign value to it. You have to look at the meaning you assign to it. That is born from your past experiences â what your parents said about money, what your church said about money, what your community said about money, what your best friend thinks about money, and your own experiences.â
Different Layers of Thinking in the Brain: Mindset â Limiting Beliefs â Identify
âEmotional identities define are potential.â
âWomen are taught to shrink their way to wealth.â
âWomen need to stop the shame for women that are doing well and willing to say I am doing well. Letâs clap, say congratulations, and teach me how to do it.â
The opinions voiced in this podcast are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which strategies or investments may be suitable for you, consult the appropriate qualified professional prior to making a decision.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Julie Schatz is a Certified Financial Planner⢠and partner at Investorâs Capital Management in Menlo Park, CA. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and worked for large chemical companies such as Hercules Inc., Dexter Corp, Loctite, and Henkel for 20 years, as a field engineer installing automated equipment across the USA and Singapore, and then in technical sales.
At the age of 40, Julie decided she was ready for a new career, so she went back to school to study personal financial planning while raising two young children. Julie loves helping her clients achieve their goals through comprehensive and personalized strategies. She specializes in tax planning and continuously updates her skills through additional coursework and professional meetings throughout the year.
CONNECT WITH JULIE
Fees Only Website Forum Financial Website (Augâ23) Julie LinkedIn
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
US Bureau of Labor Statistics Wage Data
Earnings of STEM and Non-STEM Workers
Raising Smart Girls Org
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Conference Oct 5
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events (Including Book Club and Membership Circles)
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âPlanning and saving helped put in the place to be able to do that career change.â
âUsually one person in a couple takes the lead when it comes to finances. The person more interested is the more engaged person and 60% of the time that is the woman.â
Common fear women have is their retirement security and avoiding running out of money.
âAdvocate for yourself. Even if you donât think you deserve it or if you think other people deserve it more, go for it. That is so much data that shows that women tend to underestimate or undervalue what their skills are worth.â
âEach of us has to become comfortable in our own skin. We have to become comfortable with who we are and what we can do. If we are comfortable, we are less likely to feel the need to keep up with the Joneses or a social media influencer. Weâre not buying things to satisfy some discontent within ourselves.â
âItâs okay to do a little extra something here and there, but keep your big picture in mind.â
The opinions voiced in this podcast are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which strategies or investments may be suitable for you, consult the appropriate qualified professional prior to making a decision.
Investment Advice offered through WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor. Utor Wealth is a separate entity from The Wealth Consulting Group and WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Jenifer Sapel
Jen is a recovering over-achiever who overcompensated financially after living with a mother who struggled financially after divorce. She describes her childhood home as one that pretended tough subjects didnât exist: rape, death, sex, and of course, money. Her drive to succeed, curiosity, and astonishing ability to problem solve, helped propel her success in financial services winning awards and often being the only woman leader in the room. She started Utor Wealth after tiring of long-winded meetings and over-emphasis on products and sales quotas. Utor is latin for: to use, to employ, to enjoy. Jen believes that every dollar we touch and how we send it out into the world is shaping both the world we live in and the one we aspire to. Every woman deserves to do it intentionally and with confidence, that is exactly how she helps her clients.
Carol Parrish
Carol serves as a "financial air traffic controller" for women, navigating their finances like an air traffic controller manages airplane traffic. In ever-changing circumstances, she manages the "air traffic" to create a customized flight plan guiding powerful women to their ideal destinations.
After a career in sports marketing, Carol jumped into financial services, another male dominated field, and quickly realized the need for change around women and money. She is passionate about helping women ditch the negative thoughts, shame and judgment around money (often created by men). Carolâs interest in aerospace and engineering began at an early age, growing up with her engineer father who ran a plate glass plant, and her twin brother helps build handheld ultrasounds. Her dreams of becoming an astronaut were put on hold when she discovered her extreme dislike for small spaces.
CONNECT WITH JENIFER, CAROL, AND UTOR WEALTH
Utor Wealth Website Jenifer Instagram Jenifer LinkedIn Carol Instagram Carol LinkedIn
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
2022 Global Gender Wealth Equity Report
The Gender Wealth Gap â Why It Matters and What You Can Do to Change It
Empowering Women in Industry Membership
Empowering Women in Industry Magazine
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Book Club
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Dr. Cat Shrier began her career in legislative offices, campaigns & agencies. After joining an environmental consulting firm where scientists & engineers turned brownfields into playgrounds on projects driven by regulations with public funding, she knew her career would lie at the intersection of science, engineering & policy on water & sustainability.
Dr. Cat has completed degrees in water science and engineering while gaining work experience in Business Development, Project Management & Tech Services. As head of Water BD & Sr PM, she became the first woman eligible for an Engineering Associate bid at a Global Firm.
She often works on âimpossibleâ or âwickedâ water problems, bringing people together into communication, collaboration & commitment to results on ASR Regulatory Clarity, Water-Energy Nexus, Climate Adaptation, Reuse and other Water Innovation & Policy challenges.
Dr. Cat founded WaterCitizen as an online media company and virtual education & engagement nonprofit for water and environmental professionals, civic leaders & innovators. She has interviewed 100s of water leaders & innovators on cutting-edge issues, publishing stories & videos for WaterCitizen Media.
With her years of experience in the industry and as an entrepreneur, Dr. Cat is uniquely positioned to help women leaders be a driving force in this industry.
CONNECT WITH DR CAT AND WATERCITIZEN
Dr Cat LinkedIn Dr Cat Facebook Water Citizen Foundation
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
World Water Day
UN 2023 Water Conference
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Book Club
Empowering Women in Industry Mentorship Circles
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
Women OF Water GET REAL Virtual Summit
Registration Link: Women of Water Get Real Virtual Summit
Monday-Friday, March 20-24, 2023 during UN Water Week
Monday-Friday, March 27-31, 2023 âEncoreâ Week
Join WaterCitizen for a Series of 45 Extraordinary Interviews With Women Water Leaders from Utilities, Nonprofits, Tech Companies, and Associations, Including Engineers, Lawyers, Public Administrators, Operators, Plumbers, Environmental Scientists, Social Scientists and Coaches on Challenges and Opportunities at ALL Career Stages Including
¡ Attraction/Education
¡ Recruitment/Early Career
¡ Retention/Development
¡ Advancement/Leadership
¡ PLUS Career Re-Entry!
Join from wherever you are for a FREE online public education, engagement, and empowerment experience!
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Chloe Arsenault is a second-year student in the Civil and Mining Engineering Technician program at Collège BorÊal. Having been involved in the skilled trades for some time, she noticed the lack of female role models in these industries. It was the spark Chloe needed to use her voice in women's empowerment movements; sharing her skills and personal stories to help pave the way for women in male-dominated careers and the mining sector.
She is continuing to break new ground by participating in the Miss Ontario Regional Canada Pageant 2023 where she will continue to share her platform. For Chloe, being a title holder means having a purpose, a vision, and a goal. Applying your platform and being a role model are key components her pageantry journey.
Making a difference has always been very important to her and she is looking forward to using this opportunity to recognize the hard-working women in the skilled trades and as well as the women in the mining industry.
CONNECT WITH CHLOE
Instagram Facebook
WATCH ON YOUTUBE
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Census.gov Womenâs History Month Info
International Women's Day Website
Empowered Women in Trades Website
TED Talk: What if Women Built the World They Want to See
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Book Club
Empowering Women in Industry Mentorship Circles
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
âQUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âYou can always build yourself better.â
âJust try for it. Try something new. You never know what will come out of it.â
âI realized I also love being feminine. Because of my choice of career, doesnât mean I need to define myself to be just a welder or a carpenter where I have to stay within my trade where I canât show my feminine side.â
On being the only female in her studies: âYou have to be strong minded. You have to keep that attitude that I am going to be part of the change. Some things I am going to have to face so that the future generation of women wonât have to feel that.â
âI cannot be afraid to ask for help. I think that can be an issue sometimes when women think, âIf I put myself in that position, it shows I am weak.â â
âAnother great part about women being in these industries now is not only is it empowering for women, but I think men are starting to realize that they are not superman either. They are starting to realize that they too can ask for help.â
âWith the evolution of women in the trades, itâs the same story with pageantry. Thatâs where I found a love for it. In pageantry, we look for a role model â a leader. Somebody who wants to make a difference. Thatâs where having a strong message and point; being able to use social media and that crown/sash to make a difference. Thatâs what it comes down to
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Carolyn Alessi is the Regional Director for Community Health and Well Being for Trinity Health of New England. Here she provides project and leadership support to the Joan C. Dauber Food Pantry, social care and clinical integration within the surgical service lines and safety net clinics, and has oversight of the Hospital Violence Intervention program.
Her expertise is in seeing the âbigâ picture. She is strategic in her approach to partnerships, working with diverse stakeholders to rally towards a common goal, facilitating crucial conversations and producing strong outcomes from the partnerâs collective work. Since being at Trinity Health Of New England, Carolyn has been instrumental in raising over $1.6M to support the programs in the Hartford market. In 2022, she received the exclusive Paradigm for Parity Women on the Rise award for her efforts to recruit 4 companies to join the Paradigm for Parity
coalition including her own organization which signed the pledge to have diversity of women represent 50% of C-Suite and Board roles over the next 5 years.
Carolyn currently holds the position as State Leader for Million Women Mentors CT Chapter, a national network that encourages women and girls to pursue and persist in STEM. During her time as State Leader, she has grown the organization from 18 members to now over 300 members within the network.
CONNECT WITH CAROLYN AND MILLION WOMEN MENTORS (MWM)
Carolyn LinkedIn MWM LinkedIn MWM Instagram (@MWM-CT) MWM Facebook (MWMentorsct)
WATCH ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXORze0AIyE
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Paradigm for Parity
Million Women Mentors
StrengthsFinder 2.0 Book
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Book Club
Empowering Women in Industry Mentorship Circles
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
Shannon Bumgarner Linked In
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âLead with confidenceâ
Two factors that contributed to her healthcare leadership success: (1) Having a really strong, broad network. (2) Learned how to build internal allies
âOnce you build certain allies, itâs amazing how other leader (especially senior leaders) give you that respect. They look at it âyouâve already gained the respect of my peer so there is something there that allows for that relationship to be trustworthy. I am going to lean on that and build that ally with you as wellâ.â
On being a strategic giver: âThe people that you invest in, they should be the ones that have the potential to move up and then look down and do the same thing.â
âPivoting and going into other role really does help your decision making more effective. It comes down to taking small risks for greater reward.â
âI have pivoted toward how can I leverage my strengths?â
Factors for Health Disparities: (1) Lack of Wi-fi access, (2) Lack of access to grocery store,
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Lauren is a mindset speaker, the author of âGo With Your Gut: Then Keep Goingâ, and the host of the podcast, Go With Your Gut.
Lauren is committed to motivating, inspiring, and leading others who feel stuck personally and professionally. She loves to use her experiences and what she's learned to help others learn to manage their mindset, find the opportunity in difficulty, and grow through their fear.
CONNECT WITH LAUREN
Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook
Instagram: Live Life with Lauren
Facebook: Living Life with Lauren
Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uia-YlHdCOQ
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Book: Go With Your Gut: Then Keep Going
Go With Your Gut Podcast
Abby Wombach - How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game
Empowering Women in Industry Website
Empowering Women in Industry Book Club
Empowering Women in Industry Mentorship Circles
Empowering Women in Industry Virtual Events
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âWe want to put ourselves, or keep ourselves, in a box of what we think we should do.â
âNobody can relate to perfection.â
âMake fear your friend.â
âGo out there. Whatever you are going to do, have fun with it. Even if it does not go how you think it is going to go. Tweak it. And move on.â
âI have gone where I thought I needed to go. Most of it I have no background in.â
âI had absolutely no idea where I wanted to go but I knew there was a way to get there.â
âWhen you take the labels and limitations off of yourself, it is incredible and powerful.â
On reimagining your path: âIt starts by letting ourselves dream. We honestly do not do that enough. Dream about the things that seem absolutely crazy to you. Dream about what would it look like. Where would you be. â
On overcoming fear: Listening to your body. âBeing able to recognize it. Learning how to calm your body down and not lead your mind, that anxiety and fear, take over. That is the self-doubt coming out in you.â
âFear looks absolutely different for everyone. Once you think you have it conquered, it will find a new way (to return).â
On overcoming fear: âGet yourself out of that comfort zone as much as you as can. Do it intentionally.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Miranda Eisermann is an Early Talent Program Manager at Trane Technologies. Miranda has her Bachelors in Business Management, Minor in Human Resources from Upper Iowa University and Masters of Education Professional Development from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She has over 19 years of multi-functional experience (14 years at Trane Technologies) in the areas of project management, human resources, training and development, safety, marketing, finance and leadership.
Mirandaâs energy and drive come from uplifting our people, culture and communities, owning actions and doing what is right, always. Mirandaâs husband has also works at Trane Technologies, reside in Holmen, WI and have 2 boys, Keenan is a sophomore and Konley is in 7th grade. They spend our evenings and weekends watching their kids play football, basketball and baseball.
CONNECT WITH MIRANDA
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
CNBC Article "How Tapping Into Early Talent Can Help Companies Fill Positions Faster"
Women in Manufacturing (WiM)
Paradigm 4 Parity
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
WATCH ON YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/c8qf4XDDcS4
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âItâs a journey of figuring what you want to do and what you want to be.â
âEmbrace the journey. Take all the skill sets that you can from each of the roles. â
âSometimes we just need a little confidence boost or someone else to push us to say âyou can do this.â
âSometimes we fear that uncomfortable zone. We just need someone to give us that little bit of a confidence booster.â
On the value of groups like Empowering Women in Industry and Women in Manufacturing: âMaking time for development. Itâs part of the problem that we all have. We donât make time for it; we do not block that time to completely focus on it.â
On having a diverse career journey: âFor me itâs been about skill building. Getting the extra pieces on your resume and realizing you need to diversifyâŚ. Makes me understand the business better and build those connections.â
What drew Miranda to early talent: âHelping people find what they truly want to do and love to do.â
Critical element of early talent program: âEarly talent to realize you are going to play a part of the puzzle. Youâre going to play a part in the department and youâre going to make a difference.â
Critical element of early talent program: âEarly talent being able to focus on diving in head first and asking the questions.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Alison Lange was raised in West Texas, bringing with her a legacy of hard work and service. She waited tables 10 hours a day to put herself through college, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Angelo State University with a bachelorâs degree in communications and an English minor â all within three years. She spent the next 25 years becoming a marketing leader in San Antonio where she has served education, tourism, culinary, literacy, health, technology, home services, government, non-profit and corporate sectors.
Alisonâs leadership at Shafer Services Plus helped it achieve its top two performing years in the companyâs 135-plus-year history. Additionally, she oversaw rebranding and launched Shafer Serves, a philanthropic program that has donated more than $55,000 in equipment and services to local non-profits and community members such as Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio, SA Youth, Guide Dogs of Texas, military veterans and The San Antonio Food Bank.
CONNECT WITH ALISON
LinkedIn Instagram Facebook
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Abby Wombach - How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game
Women in HVACR
Explorethetrades.org
Shafer Services Plus
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
VIEW ON YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/Jiq2njDeS0U
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âDare greatly and fail forward.â
âI love inspiring people, leading people, and teaching people. That is what lit a spark in me.â
On career diversity: âMarketing and business development are the threads that have consistently run through my careerâŚ. How do I best use my skills to build a product or service that gets the word out there?â
âMy superpower has been building the bridge from point A to point B.â
Takeaway: Same page meetings and using those to create true alignment.â
âI think thereâs so much more pressure on women. Weâre not allowed to screw up. I think there is vey much a double standard. Menâs sins are more forgivable.â
âWe (female leaders) have to give ourselves permission to fail and fail bigger.â
Wolfpack: âCheering from the bench for who is on the field.â
âIf we, as women, donât lay down those bricks to build that path, who is going to?â
Normalizing the trades: âWe as parents, as leaders, we have to make it an option (trades).â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Kamille Tacub is thecurrent reigning Miss Hawaii International. Sheâs a 23-year-old Honolulu, Hawaii resident currently working for Starbucks as a 4-year partner and trainer. She is her storeâs representative for all round table quarterly meetings, and recently was selected to be 1 out of 5 to represent her store and district at a collaborative season with some members from the corporate Starbucks offices.
Kamille uses the power of her platform as a youth ministry leader, mentor at her local church, and with the children that visit her store. One of her platforms is suicide prevention which she shared in July 2022 as she placed in the Top 10 at the Miss International Pageant.
She loves going to the beach, volunteering in her community, and visiting her pageant family in Kona. Kamille has walked in various fashion shows from Orlando to NYFW as well as neighboring island to island fashion shows.
CONNECT WITH KAMILLE
Personal Instagram Miss Hawaii International Instagram
Hawaii International Pageants Facebook
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Ten Facts About Bullying
Stop Bullying Government Site
Autism Moms of Kona
Anti Sex Trafficking Org in Hawaii
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
Kamille has two platforms: (1) Suicide and Depression and (2) Anti Sex Trafficking.
Importance of platform: âI am really happy that my story was able to help someone that was in the same situation as me.â
âFinding organizations and networks to help people get through that (suicide) was what really helped me.â
âI still as a 23-year-old struggle with my self-confidence.â
âAll of those bad things that have happened in my life, past and current, has made me who I am. Building me a thicker skin and being more confident in myself.â
âWhat I love about pageantry is the community service. Giving back to the community. Having a purpose and having a why. â
âI walked out of the Miss International Pageant with more confidence in myself.â
About bullying: âI remember in that moment I was just thinking, âWhat did I do to deserve this?â⌠I still donât know, to this day, why I am such an easy target. â
Response to bullying: âI am not going to let that (person not liking me) define how I am going to live the rest of my day, the rest of my week, or the rest of my year.â Make sure you have mentors to guide you.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Mary Verrone is the founder of Change Management Pros consulting where she is passionately committed to driving great user experiences for those whose jobs change due to systems, tool, process, or organizational change.
Mary is an industry thought leader, strategist, experienced speaker, trainer and mentor in Organizational Change Management with a wealth of global experience.
She is a certified Change Practitioner with Prosci and LaMarsh, Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI and Six Sigma White Belt.
CONNECT WITH MARY
LinkedIn You Tube - Change Mangement Pros Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Prosci Methodology Overview
Prosci ADKAR Model
HBR Article: Managers, What Are You Doing About Change Exhaustion?
Empowering Women October 13 2022 Conference Registration
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
HBR Definition of Change Fatigue: âfeeling apathetic towards or overwhelmed by too many organizational changes in a row.â
â73% of organizations report they have change saturation but only 20% do anything about it.â
Symptoms of Change Fatigue: (1) People are overly emotional. (2) Change resistance. (3) People complain more.
What Can You Do About Change Fatigue: (1) Watch for it. Check in on people. (2) Have an inventory of all that is going on and its impact. (3) Prioritize those changes.
âPeople are told to change but they donât know howâ
Prosci: âYou track the user experience and thereâs five stages a user goes through.â The stages are: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement (sustainability) (ADKAR).
When change isnât done well: âA lack of trust now. You are not going to trust future changes. Somebody does one bad one and your like âughâ. â
Change Mistake: âProject teams donât think about the users. They donât have a choice; they are going to have to accept it.
Change Mistake: âTo not have a strong sponsor. A lot of projects I am on do not have a sponsor.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Erin Galloway is the founder ofThe Habitized Life & Habitize Publishing where she helps individuals, families, and large corporations create customized mindful, healthy habits for home, school and work.
Erinâsentire career has focused on behavior change and how small choices add up to have a big impact. Much of this work has been in supporting families, communities, and schools in building healthy environments that lead to long-term, multi-generational wellbeing.
She has served on the leadership team that is opening and operating two innovative early childhood education centers for both The Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins University, along with launching unprecedented international service-learning initiatives for both institutions.
Erin earned a Master's degree in Child and Human Development from The Ohio State University. She is comfortable with being uncomfortable, a problem-solver, and listens to her instincts.
CONNECT WITH ERIN
LinkedIn Instagram Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Erin Galloway Author Page
Atomic Habits
Empowering Women October 13 2022 Early Bird Registration
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âMomentum over motivation.â
âFiguring out where the flow and the ease is for you during certain seasons of your life. How to make yourself feel good about how your choosing your habits and priorities every day.â
âI often talk about imperfect habits where people can be most successful. The ones where they say, âThese are my anchor habits. These are my non-negotiables.â This list should be really small.â
âSometimes habits donât serve us and we have to know when (this is).â
âI think a lot of the public messages, especially those on social media, are either you are good or bad at habits. I like to talk to people about trying to accept that youâre not have all of your habits equally prioritized at the same time.â
âTry to connect a habit more to an emotion than to an outcome.â
âStick to some level of repetition. Repetition creates comfort. It creates expectations. It reduces yelling and stress.â
âSome habits are sustainable and some are situational.â
Tip #1: Create a list of habits and prioritize them. Make this list as short as you can. Rank them for your good, better, and best days.
Tip #2: When you are in the new habit building phase, donât reinvent the wheel. Find an app or system that already exists and use that tool. Try it for a short period of time.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Erin Twamley is an award-winning childrenâs book author and educator. Through her educational consulting group STEM Superheroes⢠Erin leads hands-on encounters for kids and writes publications focused on STEM.
She aims to share the careers, stories and superpowers of women in STEM careers to spark their interest and build girls' confidence in STEM. She is the coauthor of the award-winning childrenâs book series, Everyday Superheroes, published by WiseInk and award-winning STEM project-based books by Nomad Press. Her latest book with coauthors Joshua Sneideman and Katie Mehnert, is Everyday Superheroes: Women in Energy Careers. It was recently released on July 25, 2022 from WiseInk.
Erin leads monthly virtual hands-on encounters for USA Girl Scouts Overseas and writes for magazines including Reinvented Magazine, the nationsâ first print magazine for Women in STEM.
CONNECT WITH ERIN
LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Facebook Website
CONNECT WITH STEM Superheroes
LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Facebook Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers
Everyday Superheroes: Women in Energy Careers
Eunice Newton Foote
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
Empowering Women October 13 2022 Early Bird Registration
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
A FEW QUOTES FROM OUR CONVERSATIONâŚ
âOne of the challenges I always had as an educator and even a parent was finding books that had diverse and modern-day role models for my kids. And really I am talking about women.â
âA lot of barriers when it comes to reaching a diverse population. Sometimes we have to expand our mindset of who weâre trying to reach.â
Episode 8 (Season 4)
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Kristin Winkle Beck, Kristin Winkle Beck is an enthusiastic coach, optimistic problem solver, and servant leader. Kristin brings a mix of energy, collaboration, and perseverance to her work as an executive coach, entrepreneur, and strategic nonprofit leader. She thrives on building relationships, tackling new challenges, and delivering exceptional results.
Kristin had her own âGreat Resignationâ in 2017 taking a personal sabbatical to rest, recharge and refocus her career. To jumpstart the next chapter of her career, Kristin completed a coaching program accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) which led to the creation of her own executive career coaching and consulting firm, Pivot Point Professionals, LLC. In 2019, she also became the Executive Director for Social Venture Partners Charlotte, a nonprofit organization which invests financial, human and social capital to strengthen innovative nonprofits who are tackling the communityâs greatest challenges.
CONNECT WITH KRISTIN
LinkedIn Instagram Email Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Social Venture Partners Charlotte
The First 90 Days
Empowering Women October 13 2022 Early Bird Registration
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âYou wonât learn anything if you donât do something.â
âThis is a game of momentum. You have to take some type of action. No growth comes from inside your comfort zone.â
âThere is something that can be gained in that stillness. That liberation from obligation. I want to encourage people to do what you can with where you are. The clarity will come from the action or, in this case, the inaction.â
âPeople are the key to your next role. Network authentically like you areâ
âI really help people become intentional about what is in the realm of possibility of what they might consider.â
Portfolio Career: âFor so long we were focused on finding that one perfect job that checked all the boxes. For me, I realized I may never find that perfect job. And that is okay.â Focused on âdoing the right thing at the right time.â
Career Transition Mistakes:
(1) âThey isolate â they think they should be able to figure it out on their own. There is power in connection.â
(2) âNot recognizing that there is grief here. People become very methodical but werenât not robots. There is emotion here. âEmotion (exists) in the highs and lows of job searching.â
(3) âWe put too much emphasis on the resume. Put too much time and energy into application tracking systems and online portals. We forget that the people making hiring decisions ARE people.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jacquie Abram, is the international best-selling and award-winning Author featured in FORBES of Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job.
Before Jacquie began her journey as an Author and DEI and Antiracism Consultant, she had a career in higher education that she was very good at and that she enjoyed. A career that paid her a lucrative income which, as a single mother of two girls, was the only income that allowed her to provide for her family. A career that spanned nearly two decades and should have been a successful one. But it wasnât. Throughout her career, she experienced racism in the workplace and not the kind you see in movies, books, and TVs shows about racism that occurred decades ago during a time when it was more overt and easily spotted, but the kind of racism that is more covert, hidden, and harder to prove.
As her career was derailed multiple times by multiple employers, she suffered racial trauma that, to this day, she has not fully recovered from. And when the same thing happened to others including both of her girls after they began careers of their own, she pulled herself out of corporate America, writing the Hush Money books inspired by true events and co-authored by her girls.
WATCH ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb_OS4F0eB0&t=8s
CONNECT WITH JACQUIE
LinkedIn Instagram
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job
Hush Money: The Cost of Being Black in Corporate America
Empowering Women Award Nominations - Due June 30th
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âOne thing that I committed to, when I decided to answer the calling, is to really use the pain that I have experienced in my own life and to turn it into power for others. I wonât be silenced regardless of what is happening because we need to give a voice to the voiceless.â
âWhat I experienced in my career was more sinister, more nefarious because it was hidden. It was harder to prove. More covert. Because of that covert nature, you couldnât tell whether or not what you were experiencing was really racism.â
âIt damaged me psychologicallyâŚ. I found myself suffering from racial trauma .
âThe reason I found myself on the verge of suicide is I thought something was wrong with me.â
âThere wasnât something wrong with me; there was something wrong with the system that allowed me to be harmed in this way.â
â(As a black woman) When you are working in your position, you never really get to a chance to just breathe. You as always operating in a state of hypervigilance.â
âWhen a racist leader targets us; weâre not just up against them. They use their power and influence to inspire others in the organization to conspire with them.â
âWhen you are being discriminated against, they are attacking you but theyâre ultimate goal is to take away your livelihood. They does something horrible to you
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Carla Vallone, is a marketing and communications strategist for business-to-business organizations and leaders who are commercializing highly-technical, mission-critical products and services.
Marrying business-to-business insights and buying habits with an organizationâs inherent expertise, Portavoce PR mobilizes marketing strategies the remove barriers to activation, generate leads and accelerate the sales process.
She builds marketing communications strategies that are approachable for companies that donât yet have mature marketing practices. Carla leads her team of specialists to create and deliver content that generates leads in the AI, technology, software, robotics, life science, medical device, biotech, HVAC, manufacturing and industrial spaces.
During her 20-plus years in public relations and marketing, Carla has worked for and represented Fortune 100 companies as well as dynamic start-up companies. In 2011, she founded Portavoce Public Relations, an award-winning marketing communications agency located in Greater San Diego.
CONNECT WITH CARLA AND PORTAVOCE PR
LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Facebook
WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBEhttps://youtu.be/LzxGjvTAH2g
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
May is Share A Story Month in the UK
National Storytelling Network: What is Storytelling?
Your Brand Promise
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
Why tell your story at all? âStorytelling is a way to attract other like-minded people and really flag in the world what is important to you, what your goals are, and it helps you achieve those goals.â
âIt creates a foundation to ask for what you want.â
âStorytelling can help you build your reputation and your authority around a certain subject matter or skill.â
âThe 21st Century is the era of telling your own story because now there are all the channels where we can do our own talking for ourselves.â
âFind third party proof point on what your story is relevant now.â
âThere are different stories for different environments. You are not trying to throw everything into your story. You have to think about what is my goal?â
Promoting your story: âYou do need to know where your people live that youâre trying to get your message out to. â
Think about âHow am I going to amplify my story with photos, video, or audio?
âOne mistake I often see with people when they want to start their own personal brand is they bite off more than they can chew. They think they have to be on every social platform. Keeping it fresh is important.â
âStorytelling comes in different lengths.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jamie Dandar McKinney, MBA, is the best-selling author of Speak Up, Sister! The Professional Womanâs Guide to Confidence and Success as well as a certified professional coach for businesswomen, a keynote speaker, and a virtual workshop leader.
Jamie ignites action by sharing key lessons learned while working her way up in heavily male-dominated industries. Recognized by the Denver Business Journal as a Top Woman in Energy, she jokes that her stilettos have steel-toes. Jamie is fully immersed in her company mission to empower women to ditch doubts, speak up, and achieve the careers they deserve and desire.
CONNECT WITH JAMIE
LinkedIn Instagram JMD Consulting Website Facebook Group
Contact Page Phone: (347) 92 â SHERO
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Speak Up Sister! The Professional Womenâs Guide to Confidence and Success
Speak UP to Level UP Course Link
Women in Leadership Infographic
McKinsey Women in the Workplace - 2021 Report
31 Best Madeline Albright Quotes About Making a Difference
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
Jamieâs purpose: âEmpower women to ditch doubts, speak up, and achieve the careers they deserve and desireâ
âRehearse until itâs verse. Life is one big rehearsal.â
âI didnât have to be the most experienced person in the room, I didnât have to be the smartest, or the most male as long as I did one thing â carry myself with confidence. Lead with confidence. That became my secret sauce.â
Secret to confidence: âYour confidence is not about them; itâs about you. Itâs about how you show up for you.â
What rattles your confidence: (1) The unfamiliar and (2) High stakes. âTake steps to familiarize the unfamiliar.
âDitching doubts has a lot to do with mindset. Words matter. The words that weâre telling ourselves are having an impact on our actions that follow.â
âThe cells in our body are eavesdropping on our words.â
Your confidence currency: âYour confidence account works just like your bank account. It has your name on it. You control the password. You make the decisions about how to grow it, how to invest it, and how to spend itâŚ. The only way someone can make a withdrawal from your account is if you give them permission.â
Being a Broken Rung Fixer: (1) Getting credit for your work (2) Creating visibility and (3) Building the MAC team (Mentors, Allies, and Champions)
Soundbite: âShort, succinct statement that contains ~ 20 word or less and itâs said in 10 seconds or less.â
Episode 4 (Season 4) of the Empowering Women Podcast
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Perri Richman is a strategist and marketer blending leadership at complex global public corporations with advisory of private placement portfolio companies to further ESG principles and winning innovation for consumers, businesses and investors. She has guided communications, brand and digital efforts for industrial technology giants, involved with dozens of M&A transactions and integrations, new product and service innovation commercialization, and award-winning Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and social impact efforts.
Perriâs passion is bridging corporates and funds with early-stage and privately held companies to advance entrepreneurship and strengthen corporate competitiveness. She is the co-founder of a technology platform called JASPY, and advises women, minority owned early-stage companies as well as biotechnology, enterprise & financial technology, industrial, social impact and professional services companies.
CONNECT WITH PERRI
LinkedIn Twitter The Brand Promise
CONNECT WITH JASPY
LinkedIn Website
Watch on YouTube.
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Slipnot Website (Company Referenced in Podcast)
Foghorn (Company Referenced in Podcast)
Online Personal Leader Brand Training
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âManufacturing chose me; I did not choose itâŚI wanted to work with manufacturers to modernize and stay competitive.â
What Lead Perri to JASPY and Cultivating Innovation: âAbility to pull together both the intelligence that corporates need with the business productivity that we know manufacturing companies value in order to really accelerate innovation.â
âTwelve industries that are expected to disrupted by technology and challenger start-up companies in 2022.â
âThese early-stage start-ups â theyâre unencumbered, fast, and purpose-driven. They know their problem, their customer and they are being funded.â
Manufacturers need to partner up; they need to think differently outside of that âif itâs not created hereâ mindset and innovate with these start-ups or private companies.â
On Personal Leader Branding : âScience that looks at behavior, image, and perception that is really designed to create methodical and meaningful lasting change for people. Makes people stronger and people make businesses strongerâŚ. What better place to do that than with early stage companies?â
âThe most distinctive brand assets and the most memorable thing about a companyâs brand is the people.â
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Vanessa Mathews ,as the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, the co-owner and host of the Business Resilience DECODED podcast, and an adjunct professor at Savannah State University, is unmatched in her experience and knowledge with a unique ability to translate complex topics with personal anecdotes
Vanessa is a catalyst for change in the world of business and entrepreneurship. She has a passion for women and the black community in highlighting the systemic challenges minority professionals face in the public and private sectors. Her desire is to create forward moving change and decrease the wealth inequality gap in these communities, by sharing her knowledge and expertise through her energetic and encouraging approach.
CONNECT WITH VANESSA
LinkedIn Twitter Learn More About Vanessa as a speaker
CONNECT WITH ASFALIS ADVISORS (@AsfalisAdvisors)
BUSINESS RESILENCE PODCAST (@BRDECODED)
LINKS
Managing the Wealth Crisis Download
McKinsey Study: The Economic Impact of Closing the Racial Wealth Gap
Video â Racial Wealth Gap Explained
Bloomberg: The Historic Issues Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Gap
Forbes Article: What The 3Ps Of The Triple Bottom Line Really Mean
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
On What Brought Vanessa to Become a Thought Leader in Racial Wealth Inequity:
- Experiences of my grandparents, my great-grandparents, and my parents
- Vision for my marriage âWeâre hear to change positively change the trajectory of our last name and to create wealth.â
- Murder of George Floyd in 2020
- Current state of the black dollar is at a very critical state of emergency (> 50% of black businesses have gone out of business since COVID)
What is Racial Wealth Gap? âThe difference in assets between an ethnic group and another group.â These disparities look like â the lack of social capital or the lack of access to financial capital.â
900% asset wealth gap between white and black families.
âNothing is untouched by racism.â
âPeople became property for profit. That is where the wealth gap began.â
âPerception acts as a lens through which we view reality. Perception is a matter of life and death for black people, literally.â
âThe United States used poverty, cruelty, and totalitarianism to force us to do what they wanted us to do as people.â
âItâs systemic, its intentional, and itâs built into the fabric, the DNA, of every single thing that we doâ
âChanging the policies and the systems, it changes the impact and it changes our trajectory. It changes your wealth. It changes our community.â
âCrisis, from a business perspective, impacts your operations, profitability, and your reputation.â
Nicole Calhoun is a high-energy and results-oriented professional who has worked with diverse multi-cultural teams around the world. She brings 25 years of corporate and technology experience to her training workshops.
Nicoleâs technical experience includes enterprise level technology systems with such roles as Software Engineering, Business Systems Analysis and Project Management. Her industry knowledge includes Financial & Merchant Services, Retirement & Payroll Services, Manufacturing and Automotive.
Nicoleâs work experience includes companies like: JP Morgan Chase & Co., General Motors, Delphi, Detroit Diesel, National Steel Corporation and Electronic Data Systems (now DXC).
As a certified John Maxwell Team trainer and coach, Nicole is prepared to deliver content that adds value through an inspiring, engaging, and exciting experience that you will enjoy.
CONNECT WITH NICOLE
Website LinkedIn Learning Circle Waitlist
Watch on YouTube
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Skills Assessment from Nicole
Presence by Amy Cuddy
Amy Cuddy TED Speaker Page
Book: Unlocking Your Authentic Self: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, Enhancing Self-confidence, and Banishing Self-doubt
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âThe more I began working with women I began to realize I wasnât alone. We have this struggle, I realize, as women that we want to advance and we want more but we feel like weâre stuck.â
âOne day I realized that weâre not one of the guys and weâre not supposed to be. Many times we start trying to emulate what is around us because we think that is how we want to advance.â
âYes we learn from each other, but we need to stay true to who we are. We need to be courageous enough to be who we are.â
âWhat Iâve learned is we will never be fully satisfied until we find out who we are and allow that person to show up everywhere, even in the workplace.â
âAs women our tendency is to overlook our own valueâŚ. We tend to diminish our own work - what we have done and what we have accomplished. We play it down and praise the work of others.â
âWeâre all a package of talents, skills, and abilities, but we donât even see them because we underplay our own accomplishments.â
Executive Presence: âConfidence gives that person that âwow factorâ. When you become comfortable with who you are that confidence shows up.â
Imposter Syndrome: âNo matter the level; we all struggle with it⌠It comes from a lack of self-discovery or when weâre challenging our limits.â
Universal Misconception of Humility: âT
Episode 1 (Season 4) of the Empowering Women Podcast
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Cherie Hicks is a thought leader in leadership development, program design, facilitation, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She considers herself a learning technology champion, with experience in developing and implementing virtual learning strategies using a variety of different platforms. As a member of the Leadership Excellence team at Trane Technologies, she manages several different womenâs development programs designed to help empower, connect, and support women leaders. Cherie currently serves as the Vice President of Marketing on the Board of Directors for the Association of Talent Development â Charlotte Chapter. She has a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, NC and a Master of Science in Adult Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, NC.
CONNECT WITH CHERIE
Watch on YouTube.
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Association for Talent Development
Whoâs On Your Personal Board of Directors?
Email Shannon for Peer Coaching Circle Info
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
âMeet people where theyâre at. Show people that you can develop in a way you never expected.â
âStorytelling is a powerful tool. Who better to hear it from than other women who go through the experience and are successful leaders? Much more so than myself. I am creating a network of women that are supporting each other.â
Common Areas Where Women Can Focus Their Development: (1) Being more of a critical and strategic thinker and (2) Enhancing your business acumen skills.
On Critical and Strategic Thinking: âYou have to understand how to create (strategic) plans and how to execute on those plans.â
On Business Acumen: âRegardless of the field youâre in, itâs still important to know the business because the bottom line matters. Leaders want to know what is going to be my return on investment. Understanding the business matters; itâs actually how you can build relationships, gain credibility, and enhance your brand.â
Women Leadership Program Suite â Key Reasons for Design: (1) Emerging Leader â How do we get that pipeline ready?, (2) High Potential â Accelerating development of their skill set for executive leader readiness, and (3) Larger Audience â Providing development opportunities economically to improve leaders overall.
Leadership Development at Smaller Organizations: âLeverage partnerships with local vendors, online resources (TED talks), local development organizations, and LinkedIn. Donât feel as if you have to have a big budget to offer a quality program.â
Program Development Focus: âWhat should the program be about? Guess what⌠your target audience will let you know. Look at the learners as the voice of your customers.â
Episode 15 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Wende Goble is a curious, fact finder who does not like the word NO and CANâT when finding creative outlets to solve problems, who leaps tall orders during disasters and will find generators and deliver water in a quick nano second in an emergency situation. Friendships and networking are her game; she loves to hear others stories of their life goals and careers, everyone that crosses her path has an interesting story. Her career path has been non-traditional filled with peaks and valleys that has given Wende grit and grace and has allowed her to view all situations as an opportunity.
Wendeâs career path has included various roles in the Supply Chain sector in Master Planning, Capacity Planning, Buyer, Category Management, and Logistics within medical, apparel, mining equipment, and currently in HVAC markets. She has been recognized for CEO and Chairman awards with VF Corporation for successfully managing a systems integration project and Trane Technologies for humanitarian relief for hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Lynn Haven, Florida.
Her absolute passion is within the arts. Wende grabbed the opportunity to launch her own successful photography business. Photography has allowed her the opportunity to capture special events for others; creating an environment of comfort for a person to express their authentic self. Photography is now a hobby that channels a creative outlet when life becomes too structured.
CONNECT WITH WENDE
Watch on YouTube.
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Margaret Heffernan: Forget the Pecking Order at Work (Super Chicken TED Talk)
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
âThere is no such thing as no. Everything and anything is possible.â
âI do not like to be put in a box. I like to be outside of that box. I want to be different.â
The Gift of Grit: âI am going to do this for me not for anybody else.â
Wendeâs number one mantra: âItâs all about relationships. Iâve learned so much from individuals that have been one of my resources along the line.â
âI wanted the core of my brand to be all about relationships. Itâs where I am today; authenticity and relationships is key.â
Imposter Syndrome: â There are days when I have the black crow on my shoulder. They like to chatter all around and you just have to put them in a corner.â
The Power of No. Wende uses this in two ways:
(1) In Setting Boundaries
(2) Avoid Saying No to Possible: âOpen yourself to possibility.â
âThere were times when we thought âwe canât do thisâ. But you would pick me up or I would pick you up. We were never on the same page as quitting.â
On crucial conversations: âI tend to second guess myself when I bring up a topic that I passionately believe in but do not want to hear
Episode 14 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Michelle Taylor is the New Product Quality Director for Trane Technologies where she leads the North America Commercial HVAC new product quality team in delivering product development excellence within the new product development lifecycle and the quality transformation process. She is also responsible for leading the Quality strategic decisions team to deliver the strategic focus/direction for the business unit over the next 5 years.
Michelleâs diverse leadership journey includes 10 years at Cummins in areas such as: Defense & Government business development, Global Diversity Procurement and Global Warranty governance. Michelleâs leadership as Global Diversity Procurement Director generated $200M in diverse spend resulting in Cummins induction into the Billion Dollar Roundtable recognized globally for those corporations who attain more than $1B in diverse spend. Michelle was then promoted to Executive Director, Global Supplier Quality responsible for the enterprise Supplier Quality transformation. Here she led a global team of 400 quality engineers, managers and directors.
Michelle has been acknowledged for her exemplary performance as a former business entrepreneur and as a Procurement/Supplier Diversity Leader. She has received several awards including the 2013 Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year Award, Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council and the 2014 Top 25 Women in Diversity. Michelle also received the 2005 New Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Indianapolis Black Chamber of Commerce and the 2007 Center for Leadership Development Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE
LinkedIn Email
Watch on YouTube.
2021 USO Trot For the Troops Sign Up
World Quality Month - American Society for Quality
World Quality Day - November 11
Billion Dollar Roundtable
Quality 4.0
Gallop Article: Great Resignation is Really the Great Discontent
SCORE - Small Business Assistance
2021 Empowering Women Award Winners
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
On World Quality Month: âI view quality as an outcome. It has a characteristic. You can improve profitability and enhance your brand and reputation through quality. Quality is in everything we do and that we touch. We bring it to the workplace through collaboration and connection. From there we create champions.â
On key leadership skills: âServant leadership â really having the capability to listen to the development needs of others and then helping others to reach their potential. As leaders we oftentimes forget that that is really the purpose of being a leader is for the people. Putting the people first is so critical.â
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Episode 13 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Amy Crosby is a degreed electrical engineer leading customer experience for drives at ABB. She has been in the Industrial Automation field for over 20 years, starting her career as a Field Service Engineer.
Over her career, Amy has developed a passion to grow STEM talent from early career new hires to late career professionals. By highlighting the strengths of every individual and by providing feedback and growth opportunities for developmental areas, she is able to guide professionals in their career to roles that suit their uniqueness.
Amy is positive, determined and always on the lookout for actions and suggestions to move her work forward. On a personal note, she has been married to Keith for 22 years and they have 3 children; a 21 year old daughter, an 18 year old son and a 15 year old daughter. Being a working and involved mom has always been important to Amy as well as guiding other female engineers as they navigate life changes and learn how to advocate for themselves.
CONNECT WITH AMY
LinkedIn Instagram
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Harvard Business Review "From Purpose to Impact"
Brene Brown on Comparative Suffering
Personal SWOT Analysis
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
âI have been told that, based on where the stroke happened in my brain, I am a miracle. I could or should still be bedridden.â
âOverall itâs been a long and hard road. I couldnât have done it without the love and support of family and friends.â
On things that came out of the tragedy: âBeing able to enjoy life and everything that comes with it. Before my stroke, I was on autopilot; running from one obligation to another. Now I am a lot more mindful of my experiences.â
âLook at your situation and find things you can control. Focus on those things. Pick yourself up and move forward.â
âWe all have setbacks. Mine was just bigger than most. Itâs how we move forward from those setbacks that matters.â
âI was able to go back to work 6 months after my stroke.â
âYou donât really realize how much you impact other people until something like this happens.â
On her efforts within the STEM field: âIntroducing high school students to STEM is really where we need to start.â
On her school board work: âWhat I really like about this school district; preparing kids for life not just for college. Giving them many opportunities to see what they would like to do; individualizing for each child. Not expecting them all to go down one path.â
Mentoring and career advice: âOwn your career. Too many times, as females, we think our talents will be noticed. But we really need to own our career and direct it where we want it to go.â
Episode 12 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Karen Laos is a keynote speaker specializing in communication and leadership. She is fiercely committed to equipping women in business to speak with clarity and stand out with unshakable confidence.
Over her 20+ year career, she has had rave reviews from Facebook, Google, Netflix, Sephora, Sony, NASA, Uber, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Trip Advisor, Bacardi, Levi's, Microsoft, AT&T, UnitedHealthcare and Johnson & Johnson.
She got her start in human resources at Gap Inc and oversaw training & development at Decker Communications, where she led a team consulting executives on how to influence through your presence and message.
Karenâs style is approachable, fun, and engaging. She connects quickly and leaves audiences feeling empowered with practical tools to apply immediately.
.
CONNECT WITH KAREN
LinkedIn Website Facebook Group Instagram Twitter Ignite Your Confidence Podcast
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
The Atlantic "The Confidence Gap" Article
Untamed Book Link
The Confidence Code Book Link
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Info (Including Registration)
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
âWe can actively choose to have the power of self-agency.â
âI grew up believing that you needed to look to an authority figure to tell you what to do.â
âMy dad always taught me I could do anything I wanted with enough determination and persistence. He taught me how to negotiate at a young age so Iâve never really been afraid to ask for what I want or to be confident.â
âMost people wouldnât think I was not confident. But on the inside there would be times would I feel scared to really show be true self.â
On the Empowering Women Community: âWhat I didnât expect was the incredible women I see each month when we have a call. I didnât expect how this help blossom my career, connections, and ultimately community.â
On her upcoming talk at the Empowering Women Conference (3Câs to Command Any Room with Confidence): âI am also a ârecovering ramblerâ. I love to help women stop rambling and get to the pointâŚso they can be seen and heard; more visible.â
On ways we give away our power â over apologizing: âLet excuse me or thank you for understanding be your default (not I am sorry).â
On trusting your gut: â Start by asking yourself, âHow do I feel about this?â and then dive deeper.â
Michelle Gymiah, is the Director of Equality Pays, a gender and ethnicity equality consultancy
dedicated to closing workplace pay gaps. With gender pay gap reporting regulation, possible ethnicity pay gap reporting and a workplace talent shortage looming, redressing gender and racial inequalities in the workplace is more important than ever.
Michelle is a passionate advocate for enabling women (and men) to progress in their careers in a way that suits their outside of work responsibilities and lifestyle choices. She does this by empowering workplaces to radically rethink how they can support their employees to thrive at work.
Michelle has over 8 yearsâ experience of working at the Equality and Human Rights Commission and holds a Masters in Human Rights from The University of Manchester.
Michelle is a regular contributor to numerous podcasts, business magazines, and international conferences.
CONNECT WITH MICHELLE AND EQUALITY PAYS
LinkedIn
Equality Pays Website
EPISODE AND EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Corporate Pay Gaps Resource Hub
Burning Glass Technologies STEM Study
U.N. Pay Equity Site
Wikipedia Equal Pay Day
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Info (Including Registration)
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
âNo is just information. No means next opportunity.â
âI was terrified of saying, âIâve just found out that my predecessor was paid more than me; why is that?â What I started to do was to internalize why that might be the case.â
âSystematically when you look at the workplace, how it was put together and who it was put together for, it was never put together for the likes of you and me in mind. It was designed in such a way that one person would be the breadwinner and by default that would be a man. Then you would have someone who would take care of everything else and by default that would be women.â
âItâs a real systematic challenge in trying to âflip the scriptâ in terms of focusing on productivity and output as opposed to presenteeism and the idea of you can only be productive; youâre only really working if youâre in the office, if youâre being micro-managed, if we can see you at your desk.â
âWe internalize the idea that itâs not safe for us to ask for more. Itâs not safe for us to challenge the status quo.â
âWe generally as women, especially women of color, we are socialized to not put ourselves at the center of what weâre asking for. Weâre socialized to think about other people â think about your team, think about your family, the workplace, your colleagues, think about the system as it were.â
On negotiation: âItâs really important to get connected to that purpose. To help you feel that you have a steady foundation as the emotions go up and down (through the negotiation process).â
On negotiation: âYou are going to get ânosâ. If it was easy and you always got âyesesâ, then everybody would be doing it and this would not be a conversationâ
Episode 10 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Anna Nguru, Product Management Specialist
BIO: Anna Nguru, an inspiring multi-faceted leader, is a mechanical engineer, immigrant, activist, social media content creator, and rising entrepreneur. She recently launched her journey in Product Management using her successful experiences of aligning business strategy and engineering principles to improve processes, systems and profitability. Previously, Anna has held roles in different industries in tech as a mechanical engineer and engineering coordinator.
With her uplifting commitment to the immigrant community, Anna is facilitating a mental health program within the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency (CRRA). She is also a strong advocate for women in STEM with her strongest asset being her resilient mindset.
CONNECT WITH ANNA
LinkedIn Instagram (@ann_linda2) Email
Watch on YouTube.
NON PROFITS ANNA SUPPORTS
CRRA â Welcoming Families, Rebuilding Lives (carolinarefugee.org)
Homepage | National Domestic Workers Alliance | National Domestic Workers Alliance
Donate to USA for UNHCR (unrefugees.org)
HIAS - Welcome the stranger. Protect the refugee.
EMPOWERING WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LINKS
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Info (Including Registration)
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
âI remember telling the CRRA director how amazed I was at the number of opportunities available here (United States) and, quite frankly, it was overwhelming.â
âTwo weeks (before flight to the United States) we got a call that you have been selected to go to Charlotte, NC. We had to sell everything⌠it was tough, I was homesick for sure.â
âI came here at 19; Iâve left all my childhood, my friends, my extended family (behind). It is like starting over with one suitcase and my mom had probably $200 for the entire family.â
On her Social Media start: âI had so much pressure for someone who is supporting herself, I thought of ways and ideas to be able to make side income. I definitely went the influencer route. It all started out with my passion which has always been supporting women in STEM, specifically women of color. â
âAs women in STEM, itâs difficult out there. Weâre not noticed. Weâre not recognized. Specifically engineers.â
On being the one or the only: âEvery day you will experience microaggressions. Best way to deal with it to understand how to advocate for yourselfâ
On Imposter Syndrome: âComing from no opportunities to opportunities, you are like âok, itâs real; itâs happening. I am somebody. I am an engineer.â Do they trust me to do the job?â
On her immigrant mental health program: âWith immigrants, the topic of mental health has such a stigma. My goal is to normalize mental health for immigrants.â
Episode 9 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Gina Covarrubias, Founder of Deliberate Doing, LLC
BIO: Gina Covarrubias is the founder of Deliberate Doing LLC, an exclusive STEM coaching service dedicated to helping technical professionals defeat career despair. Her distinctive background blends life coaching expertise with 12+ years engineering/technology experience in government, academia and corporate aerospace.
As an Engineering Life Coach, Ginaâs mission is to help STEM professionals evaluate their journeys in the context of their lives. She is a Certified Life Coach as well as has her B.S. in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Utah
CONNECT WITH GINA AND DELIBERATE DOING
LinkedIn Deliberate Doing Website YouTube Channel Newsletter SIgn Up Email
LINKS
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Info (Including Registration)
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
âI was very guilty of the âshouldâ. Telling myself I should be at this level by now. And I âshouldâ be this by now.â
âI saw a lot of despondency in a lot of the places and departments where I worked. I saw a lot of people who settled, and they ended up coming in everyday and just going through the motions. As an observer of people, I told myself I do not want to live that way. I am not going to live by defaultâ
âI stumbled upon life coaching and it instantly resonated with me.â
âWhen we have expectations (the world âshouldâ be this way, my boss âshouldâ act this way, and I âshouldâ get promoted), we set ourselves up to be disappointed because we donât have any control over those externals."
âItâs okay to have dreams and visions, but when you become emotionally attached to the outcomes that is when you set yourself up for trouble.â
âBig mistake many of us make is we look toward our career to bring us happiness in life. Thatâs not the way it works and I wish someone would have told me that.â
âOftentimes people might label themselves or the job as a failure if they try something and it doesnât work out. Yet failure is nothing more than information and information is power.â
Episode 8 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Abi Olukeye, Founder of Smart Girls HQ
BIO: Abi Olukeye is the founder/CEO of Smart Girls HQ, A National Science Foundation Award Winning STEM education solutions provider that creates engaging content and facilitates exciting experiences to enable young girls achieve STEM Career Literacy by age 12. Core offerings include parent education for STEM informal learning at RaisingSmartGirls.com and Dear Smart Girl kits, a project based career-focused STEM curriculum for girls.
Previously, she led Internet of Things (IOT) strategy development and digital transformation projects at a diversified Fortune 500 manufacturing company. She has over fifteen years of professional and leadership experience spanning new product development, technology commercialization, process improvement and strategy.
CONNECT WITH ABI OLUKEYE
Instagram (@aolukeye) LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH SMART GIRLS HQ
Raising Smart Girls Website Instagram (@raisingsmartgirls) Facebook (@raisingsmartgirls)
Twitter (@smartgirlshq)
Watch on YouTube.
LINKS
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Info (Including Registration)
Empowering Women Events (Including Meet Ups)
QUOTES
âThe magical STEM moment for meâŚI was working in Microsoft Word, doing homework, and suddenly I just noticed all the little bits of UI that made it work. I am thinking to myself, âsomebody put this together â somebody decided we should have a menu, somebody decided we should have this white space.â I was just completely fascinated with the idea that there was this artist and their canvas was this technology.â
âIn my head there was no âboys can do something girls canât do.â
âIt wasnât an aptitude problem â with me or with girls. I made my senior year project a curriculum for girls and got to test that out at a middle school. It is a full circle moment for what I am doing now.â
Career challenge: âWhile I had the language of computer science down, I lacked the language of manufacturingâ.
Career Challenge: âAt time, just feeling underestimated. I felt like there were moments in my career where people just âassumedâ. They ended up being the best moments; people were blindsided about their blind spots about me.â
âI feel like guys get the benefit of potential and womenâs evaluation is based on performance.â
Advice: âWork is always going to speak the loudest. People are going to put aside the biases as they need the results.â
Advice: âPicking the moments to stand up for yourself.â
Why Smart Girls HQ?: âMy daughters were showing me this problem was still very real. Why canât we accomplish the same with social impact problems like we do with corporate processes? I wanted to see if I could do something that would pour as much into me as I was pouring into it.â
âBy age 12 is when girls start to lean away from STEM. The two large candlesticks, adding up to ~90%, are the childâs personal experience and their parentâs influence.â&nbs
Episode 7 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Christina Chen, Founder and Vice President of GirlsCodeIt
BIO: Christina is, as a high school junior, Founder and Vice President of GirlsCodeIt, a nonprofit initiative led by passionate young women who strive to combat gender and education inequality in STEM. She is passionate about gender equality and the effects of gender roles on society. In her future academic studies, Christina plans to pursue Biomedical Engineering degree while continuing her groundbreaking work at GirlsCodeIt.
CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA AND THE GIRLSCODEIT TEAM
Email GirlsCodeIt Website Instagram YouTube Discord
Watch on YouTube.
LINKS
May as Celebrate Inventors Month
SHRM: Girls Who Code Filling The Gender Gap in Technology
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Information
QUOTES
âCoding â I actually got into that field accidentally.â
âFirst thing I noticed is there were a lot more guys in the case than girls.â
âWhen I was there struggling a bit (with a coding lab assignment), a guy tried to explain to me how to do it. It was helpful, but he would not take âoh no, I can figure it out myselfâ as an answer.â He did not leave room for me to ask questions or for me to say anything.â
âSaw an opportunity to start something that could help our community. We all saw the gender gap in our classrooms and in competitions.â
âWe also wanted to build a collaborative community for girls. We wanted to save space where girls come together.â
âSociety markets coding as a superpower that anyone can unlock. But I think itâs deeper than what they portray. Not only do you need the ability to code, you need the facilities.â
âStart anyway you can. Start as slow as you want; just continue to make progress.â
âItâs not going to be a smooth path. Probably going to be a little rocky. Youâre going to hit a few roadblocks. It doesnât mean you have to stop there.â
Episode 6 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Patti Perez, CEO at PersuasionPoint
BIO: Chief Drama Slayer that combines her experience as a licensed California attorney and a professionally-certified HR executive to specialize in the prevention and resolution of workplace drama. Patti is the author of the best-selling, award winning book, The Drama-Free Workplace: How You Can Prevent Unconscious Bias, Sexual Harassment, Ethics Lapses, and Inspire a Healthy Culture. As an entrepreneur, she is creating a revolutionary shift in the way we communicate and connect at work.
CONNECT WITH PATTI
LinkedIn PersuasionPoint Website
Watch on YouTube.
LINKS
April as Celebrate Diversity Month
Six Câs of Inclusive Leadership
The Drama-Free Workplace Book
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Information
QUOTES
âI think itâs important for men to understand, if they are fathers, the powerful influence that they have. My dad always believed in me.â
âInstead of allyship I use the term radical kinship. You walk with me. You are side-by-side on this journey with me.â
âWho you think you are may not end up being who you actually are.â
âIf I had to give a single piece of advice to the âyoung Pattiâ, identify your unique strengths and unique value that you bring as early as possible and learn to communicate that.â
âIf you have to make yourself smaller or change the unique strengths that you have to somehow âfit inâ to the current culture youâre in, youâre doing yourself and the organization a disservice.â
âBecome better versed and understand why the legally-charged terms often (a) are imprecise and (b) end up raising the temperature instead of lowering it and what you can do instead. I advocate a 3-step process: (1) Talk about the words and behavior â donât put that âlabelâ on it. (2) How did it effect you. (3) What we can do to fix it.â
Three Fâs of a Healthy Workplace Culture: (1) Fearlessness (2) Fairness and (3) Freedom
âWhy employees do bring claims is because they do not have a perception of fairness.â
âWhat Iâve long dreamed of doing is addressing that âmiddle tierâ that often goes ignored. What I call a rising diverse leader. From an attrition perspective, itâs the most dangerous yearsâ
âWe seem to give this message to women that you have to turn yourself into a pretzel in order to âfit in. â
Watch this episode on YouTube.
Episode 5 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Cynthia OrduĂąa, Career Coach and DEI Consultant
BIO: Career coach and talent development advisor with a background in recruiting, career development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has helped over 50 startup companies in L.A., S.F., N.Y., and Chicago recruit and retain talent, and has coached over 300 people in all stages of their career from entry to senior levels. She specializes in helping people enter the technology industry, build their business and create their personal brand. Her life mission is to amplify as many voices, cultures and backgrounds as she can by helping people develop themselves personally and professionally.
CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA
LinkedIn Instagram (@cynnluu) Youtube
LINKS
Cynthia's Website
Women's History Month
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women Slack Channel
Empowering Women 2021 Event Information
QUOTES
âAfter having filled out the EEOC report for the company, I realized that I was the only Latina working in the organization in a non-janitorial capacity and 80% of their employees were white males.â
âI soon realized, that once again, the industry I found myself in (technical recruiting) didnât look like me⌠I wanted to meet people who understood what I was going through and not feel so alone in the process.â
âI fought and I advocated to create more of a diverse pipeline. Get them to see people were qualified for these jobs even if they didnât look like the perfect candidate.â
âAllyship is about doing what you can to support and uplift voices from people in underrepresented groups
âAllyship can be very simple. Taking the time to educate yourself on your privilege or the lack of opportunities other people have because of their identity. Making sure you are listening and accepting the perspectives of the people youâre trying to support versus playing devilâs advocate, acting like weâre in a debate club, or believing that you may have the solution.â
âAllyship isnât necessarily about being praised or even being noticed for the work that youâre doing.â
âAllyship is about being comfortable being a supporting actor. Oftentimes it is a more personal journey more than anything else.â
âAre we actively listening and seeing our unconscious biases during these dynamics while theyâre happening?
âEven as women we can end up judging each other and being detrimental to othersâ careers.â
âMicroaggressions are often very subtle, indirect or unintentional comments that can negatively target or affect other person. It is a form of bias and discrimination.â
âCreate an environment where people feel comfortable questioning them (hiring manager on hiring biases).â
âTons of ways women can be at a disadvantage because of these unconscious biases. Another thing that happens to women in meetings is getting cut off very frequently.â
âSimilarity bias is where we tend to like and accept people who look like us, think like us, and remind us of ourselves.â
âTaking the initiative to getting to know everyone on your team equally.â
âEmpowering who you mentor to show up as their authentic selfâ
âAllyship is not an easy journey."
Episode 4 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Pattie Grimm, President and CEO â Advantage Training
BIO: With over 25 years of experience, Pattie is an empowerment expert for organizations, leaders, and women. Pattie served as a senior leader for several Global Fortune 100 companies.
Pattie was recognized by Executive Womenâs Association, Whoâs Who in Womenâs Leadership. Women of Influence and the State of California. She is the author of Quiet Women Never Changed History â Be Strong, Stand Up and Stand Out â âLetâs Go Kick Some Glass.â
CONNECT WITH PATTIE
LinkedIn Twitter (@pattie_grimm) Instagram (@pattie_grimm) Facebook
Email: pattiegrimm@live.com
OFFERS
Book offer https://www.womenkickingglass.com/book for only $10.00 including over $200.00 in free bonuses and free S & H. (Free S & H only available in the US). Book is available outside the US on Kindle @ https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Women-Changed-History-Strong/dp/0692742417
Email Pattie for a PDF guide on writing your personal vision statement.
LINKS
Website
Women's History Month
The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins
Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts
Girl Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women 2021 Event Information
Empowering Women Slack Channel
QUOTES
âI literally went from rock star, on the corporate track for success,⌠from that fast track to hitting rock bottom so hard that I was lying on that bathroom floor trying to get the energy to get up.â
âI lost everything. I lost sense of myself and who I was. I had to find my way back.â âIt wasnât the company that did it. I gave up on me. I started playing the role everyone else wanted me to play. Who I was. Who I stood for and what was important to me.â
âBe strong and play to your strengths. Find those roles and opportunities that fit your strengths.â
âIn order to stand up, you need something to stand on. You need a foundation. That foundation for you should be a personal vision statement.â
âUse that vision statement to make your career and life decisions.â
âBe valuable. Be visible. Be vocalâ
âWe need to support other women and not sabotage. We need to collaborate, not compete. Help lift other women up so we all rise.â
âPut yourself as number one on your to do list. You cannot give away what you donât own.â
Episode 3 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Titi Sule, Portfolio Leader â Controls and Technology at Ingersoll Rand
BIO:Â As a Portfolio Leader at Ingersoll Rand, Titi is responsible for strategic direction for Controls Technology including hardware and software. Her portfolio includes onboard controllers, system controls, and IoT integration. Titi has had diverse 13 years of experience in manufacturing companies including control system engineering, application engineering, aftermarket service offerings, and technology strategy including three patents. Titi is also a writer of educational childrenâs books and serves on the board of director for Access2Success, a NC based nonprofit supporting over 250 kids in Nigeria.Â
CONNECT WITH TITI
LinkedIn Twitter (@titi_sule) Instagram (@tzsonline)
LINKS
Website
Amazon Author Page:Â Titi Sule
Engineers Week
SWE Women in Engineering by the Numbers
Women of Color in the Engineering Workplace Study
Access2Success Website
Empowering Women Website
Empowering Women 2021 Event Information
QUOTES
âMy first exposure to engineering was through my dad.â
âWhat I do remember, very early in my childhood, is when we were constructing our house I wanted to build something.â
âMy father wanted his girls to be in places that allowed women to advance their careers and be in leadership positions.â
âTo be able to see my name on a patent was something beyond anything my mind would have imagined⌠Deal with imposter syndrome a little bit on the first one, maybe this was just luck. By the third one, I really could say I did a good amount of work and I feel proud of my work and I feel proud of the patent.â
âTo share knowledge is part of who I am. To share my experiences⌠I would not be where I am today without other people who have poured into me.â
âI had the mindset of âdo the workâ and people will notice. Itâs not true. The organization is huge and people might not notice. Other than your job, you also have to do the work to let people know who you are, what your interests are, and how you want to develop. It matters just as much as you doing your workâ.
âI still have that voice in my head of âHow do you want to show up?ââ
âThereâs power in you actively writing or stating what you wanted to do. It helped me believe in myself that if I wanted to do something I could actually do it.â
âYou feel that imposter syndrome right away when youâre the only person in the room that looks like you. It can really affect someoneâs confidence.â
âI really cannot overstate how much mentoring matters.â
âEven going outside the workplace, into the schools, we have to meet people where they are.â
âThereâs nothing like someone whose walked in those shoes to show you how to do it.â
Episode 2 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Angela Hosking, Founder and Owner of Her One Tribe
BIO: Angela is a womenâs empowerment and leadership speaker, author, workshop facilitator, coach and the owner of Her One Tribe, LLC. She combines her 10+ years of healthcare executive leadership experience with her expertise as a womenâs empowerment writer to deliver impactful workshops and motivational speeches. Using her self-developed Personal Empowerment Framework as her cornerstone content, Angela educates and inspires national and international female audiences to unlock their confidence barriers and diminish their Imposter Syndrome thinking. Angela is the author of Woman on Top: Lead Like a Lady Boss and hosts an online community at HerOneTribe.com for aspiring women to find education, inspiration and support with their fellow sisters.
CONNECT WITH ANGELA
LinkedIn Facebook (@heronetribe) Instagram (@heronetribe)
LINKS
Her One Tribe
Woman on Top: Lead Like a Lady Boss
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Imposter Syndrome: Pauline Rose Clance
Brave Bold Beyond Virtual Summit
Empowering Women Website
American Heart Association
QUOTES
Angelaâs motto âEmpowering Women to Empower Womenâ
âNever discount your early goals and passions. I have found they come back later in your life and youâre able to fulfill them then.â
âIâd been told and raised that in order to be successful in leadership Iâve got to be like the guysâŚ. What I really wanted to bring to the table, to the team, was a different type of leadership. One that was more authentic, more inclusive and got to the root of motivating and inspiring people to be their very best selves.â
âWhat kept coming up again and again was the confidence issue.â
The Good Girl Paradox: âWe were born into a society that when the doctor said, âItâs a girl!â, there were already preconceived notions about what type life we would live, how we would be in this worldâŚ. It is still very much engrained in our society that little girls are born into a world where they should follow the rules and not question them.â
Imposter syndrome linked to: (1) loss of confidence and (2) lack of "risky play".
âWe think playing by the rules will keep us safe and we do not necessarily take risks. Risks are what create confidenceâ
âItâs not that I donât have it anymore (imposter syndrome); I now know how to manage it. I now know how to recognize it and I know how to quiet the inner âmean girlâ voice so I can keep moving forwardâ.â
Insanely Brave Moments (IBMs): â50% exciting and 50% super scaryâ. Schedule them in you life!
In Angelaâs surveys: 87% of women felt responsible for doing it all. 82% of women felt constantly exhausted and depleted.
âItâs not about being more productive. It truly is not. It is about balancing and recognizing what you put on your âto doâ list is 10 days worth of âto dosâ. â
âBuild relationships across the white spaces.â
Episode 1 (Season 3) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Stacy Cassio, Founder and CEO of the Pink Mentor Network
BIO: In 2017, Stacy Cassio founded the Pink Mentor Network, Charlotte NCâs first female mentorship community. Followed by the creation of Pop-Up Mentor, a brand new model for mentorship in 2018. Today, that model is being used by organizations of all sizes & industries to build transparent, scalable, measurable employee resource programs. Stacy is dedicating her life to reshaping how individuals seek & obtain mentorship, and helping organizations build cultures of mentorship
CONNECT WITH STACY
LinkedIn Twitter (@StacyCassio) Facebook Instagram (@pinkmentornetwork)
LINKS
Pink Mentor Network
Pop Up Mentor: Categories â Start, Lead, Expert, Innovate, Grow, Survive
Empowering Women Website
QUOTES
âIâve never met a woman I couldnât learn fromâ
âWhen you hear your intro, Iâm getting better at soaking it all in because I think itâs really the grit, the dirt , the stuff that isnât in that intro that really made me the woman I am.â
Number 1 piece of advice on finding your purpose: âFind that thing that you just feel hasnât really been solved.â
âAt that moment, I was solving my own need.â
On her mentor model journey: âCreate something different that would change it from that traditional pairing system and instead make it a community about the times in our lives when mentorship is super important.â
âI think we put ourselves into boxes and we just forget thatâs where weâre living.â
âChallenge it all in 2021. 2021 will be the year of the experiment.â
âShow up with the vision of your career â not your baggageâ.
âWhat we lived through doesnât become valuable until itâs shared.â
âChallenges you face should not be faced alone.â
In this introduction episode of the Empowering Women Podcast, Charli interviews our new host Shannon Bumgarner about her plans for the upcoming season.
Episode Links:
- Empowering Women Website
- Shannon's LinkedIn
Episode 14 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Bonnie Marcus on Leadership and The Politics of Promotion
BIO: Bonnie Marcus is an executive coach, author, and international speaker with a passion for helping professional women gain the visibility and credibility they need to have a fulfilling career. She works with high achieving women in corporate settings who want to move up and assume leadership positions. Bonnie helps them navigate the workplace politics and get the promotions they deserve.
LINKS
- Bonnie Marcus' Website
- Bonnie's Twitter @SelfPromote
- Bonnie's LinkedIn
- Bonnie on Forbes
Notable Episode Quotes:
âAssumptions keep us apart. Assumptions keep us small. You know, we often put people in categories based on their age, their gender, their race, their educational background, all these things and it keeps us from really understanding other people, and building strong relationships.â
âIf there are women who have made it to senior leadership, take a look, use them as role models. How do they communicate? What kind of relationships have they built? Whatâs their client base? What kind of projects do they work on? How do they leverage their work for increased visibility?â
âPeople are too busy with their own stuff to go out of their way to recognize and reward you for your work. Itâs your responsibility to let others know⌠And itâs not just a selfish, self-serving thing. If youâre getting great results because you tried a new approach to a project, say, it will benefit your colleagues, it will benefit the organization if you let people know how you got those results. Everybody can learn from it. So we need to rethink about self-promotion as just being self-serving, and think about how our work and the results we get and the lessons weâve learned can benefit the organization as a whole.â
âYour value proposition is how your work contributes to positive business outcomes. Itâs not your job description.â
âYou canât build a network, you canât build a career in a vacuum. We need to understand how important a network is before we really need it. We need to build an intentional and supportive network before weâre desperate...â
âThe danger of making assumptions⌠Sometimes thatâs our blindspot. We believe, very often, that thereâs a level playing field, that our work alone will get us ahead. We believe that if we work really hard, thatâs going to help us. We assume certain things about the culture in our organization without really looking under the covers and understanding what that culture is about and how best to navigate within it. We assume that certain people in the organization behave the way they do because of X, Y, Z. We donât really get to know people. Assumptions keep us apart. Assumptions keep us small⌠It keeps us from
Episode 13 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Jennifer Braganza on Investing in Yourself & Your Career
BIO: Jennifer Braganza has over 20 years of professional experience in product design & development, process improvement, and leading strategic change initiatives. Her experience spans nonprofit and public boards at UNC Charlotte, University of Michigan College of Engineering, and the Society of Women Engineers. Braganza is an expert in project management and leading global and virtual product development teams. Her strengths include: Strategic thinking, business coaching, leading global and virtual teams, intercultural communication, project management, process improvement, project leadership, leadership facilitation, public speaking, training and workshops, non-profit leadership, product development, and program management.
Notable Quotes:
âI will tell you, if you really want to understand a companyâs values, pay attention to what theyâre doing right now. If they really are living their values, theyâre living them now. Theyâre living them in times of difficulty, in times of financial struggle. This is when you see what companies are made of. â
âIâm very aware of the fact that my experience as a female person of color is very different than that of a Black man, or different than a white female. We all have different experiences that we bring to the table and my job, as a leader and as a person, is to respect those differences and to invite them. And to ask questions to understand. And to love people regardless of all of those things. So thatâs what I strive to do; thatâs how I try to show up.â
âAs you continue to grow in your career, you start specializing and niching down. You know longer think, âI can do all of these things!â Instead, your messaging is very tight. Your brand is very tight about what it is that you do and what it is that you donât do.â
âIâm a huge believer in the definition of luck - luck is when preparation meets opportunity. And the reality is that that preparation is all about you and how youâre willing to invest in yourself, in your career, in the growth opportunities that you challenge yourself with in order to be ready for that next career opportunity. Because if you leave it in your companyâs hands, then itâs going to be about when *they decide youâre ready and theyâre willing to invest in you. Why would you give anyone that kind of power over your career?â
âAs individuals, we have to take accountability for investing in our own careers.â
Episode 12 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Barbara Trautlein, Change Intelligence, Change Catalysts
BIO: Barbara Trautlein has a PhD in Organizational Psychology and is the founder and principal of Change Catalysts, LLC. Their mission is to catalyze successful and sustainable change by partnering with clients to plan, execute, and enhance organizational, team, and individual performance, through their deep expertise in Change Management and Leadership Development.
Barbara is the author of Change Intelligence and was also the keynote speaker at the inaugural 2019 Empowering Women in Industry conference.
Notable Episode Quotes:
âI believe we are all change leaders, regardless of tenure, title or role.â
âThe definition of Change Intelligence is: the awareness of our style of leading change, and the ability to adapt our style across people and situations⌠People tend to lead change from four different focus areas -- Head, Heart, and/or the Hands...â
âThe more options we have, the more power we have.â
âWhat looks like resistance is really a powerful source of information that we can use, as change leaders, to change the only think we can, which is ourselves -- to reframe what looks like resistance from our enemy to our ally.â
âRelationships get results.â
âChange is threatening when done to us, exhilarating when done by us.â -Rosabeth Moss Kanter
âThe higher you go in any organization, the harder it is to get any feedback at all, let alone real time and actionable feedback.â
âWhat you see depends on where you sit.â
Recommended Books:
- Change Intelligence by Barbara Traulein, PhD
- The Change Masters by Rosabeth Moss Kanter
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
The Empowering Women in Industry Awards - August 1, 2020 - will be live-streamed on the Empowering Women in Industry Facebook page!!
Episode 11 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Shannon Polson, The Grit Factor | Twitter, LinkedIn
BIO: Shannon Huffman Polson has worked with leaders in industries across the country and around the world on managing change, building leadership and grit, and planning for diversity. Polson is founder and CEO of The Grit Institute, a leadership development organization dedicated to the whole leader approach to ethical and people centered performance in times of change and challenge. Reach out for instruction for you and your organization online, and discuss supplementation by live webinars, and keynotes to ensure your team has what it needs to succeed.
Polson is the author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience and Leadership in the Most Male Dominated Organization in the World, forthcoming from Harvard Business Review Press in September 2020.
Notable Episode Quotes:
âWhen you take care of your people, they take care of the mission.â
âLeadership is a sacred trust.â
âThe only way you can bring your full self to work is by addressing the needs of your full self.â
âA leader is responsible for setting the vision. Theyâre responsible for connecting people to purpose.â
âSetting some sort of vision for your people is still important, even if we donât know what the long-term looks like. And I think that is both the opportunity and the responsibility of a leader today.â
-- Shannon Polson on being a leader during a time of #Covid19
âAnd I love that word âaudacityâ because itâs really being willing to go out and take risks, and know that sometimes youâre going to fail and that itâs not failure that matters but what you do with it that counts. Youâre going to fall. Youâre going to fail and you get up one more time than you fall down. Thatâs the key to success, right?â
Additional Links and Resources:
- Support Shannonâs initiative to build a local library by visiting: https://www.winthroplibraryfriends.org/
- Shannon's Medium Post about Karen Baetzel
- Battle Axe Consulting - Karen Baetzel
- Books:
- The Grit Factor by Shannon Polson
- The Excellence Dividend by Tom Peters
Episode 10 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Cheryl Merchant, CEO of TACO Comfort Solutions
BIO:
On January 1, 2019, Cheryl Merchant joined TACO as President of North American and was promoted to CEO in March of 2020. Prior to this, she held the position of President and CEO of Hope Global for nearly 20 years.
Before Cheryl became the President and CEO of Hope Global in 1999, Cheryl built her career from the shop floor to top management in leading operations around the world with the automotive industry giants of General Motors, Mazda, Ford Motor Co. and Lear Corporation. Under her leadership, Hope Globalâs sales more than tripled and operations grew beyond world-wide headquarters and manufacturing facility in Rhode Island to include manufacturing facilities in Mexico, China, and the Czech Republic. There, she built a team of experts, united and driven to take the company to unprecedented levels of growth.
A recognized industry and community leader, Cheryl has been honored with two honorary Doctorate degrees, and was named 2014 New England Business Woman of the Year.
Her specialities include: Mergers and acquisitions (most recently: purchased with extensive due diligence and merged 2 companies in last 2 years), general operations (lean manufacturing, supply chain management, production consolidation (closed operations in France and Ireland to consolidated into Czech Republic), develop management in all levels, and Financial oversight of P&Ls, balance sheet and Cash Flow.
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
âThe company has to succeed or none of us succeedâ
âI learned that thereâs so much more to a total company business. Thereâs the banking, thereâs understanding the entire picture of your value - your name⌠â
âI believe the entire C-suite is responsible for every piece. I donât care if your marketing or production - weâre responsible for the whole picture. â
âIt doesnât do any good to sit from your end of the boat and point to another executive and say, âuh - you have a hole - your end of the boat is leaking...â weâre in one boat. And itâs the same thing when youâre all in the same pool -- you donât want anybody using it as a bathroom.â
âYouâre not in the room as a token.â
Books Discussed:
No Ceilings, No Wall by Susan Colantuono
The Coffee Bean
Speed of Trust by Steven Covey
Episode 9 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Aneesa Muthana, President, CEO and Co-owner of manufacturing company Pioneer Service, Inc.
BIO: "Manufacturers are makers. The process of bringing people together to MAKE something that will go on to serve a bigger purpose is where my passion lies. Knowing that the parts that leave my shop are contributing to the world at large, touching lives, and benefiting people fuels my passion. I am the President, CEO and co-owner of Pioneer Service Inc., a certified women-owned and operated small business (WBE/WOSB) providing precision machined parts since 1990. I am a hands-on leader with extensive experience in almost every aspect of a production machining environment. My success was only possible through building a high-performance team that embraces leading-edge technology. I believe in building relationships both inside and outside of my company, and in the strength of inclusivity in an industry where success can only be earned, and never given. "
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
âI chose to step up and really put everything in my company, work really hard. I was always told that, âyouâre probably going to end up back at your fatherâs place!â Iâd joke and say, âIâll learn how to say - do you want fries with that?â before that would happenâ
âBeing in this country and being in the land of opportunity - even today if something were to happen to Pioneer, God forbid, I donât believe that thatâs the end of my career⌠I always believe that because of the obstacles Iâm facing itâs only pushing me in another direction where thereâs more success to attain.â
âOnce you have good leaders in place, and Iâm not talking about just managers, Iâm talking about high-performing leaders in place. Then, it is your job as the CEO or President to take the back seat and let them make their mistakes, and let them thrive. And let them also feel the rewards of that accomplishment.â
âI will definitely hire based on personality, based on drive, over skill every day.â
âIn 2020, as I walk into board meetings, as I lead trade association talks, I see it. Iâm not naive.⌠I hear the comments. I see the faces of those that question my presence in âtheirâ environment. But I donât let *that deter me from doing what I love.â
âI believe the most crucial lesson my parents taught me was Amana. And thatâs an Arabic word that means respect, trust, accountability, and responsibility⌠and I try to lead that way. Itâs really having the empathy and understanding that the people Iâm leading are counting on me, are counting on my decisions...â
âYou canât separate your personal and your professional life when it comes to your core values. They have to both be aligned. And what you want for your kids is what you should want for the people that work under you. Not that they should be referred to as children, but it just puts it into perspective. You should always be looking out for the best, and not just the bottom line.â
âMy business strategy has always been and always will be - people first. Does that mean I donât look at the profit margins? Does it mean that itâs not important? Of course not! Itâs important. But itâs
Episode 8 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Charli K. Matthews, CEO and Founder of Empowering Brands (including Empowering Pumps & Equipment, and Empowering Women in Industry)
Resources:
- Strengths Finder
- Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
BIO: "Iâm a business owner, mother, power networker, serial optimist, world-traveller, and a handful of other labels that would defeat the purpose of a short version. I started my company over nine years ago and have learned numerous lessons along the way. Some of them, I share in this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast!"
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
âIn order to write out your value proposition, you need to think about how are you better, faster, and stronger.â
âI like leading the team because I feel like I can see all of their gifts and how they fit together⌠I enjoy watching people develop⌠I like the challenge. Thereâs some really difficult times about being a leader that I enjoy; I like the hard work.â
âAs a leader, I light the match; my team members are the ones creating the fire.â
*Episode 7 has been marked as explicit because rape and sexual harassment come up in discussion. Although these are not discussed in detail, we wish to be mindful that you might be listening to this podcast with others around.
Episode 7 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Kristen Saranteas, Head of Treasury Management at First Midwest Bank
Resources:
- The McKinsey Report on Women in Finances
BIO: Kristen (Ritchie) Santeas is currently the Head of Treasury Management & International Services at First Midwest Bank where she has responsibility for the overall client experience during the entire sales cycle -- from proposal through implementation, and support phase activities.
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
âTo me, what a great salesperson is is someone that can match the needs of that company to the products and services that youâre offering. I was not someone that was hawking a product because that was the shiny object of the day. Instead, I was very strategic around what I saw as the specific need of those clients, and wanted to be really helpful to the way in which the products we had could be make them more effective in what *they did⌠Feeling like I was really confident when I walked in the door to talk to a company - both because Iâve done my homework about them and I knew my products inside and out - that made me a very successful salesperson.â
âOnce you distinguish yourself as successful in the route that you have decided to move up - that gets you noticed, not only because youâre having individual success, but because youâre seen as a leader in your craft.â
âThereâs one way in which you want to lead - as someone who knows your own and hones your own craft. But thereâs also a way in which you want to lead and distinguish yourself for something youâre personally passionate about. For me, that meant giving back to our community. I feel really strongly that bankers, in particular, bear a service. It is incumbent upon us to be really great stewards of what we bring to the community and understand what those needs might be. So, giving back and volunteering, and eventually getting on boards, and bringing others along with that passion to be good community members is a way in which, not only did I rally my own team around similar values and ways in which to give back to the community. But it [also] distinguished me personally within my organization as someone who isnât just a treasury management person, but Iâm being recognized for the other things that Iâve led in. And for me, thatâs been around community involvement.â
âIt is less typical to see women, not only in the C-suite or executive management positions, but clearly, theyâre not being chosen as lines-of-business heads. So youâre not seeing [for example] women that are heads of commercial banking⌠I would never say that people making those decisions as to who is rising up donât want women in those positions. Everyone is on record, and I know that they feel passionately that they should have women rising up. Itâs an unintended bias when theyâre looking at candidates - to look at people that look like them. We have to continue to press upon the decision-makers to go outside their comfort zone to start choosing a slate of candidates that donât include just people that look like them.â
âWe need people in HR,
Episode 6 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Kenyatta Browne -- Bank Manager (and Actress and Mother) shares the scoop on Personal Finances 101
BIO: Kenyatta Browne holds a BS in Communications and an MBA. She describes her career this way: "Banking isnât boring. This career is a unique space to change the course of someoneâs life. I walk into work ready to make a difference daily. I believe this mindset has been the key to my success in an industry that has gotten a lot of negative press. My communications and education background plays a huge role as well. "
Notable Podcast Episode Quotes:
âWe have to be smart borrowers as professional women, we have to be strong savers as professional women, and we have to be masters at managing our moneyâ
âItâs not about business. Itâs about being able to help each other find success financially.â
âYou should not buy those shoes, girl, you gotta find them on clearance!â
âA strong saver knows how much 6-months of expenses are, and thatâs how much they have in their savings account.â
âTake three months of your last statements and categorize your spending. And then create a spending plan, not a budget because budget is a curse word. But a spending plan, so that youâre able to be mindful about your spending. Being present when youâre using your debit card [for example].â
âLet me just use myself as an example, because as much as I tell people this, I [too] am a victim of spending in the sense that I had a serious *serious relationship with Starbucks. To the point where in my mind, I justified that my coffee being $10 per cup was OK. I decided for a month not to drink Starbucks. And what I was able to save in that month blew me away. It was really putting my money where my mouth was. But you have to be able to sit down, look at those things, and test yourself, and see which one makes you feel better. For me, I make my own coffee at home, it doesnât taste as good, but it has the same effect - I stay up all day. AND Iâm able to save money.â
âBeing a master at managing money is seeing where you can make changes, seeing where you can make little sacrifices so that you can live better at the end of the monthâŚâ
âA lot of times what we do is for other people instead of ourselves. And I think that plays a lot into the purchases that we make⌠A lot of this becomes introspective into - why do I spend the way that I spend? And why do I make the financial decisions that I make. And thatâs a personal journey that we all take.â
âItâs tricking yourself into giving yourself money as opposed to giving it to someone else to profit on.â
âIâm a big believer in writing that [goal] down and putting it out there because if youâre putting money into your 401k and you have no picture of what and when you want to retire and where you want to retire to, and all of those things⌠those things you should have pictures in your mind of what that looks like.â
Episode 5 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Erika Armstrong -- Pilot, Instructor, & Author
BIO: Erika Armstrong is an international corporate and airline pilot/captain, published author, writer for seven national aviation magazines. She is an Aviation Professor at MSU Denver, a Director of Instructional Design and the VP of Business Development for Advanced Aircrew Academy. During her thirty years in aviation she has worked in all aspects of the industry. From the friendly front desk CSR of a busy FBO, to the captain's seat of a Boeing 727-200. Her education includes a BA in International Business, Economics and Culture from the University of Denver, with additional education through the University of Minnesota's journalism program, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical.
Armstrongâs writing can be found at Plane & Pilot, Colorado Serenity magazine, Mountain Connection, Disciples of Flight, NYCAviation, Contrails, Airline Reporter, Consumer Affairs, Flying.com, Mentor and Business Insider.
Learn more about Erika Armstrong and her writing and speaking at A Chick in the Cockpit.
Notable Quotes:
âWomen in Aviation groups are all trying to make an effort to at least put that thought in little girlsâ heads that - You can do this if you want to. Itâs really important for all of us in the aviation field to go into a classroom and talk about your career; talk about the things you get to do. [Aviation] truly is a fabulous industry.â
âWomen are cognizant that even though weâve broken through the glass ceiling in the skies, weâre still the ones that have to pick up all the broken glass.â
âWeâve more than proven that we can be where we need to be. We can be in the board rooms, we can be in the captainâs seat. We can do all those things as well as men⌠but the reality of our lives is that we are still the ones who come home and do the grocery shopping, clean the houses, take care of the children. Thereâs an exception here and there, but the vast majority of women - they tell us to lean into our jobs and we do all that, but we still have to come in and do all those things that women do within the family construct. Weâve created double the work⌠creating that happiness, that level of ease of being a person in the world, itâs been a challenge for us. Weâve pushed really hard to get where we are; weâve doubled our loadâŚ. Truly supporting each other is so important. Making other women feel that other people understand their challenges. Thatâs what I like about seeing all these support groups out there.â
âItâs so important that we help each other out. Weâre all going to have our moments of failure and success, and to be able to share both of those is very important.â
âThought leaders donât want you to just agree with them. Lead implies follow. Thought lead means lead into thought.â
Episode 2 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Karen Sands, Director of Planning, Research, and Sustainability for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Bio: Karen Sands is the Director of Planning, Research and Sustainability for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) where sheâs worked for over 15 years. As director, she integrates grey and green infrastructure planning to recycle wastewater, reduce energy use/switch to renewables, and manage river and stormwater flooding. With a career spanning 30 years, Karen has held a number of planning positions in the public and private sectors in Wisconsin, Maine, and New York. She spent the first half of her career helping highway and airport runway projects move forward, and sheâs spending the second half ensuring that infrastructure is designed with nature in mind. She is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and is an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP). She serves on several boards including the Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission (Legacy Issues, U.S. Lead), Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust Inc., Northwest Side Community Development Corporation (Vice Chair), Discovery World, and the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association (Secretary).
Notable Quotes:
âI think mentorship is important for everyone. Sponsorship is important for anyone who wants and believes in the need for upward mobility. âŚâ
âAnd then the network is really important. Itâs not always one person who can make the magic happen, but itâs who you know. And itâs not like using people. Itâs more like using the good will of relationships youâve transparently and genuinely built.â
âAny leader who wants to be believed⌠they have to be able to say, âhereâs what it is!â And hang their laundry out.â
âShe said, âMom, youâre old enough youâre going to die from old age, but Iâm going to die from climate change.â I was floored; the next generation really understands what must be done. And so my advice to her was - you need to get a firm hold on the science, and the data of what youâre going to be talking about.â
âWhatâs important is - to connect whatâs true and intrinsic to your soul, to what you want to do and what you want to change. Without that, youâre just pushing paper and making widgets.â
âDonât just innovate; letâs talk about disruption!â
Resources:
- Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Site
- Mentioned: Christen Wood's Career Manifesto from Season 1
- Water in Real Life by the H2Duo
Episode 3 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Suzane Greeman on 'Taking up Space' -- Asset Management Strategist, Instructor, International Keynote Speaker, and Author of Risk-based Asset Criticality Assessment
BIO: Ms. Suzane Greeman is author of Risk-based Asset Criticality Assessment (R-b ACAŠ) Handbook: A practical guide to improve asset criticality by incorporating asset, risk, quality and business management principles! She is a Physical Asset Management expert, and certified asset, maintenance and quality management professional with over 22 years of experience. Her career has spanned asset-intensive industries, including heavy manufacturing, power generation, waste water and consulting/professional services. Suzane is a visionary in delivering results to large and established public and private sector organizations in identifying and realizing significant continuous improvements and maintenance process re-engineering. She has cultivated an exceptional knowledge of and experience base in asset, maintenance and supply chain management, engineering, environmental, health and safety (safe work practices), quality control, change management and risk management principles. Extensive background in leading major capital projects. Finally, Suzane has managed budgets up to $200 million U.S. She is adept in financial analysis, financial planning, asset management, accounting standards for capitalization of turnaround costs, and KPI development and analysis.
Notable Quotes:
âHow do we position the assets to give the best performance, while at the same time, managing these 3-dimensional risks that are hitting us and then, managing the costs to deliver the performance, and costs to mitigate the risks weâre encounteringâ
âWe have unprecedented numbers of women in industrial jobs. But what that did is⌠in turn shedding light on how much of a gap still exists between men and women in these roles - in particular at the senior levels, and at the entrepreneur levels.â
âTaking up space, for me, means using professional gravitas to be relevant. In the professional sense, I am defining professional gravitas as having professional weight, seriousness, and dignity about yourself and about your career.â
âIf youâre following your dreams, they will also be inclined to follow their dreams. So, itâs a knock on effect on your family.â Suzane Greman on Taking up Space and the impact it can have in your personal life.
âRisk is multi-dimensional. The more input and the more triangulation you have into identifying and treating risk, the more successful that organization is going to be.â
âBy themselves, gifts and talents just arenât enough. You have to hone them. Your energy, then, is your light, your passion. People sense it, they feel it. It is the aftertaste you leave after youâve left a room. Everybody has it. Everybody has a light, even darkness. So, your light and your passion, what you have to do along with your gifts and talents is -- you have to learn what they are, you have to hone them, and you have to integrate them with your other assets.â
âWe have the people who have 22 years of experience, but itâs really 1 year of experience 22 times⌠What weâre focusing on is with each passing year, month, day, that youâre adding something to the experience that you have....â
âHow well do you deliver anything? So
Episode 2 (Season 2) of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Cindy Wallis-Lage, President of Global Water Business Line, Black & Veatch
Cindy Wallis-Lage holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering. She has over 30 years of experience in the water/wastewater space. She joins us on this episode of the Empowering Women Podcast to discuss perspectives on growing into leadership, and opportunities she sees in the infrastructure world.
Notable Quotes:
âI call it the power of a moment - when something interjects and totally redirects what it is that youâre doing. And I had that fortunate experience⌠he [the dean of engineering] said, âWhy arenât you in engineering. Youâre obviously strong in math and scienceâŚâ He took thirty minutes and explained what Civil Engineering could be, and I went ahead and enrolled right then and never looked back.â
â[In engineering] women are still in the minority. And, therefore, regardless of what your role is, you have to treat it as an opportunity that you can raise the bar regarding the acceptance of women.â
âFor me it was being consistent in my walk and talk, being respectful, being present, leaning into conversations - making sure my voice was heard, not just because I wanted to talk a lot, but rather being heard such that when I was communicating I was doing it in a respectful manner⌠and my opinion was impactful.â
âWe need to call out [unconscious bias] and highlight it... Sometimes we have to find a way to break or at least highlight it, and thatâs the way to change things. My focus continues to be on how I can help break any of those biases about female leadership and make sure those opportunities are there for thoseâ
â[Success] didnât happen just because itâs what I wanted. Yes, I was driving, however I had great advocates, great support systems, and mentors - inside the company, outside the company - that allowed me to be successful. Sometimes [they were] pushing me, sometimes pulling me. And all of that makes a difference. No one is successful on their own. â
âDonât wait for [advocates] to come to you. Ask people to help you. Ask if they are willing to support you and work with you and how you would to be able to work with them to help further your own career, and what youâre trying to achieve.â
âI think that frustration happens when people become too isolated in what theyâre trying to achieve as opposed to looking for a team. I need âteam Cindyâ if you want to look at it from that standpoint. Whoâs going to help me be successful. How do I engage those people that are going to make a difference. â
âWe need to have tremendous communications skills. The biggest challenge you have is when we resort to communications just with emails or texting or however weâre doing it in an electronic manner as opposed to just pick up the phone or sit in a meeting and to have those conversations⌠Thereâs so much that comes with body language.â
âThat emotional intelligence of being able to understand people, to be able to communicate with people, to understand how to talk to different individuals based on their personality types - really important as you are seeking to mature through your career and have leadership roles. It isnât just the technical... Itâs also about how do you work with the team and then how do you lead a team. So being an effective team player, and then being effective at how do you lea
Empowering Women in Industry Bonus Episode, Season 1, #13
The Empowering Women in Industry Conference organizers, Cieana Detloff, Rebecca Mechtensimer, and Bethany Womack, join Mel on this bonus episode to discuss what's coming in the conference agenda and what pieces they're looking forward to most.
Links
- Empowering Women in Industry conference registration and details
- The video Mel mentioned
- The podcast Cieana mentioned: After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff?
Quotes
"Change is messy. Change is not easy. And it can take time, but it's worth the effort" -Cieana Detloff "I want us to be able to come together to better ourselves and each other. " -Becca Mechtensimer "I want to see [a day when] we have this whole generation of women in the workforce that are proud and strong and don't feel like we need to defend ourselves for wanting to have a conference." -Bethany Womack "That really ties into my goal for Empowering Women in Industry.... I want to see us come together and really effect change, so we don't have to talk about the glass cliff. " "Make it a priority to come and learn with us and grow with us..."
Episode 12 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Tish Berge, General Manager of Sweetwater Authority
Tish Berge earned a B.S. in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College and an MBA with a focus in Finance from the University of California. She has over 25 years of experience in the environmental industry, from private chemical manufacturing, to consulting, to public service. Currently, Tish serves as General Manager for Sweetwater Authority, a water provider in California.
Notable Quotes
On career planning: "As Covey would say, begin with the end in mind. What is your real goal?" On having children: "In finance there's a term call the Big Bath... The big bath is when you take all your losses in one year. Maybe you extend your losses to the next fiscal year or realize them early, so they all happen at once. So what I did was when I went back to school to get my MBA, I chose that time to have my family, and to have my two beautiful children." "You can be feminine and strong... I think it does take a unique person to have their confidence to be able to handle it."
"I remember trying on a lot of different personas. And maybe it's because I didn't feel like i had role models. I would try them on, and then they didn't work. For example. back when I was in technical sales, I used to try to be a guy. I used to tell jokes like a guy, I used to hang out with the guys, do shots with the guys... I wish I could have found a way to get to know myself earlier better and get more comfortable in my skin, instead of bumping around so much as far as -- what works for me? What doesn't work for me? What resonates? What gets me the results. " "You know what, it's all about people. Business is all about people. Come join us."
Episode 11 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Charli K. Matthews, Founding CEO of Empowering Brands
Charli is the founder and CEO of Empowering brands, and under this umbrella she has Empowering Pumps and Empowering Women in Industry. Through this media and marketing company, Charli helps clients get the most out of their marketing investments and gets clients in front of larger and more diverse audiences focused on their specific areas of expertise. Empowering brands drives thought leadership, and shines a light on future leaders in the industry at hand.
Find Charli:
- Instagram: @CharliKMatthews @EmpoweringWomeninIndustry
- Twitter: @CharliKMatthews @WomeninInd
- Facebook: Empowering Women in Industry
Notable Quotes
"I want to be clear with one thing. I am creating a community for women so that we have a network to go to, to learn from, to feel supported... to understand that if we empower each other, instead of compete with each other, then we're stronger, we can have better brands, we can have better businesses..." "I don't have the answer to all the problems and I don't think any one person does. But collectively, we can absolutely solve problems. ...We can get better and support each other, encourage each other... " "I want women to have access to the table... to sit and share their ideas. I want them to have access to leadership, so that they can present their ideas. And I want them to have access to skills, so they can better present their ideas." "At the end of the day, we're trying to help each other." "There's not enough women in our industry to fill the gaps that are needed to have this creative, holistic approach to the problems that we have to solve today..." "It's not about me having access to the table; I own my own company. But I want to make sure that women who want to be in any field, whatever their passion is, that they have the opportunitiy to sit at the table of their choosing, and share their ideas with the skills to do so " "I think owning our voice is so much more important than being liked... ...It is more important to me to be respected for the knowledge that I have and the experiences that I have than to be liked. And being liked is very important to me!"
Episode 10 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Shereen Yusuff, Production Petroleum Engineer
Shereen has held positions in Project Management, Business Development and Customer Success through her 15 year career in Oil and Gas. Within oil and gas, she has worked on Production, Drilling and Reservoirs. This is unique experience in the context of oil and gas professionals because she has worked on both the service and operator side of the industry.
Resources
- Books Recommended by Shereen
- Rise Sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell: Amazon
- Heroz: Empower Yourself, Your Coworkers and Your Company: Amazon
- Jonathan livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
- Book that has quote Mel mentioned in the break
- Becoming Leaders by Williams & Emerson: ASCE
- Shereen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shereenyusuff/
- Shereen on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/shereenyusuff/?hl=en
Notable Quotes
"You are not alone... whatever struggle you're facing, don't ever feel like you can't talk about it." "I think I had to change the way I looked at women as well. This has a lot to do with my background, growing up in Oman... a good book that really helped me with that resonance associated with how I should look at other women, and how I want to respect other women, and how I want to honor other women is this book called Rise Sister Rise. It's a beautiful book... [the author] learned how to honor the female power within her and how she spreads that to other women as well" "You can do a lot just exactly where you're at. Even if you've been in the company for 6 months. Even if you're in college. Even if you are in school. Even if you've been at the company for ten years. It doesn't matter what space of life you're in, what your career path is, or where you're at. I think you can make a difference no matter where you're at.... You are a walking talking role model for all of the women around you. " "Happiness lies within us." "The struggles never go away, they just morph over time... As we grow older we gain skills or we have a skill set that helps us deal with these struggles... As a woman, we have so many different kinds of struggles that come into our lives... As we go forth in our journey, it never gets easier; we only get stronger. And I genuinely believe that we get stronger when we are together. The more we work together, the stronger we are as a force."
Episode 9 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Taralinda Willis, Co-Founder & CEO of Curate Solutions
Bio: Taralinda earned her MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a focus on operations and project management. Taralinda has experience in large-scale public project management, overseeing the creation of a $94M multi-use facility for the state of Wisconsin, sales and account management at a performing arts venue, and customized client solutions as the owner of a consulting business. At Curate, Taralinda leads customer acquisition and business operations.
Resources
Business Incubator, Gener8tor: https://www.gener8tor.com
Women Entrepreneurs Network and Support, Doyenne Group: https://doyennegroup.org
Shared space + support for entrepreneurs in Madison, Starting Block: https://www.startingblockmadison.org/
Notable Quotes
"If you're trying to get contracts through, they might have a 20% success rate. So when you get to 8 "No"s out of 10, celebrate that - because you know you're getting close. You have to celebrate those and you also have to celebrate the small stuff and the wins. Being comfortable celebrating both sides is really valuable... If 8 people tell me "no", then I will take myself to dinner and have a glass of wine." "Fundraising is very similar to the sales process. It's all about your follow-ups. It's all about making connections with people and being able to share the vision." "Building a company takes a village... so many people have had an incredible impact on me personally, as well as the company that have made us successful." "You have to optimize for both the wins and the losses."
Episode 8 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Ingrid Lindberg, Founder & CEO of Chief Customer Consulting
Bio: Ingrid Lindberg is the founding owner of Chief Customer Consulting. She is the first person to hold the title of CXO, or Chief Customer Experience Officer. From the early age of 14, Ingrid began working full-time at a salon; she soon worked her way into retail, and then retail management at the age of 17. Leveraging her customer service experience, she took advantage of opportunities to catapult into the world of customer experience, which was really just becoming a thing when she got into it. In our discussion, Ingrid shares her story of working her way up to executive leadership in Corporate America as a Customer Experience expert.
Resources
Book - Words of Wisdom from Women to Watch: Career Reflections from Leaders in the Commercial Insurance Industry
Alan Cooper, Resource for User Experience
Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers (by HBR on Second Generation Bias)
Notable Quotes
"Your voice matters. Raise it. Own it. Use it."
"There's room for all of us to succeed and there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be on that path. If you want it, raise your voice."
"When you tell the top 10 execs they have to find someone to mentor, it has to be 5 women and 5 women... And actually putting numbers around who you're helping to lift through the organization... you're creating dissonance in the fraternity. "
"There's so much fear that drives silence."
"Corporate America has been built around the support of the fraternity, from the places where "deals are done" to the business that is done over brown liquor and cigars. The fraternity was built to help men get from one stage to another is one that seems impenetrable for women... Fraternities have built a certain kind of toxic business environment of insiders and exclusion. I questioned the assumption that I should try to join."
"When I was managing a team of all men who would invite me to lunches, but would never take me to Friday night happy hour... so I followed them once. And walked straight into the strip club that was three and a half blocks from work. And sat do
Episode 6 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST:
Drena Howard is a Senior Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability professional with 15 years of experience in retail, manufacturing and warehouse, spanning cosmetics, building system services, and aerospace. Drena holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from South Carolina State University, which is an important Historically black university, or HBCU. Drena also holds a Masters of Environmental Management and a Master of Public Health, both from Yale University. Drena is recognized as a leader in EHS as showcased by her roles with the National Association of Environmental Managers, where she is currently on the board of directors.
--
Notable Quotes and Concepts from Drena:
What do you like about being in Environmental Health & Safety
âSerious injuries can completely alter a personâs life⌠being able to prevent something like that from happeningâŚso that they can have their limbs, their mobility, and can provide for themselves and their family as well as do the things they love to do on the weekends⌠makes my dayâ
Regarding how Drena would like to see the EHS profession change:
âThere are a lot more people of color and women in the environmental health and safety profession, but theyâre not always represented in conferences or trade events and trade shows⌠I would encourage organizations â if you have up and coming talent, whether they be women, people of color, LGBTQA, etc. that instead of just always sending your most senior people to the conference, send some of your more junior people. Send some of your more diverse candidates to these conferences, to these trade shows. Because it shows representation of your organization as well as it is a way to groom and develop your talent through their exposure, the things that they learn from the conferenceâŚâ
âI am passionate about environmental justice because if you can improve the health and quality of air, quality of water in these communities, it gives more people an opportunity to go on to advanced education because theyâre not sick and missing school. And if theyâre not sick and missing school, then they have more job opportunities. It creates a stronger pipeline for the future as a whole⌠Environmental justice is not just limited to ânot in my back yard.â Itâs what are some of those opportunities to improve the air, the water, the basic things that people need to function and live, which then opens up so many more pathways for success. â
âAsk for what you what. Ask about the opportunities â
Episode 6 of the Empowering Women Podcast
GUEST: Sepi Saidi, Civil Engineer & Entrepreneur, Founding Owner of SEPI, Inc.
Sepi Saidi is a visionary leader who founded SEPI Engineering &
Construction in 2001 and has led the company to become a premier
full service civil, environmental planning, and construction
management engineering firm in the Southeast. The firmâs awards
include Fast 50 firm by Triangle Business Journal, Zweig White Hot
Firm List, Inc. 5000, and being ranked as a Top 500 Design Firm on
the Engineering News-Recordâs 2017 list.
Incorporating the firmâs core values, SEPI is dedicated to providing a
unique work space and environment for its employees to plan,
design, build, and give back to the communities in which we serve.
With a dedicated passion to support organizations that align with the
health, safety, and well-being of the families in our communities,
Ms. Saidi and the firm are proud to be champions of community
service.
A Professional Engineer and alumna of North Carolina State
University, with degrees in Civil and Agricultural Engineering, Ms.
Saidi has been named by the Triangle Business Journal as the 2018
Businessperson of the Year, was recently selected as a Charlotte
Business Journal 2018 Women in Business Achievement Award
winner, and has been inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall
of Fame.
QUOTES
"Persistence is really really important, and believing in your vision, whatever that vision is... believing and being excited about that vision is extremely important." "When you're excited about your vision and you believe in it, you can do more." "If you love your career... focus on ways you could do it with the help of a husband partner, or building a community around ourselves... building communities and not giving up o the idea that it's important for me to stay in this... that I am really passionate about. "You can start by really showing up when you say you show up, whether it is a committee you get involved in, whether it's a task you took on, or an extracurricular non-profit you're involved in - doing what you say you will do is really important - not coming up with excuses." "Have a voice, but also allow other people to have a voice. So collaboration, positivity, solution-driven and supporting each other-- those are the beginnings and then it builds. [Success] just builds and builds on that." "When you look at the world through the lens of curiosity, you are not being judgemental. You are open. You are interested in learning. You want to receive. And through that lens, everything is more inclusive... I feel that if we look at the world through the lens of curiosity, then we're not putting people, things, ideas in a box... and it creates more bonding opportunities." "I believe we can find a common point with everybody, if you approach it from curiosity." "Fundamentally, we are really all the same people... having freedom, having happiness, contributing to our communities, building a great career, contributing to our families. It's all the same. That's why I believe you can build bridges with people you think you have nothing in common. That has been one of the biggest secrets to my success. Embracing people from different walks of life. " "It's not really about balance, and it's not really about having it all. It's about choosing... making decisions that create happiness and balance for your family, your particular lifestyle, and what's important to you. [You can] craft that. Craft your lif
Episode 5 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Jackie Saling, Chemical Engineer and Remediation Community of Practice Leader at Arcadis
Jackie Saling has over seventeen years of professional experience in the environmental consulting industry and is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan. At Arcadis, Ms. Saling is lead engineer for several large accounts where she develops technical project strategy, effectively communicates complex technical concepts to clients, regulators, and stakeholders, and builds strong technical project teams to execute complex technical solutions to meet the needs of clients. Ms. Saling supports the in-situ remediation discipline at Arcadis and has led the air sparge and soil vapor extraction (AS/SVE) and in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) communities of practice. Through these roles, she is known as a national resource within the company to provide assistance with the evaluation of Sites for the use of in situ remedies; designing and performing field pilot tests; full scale design and implementation; and optimization of the operation of in situ remedies. In addition, Ms.Salingâs engineering-related experience includes developing feasibility studies and remedial strategies; designing and performing pilot tests; designing and installing full-scale remediation systems; troubleshooting and optimizing remedial systems; generating design specifications, remedial investigation work plans, remedial action work plans, and associated project reports; developing project budgets; and preparing cost analyses for remedial alternatives.
Discussion
- Arcadis
- Remediation
- Jackie's project that won the Arcadis pro-bono contest
Notable Jackie Quotes
"When I was just focused on being technical and going into technical leadership, I couldn't get anywhere because there was a structure and no way to move up very quickly. When I recognized that the fastest way to get where I wanted to go may not be a straight line, and that by coming much more well rounded about our business in general... it was amazing! It all came full circle and I got right where I wanted to be."
"A lot of people listening will be engineers, scientists, linear thinkers... but for your career, that might not be the fastest way to get from point A to point B."
"Something I've had to learn as a leader is the art of building a team so that I can take off my plate the things that are opportunities for others..."
"What she had been branded with as being a bad attitude was not at all a bad attitude. It was basically she commanded authority when she was in the field... it was all these traits where if it had been a man in the field, he would have been a rock star. So she was being cast off as like a problem child... I tried to make her aware of the perception. And by me being her manager, I could be her advocate... She grew to be my go to for everything."
"Just having those women to talk to, bounce ideas off of and celebrate our successes has been career and life changing for me..."
Episode 4 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Christen Wood, Wastewater Operator
Christen is currently the Operations Administrator at the County of Summit Department of Sanitary Sewer Services. She has been working in the wastewater field since 2008, first at the City of Ashtabula wastewater laboratory, then in both laboratory and operations roles for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. Her education includes a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Findlay. She currently holds certifications as a Professional Operator, Wastewater Treatment Class IV; Ohio Class III Wastewater Operator; and Ohio Class II Wastewater Analyst. She is passionate about Operations Challenge competition and sharing the excitement of clean water with the world, including through the wastewater twitter community as @sewer_chic. Her achievements include OWEA Professional Wastewater Operations Award, NESOWEA Herb Hansen Award, and writing the winning WEF Fight Song: Treat the Water Right.
LinkedIn Article Mel wrote about Christen's "Career Manifesto" Advice:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/guiding-principals-career-manifesto-mel-butcher/
Notable Christen Quotes
âThe doctors of the world are very celebrated as they should be, but wastewater operators save more lives each year by protecting the waters that people are drinking and fishing and swimming inâŚ.â
âPeople see roads and bridges and think of infrastructure. They donât think about the water and wastewater pipes that are running underground that may have been their hundreds of years. And worse yet, weâre facing this huge need for infrastructure because the Clean Water Act, a lot of the equipment that was put in the ground or in the plants for that reason is starting to reach its expected lifespan. Convincing people that itâs worth it to spend the money to upgrade these systems to continue to clean the water is sometimes hard if they donât recognize that service is being provided in the first placeâŚâ
âI love challenging others and myself, Iâm certainly not exempt from this; there are plenty of colleagues I have not gotten along with⌠I really think itâs important to find the value and worth of everyone that you work with, regardless of your own personal style.â
âShe stared right at the class and she said I need to tell you this, this is important, pay attention. If you have to choose between a loud job and a stinky job, choose the stinky job and hereâs why. And she proceeded to tell us that your ears will physically hear every sound coming in. So if somebody is using a jackhammer outside of your house, you will hear every time it strikes. For your nose, however, it will only detect changes. So for example, if you walk into your house at the end of the day, you might notice it smells like your house⌠After 10 minutes or so, you donât noticeâ
âPart of the problem in our industry is that we donât have enough women. We also donât have a lot of minorities. Where Iâm currently working, I was the diversity program walking in the door.â
âI can speak to this through the operations challenge. Iâve found that when I was building my operations challenge team, the best people (team members) are from really different backgrounds. Having someone thatâs in management and someone thatâs in a union, and someone thatâs black, and someone thatâs a woman, and someone with sales experience, and someone that worked at Olive Garden. When you get people from all those different backgrounds coming together against a single problem, you will find the right answer...â
âIf youâve never toured a
Episode 3 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Jenny Han, Architect, Director of Design Operations at Skender
Jenny Han is a licensed Architect based in Chicago. Her specialities include design of healthcare facilities. Ms. Han also has a special interest in the intersection of space and community. She shared her story of being the daughter of immigrants and what it was like to find her path at the intersection of art and science.
QUOTES
âIt is important to me to lead, to not say ânoâ, even if it is something Iâm fearful ofâ.
âIf somebody else has faith I can do something, I give it a shot⌠That has enabled me to do things I wouldnât normally volunteer myself for.â
âIf thereâs three reasons to do anything, I always say you should do it.â
âThe overriding theme with golf is like anything in your careerâŚ. Just show up. Donât be so paralyzed and afraid that you donât even show up to your seat at the table.â
âFind mentors in all aspects of your life that fulfill different roles and needs you might haveâŚâ
Concepts and Resources Discussed
- National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
- Panopticon
- Ethnography
- Public Housing
- Robert Taylor Homes
- Lean Manufacturing
- Value Engineering
Jenny's Education
- Cornel Architecture
- University of Chicago
Companies & Organizations Discussed
- Proteus Group
- Skender
- Young Women Warrio
Episode 2 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Renee shared her career path. She started her career in the HVACR space without any technical training. She courageously shared her experience of leaving the workforce to become a caretaker for her terminally ill father, and her experience returning after some time away. Renee has exception, heart-felt advice for women working their way up in male-dominated career spaces. It's also obvious from her talk, that she has a deep passion for diversity, and works towards improving the environment for all people in the HVACR space.
Renee on Twitter: @ReneeJoseph15
Links to Subjects Renee Discussed
- Johnson Controls
- Burj Khalifa
- Life of a BTU Video by Johnson Controls
- Understanding Building Automation System
- Changing Demographics in the HVACR Industry White Paper
- Spending time with the coolest women in industry
- TRANE
- AHR
- ASHRAE
- P&L â Profit and Loss Statement in operating a business
- CRM - Customer Relationship Management
QUOTES
âYou really have to make sure everyone has a seat at the table and that you encourage and coach out those voices so that everyone can be heard.â
âWe know statistically that teams that are more diverse are higher performing teams⌠we use a lot of that data to encourage bringing those diverse teams together, especially on big important projects to show how the diversity in thinking can help produce better results.â
Episode 1 of the Empowering Women Podcast
Guest: Lynn Spivey, Director of Utilities for the City of Plant City, Florida
Lynn shared her career path. She started her early career working for the U.S. Airforce and working for a defense contractor in electronics. She went to school for Chemical Engineering and ended up in the municipal water and wastewater sector. Lynn has a wonderful perspective on navigating tricky career situations, and the Empowering Women team hopes you enjoy this first episode.
Lynn Spivey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-spivey-4b6b9223/
QUOTES:
âI made that conscious choice that I didnât want to be angry about the unfairness, that I wanted to recognize it, but figure out how to make tools out of that instead of how to build resentment⌠Women do have some natural tendencies to figure out how to do that â take anger and make energy out of that.â
âTake a look at the landscape around you, recognize that it is unfair and then figure out what youâre going to do, what little piece you can do to help with that.
âAn important aspect of leadership is being able to enable the people around you. Different people have different definitions of leadership. But Iâve found true power comes from that⌠I think the other important aspect of leadership is having strength in your knowledge base enough to be an important component in making it better⌠and that makes a natural leader â when you want to become part of the equation of making it better.â
âLeadership quality really does mean being able to stand up for more than just your voice⌠Recognizing that responsibility and taking it seriously is a good leadership quality.â
âItâs hard to really understand where a person is coming from. Itâs easy to hear their opinion. But itâs not easy to get why they came to that conclusion, that opinion. It really takes understsanding that to have enough compassion and empathy to be open to what theyâre saying. And then find ways around the barriers that can keep dividing us.â
Mel the Engineer speaks solo on this episode to describe what the Empowering Women Podcast is all about. She also shares information on the Empowering Women in Industry Organization, and CollabSuite, a career support group for women working in male-dominated fields.