Rising Tide: Recent Episodes
Margaret Weniger
Rising Tide is the destination for career driven women to share their incredible journey and to find inspiration, find courage, and trust their voice. Through sharing stories, wisdom, and advice women can collectively rise.
Meet Lauren Collins Scott. Lauren and I sat down right at the start of her first career sabbatical in which she is creating necessary space to reflect and find her next. In today’s episode Lauren not only shares her career journey but also sprinkles in so much wisdom including:
- How design thinking taught her skills to navigate ambiguity
- Building support systems around you to be effective in your role
- Speaking up when it matters
- How working as an expatriate in London deepened her empathy to the lived experiences of others and made her acutely aware of the importance of creating a sense of belonging for everyone.
- And so much more
Most recently, Lauren was the Global Chief Impact Officer for IDEO and prior to that she served as Chief of Staff in the CEO’s Office and Head of DEI where during the global pandemic she found herself not just stewarding collaboration across teams but operating as the tip of the spear in navigating unprecedented challenges.
Lauren is a Fellow of The Aspen Institute and holds an MBA from Wake Forest University.
Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn
Meet Dr. Soodeh Farokhi, Chief Product Officer for NAKISA, a global leader in HR and Finance B2B software. Just listen to her impressive resume. Among her many accolades Soodeh has founded two successful startups including C2RO, an award winning AI Video Analytics platform. In 2018, Soodeh was named a finalist for the Young Quebec Entrepreneurs Provisional Award, and in 2020 she was a finalist for Canadian Women Entrepreneurs National Award. She is also the co-founder of the Women of MENA (Middle Eastern North Africa) in Tech community (Montreal Chapter), and an advisory committee member of the Women in Leadership Foundation in Canada. She serves as a business advisor and board member for several tech startups and organizations and is a public speaker at product/D&I/startup events. She has a PhD. in computer science from Vienna and an M.Sc., and a B.Sc. in SW Eng.
On today’s episode Soodeh shares her remarkable journey including:
- Making the choice to become a citizen of the world and leave her home country of Iran
- Navigating motherhood as the Founder and CTO of a growing tech startup
- Prioritizing what matters to her most
- Finding investors and leaders who aligned with her values and priorities
- This and so much more
I can’t wait for you to meet this remarkable woman.
Show Notes:
- Follow or connect with Soodeh on LinkedIn
- Amy K Musson podcast episode
- Need help uncovering what matters? You can purchase the 2024 Starter Pack. Looking for more hands on experience? Buy the Design Your Year Coaching 4-Pack. which includes the 2024 Starter Pack, 3 1-hour coaching sessions, and 1 Annual Review
It's Part 3 of Set Your 2024 Vision series in which we will walk setting goals and initiatives to help you achieve your definition of success.
On today's episode we will cover:
- Myth of Self Control and how to make goal attainment easier
- Focusing on initiatives that are within your control
If you are interested in additional support to set your vision for 2024 here are additional options:
- Download the 2024 Starter Pack. Use code NEWYEAR24 through January for 50% off
- Purchase Design Your Year Coaching 4-Pack. which includes the 2024 Starter Pack, 3 1-hour coaching sessions, and 1 Annual Review
Listen to Emily Perron's full episode here
It's Part 2 the Set Your 2024 Vision series in which we will walk through exercises and strategies to help you achieve your definition of success.
Today's episode is all about directional goals. Directional goals allows you to move towards your goal while gathering information that will help you continue to refine it over time. On today's episode we will cover how to:
- Avoid escalation of commitment with our goals
- Get started on our goals even if we can't see the entire pathway yet
- Create your personal directional goal
If you are interested in additional support to set your vision for 2024 here are additional options:
- Download the 2024 Starter Pack. Use code NEWYEAR24 through January for 50% off
- Purchase Design Your Year Coaching 4-Pack. which includes the 2024 Starter Pack, 3 1-hour coaching sessions, and 1 Annual Review
Happy New Year Tiders!
It's that time of year where we turn the page on a new calendar year in the dead of winter. You are likely coming off putting energy into finishing out the last year strong at work while also managing the holidays and for some of you dealing with having the kiddos home for that week between Christmas and New Years. Somewhere amidst all of this we expect ourselves to create resolutions for the new year and put undue pressure on ourselves to have a plan January 1. Is it really that surprising that most resolutions fail?
That's why this year we are disrupting old patterns. Together we will walk through a series of exercises that help you tap into insights from 2023 and how to leverage those to set your vision for the coming year. And it's kicking off with today's episode where we focus on 2023 reflection. On this episode I'll share how to:
- Capture key highlights and learnings from the last year
- Identify the themes or through-lines across your life in 2023
- Share these findings with others
- Add any catalyst events to your lifeline document
I look forward to jumpstarting the year with you.
p.s. If you are interested in additional support for the exercises here are additional options:
- Download the 2024 Starter Pack. Use code NEWYEAR24 through January for 50% off
- Purchase Design Your Year Coaching 4-Pack. which includes the 2024 Starter Pack, 3 1-hour coaching sessions, and 1 Annual Review
Show Notes:
- Presence by Amy Cuddy
- The Power of Regret by Dan Pink
Tis' the season of corporate layoffs. Re-sharing one of the most downloaded podcasts in 2022 with an updated intro for 2023.
You just got fired. Now what?
No matter how it happened, being fired hurts. It feels personal. Whether you want it or not you are forced to make a change. But what if getting fired could be a catalyst? What if this could be the greatest thing to happen for you?
On today's episode we will explore:
- This is a loss. What the stages of grief look like after a termination
- Importance of sitting in your feelings
- Recognizing when you are ready to begin ideating on your next chapter
- Exercises to maximize learnings
- How to leverage your insights and network to begin your new chapter
Exercise Resources:
- Postmortem - Pages 4-6
- Design Your Career Starter Pack (includes QXR Template + Foundations Workbook (use code EOY2023 for 50% off)
- QXR Template
- Book a QXR 1:1 coaching session
Links Referenced in Podcast
- When Job Titles Hurt Instead of Help You
- Toxic vs. Tough Work Environments: Knowing Whether to Stay or Go
- Dr. Jennifer Rittenhouse: Imposterism and the Paths We Choose
- HBR: When getting fired is good for your career
- The Power of Regret by Dan Pink
Meet Ivana Robinson. Ivana began her career as a Risk Advisory Consultant for Deloitte where she quickly realized she had a propensity for the job. After several years on the predetermined career path Ivana sensed she was passively moving through her career rather than actively designing it. Sure she was great at the work and a path to partner was laid out before her. But was this really what she wanted?Then a trip to Antarctica would change everything. On today's episode we discuss:
- Ivana reclaimed her career
- Criteria Ivana uses to inform big decisions
- Tuning and trusting her intuition
Ivana is a life and leadership coach who provides coaching programs and education to help professionals gain the confidence and clarity to rewrite the rulebook for their life—on their terms. She also is the Co-Founder of Reclaim: The Retreat. The retreat for women and femmes who want to reclaim their lives, happiness, and peace.
Show Notes:
- Connect with Ivana on LiinkedIn
- Get Your 2024 Starter Pack - Use code EOY23 to get 50% off
🎶"It's the most busiest time of year"🎶
The final month of 2023 is upon us. For high achievers it is a landmine of "shoulds". With holiday celebrations, end of year parties, family obligations, social commitments, and looming deadlines it is easy to find yourself surviving until you can recover during your holiday break.
Today's episode is your permission and encouragement to honor what is best for you. We will talk through navigating the burnout FOMO and small ways to start setting yourself up for 2024.
Show Notes:
- Get your 2024 Starter Pack - Use code EOY23 to get save 50%
Meet Tamika Rush, SVP of AMB Sports and Entertainment, parent company to the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, and Mercedes Benz Stadium. Tameka is one of the foremost leaders on corporate sponsorships in the NFL, her team was responsible for hosting one of the largest Covid-19 Vaccine locations in Atlanta,GA at Mercedes Benz Stadium, and under her tutelage the Falcon’s have risen to #1 in Voice of the Fan. On today's episode Tamika shares the tumultuous journey that ultimately led her to a full-time position at the Atlanta Falcons, including a decision that nearly cost her everything she had spent 7 years working towards. Later in the episode Tameka shares powerful leadership lessons learned through her prolific 17 year career with AMB Sports and Entertainment.
I can’t wait for you to meet this amazing woman. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
- Connect/Follow Tameka on LinkedIn
- 43% of Women are burned out
- Atomic Habits
- Failing Forward
- Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
- Getting More
Meet Emily Perron, Emily holds masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and is a Productivity coach, helping creative entrepreneurs, freelancers, and individuals appreciate their unconventional career paths and tap into the power of their unique Zone of Genius
Throughout the first decade of her career Emily found herself on the burnout hamster wheel. Despite changing careers three times she continued finding herself excelling at work and still unfulfilled and exhausted. The root problem was not the career path but instead what inputs she used to define success.
Today’s episode is a special hybrid in which we get to hear Emily’s career journey and learn from her expertise as a productivity coach. We discuss:
- The issue with existing goal frameworks for individuals
- The danger of chasing what others define as success
- Embracing the full power of an unconventional path
- And so much more
I can't wait for you to meet this amazing woman. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
- Connect with Emily on LinkedIn , follow her YouTube Channel - Work Your Way, and follow her on Instagram
- Curious about Emily's Productivity Coaching? Learn more here
- The Art of Work
In 2022, women of color received just .8% of venture capital funding. Today’s guest is one of those .8%, raising $3M in 2022 in venture capital from strong investors including Serena William’s VC fund, Serena Ventures.
Barbara Jones-Brown has never been a stranger to defying the odds. When Barbara graduated from the University of Texas in 1998 she was one of only four black computer science graduates. She would go on to be the Lead Technical Developer at 360 Commerce which was later acquired by Oracle and served as the launch of Oracle’s retail division.
Bit by the entrepreneurial bug, post acquisition Barbara would launch a consulting business that would continue to grow and allow her to create job opportunities for marginalized groups. But Barbara had always known one day she would build her own product company. Then a seemingly serendipitous hackathon would birth the idea that would one day become Freeing Returns. Then in 2020, a global pandemic went from nearly destroying her successful consulting business to being the forced change that would accelerate the launch of Freeing Returns.
This is a powerful conversation in which we discuss Barbara’s journey, her strength in building high performing teams, and learning the importance of when to listen to advice and when to ignore.
I can’t wait for you to meet this amazing woman. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
- Connect or Follow Barbara on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Freeing Returns
Have you ever questioned your ambition? Have you ever thought to yourself "I'm just not that ambitious anymore"? Did this usually happen during a time when your career was at a stand still? Or perhaps you weren't interested in growing in your chosen career?
On this episode, I am busting the belief that ambition is restricted to the 9-5 and breaking down how:
- The definition of ambition has shifted over the last 60 years
- Our ambition takes different shapes throughout our career
- The absence of ambition may signal something deepr
If you are a high achieving, driven individual who has ever questioned your ambition you won't want to miss today's episode.
Show Notes:
- Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through the Pursuit of Fulfillment
- Psychological Context Principle
- Burunda Prince: Paving a Path For Change
- Populace
- Think Again by Adam Grant
- End of History Illusion - Quoidbach, J., Gilbert, D. T., & Wilson, T. D. (2013). The end of history illusion. Science, 339(6115), 96–98.
- 92 Studies - Roberts BW, Walton KE, Viechtbauer W. Patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course: a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychol Bull. 2006 Jan;132(1):1-25. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.1.1. PMID: 16435954.
Join the waitlist for Unstuck Yourself: The Process To Meaningful Career Change
"No one told me I couldn't"
Meet Vishakha Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO of Aperture Data. With a genuine curiosity to understand things, a knack for developing strong relationships with mentors, and a growth mindset Vishakha has done something most founders never will. On today’s episode we will discuss core principles and strengths that have fueled her career and how she approaches the concept of balance as the CEO of a scaling startup and mother of two.
Vishakha holds a Masters in Computers Science from Carnegie Melon and a PhD in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.
Show Notes:
- Connect with Vishakha on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Aperture Data
Meet Heidi Watson, Chief Creative Officer and Fashion Director at Evereve, a contemporary fashion retailer with over 1 million customers, 100-plus stores from coast to coast, a booming e-commerce business, and a fast-growing subscription box service, Trendsend. While Heidi’s career has always been in retail there have been many crossroads in which she had to make a leap of faith. Leaning on her clarity of what was most important at that stage of life and tuning into her intuition Heidi focused on choices that moved her forward. Throughout her career Heidi has been on the forefront of major retail trends including launching women’s activewear at Marshall Fields and serving as a buyer for the newly created e-commerce team at Target. This conversation with Heidi is rich with wisdom on:
- Leading high performing teams
- Betting on yourself
- Making key decisions based on what is most important to you
- Knowing your value and communicating what you want
- And so much more
I can’t wait for you to meet this amazing woman. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
- Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn
- Evereve
Meet Kathryn Farrell, Founder of Scopa Health and praciticing Anesthesiologist Assistant. After getting rejected from every top medical school she applied to Kathryn had to figure out a backup plan and fast. Pivoting to anesthesiology she discovered she enjoyed the challenge of the coursework. Graduating with a masters in Health Services, Kathryn launched her career as an anesthesiology assistant and within 6 short months the excitement quickly dissipated. The flexibility of the work and the generous compensation (not to mention student loans) made it seem foolish to change. So for the next 10 years, Kathryn would scratch the itch for learning by tinkering with different careers including photography, developer, and she even designed, patented, and sold a baby carrier. Each time the experience of learning something new was exciting but she quickly learned it was not what she wanted. Kathryn resigned herself to sticking things out until at the height of the pandemic as an essential worker with a newborn at home she hit her lowest point. She knew it was time to commit to figuring out her future career.
Show Notes:
- Connect with Kathryn on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Kathryn's company Scopa Health
- Kathryn O’Day podcast
Meet Aletha Burgess. Aletha is the Technology Director for Wells Fargo and former executive at Bank of America where she spent nearly 14 years of her impressive career. Grab your favorite beverage and a cozy blanket because today’s interview feels more like listening in on a conversation between friends. Over the next hour we will discuss:
- How understanding her priorities drove Aletha’s career moves
- Earning promotions after her first two children
- Recognizing the situation you are in and making a decision
- Valuable leadership lessons from nearly 15+ years in people leadership like seeking to understand when people act in a way that surprises you and remembering that nothing great is achieved alone
This and so much more. I can’t wait for you to meet Aletha. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
- Connect with Aletha on LInkedIn
Meet Dr. Kelly Renner, the Program Chair of Psychology and Social Sciences at Franklin University where today she oversees 300+ students, faculty, and curriculum for over 30 sections and is an award winning professor.
Although today Dr. Renner is operating in her zone of genius there were many times along her journey where she felt lost. Despite identifying a deep love for psychology in HS where to apply that passion was often unclear. She would try her hand at sports psychology and mental health counseling only to run into insurmountable barriers that helped her realize these were not her paths. After nearly 15 years, Dr. Renner realized that all of those experiences prepared her for the role she was ultimately meant to do.
On today’s episode, Dr. Renner role models:
- Power of saying yes - How being open led her from floundering to figuring it out
- Find the best next step - Although at times her career challenges did not make sense, each moment developed a skill set she now leverages as Program Chair
- Making the time count wherever you are
- And so much more
Dr. Renner holds a masters in counseling, PHd in Educational Psychology, and she is a certified professional counselor in the state of Ohio.
I can’t wait for you to meet this incredible woman.
Show Notes:
- Connect or Follow Dr. Renner on LinkedIn
Between 2019 to 2021 there was a 28% increase in women starting companies resulting in women making up 49% of new companies founded in 2021. On the surface this appears to be a positive trend but if you dig a little deeper this world of startups is riddled with the same power dynamics and broken rungs that stifles women in established organizations.
Knowledge is power. In today's episode I will share data on the realities for success (and funding) for founders, surprising truths about who is starting these companies, and strategies to help you navigate a broken system.
Whether you are thinking about starting a company, are currently building your company, or are curious about the startup world this episode is a must listen.
Show Notes:
- Growth in female founders starting companies
- Average Age of Entrepreneur
- 77% of Founders use their personal money for capital
- McKinsey & Co Women in the Workplace study
- Women earning the same or more than their husbands
- 88% of VC decision makers are men
- 1 in 5 unicorns have women in executive leadership
- Women only getting 1.9% of funding
- 75% of VC Backed Fintech companies fail
- .6% of companies take funding
Meet Amy Vaughan, CEO of Together Digital, a company focused on educating and empowering women within digital to be their best selves professionally and personally. As the first generation American of immigrant parents, Amy was taught early on she was expected to exceed and take advantage of the American dream. She set out to become a doctor but quickly realized this was not her path. At a loss for what was next, she paused school and began working full-time where she got exposed to the world of graphic design and advertising and she knew this was what she was meant to do. Over the next 13 years she would achieve tremendous success in her field. Then one day Amy began to realize that at some point the incredible career she had built had become misaligned with who she was.
On today’s episode we discuss:
- The importance of Seeking mentorship at times of big decisions
- Realizing Money and Title do not equal happiness
- Getting Laid off at 8 months pregnant
- Numbing through work rather than deal with the knowing that advertising was no longer her path
This and so much more. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
- Connect or Follow Amy on LinkedIn
- Together Digital 2023 National Conference
- Power Lounge Podcast
- The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
- Untamed by Glennon Doyle
The world of work may not have been built for you but the QXR framework was designed specifically with career driven women like you in mind. Research has proven that:
- There is a correlation for women between experience and confidence
- Busyness is prioritized culturally in the US but pausing and reflecting to learn from our experience helps us perform better
- Women are competitive...against their past performance 🙂
- Women prefer to separate social and professional when it comes to networking - A dedicated small group women you can communicate with frequently is a common behavior in executive women (this needs work)
In this episode I share a framework to equip women to design the career they want. Built on a decade of experience in leadership, 2 years of research and nearly 100 interviews of successful women who have (seemingly) effortlessly navigated their career.
On today's episode I'll share research findings, the framework, and how to find your own group of powerhouse women.
Feedback is meant to be challenged and no one tells us that. When receiving feedback, its greatest value comes when we look at it with curiosity, not acceptance. This is especially true for women because of biases that exist.
In this episode, I cover:
- What these biases are and how we can derive value, even when feedback is inaccurate
- How we can create a filter for the feedback to take what is helpful and disregard what's harmful
- Common types of feedback given to women and what that feedback is actually telling you (hint: it's positive not negative feedback.)
Show Notes:
- QXR Intensive
- Hogan Assessment
- What Works for Women at Work
- Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed For Men
- Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger
- Upful.ai
- Shirin’s Podcast Episode
Lauren learned early in her life that failure is part of growth. Rather than stifle her growth by aiming for perfection, she embraced taking on new challenges and has flourished. Lauren has worked for some of the most prestigious academic institutions including Harvard and Wharton Business Schools. Through her work she has traveled to over 30 countries and fostered relationships with global executives and political leaders. She has been tapped for a wide range of roles including Sr. Program Manager for Wharton’s Executive Education Program, Deputy Director for Global Markets, Head of Communications and Outreach for Harvard’s Humanitarian Initiative, Director of Emory’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Research Faculty at Georgia Tech’s VentureLab which is ranked #2 worldwide among university startup incubation programs.
On today’s episode, we discuss her remarkable career including:
- Her two year pause in the middle of her senior year of college
- Making a strategic career move to Atlanta after a career of onlyness
- How she draws from past experiences to foster confidence in taking risks
I can’t wait for you to meet this amazing woman. Enjoy!
Show Notes:
- Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn
Despite starting her career in sales, Kara quickly realized that her true passion was in building work environments that nurtured creativity and cultivated an exceptional employee experience. For the next 13 years Kara would build and run training programs in corporations known for their outstanding cultures and development. Then in 2020, an acquisition would lead Kara to rethink how she wanted to move forward in her career.
On today’s episode, Kara and I discuss:
- How a role in sales led her to her life’s calling
- We nerd out on what it means to have a leadership mindset
- Overcoming “not enoughness”
Kara Kirby is the Founder of Insights Leadership Group, a leadership consulting company that assists high-growth organizations around the globe scaling people-first leadership and the host of Pop! On Leadership Podcast.
Show Notes:
- Connect with Kara on LinkedIn
- Follow Kara on Instagram or TikTok at @insightsleadershipkara
- Prisoner of My Mind
Adela Jamal is no stranger to being an only. Born in Bangalore, India to an Indian father and white American mother Adela's fair skin made her stand out. At 8 when she moved to the US although she looked like the other kids at school she was the only who had dual citizenship. After graduating college she took her first job at a startup where she was often the only women in a room to today as a female investor where women make up less than 13% of venture capital decision makers.
On today’s episode Adela shares how she saw her onlyness was not a hinderance but instead a superpower. Her unique perspective was a strength that has continued to serve her well. Adela also discusses how the use of pauses to reflect enable her to continue taking big risks and move forward with intention.
Adela Jamal has an MBA from MIT and is a co-founding partner for Milemark Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in diverse teams using applied-ai to rewrite existing business models.
Episode Links:
- Connect with Adela on LinkedIn
Heather Gibbons is a Jill of All Trades. Her capacity to take on a new role, quickly teach herself the necessary skills, and then build infrastructure, process, and teams around here is second to none. Her career took on the form of musician, IT consultant, Restaurant GM, and eventually VP, Managing Director for a Marketing Creative Agency. Then in late 2019 things came to a head. Over the next two years Heather would be tested unlike anything she had experienced before and emerged ready to face a fear that had been holding her back her entire career.
Today Heather is the Founder of INMO, a purpose driven creative agency that delivers relevant strategy, engaging marketing, and compelling design. She is a breast cancer survivor and mother to a precious boy precious. I can’t wait for you to meet Heather. Enjoy!
Episode Links
- Connect with Heather on LinkedIn
- Limitless by Jim Kwik
- Emotional Agility by Dr. Susan David
It's the 100th episode y'all!
I almost can't believe it. Starting out this podcast 2.5 years ago I knew I wanted to create a platform for women. A space for both those listening and those sharing their story to leave better than they arrived from the experience. I never imagined that this podcast would become powerful research on the female career path.
On today's special episode I wanted to share a behind the scenes look into how it all started, limiting beliefs that had to be shed, and some of the most surprising research findings from 78 interviews with top female professionals.
Whether this is your first episode or you've been here for all 100, I am glad you're here and thank you for being part of the Rising Tide.
Enjoy!
Show Links:
- The first recorded podcast interview - Ep. 3 Dr. Liz Riedford: How To Be Fearless Finding Your Career
- The first guest I had never met before the interview - Ep. 15 Denise Odenkirk: Writing Your Own Story
On paper, transitioning careers from mechanical engineer to tech investor might appear random. Yet in today's episode with Amber Illig we see the logical evolution of her career journey. Amber Illig is a General Partner at The Council, a venture capital fund that invests in proven operators as early as possible in their journeys (Pre-seed and Seed) industries across Vertical SaaS, Fintech, and Healthcare. She shares how throughout each of her roles working for companies like Eli Lilly, Apple, Snap, and Cruise she was continuously designing her career as she learned what she enjoyed, understood where she sought growth, and stayed open to opportunity. In today's episode Amber shares:
- How Eli Lilly's strong mentorship program set her up for career success
- The 50/50 rule that has guided her decision criteria for big career moves
- Effective strategies for dealing with the inner critic
- Traits of great investors :)
I am so excited for you to meet her. Enjoy!
Episode Links:
- Follow Amber on LinkedIn
- Interesting in pitch Amber or investing in her fund? Learn more here
- Range: How Generalist Triump in a Hyperspecialized World
It’s easy to overlook or forget just how far you have come in quarter, let alone an entire year. Especially if your growth has happened outside your career.
Change can happen so gradually that it’s easy to lose sight of where you started and just how far you’ve come. It’s also easy to lose sight of what you’ve set out to accomplish. You get to the end of the year and when you see those goals and realize you completely neglected to make any progress toward them because other things took priority.
What if you had a recurring space to capture your learnings, accomplishments, and reassess your goals. Not just for work but for your entire life. You set aside time to slow down for a moment and reflect so you can move forward in your career and life with intention and purpose.
On today's episode with co-host Chandra Keel I'll share the we discuss the power of Quarterly "X" Reviews (QXR) and listeners will walk away knowing:
- What the heck the "X" stands for
- How to gain clarity and confidence through regular QXRs
- What is included in the QXR framework
- Steps to begin implementing this habit into your routine
If you're ready to claim your growth and move forward with intention you need to hear this episode.
I am also launching a Life on Purpose Cohort this summer centered around community and the QXR framework. More details coming soon. Sign up here to be the first to hear about it
Episode Links:
- Get your QXR template
- Interested in a 1:1 review of your quarter or year to date? Learn more here
- Curious to hear about other ways to incorporate proactive pauses into your routine? Check out our episode on The Power of Pause
Meet Kate Van Waes, Founder of Van Waes Consulting, where she is using all of her incredible experience to support progressive leaders as their co-strategist, co-conspirator, and invisible co-pilot. Kate began her career as a research scientist, serving on several NASA Mars missions and leading international science teams under a Scandinavian-American Foundation Fellowship. She transitioned into foreign policy through an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellowship at the U.S. Department of State, focused on the intersection of humanitarian aid and terrorism and later serving on the leadership team for the Obama Administration’s flagship global development program. After her term at the State Department ended, Kate lead the development of the Inclusive Growth pillar at Bono’s nonprofit, The ONE Campaign, focused on African women-led economic growth. Most recently, she served as Executive Director at American Hiking Society, successfully leading it through a period of tremendous evolution.
On today's episode Kate shares her extraordinary career and we discuss:
- Who are progressive leaders and what are they challenges they face today
- Witnessing career driven females striking work:life balance and building health, high-functioning organizations
- Being named Executive Director at American Hiking Society when she was 34 weeks pregnant 🤯
- Being forced and choosing to make career changes
- And so much more!
Enjoy!
Show links:
- Follow Kate on LinkedIn
- Interested in working with Kate? Click here to learn more about Van Waes Consulting
- McKinsey Women in the Workplace
Think about the last time you assessed your career health. Was it in response to a major event, setback, or forced change? Maybe you found yourself asking the question “how did I even get here? Do I even want this anymore?”
Historically these “wake up” calls have been when we take inventory of our life and career. Like anything that we don’t do regularly it can feel uncomfortable, disorienting, or possibly “too late” to make a change now.
What if instead of reacting we proactively assessed our career health? We booked recurring time with ourselves to do a quick check-in to catch things early so we can move forward with intention.
On this episode I share a new resource that easily allows you to make career health checks part of your annual routine. I’ll share:
- The research behind the creation of the career health check
- How the career health check works
- Why career health checks are a foundation to living our fullest potential
If you are interested in designing a career and a life that aligns to who you are as a person and what is important to you then you won’t want to miss this episode.
Episode Links:
- Take the Career Health Check Assessment
- Chandra Keel: Building a Life On Your Terms
- The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly
- Energy Zone Exercise
- Curious about working with me? Learn more here
Lauren Marturano is the Founder and CEO of Zinnia, a platform for every event that allows organizers to plan their next offsite in a matter of clicks. Early in her career, Lauren learned the value of connection. Whether that was in developing relationships with customers or fostering strong mentor relationships, Lauren’s investment in genuine connection has been a core to her success. On today’s episode she shares:
- The value of speaking up early and often when facing challenges
- The jarring transition from global software companies to early stage startup
- Realizing her career path was not aligning with what brought her purpose and being open to make a change
Lauren is an award winning sales professional, female founder, and passionate community builder who I can’t wait for you to meet. Enjoy!
- Follow Lauren on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Zinnia for your next corporate offsite
Meet Jenn Whitmer, speaker, coach, and joy bringer who helps teams and leaders solve conflict and build connections so they can do powerful work. Jenn has spoken on some of the largest stages and in 2022 was selected as a TedX speaker where she discussed how Great Relationships Need Conflict. Her passion for conflict came from her own lived experience seeing how a healthy work environment can turn toxic when leaders are ineffective at handling conflict. Today’s episode is full of rich insights as we discuss:
- Recognizes red flags in the workplace
- The importance of knowing your values
- Having the courage to bet on yourself
- What it means to find your golden thread
- And so much more
Enjoy!
Episode Resources:
- Follow Jenn on LinkedIn or Instagram
- Learn more about ways to work with Jenn
- Watch Jenn's Ted Talk - Great Relationships Need Conflict
Allison Whalen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Parentaly, a program that turns parental leave into a competitive advantage for employees and employers. Allison spent the first 9 years of her career exploring various career paths to find where her passion and strengths aligned. Her hyper focus on career made it all the more surprising when in 2017, after having her first child Allison nearly quit a sales leadership role she loved - all because of the disruption her 3-month maternity leave caused.
It became obvious to her that there was a huge gap in how companies support working parents before, during and after parental leave. Allison saw an opportunity to help other working parents avoid the issues she ran into, which led her to begin building what is now Parentaly. Despite early success with their alpha launch, in 2020 it looked liked Parentaly might be over before it really began (insert quote).
It would turn out that the thing that threatened the very existence of her company would be the thing that made companies care more about the environment they created for parents. I can’t wait for you to meet this amazing woman. Enjoy!
Episode LInks
- Connect/Follow Allison on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Parentaly and check out their free parental leave resources
On today's episode I sit down with Carmen Honacker to discuss her experience as woman in the male dominated tech world as a fraud and cybercrime leader. Carmen has worked for some of the largest tech brands including Yahoo!, Ebay, and Playstation just to name a few. Her passion for connection, building diverse and high performing teams, and her strong moral center made her a highly sought out leader in the fraud industry. Despite her tremendous success and contributions in fraud, she found herself in conflict with her values trying to navigate the politics and accept the use of casuistry to explain toxic behavior by male counterparts. She ultimately chose to honor her values and speak up but that chose would cost her nearly everything.
On today's episode we discuss:
- Opting to "yes, I can figure that out" as kindling for career growth
- Realizing a work environment is not as advertised
- Questioning if she is cut out for corporate
- The power of building strong relationships
- And so much more
Enjoy!
Carmen Honacker is a passionate fraud and cybercrime fighter, people leader, DEI champion and brand protector. She is an International Fraud Consultant with RISK IDENT. She is also an active member of the Merchant Risk Council and Co-Chair of the Conference Committee
Sara Abernathy learned early in life the value of small yeses. She started saying yes to low risk options betting on herself that she could make it work or would be able to make a move. With each small yes her confidence in her intuition grew. Over the course 12 years Sarah trusted her intuition when when it told her to:
- Walk away from a career as a professional opera singer
- Move to San Diego not knowing anyone for a job she had never done before fundraising for a performing arts theater
- Transition from working for a non-profit to selling technology to non-profits
- Leave a job she loved to take on the role she knew she meant to do
Sara Abernathy is a restauranteur and owner of Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing, that offers an elevated, polished casual experience and rotating small batch craft beers, chef driven bar food and a delightful patio experience with the best view of Downtown Raleigh.
In 2022, Sara and her husband opened Glasshouse Kitchen, an upscale eclectic American fare in the heart of Research Triangle, NC and they are currently working on an additional four restaurant concepts that will open this year.
Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn
Jeanette Botha is an accomplished senior leader for one of the top global logistic companies in the world. As VP of Sales Development - Europe she oversees the training and development of over 2500 sales professionals and leaders spanning across 40 countries.
On the outside looking in Jeanette’s career is beyond impressive, marked with outstanding performance and frequent promotions. While all that is true in this candid conversation Jeannette shares what that journey has been like from within, both good and challenging, and we cover a wide range of topics including:
- Growing up in South Africa during apartheid times
- Seeking creative outlets and growth outside of her full-time job
- Importance of finding a partner who supports your career ambitions
And so much more
Jeanette is also has a certified coach and speaker who helps professionals to build their corporate presence and present with confidence.
Episode Links:
- Connect with Jeanette on LinkedIn
- Sign up for Jeanette's newsletter
The idea of squiggly line or non-linear careers has started to become a mainstream concept. With the help of social media platforms and podcasts we have more access than ever to learn about someone's winding journey. Except these journey's are shrouded in mystery. The pathways only make sense in hindsight and it's easy to believe that it's great for them but that's not something in the cards for most people. Even if you wanted to consider a career change were would you even begin?
For the last 2.5 years I have researched top female professionals. 72% of these women have made at least one major career change. Although the details varied throughout the journeys, there were consistent steps women would take to prepare for and ultimately make a career change. Those steps are:
- Seed
- Exploration
- Activation
- Build and Test
- Commit
On today's episode I'll share:
- Actions to take during each step of the career change process
- The difference between Forced vs. Chosen Career Changes
- Shift in how we think about our career journeys
Enjoy!
- Christine Rogers: Unmistakable Timing
- Denise Odenkirk: Write Your Own Story
- Getting Fired: How to Productively Navigate Grief
"99.9% of the time nothing is wasted"
Like many female founders, Loren Grieff saw a problem that her strengths, expertise, and experiences uniquely positioned her to solve. In 2021 she made the empowered decision to launch PortfolioRocket, a company that propels creatives and marketers into the hidden job market and helps them land their next ideal career move.
On today’s episode Loren shares the many chapters of her 30 year career leading up to today including skyrocketing to VP before 30 at global advertising agency in NY, stay at home mom, returning to corporate advertising leadership only to realize this career was unsustainable as a single mother, launching a successful local e-zine, and a 10 year stint where she became an award winning executive recruiter. All experiences she pulled from to ultimately launch PortfolioRocket.
Loren shares her journey and we discuss:
- The fallout from having personal identity and title interconnected
- Making the transition from chasing external accolades to being motivated by an internal compass
- How your career does not live in a box
- And so much more
Enjoy!
Connect with Loren on LinkedIn
Have you ever felt a nudge that you were meant for more? A knowing that one day you might start your own thing? Or it may seem more like a restlessness or discontent with your current situation. You find yourself dismissing this voice. Even if you were curious, where would you even begin?
Over the last two years I’ve interviewed 35+ female entrepreneurs who had an inkling for more. Instead of dismissing the idea, they got started…and you can too. In this episode I share my findings and break down the five steps women took to go from intuition to crossing the bridge of calculated risk and fully committing to their company.
You may learn that entrepreneurship is not your path today but I can promise you will move closer to where you are meant to be by going on this journey.
Links:
- Kacie Lett Gordon - Founder of It All Media
- Nicola Skorko - Founder of Nicola Skorko Coaching and host of Finding Your Fire podcast
- Psyche Terry - Founder of UI Global Brands
- Sarah Milby - CEO and Founder of Valor Performance
- Noelle London - CEO and Founder of Illoominus
- Nadira Artyk - Founder of Visionary Voices
Today's guest is a successful multi-disciplinary executive who over her 20 year career has never forced herself to fit within a box. It's only natural that her podcast episode mirrors her career. On today's episode, rather than walk through the different chapters of her career we have a powerful conversation on how she approaches her career and life.
Meet Amelia Schaffner. Most recently Amelia was the Co-Founder and Managing Director for Emory University's Center of Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Prior to this Amelia spent nearly 16 years at Accenture where she started in Management Consulting and would go on to be a Strategy Senior Manager and eventually Strategy Principal focused on growing global innovation at Accenture.
Amelia is also an amateur photographer and creator of ZTastyLife, her culinary blog where she writes about staying true to her Italian cultural and culinary roots while living abroad in America.
On today’s episode we discuss:
- The importance of exploring our intuitive voice
- Getting off the highway for the occasional detour
- Communicating who you are when you don’t fit in any particular box
Enjoy!
Episode Links:
- Connect with Amelia on LinkedIn
- Check out Amelia's blog Z Tasty Life
Lauren Griffey graduated college as an English major who was taught to believe that writing was a luxury, not a career path.
Heeding the advice of guidance counselors, professors, and family Lauren opted for stability and took a role as an analyst for General Mills determined she could shed her passion for writing and become a business person.
Eventually Lauren would discover sales and build a successful tech sales career. Channeling her competitive spirit and leveraging her writing skills for sales emails she convinced herself this would do. Until a global pandemic made her face the truth she had always known. She was a writer.
Today Lauren Griffey is an agented author preparing to launch her first novel. On todays episode we discuss:
- Battle of choosing stability over her calling
- Power of making decisions based on external forces
- Freedom that comes when you step into your power
Enjoy!
Episode Links:
- Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn
- The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Podcast
In today's episode I'm sharing one of my favorite tools for living your fullest potential. This is the culmination of a 12 year career in leadership and the last 2 years of researching career driven women.
This tool helps you capture what you've learned, what you've accomplished, and the skills and strengths you've acquired along the way. Now, you may think I'm talking about your career but I'm talking bigger than that because you are bigger and more than a job. It helps you to look into all aspects of your life.
I call this tool the QXR - Quarterly X-Factor Review. I am so excited to share this with you. It's helped so many women and I can't wait for it to transform your life, too.
Episode Resources:
- QXR Template
"If you stay too attached to your plans and your ideas then you lose those other opportunities that you don’t know are coming"
Mindset informs how we show up in this world. Imagine if you looked at opportunities with curiosity (what could be) instead of skepticism (what could go wrong)? What if you suspended the first no and instead explored what might be for a moment?
Karen Houghton has let curiosity be her guide throughout her career. Today as the founder and CEO of Infinite Giving she is able to see in hindsight how each element in her jungle gym career has led her to exactly where she is today.
On today's episode we discuss:
- Inviting others to help you
- Betting on yourself
- The power of knowing yourself to inform big decisions
- And more
Enjoy!
Episode Links:
- Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
- The Power of Onlyness: Make Your Wild Ideas Mighty Enough to Dent the World -
- Lean In: Women Work, and the Will to Lead
You just got fired. Now what?
No matter how it happened, being fired hurts. It feels personal. Whether you want it or not you are forced to make a change. But what if getting fired could be a catalyst? What if this could be the greatest thing to happen for you?
On today's episode we will explore:
- This is a loss. What the stages of grief look like after a termination
- Importance of sitting in your feelings
- Recognizing when you are ready to begin ideating on your next chapter
- Exercises to maximize learnings
- How to leverage your insights and network to begin your new chapter
Exercise Resources:
- Postmortem - Pages 4 and 5
- Building Your Foundation Workbook
Links Referenced in Podcast
- When Job Titles Hurt Instead of Help You
- Toxic vs. Tough Work Environments: Knowing Whether to Stay or Go
- Dr. Jennifer Rittenhouse: Imposterism and the Paths We Choose
- HBR: When getting fired is good for your career
- The Power of Regret by Dan Pink
Meet Jenna Discher, an HR Executive and Thought Leader. Jenna found herself in a position she never expected in March 2020 as the world shutdown due to a global pandemic. As an HR leader, Jenna not only was helping lead her company through the constant changes but also her immediate team. Despite 98% of HR professionals experiencing burnout, Jenna was able to lean on her work in self mastery to help her take care of her team, company, and most importantly herself.
On today's episode, we learn more about Jenna as she shares:
- How trying multiple roles early in her career set the ground work for finding her passion in HR
- How she managed her own burnout while leading HR organizations at Credit Karma and Afresh
- Investing time in deepening her understanding of self
- And so much more
Enjoy!
Connect with Jenna on LinkedIn
Meet Jenn Graham. Jenn is the Founder and CEO of Inclusivv, a platform helping companies, communities, and individuals make deeper connections and ignite change through guided conversations.
Throughout her life and career Jenn has been drawn to a diverse set of interests. Often this meant that she connected with others but never quite fully belonged in any one group. It would be over a decade before Jenn saw how her divergent interests and skills were meant to come together.
On this episode we explore topics including:
- How intuition plays an important part in creating alignment
- Embracing diverse interests rather than feeling the need to hyper focus
- Asking for what you want and need,
- Making the decision to become an entrepreneur and tech founder.
Important Links:
- Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn
- Learn more about My Human Design
Imagine having a clear vision of yourself in the future. You picture your surroundings and even see a title but important details are missing. You see a corner office with a view but not what you're doing in that office. Or you can read your title that says "President of _______".
These were Psyche Terry's directional goals. Starting in college, Psyche had big ambitions but what and how she would bring them to bear was unclear. Until one day while working for a non-profit making gift baskets things began to take shape.
Today Psyche Terry is the Founder of UI Brands. Their signature brand Urban Hydration is sold in over 35,000 stores worldwide including top retailers like Ulta, Target, and JCPenney to name a few. The journey to success has not always been an easy one. On today's episode, Psyche shares:
- How "stepping on skinny branches" fueled her early entrepreneur days
- Navigating fear so it does not control your decisions
- Learning from all experiences, especially the failures
- And much more
Psyche is credited by Drug Store News as a Leading Woman in Beauty. She won America's Most Beautiful Mrs. Texas in 2022. With quadruple digit growth over the last 3 years, her brand, Urban Hydration, was the #1 fastest growing face cleaner in the industry according to Neilson & Inc 5000 as fastest growing Small Business in America. Named Women to watch, Rising Star, Influencer of the year, Trend Spotter, & Philanthropist.
Quick Links:
- Connect with Psyche on LinkedIn
- WATERisLIFE
Throughout our lives we will face adversity. There will be moments or seasons that challenge who we are and what we believe. We can either be hardened from these experiences or take the value and lessons they offer and turn it into something better for the future.
Meet Eileen Lee, Co-Founder of The Lola, a club and community for women. As the daughter of Korean immigrants Eileen was raised to be risk averse, take the safe path, honor her family. So she took a seemingly safe option as a corporate management consultant. After nearly 6 years and a series of toxic encounters at work Eileen went against everything she was taught and did the unthinkable. She quit her job with no back-up. This seemingly risky decision would launch her career as an entrepreneur where she would co-found not one but two successful endeavors. Throughout this episode, Eileen candidly shares impactful events and experiences that continued to shape her life and career including:
- Updating beliefs as we learn new information
- Importance of tuning into our bodies
- Allowing experiences of grief to make us better
- Power of creating space and community built for and by women
- And so much more
Enjoy!
Links:
- Connect with Eileen on LinkedIn
- Learn more about The Lola
- Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Throughout her career, Burunda Prince has often found herself as the only or the first. Starting at MIT, Burunda was the only black woman studying engineering. After graduating she became the first black female engineer in Proctor & Gambles Beauty and Care division where she would lead a team of engineers to create Pert Plus, the first ever product combining shampoo and conditioner, After getting her MBA from Harvard Burunda found herself as the first black female at the consulting firm Bain & Co., and eventually the only democrat on her districts school board where they went from the lowest quartile to #1 over the next 4 years.
Today Burunda is the COO at the Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, a company created to support Black entrepreneurs in overcoming the unique barriers they face in building thriving businesses.
Throughout this episode Burunda shares insights and lessons from her remarkable career including:
- How to build trust on a team
- How to find a common ground to drive big change
- Mindset tips to navigate being an only, taking on new challenges, or correcting a mistake
- Inviting others to help you on your career journey
Important Links:
- Connect with Burunda on LInkedIn
- Think Again by Adam Grant
Have you ever known something about yourself but not known what it means yet? You see a vision of where you want to be someday but you can't see the path yet? That was entrepreneurship for Noelle London.
After graduating college Noelle joined the Peace Corp. Her assignment, teach entrepreneurship to women in Nicaragua. Seeing first hand how entrepreneurship empowered women to solve problems in their community and gain financial independence Noelle fell in love with the world of entrepreneurship.
Over the next 10 years she would find ways to work in startups and with entrepreneurs, all the time looking for the problem she was uniquely poised to address. Then in 2020 felt a calling she could not deny. She knew where she was meant to make an impact.
Noelle London is the CEO and Founder of Illoominus, a data analytics platform that helps companies proactively manage their diversity commitments and retain and grow diverse employees into leadership positions. Noelle earned a Masters in Global Policy focused on Economic Development and Technology from UT Austin
Important Links:
- Connect with Noelle on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Illominus
We live in a culture that glorifies hustle and ambitious achievers find themselves frequently battling burnout. Life feels over-scheduled and week(s) can slip by as you go from one thing to the next leaving little or no time to check in with ourselves. You are so busy doing that you don't have a chance to ask yourself if this is what you even want.
On this episode we will cover:
- Why it is so hard to pause?
- What makes pausing so powerful
- 4 ways to incorporate pauses into your life
- Reframing the importance to giving yourself permission to pause
Enjoy!
References:
- Career Sabbatical Guide and QXR
- Breaking Free From The Hustle Culture - Episode
- Book Your QXR Review
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- HBR Article - Why Americans Are So Obsessed With Busyness
- Emotional Agility by Dr. Susan David
Imagine you are the breadwinner of your household and for the last 9.5 years you've poured everything into a startup that grew from 8 to 800. Then the housing market crashes and almost overnight everything you built is crumbling around you.
Not to be defeated, you boldly decide to pivot your career and take on a new challenge. For the next 13 years you build something from the ground up, creating the premier event in your industry. Then a global pandemic shuts the world down and all events. Once again you find yourself unsure if what you've built can weather the storm.
This is the remarkable career of Allyson Eman, CEO of Venture Atlanta Conference. Allyson's story is a powerful reminder that we cannot control what happens but we can control how we respond. On this episode, she shares her incredible career story and the importance of:
- Trusting yourself and your intuition
- Understanding what was most important and building a career around that
- Recognizing the strength of transferable skills and historical performance
Allyson Eman is the CEO at Venture Atlanta Conference, the Southeast's largest venture conference gathering together more than 1,200 entrepreneurs, investors, leaders, and students for a high-caliber, 2-day conference.
Connect with Allyson on
Have you ever felt like you didn't quite belong? Or maybe you had lots of interests and didn't see the point of limiting yourself to just one thing. Then you will love today's guest.
Meet Kt McBratney. Kt is the co-founder of OwnTrail, a platform that offers tools, connection and support for you to take control of your personal and professional journey, figure out what fulfills you and then build your way forward. As someone who refused to play small in her corporate career and continuously reinvented herself, Kt shares her incredible career journey and powerful insights from her work at Own Trail.
On today’s episode, we discuss topics including:
- Refusing to play small or bending to fit someone else’s box for you
- Practicing the art of delegation and working through others
- Know what matters most and allowing that to guide career and life decisions
- And so much more
✨Special Offer ✨ for Rising Tide listeners
Get 25% your subscription to OwnTrail. Use code: RISINGTIDE
Links:
- Connect or Follow Kt on LinkedIn
- Follow OwnTrail on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok
- Blaze Your Own Trail by Rebekah Bastian
Women in the workplace are facing a difficult reality. There are tremendous forces working against you. Too often the blame is placed on women to improve and get over their imposterism, there is backlash when you show up authentically, or women risk burning out due to unpaid labor responsibilities.
This might be our reality but it doesn't have to be our fate.
Today I'm joined by Dr. Kimberly DeSimone, an expert on gender equality in the workplace. Kimberly shares her story and shares powerful insights and research to empower professional women to tackle the inequalities they face in the professional workplace.
She holds a Masters in Organizational Psychology and a PhD in Leadership in Policy. She is a tenured professor at St. Bonaventure University where she serves as the the Co-chair of the University President's Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Director of the Masters in Leadership Program. Kimberly is the host for Advancing Women podcast, where ambitious women come together to challenge the status quo, advance in their careers, and up-level their lives. And she is an Executive Coach focused on helping ambitious individuals achieve results using her 4P Advancement Model.
Helpful links:
- Connect or Follow Dr. Kimberly DeSimone on LinkedIn
- Follow #AdvancingWomen on Instagram
- Margaret's favorite #AdvancingWomen Episodes:
- Tightrope Bias & The Likeability Dilemma
- Sorry Not Sorry: Apologizing, Deflecting, and Undermining
- Listen to Margaret's Episode on #AdvancingWomen Podcast
Have you ever felt stuck at a job? It’s not great but it could be worse. Or maybe you find yourself questioning if you have done everything in your power to make things better.
Have you ever had trouble determining if your job was just difficult or it was actually toxic?
Over the last year I have been on a quest to answer this question and the answer I discovered was not what I expected. On this episode we will cover:
- Biases that keep us stuck
- Why quitting gets a bad reputation
- The five key traits of a toxic work environment
- Strategy so you never have to question your decision to stay or go again
Enjoy!
Episode Links:
- A Slight Change of Plans - Annie Duke on Quitting
- Tiffany Castagno - Rising Tide Episode
- MIT Sloan Article - Toxic Culture is Driving the Great Resignation
- MIT Sloan Article - Why Every Leader Needs To Worry About Toxic Culture
- Lisa Bowman - Rising Tide Episode
- Leslie Douglas - Rising Tide Episode
- Adam Grant's Taken For Granted - The Not-So-Great Resignation
Liz Brunner had a distinguished 28 year career in television where she served as the co-anchor for the #1 rated 6 pm newscast at ABC-TV's WCVB and conducting exclusive one-on-one interviews with prominent figures, including President Barack Obama. Despite her tremendous success, Liz couldn't help noticing in her profession that the men were getting older and the women were getting younger. She had loved her job but knew she was ready for the next chapter. But what would that be? Over the next two years Liz would seek out that answer and in 2013 Liz launched Brunner Communications.
Over the next 7 years she built a successful business that was 95% in-person. Then the pandemic hit...there was a moment Liz thought everything she had built might be gone. Liz channeled the adversity into fuel and pivoted her business, launched a podcast, and authored her first book.
Liz shares her remarkable journey and we discuss:
- How to distinguish between fear and intuition
- Importance of just getting started
- Her grandmother’s wise words “no knowledge is ever wasted”
- And much much more
Enjoy!
Episode Notes:
- Connect with Liz on LinkedIn
- Get Liz's book Dare to Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams Into Your Next Chapter
- Listen to Liz's podcast Live Your Best Life
Fear. This powerful driver within us can either keep us small or be leveraged to help us grow.
As an actress, film producer, and entrepreneur, Rebecca De Ornelas is very familiar with fear. For the first 13 years of her career she let fear take the leading role. Rather than trusting her intuition she found herself following whatever others thought she should be doing. Despite learning she was great at many things she found herself feeling confused and doing work that left her unfulfilled.
Then in 2019 things came into focus. Through a series of major events Rebecca found herself aligned for the first time and motivated by her intuition rather than fear. On this episode, we discuss:
- Her journey to dealing with anxiety and fear
- Finally listening to her intuition instead of shutting it out
- Recovering our individual narratives
Rebecca is the founder of The Story Artisan, a company focused on helping people discover, develop, and deliver unforgettable stories. She also hosts of The Waystation, a podcast of shared human experience. Rebecca's film The Sleepless premiered at the 2020 Big Apple Film Festival and was named Best U.S. Feature by the New York Independent Cinema Awards. Her films can be seen on Amazon Prime and iTunes.
Connect with Rebecca:
- Connect with her on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Rebecca's 6 Weeks To Launch Program
Leslie Douglas spent the first 5 years of her career driven by external forces. She chased what the world tells you to chase. Better money, better title, more notoriety. Over this time she would work for 5 different companies in 3 cities, searching for where she belonged. Although she was a highly sought after sales professional she found herself frustrated by always bouncing from one thing to the next, continuing to encounter the same issues again and again.
And then she made a meaningful shift in how approached her career. She began looking inward for guidance rather than being pulled and pushed by external forces.
This episode delivers a powerful combination of Leslie's compelling career journey and pearls of wisdom for anyone looking to take ownership of their career including:
- Gaining the necessary insights during an interview to determine a mutual fit
- Organizing your calendar based on where you derive energy
- What to evaluate when you sense discontent or burnout before leaving your job
And much more
Enjoy!
Leslie Douglas is the Director of Sales Training at JB Sales. She is a featured thought leader at Sales Assembly, and she is the founder of Talking with Leslie, where she delivers actionable advice and powerful motivation to help individuals start a new journey towards exceeding their goals, and finding purpose in their work.
Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn
At a young age, Nadira Artyk knew she had a perspective and voice to share with the world. At 9, she saw writing as an outlet for her voice and submitted an article to the national newspaper for children in the Soviet Union and officially became a published writer. Fast forward several years, Nadira joined the BBC where her work shined as a journalist interviewing political leaders, celebrities, and travelling to war zones to cover a story. Except she started to notice that despite her success and accolades she was being passed up for promotions by her male peers.
Little did Nadira know that this experience to find and ultimately use her voice at the BBC would plant a seed for what would become her next career.
On this episode, Nadira shares how she:
- Broke cultural norms to become an outspoken journalist
- Shed limiting beliefs and behaviors so she could reach new heights in her career
- Believes there is more than one career in all of us
- And much more
Nadira Artyk is the founder of Visionary Voices, a company that help entrepreneurs and founders build better workplaces with stronger cultures. Nadira is also a certified leadership coach and experienced facilitator empowering corporate women with effective communication, executive presence, influencing, negotiation, and other leadership skills, so that they step up in their careers, and be better managers and leaders..
Since launching Visionary Voices in 2011, Nadira has worked with hundreds of women from high potential to CEOs. Her clients include Nissan Europe, Chanel, Photobox, HRA Pharm, and GE to name a few. She has also been featured in various publications including Marie Claire and Business-au-Feminin, and has contributed to the Harvard Business Review book “The Mind of The Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results.”
- Connect with Nadira Artyk
- Interested in working with Nadira? Learn more at Visionary Voices
References:
- Confident Communication Checklist - Helping you Speak, Appear & Sound Confident in Video Meetings
- How to Communicate with Confidence in High Stakes Meetings
- How to Leverage Being An Introvert to Get Ahead in Your in a Post Pandemic World
Growing up we were fed a steady diet of the linear career path. We were taught to get an education, figure out our career before graduating or else you are behind (or worse...a failure), make sure to use your degree and get a good job, and then make sure to climb the management ladder. Sound familiar?
Except the concept of a linear career path is an illusion. Or is it?
What if instead of real career paths looking more like squiggly messes than lines we simply changed the x and y axis? On this episode I share:
- What the new linear career path is
- What causes careers to feel like a squiggly line
- The stories we need to stop telling ourselves about our career
- The foundation for your new linear career path
References:
- Jennifer Chapman - Sales Professional to Stroke Warrior & Mindset Coach
- Carrie Jeffrey - CEO of the House to Tech Sales
- Jenn Goldstone - TV Producer & Investigative Journalist to Non-Profit Executive
- Melissa Craig - Political Action Services to Tech Executive
- Dr. Liz Riedford - Academic Advisor to Asylum Officer
- Lisa Bowman - CMO to Best Selling Author, Speaker, and Advocate
There are moments where life makes it undeniable that things have fundamentally shifted. A reckoning that this truth you have been denying for weeks, months, or years will no longer be pushed aside. For Kacie Gordon, this moment came on a routine commute home from work. After that moment life as she knew it would never be the same.
On this episode, Kacie shares an inside view of her self discovery journey over the last 18 months since this moment. With no filters and powerful stories, Kacie shares how her pursuit of having it all was a one-way ticket to madness, the realities of pivoting your career and rebuilding your brand, and acknowledging what it means to be an ambitious woman in today’s society.
Kacie is the Co-Founder of It All Media, a modern media empire on a mission to walk with women through storytelling and conversation in a collective awakening to define, create and own our “it all” that reflects and honors the power and dynamism of modern womanhood.
Show Links:
- Connect with Kacie on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to the F*** It All podcast
- The Girlfriend Method Episode
What does success look like? It's easy to look from the outside at someone who has reached a level of success in their life and think they've got it all.
Nicola Buckley left a a career in corporate America to build her dream company. She was the picture of "having it all" and achieving a level of enviable success in her company. But she was far from the dream. She was grappling with severe anxiety and depression.
Thankfully for Nicola and the many people she's helped in her career as a coach, she was able to identify the steps she needed to take to come out of the darkness. Those steps are the heart of what she teaches today. Over the last four years she has helped 1,000s of women globally to find their fire and become clear and confident leaders.
On this episode get all the incredible gems and goodness that is Nicola Buckley.
Nicola Buckley is an ICF accredited leadership and executive coach for senior female leaders and neuroscience expert.
If you want more of Nicola (of course you do) here are ways to connect:
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Learn more about her coaching services at nicolaskorko.com
- Check out her podcast Female Leaders on Fire
- Email: nicola@nicolaskorko.com
Imagine planning a road trip. You’ve picked your destination, packed your things, told your friends and family of your adventure, and days before you set out you realize it’s the wrong destination. Instead of delaying the trip, you opt to set out on the journey trusting that the destination will reveal itself in time.
This is the story of Melissa Craig’s career. Melissa went to under and post grad to become an Intelligence Analyst focused on Terrorist Financing. Except upon graduating with her masters she realized this was not where she saw herself. Without a career mapped out, Melissa set off to live in DC where she would go on to experience tremendous success in her career. Today, Melissa is the VP of Americas at Avolution Software leading a team of product, sales, customer services and success. On our episode today we discuss:
- How to lean into fear so it doesn’t block your career
- Letting go of not having a career path and focusing on staying true to yourself
- Approaching new situations with the mindset of what unique perspective do I bring
Connect with Melissa Craig on LinkedIn
In November 2021, The Skimm brought to light the necessity to create paid family leave policies. By 2022, we were seeing #showusyourleave all over our LinkedIn feeds in response to The Skimm's call to companies to share their leave policies. Companies were joining in on the movement and modernizing their policy. Incredible progress has been made to mirror what life is today.
But we are far from making meaningful progress. For many companies, this was an opportunity to put themselves in good light by simply updating text in a document. For many, it worked. Companies have been praised for their modernization of their leave policies but I want to see the data. How many of their employees are taking advantage of these new leave policies?
Here's when I'll be done: when all employees - men and women - feel safe to take advantage of these policies without repercussions. In this episode, I share my thoughts, my experiences, and other's experiences on why we must not be lulled into thinking we are done and why leave policies have a far reaching impact beyond what we traditionally think of leave policy as - for women who've just had a baby.
Be part of the change and take the #ShowUsYourData survey
Episode References
- LeanIn.Org Women In the Workplace Report - 2020
- Burnout - The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle
- Why Women Still Can't Have It All
- The Skimm - Paid Family Leave: America Must Do Better
- The Skimm - Public Database of Paid Leaves
The gender pay gap is a topic of discussion that's become more and more common thanks to women like Meggie. Palmer As she personally experienced the disparity in pay between men and women, she took to her network and experience as a journalist to make a difference bigger than herself. Meggie founded PepTalkHer, a company on a mission to close the gender pay gap and get 50/50 men/women in leadership. The PepTalkHer app that has helped over 60,000 users negotiate a pay raise.
On this episode, Meggie shares her story and the insights she's gleaned since launching PepTalkHer. Here are some gems of advice that Meggie shares:
- The importance of extending grace to yourself
- The networking principle of give, give, get
- Establishing boundaries and prioritizing work
Connect with Meggie on LinkedIn
Links from episode:
- Kristin Slink: Changing the Tech Startup World - Podcast discussing non-technical founders founding tech companies
- PepTalkHer
- Meggie Palmer - Interested in having Meggie speak at your conference or company? Learn more here
- Follow PepTalkHer on Instagram: @peptalkher
Sexual harassment effects 1 in 4 women in the workplace. Even scarier, 56% of women experience retaliation for reporting it.
The experience of harassment in the workplace is a chapter of Lisa Bowman’s story. She had the dream career. She was a highly sought after and award winning marketing executive. In 2015, the CEO of United Way approached Lisa about being the EVP and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for them. For the first two years Lisa knew this was where she was meant to be. And then her dream job turned into a nightmare when a male peer began harassing her. Rather than finding support, her boss told her to make it work. Then, two women on Lisa’s team came to her in confidence and disclosed they had both experienced sexually harassment from the same man. Lisa knew what she had to do.
Today, Lisa is a best-selling author for her book, Harrashole, a powerful narrative of the events that she experienced at United Way. Lisa is on a mission to bring this behavior into the light and eradicate it from the workplace. This behavior ends now.
Important Links:
Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn
Follow on Instagram - @harasshole_book
- Purchase Harasshole on Amazon
- Learn more about Harasshole
- Huffington Post article - November 2021
- Huffington Post article - January 2022
If life has ever thrown you a curveball, you’ve struggled to own who you are and what kind of impact you want to make on the world around you, this episode is for you.
Kristin’s story reminds us that even when we don’t know where our path is taking us, we can still take the next move in front of us. After an unforeseeable event that changed their lives overnight, Kristin shares how she chose the next chapter of her career.
Today, Kristin Frade is an Executive Coach with Novus Global and Public Speaker. She has 12 years of experience with hands-on teaching, training, mentoring, and building high performance teams.
Hearing Kristin’s story will leave you with so many incredible moments that will challenge and inspire you:
- Following your energy
- Staying aligned to your values, strength and skills
- Taking an intentional look at life to determine what to bring with you and what to leave behind
- How to make career pivots
- Owning who you are and coming to peace with who you are not
Books Referenced:
- The Traveler’s Gift
- Three Feet From Gold
- Raving Fans
- Strength Based Leadership
Follow Kristin on Instagram @kristinfrade
At a point in her life when she had a failed business and had to declare a personal bankruptcy, Christine Rogers found herself looking inward and asking herself the hard questions: What got me here? What inherited beliefs do I have that I’m operating in without thought? Who am I? How do I want to build my future from here?
That was in 2009. Today, Christine is the COO and President at Aspireship, a platform that helps individuals pivot their career into SaaS sales. Her journey here was grounded in not being defined by a role but instead . From being an Account Executive to being an Executive Assistant to Sr. Director, to VP of Sales, Christine has identified her next steps by staying open, present, and grounded in her values.
Here are some highlights of her story:
- Focusing on outcomes rather than trying to be or do like others
- Making yourself visible
- Willingness to challenge your beliefs
Christine Rogers is a seasoned sales and marketing leader with over 15 years of recruiting, hiring, training, and managing high-performing sales teams. Christine has led sales organizations to exponential growth at several tech startups including Infusionsoft and Booker (now Mindbody). Christine is best known for as a passionate people leader who maximizes team performance and drives results by multiplying talents for success.
Prior to a career in tech, Christine owned a boutique baby and kids furniture store and spent 8.5 years at Farmer's Insurance as the District Marketing Specialist.
Connect with Christine on LinkedIn
Books referenced on call:
Language and the Pursuit of Happiness - Chalmers Brothers
Loving What Is- Byron Katie
At 27, Kristin made a decision that would change the course of her life. She launched her first tech company. With no knowledge of how to build a software platform or support network, Kristin relied on her passion, resourcefulness, and ability to learn what she needed to know. Over the next 6 years Kristin poured everything into the success of her company. She raised $2.5M in venture funding and lead her company to an acquisition. On paper, she was a huge success. In reality, she found herself lost, de-valued and marginalized as a female founder, and questioning who she was without her company.
Kristin takes us through the journey to re-discovering who she had always been and separating her identity from her job. Today Kristin is the Founder of Tech AF, a company that’s fueling a movement to make the tech world more diverse by providing tools, resources, coaching to minority entrepreneurs.
Ways to connect with Kristin
- Learn more about her 5 part system Tech AF here
- Connect with Kristin on LinkedIn
- Follow Kristin on Instagram at @Iamtechaf
Titles are labels. Labels are boxes.
Job titles can help us to quickly identify what role a person fulfills. They give context. They're also dangerously comfortable boxes when we rely on a title to define who we are and what value we bring to the table.
On this episode I discuss the dangers of using job titles as labels and strategies to help you from keeping yourself in a box.
Podcast References
- Work Life with Adam Grant - Glennon Doyle Wants You to Abandon Identity
- Breaking Free From the Hustle Culture: Career Sabbaticals
It's 2008 and Aly Merritt is rapidly climbing the ladder on her way to becoming the managing editor of a major print publication. She has found her calling and is going all in on this career. Then almost overnight Aly watches as the print media industry collapses. Facing a crossroads of pursuing a dying industry or reinventing herself, Aly set out to find a new career. It would be another 5 years before she discovered the emerging tech startup scene in Atlanta and found where she knew she was meant to be.
Fast forward to today, Aly Merritt is the Managing Director for the Atlanta Tech Village, a community space for 1200 tech entrepreneurs. Over the last fourteen years, Aly has explored 10 different careers, each time acquiring new skills, knowledge, and deeper understanding of herself. 7 of those 10 careers she explored within a single company. Aly shows us that changing careers doesn't have to mean changing companies or starting over. On this episode she shares how a willingness to step outside her comfort zone, communicating what she wanted, and not getting emotionally invested in any one job allowed her to build roles designed uniquely for her. Enjoy!
Aly holds an MBA from Georgia State University
Ways to connect with Aly:
- Check out Aly's blog - Aly In the ATL
- Blog referenced on podcast about lessons learned as a Chief of Staff
- Connect with Aly on LinkedIn
- Local to ATL? Aly will be speaking at the ATV on Personal Branding Wednesday, April 13. Register here
Tiffany Castagno's story is one of bravery, self doubt, and ultimately stepping into your power. A story of realizing that the struggle to fit in meant instead she was born to stand out.
and
After years as a billing specialist, Tiffany earned her BA and Masters in HR to launch her new career. What followed was a winding journey where she experienced the power of mentors in helping her craft her career narrative, the shame associated with changing companies 7X in just 9 years, and her battle with career induced depression. Tiffany sees each experience as an asset that allows her lead, coach, and shape the corporate world to be more psychologically safe so all individuals can thrive. Today Tiffany is the founder of CEPHR,a consulting firm helping Small to Medium-Sized Businesses, Non-Profit Organizations, and Start-ups to build infrastructure, policies, programs, and a strong employer brand and culture. Tiffany is also the co-author of the children's book Can a Zebra Change It's Stripes , which uncovers the importance of acceptance and what it means to make diversity a strength.
In addition to running her own company, Tiffany is on the Board of Directors for Open Field, a non-profit focused on improving the lives of youth through sport and Ascender, a Pittsburgh community for Entrepreneurs that provides educational programming, mentorship, coaching, and co-working space to help entrepreneurs start and build their business.
Imagine this. For 13 years you maniacally pursue your dream job, relishing every moment. You love the work, you are not just good but great at what you do, and you continue to climb higher continuing to move closer to achieving your dream. Until one day you realize this no longer your dream.
This is Lauren Ready's story. On this episode, Lauren takes us through the long transition of separating her identity from her career and how she was able to define her values to make some of the most difficult decisions in life, including choosing a path she never thought she would.
Lauren Ready is an Emmy award winning storyteller and the Founder of Forever Ready Productions.
Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn
Learn more about Forever Ready Productions
Adam Grant's Think Again
Are you living your potential? Is it a struggle to answer that question? Maybe it's something you haven't stopped to consider in a long time. That ends today. I'm on a mission to empower you with the tools you need to realize your potential. But first, we have to start with where you are today. On this episode, I give you four ways to quickly identify that you are not living your potential and share immediate steps you can take to begin the journey of living in your potential. Let's do this!
Denise Odenkirk episode
Gallup Strength Finders Assessment
It's officially 2022 and with the change of the calendar year comes a focus (maybe even a pressure) on setting goals for the coming year. Initially the idea of doing this is exciting but quickly that excitement gets replaced with anxiety. Throughout your career you've been conditioned that effective goals need to be SMART. What happens if you sit down to work on your goals and realize you can't think of anything? Or you only have a goal but no idea how you even achieve it or where to start?
On this episode, I share an alternative way to approach setting goals and share one of THE biggest things I've learned from the guests of this podcast that has enabled them to set and exceed their most ambitious dreams. Enjoy!
Can women really have it all?
Is there a penalty for working moms?
Does pursuing a career as a mother help or hurt your children?
After nearly 30 years in the male-dominated Real Estate Development where she ascended to the highest levels, Frawn has devoted her energy to researching these topics and using her influence and power to pave the way for the next generation of women in the workplace.
Frawn weaves in her personal story alongside her research in a truly inspiring and informative episode.
BONUS AUDIO:
Stick around at the end of the episode for "behind the scenes" audio of my conversation with Frawn before we officially hit record. She unpacks the early findings of her doctoral thesis research on the well being of working mothers and more. Enjoy!
Connect with Frawn on LinkedIn
Books and articles referenced:
HBR article - Kids of Working Moms Grow Into Happy Adults
Unfinished Business
Lean In
Cassandra Speaks
3 Tips for Leader To Get the Future of Work Right
There is one thing that EVERY guest on Rising Tide has cited as a key to their career.
A mentor.
This solo episode I share:
-
The best time to surround yourself with a mentor
-
Three strategies for finding a mentor
-
Additional things to consider in your mentor relationship
Enjoy!
"When you have been at the bottom and you have nothing left, one of the gifts it gives you is the ability to be resourceful." Yasmine Mustafa's story is seemingly incomprehensible to most yet to Yasmine it is simply her story. On this episode, Yasmine shares her story that has led her to become the CEO and Founder of ROAR, a tech company creating safer work environments. She provides her perspective on immigrating to the US as an 8 year, learning she was undocumented at 17, and the sacrifice to get an education that would give her the key to her future. Grab a notebook, find a quiet space, and be prepared to be inspired.
- Connect with Yasmine on LinkedIn
- The Birth Lottery Does Not Define You - Yasmine's Ted Talk Philadelphia
- Learn more about ROAR - Creating safer work environments with a wireless digital panic button
Being positive is not always a good thing. In fact, when we prioritize being positive over reality it becomes toxic.
On this episode I unpack what toxic positivity is and how to recognize it, why this approach is counterproductive, and ways to avoid falling into toxically positive behavior.
- Emotional Agility - Dr. Susan David
For the last 1.5 years, media coverage on women in the workplace has painted a dooms day message about the impact to women in the workplace. Women are portrayed as victims who will suffer future ramifications for choices made now. I believe this narrative is wrong. I think women leaving the workforce is the best thing that's ever happened and on this episode I'll share why I believe this and what we each can do to write a different story of the impact from this pandemic.
References
Why Women Still Can't Have It All - Atlantic Article
McKinsey & Company: Women in the Workplace 2021
CNBC: Women's Labor Force Participation
Unfinished Business: Women Work Family
If you are in leadership, aspire to lead, or consider yourself a high performer this episode is a must listen. Sarah Milby is the Founder and CEO of Valor, a company committed to igniting and sustaining peak performance for the world’s professionals. While Sarah's story is weaved into the creation of Valor we spend the bulk of the episode discussing the mindset of high performers, leading during times of turmoil, building a high performance company, and so much more. Grab your pen and notebooks and settle in for an enlightening discussion. Enjoy!
Connect with Sarah Milby on LinkedIn
Learn more about Valor
HBR article referenced: Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome
- 3:35 - Valor - Performance mindset and leadership coaching company
- 10:34 - What does a high performance mindset look like?
- 20:17 - What the first year of starting Valor looked like
- 28:30 - Losing her identity as an athlete when she got benched in college
- 39:34 - The power of small acts of courage
- 48:45 - Leaning into the importance of supporting other women
Kirsten Dunn is a successful real estate investor, master optician, social entrepreneur, and is campaigning to become the next Mayor of Atlanta. Her life was not always one of success but rather one with sharp turns and devastating twists. After losing her parents by 13, finding herself in foster care, and being in a toxic relationship that would have her in and out of prison in her early 20s she found herself ready to give up on life.
Instead, Kirsten turned to her faith and chose that rather than letting her story define her she will use it to empower others. On this episode, Kirsten shares why she believes so deeply in leading with authenticity and transparency, she shares what helped her get through some of the darkest moments in her life, and how she is staying true to herself now that she is running for office and finds herself in the public eye. This episode is one you can't miss. Enjoy!
Learn more about Kirsten's campaign to become the next Mayor of Atlanta
Connect with Kirsten on LinkedIn
Tabetha Summerlin has been a mother her entire adult life and had not stopped working in 20 years. Over those 20 years she built a career in Government IT and becoming the CIO for Edgecombe County. Then in August 2021 she did something for the first time. She prioritized what was best for her and took a career sabbatical to pause, reflect, and decide what her new chapter will look like. This episode, Tabetha shares her reflections, what she has learned as she re-examines her life story, and the steps she is taking to make focus on herself and what she really wants. Enjoy!
Connect with Tabetha on LinkedIn
- 5:08 - Taking a career sabbatical
- 19:04 - How she thinks about her tribe
- 26:23 - How she picked Computer & Information Science as her college degree
- 30:41 - Prioritizing proximity to family as a new mother and college graduate instead of working in her field of work
- 37:28 - Acknowledging that prioritizing her daughters was a crutch to put off her ambition out of fear and guilt
- 49:43 - Becoming Department Head in a new county as the first woman of color to run the department. How she created trust and built a high-functioning department
- 1:02:53 - The one thing Tabetha wants you to take away from the call
Leslie Bailey has combined her 15 years experience as an award-winning writer, editor, and media consultant and her vision of creating a community for women in Indy to build a company that is the perfect marrying of these two things, Indy Maven. However creating a community for like-minded women was never something Leslie ever saw herself doing. Growing up she lacked a strong set of girlfriends and quite honestly was good with that. Until one day she got a glimpse of what life could be with a community of strong, brave women around you. Tune in as Leslie shares her incredible journey to creating Indy Maven.
Leslie Bailey is the Co-Founder, CEO, and Editor and Chief of Indy Maven
Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn
Learn more about Indy Maven
Follow Leslie on instagram:
@lesalina
@indymaven
Connect with Lori Oliver on LinkedIn
Learn more about Lori's companies:
- The Inactive Company - A sleep performance company (Now used by the Atlanta Falcons)
- Birth - Consulting company helping consumer products launch faster and smarter
Connect with Annie Dunham on LinkedIn
Check out Annie's e-book IMPACT
- 4:56 - Writing her book IMPACT
- 11:26 - Trying to figure out her next step in college and post college
- 18:37 - First exposure to the tech world
- 29:58 - Excitement that she felt she had found what she was supposed to be doing
- 32:55 - How she gained the respect of CEO and executives
- 39:26 - How Annie found footing in the grey space of product management and leaned into the ambiguity to grow herself and her career
- 42:29 - The scariest move of her career
- 46:39 - Having a strong support network to navigate through the biggest career transition
- 1:01:13 - Balancing confidence with an openness to feedback as a product manager
- 1:05:09 - The one thing she wants you to take away
- Rising Tide Retreat - A great alternative to taking a career sabbatical. Get the details here
- Rising Tide Blog Post - Tips for Navigating the Career Sabbatical Landmines
Learn more about Upful.ai
Connect with Shirin on LinkedIn
- 5:15 - When she knew she would become an entrepreneur
- 9:55 - Challenges when trying to take credit for your work
- 15:20 - How being a daughter of immigrants shaped her decision to become an EE
- 20:36 - Finding her voice and a willingness to share her ideas
- 39:10 - Pursuing a product management role despite being told no and a lack of career path
- 31:11 - Taking transferable skills to join Beats by Dre
- 52:07 - Titles do matter
- 56:07 - Determining what matters most to you
- 59:42 - The tipping point that inspired the creation of a platform to help eliminate bias in the workplace
Connect with Erin O'Brien
Key Moments:
- 6:11 - Life changing moment that unleashed her
- 9:35 - Finally said no to sales as a career path after nearly a decade
- 21:21 - Getting diagnosed with general anxiety disorder
- 28:15 - Avoiding coping with stress and anxiety by drinking
- 39:31 - Making a big career jump from admin assistant to instructional design
- 51:09 - Making the difficult decision to leave Popeyes while on maternity leave
- 53:00 - Taking a 7 week sabbatical after leaving Manual Makers
Connect with Maggie on LinkedIn
Learn more about Gallup's Strength Finder
Key Moments:
- 4:17 - Work she does at Whirlpool
- 6:55 - How playing HS sports was the biggest indicator of what her career calling was
- 10:17 - Figuring out what to be when she grew up in her 20s
- 22:27 - Landing at Stryker instruments - First introduction to Gallup’s Strength Finder
- 35:38 - Adjusting career goals as she learned new information about herself
- 38:23 - Holding the line between caring deeply about your people while driving results
- 46:33 - Communicating what you know to be true about yourself to help co-workers better understand you
- 52:14 - Thinking about your leadership legacy
Books referenced:
- The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
- Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA
- Cassandra Speaks by Elizabeth Lesser
Connect with Latoya on LinkedIn
Learn more about Music Meets the Boardroom
Follow Latoya and Music Meets the Boardroom on Instagram
Key Moments:
- 7:07 - How pageants became a vehicle to having a stage to sing
- 11:34 - How imposterism manifested during competitions
- 16:12 - Changing her major from music teacher to political science and government
- 23:31 - Launching a pageant coaching business while working full-time and getting MBA
- 28:38 - Trusting her intuition to get out of a bad environment
- 35:58 - How she creates space to tune into her intuition and gain clarity
- 40:11 - Realizing her job in government was no longer allowing her to show up as her full self
- 52:12 - Seeking internal peace rather than happiness
- 58:25 - Starting Music Meets the Boardroom as a side hustle
- 1:07:53 - Latoya’s upcoming book for women in the entertainment industry
- 1:14:26 - One thing to take away from this podcast.
Connect with Catie on LinkedIn
Books Catie referenced on the podcast:
- The Blueprint- 6 Practical Steps to Elevate Your Leadership to New Heights
- Dare to Lead Podcast Featuring Doug Conant, author of The Blueprint
- Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
Key Moments:
- 4:00 - Stumbling into sales
- 11:31 - Navigating the first 6 months crash course in sales
- 18:00 - Facing Failure and allowing it to be an opportunity and chance to learn
- 20: 39 - Reflection vs. Obsession
- 22:41 - Setting boundaries to ensure she can operate at optimal levels
- 28:57 - Delegation - Determining when to stay close versus what to hand off
- 32:48 - Catie’s approach to prioritizing her week
- 37:55 - Taking a step back from leadership into an IC sales position at Pardot
- 47:55 - Building confidence to be able to clearly state her value and goals
- 51:52 - Advice for women who want to advance their careers
- 59:01 - One thing you should walk away knowing
- Connect with Sabina on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Growth Molecules
- Sabina's article sharing her journey to Growth Molecules
- Women in Tech Online Festival
Key Moments:
- 5:00 - A mentorship that turned into a big career move
- 7:51 - Advice on approaching a mentorship relationship
- 9:53 - Difference between mentorship and sponsorship
- 16:26 - Keys to scaling the customer success organization from 4 to almost 100, from NA to global in 3.5 years
- 27:38 - How Sabina approaches building her brand
- 33:39 - Discussing her personal struggle with mental health
- 51:19 - Finding her definition of balance between ambitious career goals and family
- 54:09 - Recalibrating Priorities
- 1:00:24 - One thing you want people to takeaway
Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn
Learn more about Xukuma (hoo.koo.ma)
Key Moments:
- 3:39 - Power of networking and how to be remembered fondly
- 8:36 - Finding her passion for being On Air and how it evolved to being a producer at ABC News
- 12:40 - Going from desk assistant to producer
- 20:00 - Breakdown of the Glass Cliff facing minority executives
- 29:49 - Being fired for the first time at 42. Bouncing back from being exited after turning around an organization 2 years ahead of schedule
- 38:20 - What prompted the departure from a career in tv production
- 50:15 - How she made the leap from tv production to non-profits
- 1:01:53 - Launching Xukuma and the story behind the name and company
- 1:06:53 - Best advice she ever received
Additional Bio:
Jenn chairs the board of directors of The Support Center and is the founding board chair of At the Well. In addition to being a RevJen Professional Facilitator, Jenn is a 21/64 Certified Advisor, Core Guide for Chief, a trained Interim Executive Director, holds a Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource, Agile Leadership Certification from Six Sigma International, Co-Active Coaching Fundamentals training, and a Certificate in Change Leadership from Cornell University.
Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn
In Atlanta? Come take your first class free
Interested in starting your own boutique? Check out TURNed
Key Moments:
- 3:56 - Always knew she wanted to be in sales
- 13:52 - How transitioning sales roles every two years enabled financial growth
- 16:12 - Advice on how to know you need to go to grow
- 21:20 - What allows Ashley to take on new challenges and being willing to say yes
- 27:57 - The catalyst for making a big career change
- 37:45 - Early days of building Turn from the ground up
- 44:07 - First year the business was open - What was the experience
- 47:58 - Stepping into people management for the first time as a business owner
- 54:00 - Surviving Covid as a small business
- 1:06:14 - One Piece of advice
Key Links:
- World Bank - Learn more about this amazing organization
- UNICEF
- Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk on Presence - Harvard Researcher & Social Psychologist
- Vanessa Friedman - Fashion director and chief fashion critic for The New York Times
- Connect with Dr. Fran Hurley
Key Moments:
- 4:30 - How she discovered a passion for education
- 8:13 - First year of teaching in remote Fogo Island
- 17:09 - Intentional process to selecting university for her fourth and fifth degrees.
- 29:30 - Growing up in a white community as an inter-racial family
- 36:56 - Listening, Learning, and Collaborating to Pilot Small Interventions in Boston Public Schools
- 47:10 - How to approach leadership in a new environment. Parallels between her work in education and the business world.
- 50:30 - Discovering her passion for consulting and expanding her work internationally through World Bank and UNICEF
- 1:00:34 - Reframing her mindset around “being in the spotlight”
- 1:05:30 - Top reflections and mantras Dr. Fran has gathered throughout her career
Connect with Kathryn on LinkedIn
Key Moments:
- 5:12 - 4X Winner of Best Bench Support Award - Why this meant so much
- 9:02 - Value of consistency vs. Heroic Efforts in sustaining high performance
- 12:08 - Filtering inputs - When to listen vs. when to tune the world out
- 23:55 - Discovering an interest in customer success management
- 26:12 - Approaching Networking
- 33:02 - Keeping things in perspective using facts
- 38:32 - Walking the line between being grateful and toxic positivity
- 46:02 - Creating healthy boundaries in a demanding space
- 56:47 - Where Kathryn goes to learn
- 59:00 - Being new at something again
- 1:02:46- Advice you want to make sure everyone will takeaway
Important Links:
- Interested in working with Heather? Click here for to learn more
- Think you might be ready for your own transformation? Check out her Transformation Program here
- Interested in The Mom Huddle? Click here
Key Moments:
- 7:01 - Starting a career in the sports industry
- 9:42- How networking and mentorship landed her as the Reebok account manager for NBA
- 20:08 - Knowing change was needed but fighting comfort in her current role
- 24:34 - “Jumping out of an airplane without a parachute” Planner by nature. Had always had a plan and for the first time she didn’t
- 30:43 - What prompted the interest in coaching as a career
- 42:43 - Officially launching her coaching business
- 47:23 - Filling the void with volunteer work
- 52:45 - How she has been able to build a strong community in each phase of life
Connect with Reagan on LinkedIn
Key Moments:
- 11:06 - Talking about setting boundaries at work after having baby. Not just for her but created a standard and norm in the organization for other women
- 19:04 - Importance of knowing your worth and claiming your accomplishments
- 22:31 - Importance of hiring people better at things than you are
- 28:06 - How to “balance” work and personal priorities
- 36:47 - Knew she wanted marketing. Didn’t know she wanted to be a leader
- 43:42 - Importance of strong communication skills
Connect with Christine on LinkedIn
Key Moments:
- 7:16 - Christine’s Team that helps her in her career - Personal + Professional
- 13:12 - Creating your “luck” - Having great employers that create a healthy work environment
- 16:57 - Process of trying to find her career post graduation
- 20:47 - Navigating having her job offer deferred for 1.5 years only 2 months before graduating.
- 25:32 - Learning to Delegate: Personal vs. Professional
- 34:13 - Deciding to stay at a boutique firm instead of taking the big firm job offer
- 48:30 - Adapting during Covid - Focusing on what is in her control
- Ready to sign up for the retreat? Click here to apply
- Want to learn more? Click here to get additional information or schedule a call
- Have specific questions? Email welcometorisingtide@gmail.com
- Connect with Christina Brady on LinkedIn
- Check out Christina's podcast Taking the Lead
- Learn more about Sales Assembly
Key Moments:
- 5: 16- Importance of networking + How to do it effectively
- 9:48 - From aspiring actress to sales - How tragic loss changed her life
- 16:57 - How did you know you loved sales?
- 28:57 - How do you balance the responsibility of being a leader with your self care
- 34:58 - Getting a seat at the senior leadership table
- 42:16 - Getting laid off April 2020
- 48:23 - From Trial to Triumph. Becoming President of Sales Assembly
- 53:16 - What is Taking the Lead Podcast
- 1:05:13 - What is the one thing you want people to take away
- 3:35 - Day in the life as EDI leader + associate board of directors
- 10:14 - What did childhood look like (emotional/physical abuse, isolation, ultimately led to foster care)
- 26:51 - How self doubt played into selecting a master’s program
- 34:00 - Shifting from mindset of self doubt and low self worth to begin seeing her value
- 40:41- Keeping the doubt loop from running wild - Protecting her mental health
- 45:12 - Using evidence to help you trust your instincts
- 49:56 - How have you gone about building a community of support for herself
- 1:02:30 - What’s the one thing you want people to take away today
Find Regina on LinkedIn
Key Moments:
- 4:05 - Picking Electrical Engineering as a major
- 10:16 - Adjusting mindset to get past the doubt of making changes
- 14:46 - Moving away from Motorola after 1 year to pursue a Masters degree
- 28:01 - Value of moving around a lot early in her career
- 29:34 - Non-linear career path. Dabbling in different roles + move forward.
- 38:31 - Battles with infertility and getting hired at Yahoo! While 27 weeks pregnant.
- 48:10 - Markers of a great leader
- 55:31 - Most important thing you want listeners to takeaway
Want to connection with Chandra? Find her on LinkedIn
Curious to learn more about Ineo?
- Check out their website - helloineo.com
- Follow them on Instagram - @helloineo
Helpful Links:
- Build Staffing - If you want to learn more about Kristina's company
- LinkedIn - If you want to connect directly with Kristina
Key Moments:
- 8:35 - Pivoting during 2020: Forget about quotas, forget about revenue, and focus on how can you serve/who can you serve
- 18:56 - How did you get started with Build when you had no clients? Importance of genuine passion and curiosity
- 24:37 - Non-linear career path. How four career changes sparked Build
- 41:25 - Helping companies re-think the criteria for hiring to allow for more diversity of background and experience
- 54:40 - Tapping into a feminine energy and transitioning from a state of need to a state of being.
The Goodness Collaborative
Episode Notes:
- 7:17 - Decision to branch out from corporate and start The Goodness Collaborative
- 11:55 - Was consulting an industry that didn’t work for someone like you or did it no longer serve you?
- 19:27 - Facing the reality of what behavior she was role modeling for her daughters
- 22:54 - Navigating a major career transition. Specific actions taken
- 27:54 - How her childhood trauma shaped strengths she calls on today plus the hard work of still processing the trauma as an adult
- 39:59 - Tackling major business pivots as a result of the pandemic
- 57:30 - Best advice for listeners
If you'd like to connect with Jen:
- Find her on LinkedIn
- Reach out on her consulting website, RDI HR
Episode Highlights:
2:44 - Dissertation on Imposter Phenomenon
7:50 - What causes 50% of doctorate candidates to drop out
10:16 - What did you find with your research of Imposter Phenomenon
13:51 - Imposter Phenomenon and how it manifests as emotional exhaustion
22:48 - Strategies to stop imposter phenomenon when it kicks in
30:46 - Where imposterism started for Jen
36:10 - How she views HR and why she has loved this so much
45:51 - Transitioning away from corporate and creating a new identity based on purpose
3:05 - Quotes that personify her values as a professional and leader
7:10 - Secret sauce to create a high performance team
11:25 - Successfully navigating career transitions
20:40 - Recognizing you've been branded and how to avoid or respond
29:10 - Creating a definition of work/life balance
40:25 - Creating adventures, healthy boundaries, and self care
To learn more about Authentic Sales visit www.authenticsales.com
Key Moments From the Podcast
- 4:00 - Sharing her side hustle, Authentic Sales
- 6:00 - How Lindsay turned her idea into a business
- 11:20 - Adjusting to a new identity as mother
- 18:15 - Learning to ask for help
- 20:45 - Making the decision to get in sales from mechanical engineering
- 42:00 - Success doesn't happen in a linear fashion
Key Moments:
- 3:45 - How she got into sales, the career before the career
- 11:06 - Experience of starting a new career
- 18:00 - Balancing this new career + work responsibilities
- 28:33 - Recovering from being a stress stuffer
- 35:46 - Re-evaluating her faith with a new lens
Renae Saager is a certified health & life coach and emotional eating expert who teaches women around the world how to start living a powerful, authentic life free from food and weight obsession. Tapping into her own unique journey with disordered eating and alcoholism, Renae connects with her clients on a deeper level, supporting them through the process of rewiring their brain with her no-BS approach. Through this serious work, Renae is able to help clients challenge their mindset and begin healing, using her own sense of humor and unparalleled perspective which creates a more enjoyable and transformational process. Undoing the crazy you feel around food is Renae's specialty, the confidence and clarity gained is the guilt-free icing on the cake. Renae has been featured on several podcasts. She received her certifications through the Health Coach Institute and The Life Coach School and received her Bachelor's degree in Social Science from Portland State University.
Despite all the challenges in 2020, this year will forever be special because it was the year that Rising Tide launched. We just finished releasing our 10th episode and in the spirit of closing the chapter on this year I share the top 5 behaviors of the incredible women we interviewed that has driven their success. Enjoy!
"Wouldn't it be badass if..." is the thought that launched Michelle's career in software. Throughout the podcast we talk about the power of her beliefs and how they unlocked new opportunities or could become limiting in nature. Michelle gives us a front row seat to how she came to be so successful and opens up about areas she still is striving to grow.
On the surface, Kristin Carroll appears to be a unicorn. She was a D1 collegiate swimmer, Ironman Kona Finisher, CEO, and mother of 3 beautiful girls. Pretty incredible right? On this episode, Kristin takes us through how she used curiosity to help her navigate difficult work situations and she breaks down very intentional things she did to drive her career success. This is a great episode for anyone aspiring to get a seat at the executive table. Enjoy!
On this episode, Dillon takes us behind the curtain to look back on her career journey and share the good and hard lessons that have fueled her success from seeing her differences be an advantage to knowing when it's time to move on or let something go.
"We feel like we are giving up but we are giving in to the next thing"
As the journey comes to present day, Dillon opens up about what it's truly been like as a working mother of two kids trying to navigate virtual learning while delivering at work.
No matter where you're at in your life, it's impossible not to feel connected to Dillon as she walks us through her experiences. Enjoy!
Angela Raub is an inspiring executive with a truly unique career path that started early as a girl selling milk for her family farm all the way to CEO. She shares the key things she has prioritized to fuel her success, we discuss navigating her career as a single mother, and how through her journey she has become fearless. She showcases that there is no perfect path but rather what you make of the opportunities in front of you. Enjoy!
If you want to learn more about Ally's amazing organizations here are the details:
Linking Indy Women
Ride and Raise
Alison Powers, PE has successfully risen through the ranks in a career primarily dominated by men. In fact, just 13.2% of undergrads awarded a Mechanical Engineering degree are women. On this episode, Alison shares a candid view of her experience as a woman in a male dominated field, her advice for women looking to follow in her footsteps, and we discuss the often bumpy road of becoming a mother and what to do when there are no formulas for a baby. Enjoy!
Get a peek behind the curtain on how Rising Tide came to be and our ambitious goals to transform the professional world for women through stories.
Ever worry that you aren't on the right path for your career aspirations? Or maybe you still aren't sure what you want to be when you grow up even though you're well into your career? How about for all my Millennials you're worried you aren't where you're supposed to be in your career at this point in your life?
If any of those resonate with you then this newest podcast with Dr. Liz Reidford is a must listen. Liz shares her remarkable career journey and the secret behind her ability to take risks, ignore outside opinions, and ultimately find her dream career.
Key Timestamps:
- 23:22 - How to check in with yourself after making a decision
- 25:02 - Being a strong, career driven woman doesn't have to conflict with being a supportive spouse
- 29:42 - Allowing external world to influence decision = Unhappiness
- 40:35 - What happens when self talk turns from advocate to enemy
- 45:24 - Navigating an environment devoid of female role models
- 50:00 - Process of turning Women in Science into an inclusive non-profit
- 56:40 - Choosing to be child-free. Facing social expectations, combating imposter syndrome, and staying true to yourself.
Amy shares the secret to what the best executives do to be successful, we chat about the difference between toxic versus tough environments and how to know the difference, and explore building a personal brand to catapult your career.
If you want to get connect with Amy about coaching you can reach her at amykcoaching.com