Birth2Boardroom Podcast - Empowering Women to Lead. Thrive. Succeed

What happens when you stop waiting for someone else to tell you you're ready? In this episode of Birth2Boardroom, we sit down with Courtney Drake — a marketing and content strategist with over 15 years of experience — to talk about the power of self-advocacy, trusting your voice, and choosing how you respond to what life throws your way. Born with a congenital limb difference, Courtney has spe...

Courtney delivers an empowering message about trusting your inner voice and not being afraid to speak up, even if you might be wrong. She shares how she's experienced the frustration of holding back an idea in a meeting only to hear someone else say the exact same thing — and the regret that follows. Her advice: people aren't always right, and that's how we learn. Putting your ideas ou...

In the most emotional moment of the episode, Courtney reads a heartfelt letter she wrote to her younger self. She reminds young Courtney to hold onto her inner voice — especially when she feels herself shrinking back. She speaks to the assumptions people will make, the importance of advocating for yourself, and how the things that make you different are the very things that will shape your resilie...

Courtney introduces her story from the very beginning — born without all of her limbs fully developed, she has her left hand, her legs go down to her knees, and she doesn't have all of her right arm. She explains how being born this way means it's all she's ever known, so she never had to grieve a life she once had the way someone who loses a limb later in life might. She shares how th...

What if everything you believed about confidence was wrong? This week on Birth2Boardroom, we're joined by Elif Kose — a woman who arrived in the UK from Turkey at 22 with a business degree, a borrowed sewing machine, and a bicycle she bought for £10 from a car boot sale. What she built from those humble beginnings — a thriving fashion house, national media appearances, celebrity clientele — lo...

Deb asks Elif what she would say to her younger self - a young woman who had just arrived to the UK from Turkey carrying big dreams and uncertaintly. Elif reads a heartfelt letter reminding her younger self, "Youare not too much, you are not too foreign, too ambitious, too sensitive, or too different. The things that made you feel like you did not belong are the exact things that one day will...

Elif opens up about how burnout didn't arrive like a car crash but as small moments of awareness - realizing she was lonely in a room full of people. She calls this "toxic loneliness" and shares the story about selling an   8,000 pound wedding dress and feeling nothing, despite it being the greatest payday of her career.

Elif challenges the conventional wisdom around building confidence, admitting she was wrong to teach women to "fake it till you become it" and "dress the part." Having published a book called, "How to Build Confidence in Seven Steps," she now reveals that confidence is not something you build - it's something you remember.

Have you ever said yes when every fiber of your being was screaming no — and then wondered why you did it? You're not alone, and this episode is for you. Dr. Zoe Rapoport — clinical psychologist, leadership coach, and women's empowerment expert — joins Birth2Boardroom for a conversation that will change how you think about the word "no." With over a decade of experience helping w...

Do you believe your worth is tied to what you give, sacrifice, and offer to others? In this eye-opening teaser, Dr. Zoe Rapoport dismantles the belief that saying "no" will damage your relationships. She reveals the deeper truth: a real relationship can't be broken by a "no" -- it can only be strengthened. And the reason saying "no" feels so terrifying is because...

Your body knew your boundaries long before you had the words to express them. In this deeply vulnerable love note to her younger self, Dr. Zoe Rapoport shares a truth every woman needs to hear: you were trained to override your instincts, to be agreeable, to keep the peace at all costs. But every time you ignored that feeling in your gut, it didn't make you more successful -- it made you more...

Has anyone ever called you "difficult" for simply speaking up? In this powerful teaser, Dr. Zoe Rapoport flips the script on the labels women have been handed for generations. She explains how the words "difficult," "rude," and "unkind" have been weaponized to keep women in passive roles -- and why being called difficult is actually a badge of honor. Dr. Zoe...

What would you do if you had no backup plan — just your intuition and a dream? This week on Birth2Boardroom, Kristina Gent shares her incredible journey from the hospitality industry to becoming CEO of SIX Degrees Connections in San Diego — a city where she knew absolutely nobody when she started. In this episode, Kristina opens up about:Going all in without a safety net — and why removing the &qu...

What would you say to the woman you were before you took the leap? In this emotional highlight from the Birth2Boardroom podcast, Kristina Gent shares a powerful love note to her younger self — reminding us to trust the adventure, choose curiosity over judgment, and know that we are already enough. Grab a tissue and press play.

What if success isn't about fame or money — but about the depth of your relationships? Kristina Gent, CEO of Six Degrees Networking, shares how she redefined success as "Sixcess" — building a community where status games disappear and genuine connection thrives. A refreshing take on what it means to truly succeed.

Your brain is wired to keep you safe — but growth lives on the other side of fear. In this clip from the Birth2Boardroom podcast, Kristina Gent breaks down how she learned to trust her intuition, push through the alarm bells, and take risks that paid off. If you've been hesitating on a big decision, this one's for you.

This conversation stopped me in my tracks — and I know it will do the same for you. 💛In this episode of Birth to Boardroom, we had the absolute honor of sitting down with Christine Schoendorff — a devoted educator, a deeply loving mother, and one of the strongest women I have ever had the privilege of interviewing. Christine's story is not one of a perfect life. It's one of a woman who fa...

Perfection is overrated — presence is everything. In this honest and heartfelt teaser, Christine gets real about the pressure so many of us feel to have it all together. The guilt of not doing enough, being enough, or showing up perfectly — it's exhausting. But what if the best thing you could offer wasn't perfection, but simply you, fully present? Christine's words are a powerful remi...

You are not alone — and your story deserves to be heard. In this powerful teaser, Christine opens up about one of the most silent struggles so many women carry: miscarriage, and the weight of balancing grief with the demands of everyday life. For too long, these experiences have been suffered in silence — but Christine's voice is changing that. When she chose to speak up, something incredible...

What if your greatest pain became your greatest purpose? In this moving teaser, Christine shares a raw and beautiful love letter to her younger self — a reminder that your past does not define you, your scars do not diminish you, and your struggles are quietly shaping you into someone extraordinary. If you've ever felt broken, overlooked, or like you're carrying more than you can bear — th...

What happens when you stop following the script and start writing your own? In this episode of Birth 2 Boardroom, host Deb Kowalski and co-host Natalie sit down with the remarkable Alison Goldie — a leader, connector, and self-described career rule-breaker who swapped the classroom for the boardroom and never looked back. Alison's journey from secondary school teacher to senior IT sales leader...

n a world full of uncertainty, what's the one mindset shift that changes everything? Alison Goldie has lived by this simple but powerful philosophy her entire career — and it's what's carried her through every challenge, risk, and leap of faith. 💡 Watch the full episode of Birth2Boardroom on Tuesday, July 7th 🎙️ New episodes weekly — subscribe so you never miss an inspiring story.#Min...

What do you do when you're handed a failing multimillion-pound contract in a city you don't work in, an industry you've never touched, with no clear reason why they chose you? You say yes. Alison Goldie shares the bold sideways move that reshaped her entire career — and the one question that made it all possible. Watch the full conversation on Birth2Boardroom on Tuesday, July 7th. 🎙️ S...

What happens when a Glaswegian walks into a high-stakes pitch room full of skeptical men and throws out the script entirely? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Alison Goldie shares the moment she stopped performing and started winning — by being unapologetically herself. Watch the full episode of Birth2Boardroom to hear how authenticity became her secret weapon in business. 🎙️ Full episode dropping Tuesday, July 7th. Subsc...

What if the fear you feel at work isn't a warning — it's a signal that something important is at stake? In this episode of Birth 2 Boardroom, host Deb Kowalski and co-host Natalie Griffith sit down with leadership coach and executive development specialist Marissa McCourry for a powerful conversation about what it truly means to be brave at work. Marissa brings a rare 360-degree perspectiv...