Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel

What's really holding women back from advancing in their careers? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , I sit down with Celeste Warren, former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Merck and founder of Celeste Warren Consulting, to explore the systemic barriers women face in the workplace and what it takes to create meaningful change. We discuss workplace eq...

How can women become more confident leaders, speak their truth, and challenge societal expectations?  Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer sits down with advertising icon, entrepreneur, and TED Talk speaker Cindy Gallop to discuss authentic leadership, women's empowerment, workplace confidence, and breaking barriers in business.  Cindy shares her approach to personal values, speaking up at work, and challen...

What if the qualities that made you a "good girl" are the same ones quietly holding you back in your career? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer sits down with chartered organizational psychologist, author, and speaker Michelle Minnikin to unpack "good girl" conditioning and the impact it can have on women in the workplace. Michelle...

What happens when you realize you've spent years giving away your power without even knowing it? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer sits down with Laura Richards, author of Married to a "Nice Guy": Getting Over Narcissistic Abuse and host of the That's Where I'm At podcast, for a candid conversation about recognizing manipulation,...

Are you leading at the level you were hired to lead, or are you still doing work that should belong to someone else? Leadership expert Liz Weber, CSP, CMC, President of Weber Business Services, joins Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer to unpack what it really takes to grow from a hands-on doer into a strategic leader. Liz shares her Five Stages of Focused Leadership Development , from doing and managing t...

What happens when being the woman who can handle everything starts costing you yourself? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia Bentzen Mercer sits down with Stanford-trained psychologist and coach Dr. Wendy O'Connor to unpack a pattern many high-achieving women know all too well: saying yes to everyone and everything while quietly saying no to thems...

What happens to women in leadership after they break the glass ceiling, only to find themselves being excluded, undermined, or pushed out? Julia C. Carreon, former Global Head of Platform and Experiences for Citi Wealth and co-author of Walking on Broken Glass , joins Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer to examine workplace exclusion, self-gaslighting, career advancement, and the hidden barriers executive...

Why isn't your resume getting you job interviews? And what separates qualified candidates from the professionals who actually get hired or promoted? Executive career coach Sonal Bahl joins Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer to break down resume mistakes, job interview strategies, LinkedIn optimization, personal branding, and how to communicate your value in a competitive job market. Sonal explains why tal...

What happens when the career you've worked decades to build no longer aligns with the life you want to live? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer sits down with Sonia Azad , a two-time Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, wellness advocate, yoga instructor, and entrepreneur, to discuss her remarkable journey from the newsroom to...

Burnout doesn't happen overnight, and recovering from it isn't as simple as taking a vacation. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer sits down with Elizabeth Rosenberg, founder of The Good Advice Company, to discuss recovering from corporate burnout, finding purpose beyond your job title, and building a career that aligns with who you...

Sometimes the career you've worked decades to build isn't the one you're ultimately meant to keep. This week on Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with coach, speaker, author, and former IBM executive Lyndsay Dowd for an honest conversation about career setbacks, purpose, and leading with heart. After spending 23 years building an incredible career at IBM...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with award-winning entrepreneur, former Wall Street executive, and author Melissa Gonzalez for an honest conversation about the cost of ambition and why success should never come at the expense of your well-being. Melissa shares the deeply personal health crisis that forced her to reevaluate everything...

What if the career you've worked so hard to build still leaves you feeling... empty? This week, Dr. Cynthia sits down with entrepreneur, speaker, and Next Level University founder Alan Lazaros to explore why external success doesn't always translate into a fulfilling life. After surviving a near-fatal car accident at just 26 years old, Alan completely redefined what success meant. Today, he helps...

What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted... and it still doesn't feel like enough? In this episode, Dr. Cynthia sits down with executive coach, speaker, and former IBM Vice President and Senior Partner Anouk Brumfield to explore what it means to redefine success on your own terms. After spending more than three decades climbing the corporate ladder, Anouk reached financial f...

What if you're doing well... but still living beneath your potential? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with self-esteem, branding, and communications expert S. Renee Smith to explore what happens when you realize there is more inside you than what you're currently living out. S. Renee shares her powerful definition of confidence: trus...

How much of your potential is still waiting to be explored? As part of our July series on potential , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Beth Mazza and Victoria Sivrais, co-founders of Female Mavericks, to challenge the beliefs that keep so many women from building the businesses and lives they're capable of creating. After more than 20 years of friendship, mentorship, entrepreneurship, and raising nine c...

Success at work doesn't happen in a vacuum. The way we communicate, resolve conflict, share responsibility, and support one another at home often shapes the leaders we become at work. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia is joined by leadership consultants, therapists, and authors Drs. Jake and Jennifer Dean Hill for a conversation about the connec...

Why do so many successful women thrive in their careers but struggle to find the same fulfillment in their relationships? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with relationship and emotional healing expert Mina Yang to explore the unique challenges high-achieving women face when it comes to love, dating, and partnership. Together, they un...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with renowned dating coach and relationship expert Evan Marc Katz to discuss why finding love can feel especially challenging for high-achieving women and what it takes to build a healthy, lasting relationship. Evan shares the philosophy behind his "GPS for Love" approach, encouraging women to become t...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with leadership coach and BAM Leadership founder Brandon Maslan for a powerful conversation about personal agency, self-advocacy, and what it really means to lead with courage. Brandon shares his journey from overcoming childhood bullying and self-doubt to becoming a trial attorney, executive coach, an...

Most leaders believe they're good listeners. Few have ever been taught how to listen strategically. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Christine Miles, Founder and CEO of The Listening Path and author of What Is It Costing You Not to Listen? , to explore why intentional listening may be one of the most overlooked leadership skills...

Most women have been taught to negotiate with confidence. Cynthia Barnes says that's the wrong starting point. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Cynthia Barnes, founder of the Black Women's Wealth Lab, to unpack the difference between the wage gap… and what Barnes calls the extraction gap . This conversation explores the hidden fi...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel , Dr-Cynthia sits down with Mary Lyons, founder of WealthWoman, to discuss financial agency, abundance, and what it really means to build a life that feels aligned. Together, they unpack the pressure many high-achieving women feel to prove their success, the mindset shifts required to move from scarcity to abundance, and why...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Dr. Keith D. Dorsey, founder and CEO of Boardroom Journey, to unpack what it actually takes for women to intentionally position themselves for corporate board service. From early-career professionals to seasoned executives, this conversation breaks down the long game behind building influence, vis...

What if the problem was never you? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Anna Blue, CEO of Blue Moss Group and creator of the Say She's Right movement, to challenge one of the most persistent narratives in leadership: that women need to be "fixed" to succeed. This conversation goes deeper than confidence tips and career advice. It pul...