Advancing Women Podcast

“You do not rise to the level of your goals, but you fall to the level of your systems” (James Clear, 2018, Atomic Habits). It is crucial for us as women who so often encounter unique, unfair barriers while also hearing conflicting advice (not created by or FOR women!) to transcend and thrive by creating intentional, actionable, steps and strategic processes that disrupt the bias and better serve...

If you are ambitious and achievement driven, it can be easy to find yourself in an extreme work model and out of balance especially when #presenteeism and constant availability are often erroneously associated with commitment and drive. This outdated “ideal worker” norm is bad for everyone, men and women, but research shows it can be especially damaging to women’s careers. Societal norms and expec...

This episode focuses on evidence-based, positive outcomes of gender equity for everyone, men, women, children, businesses, and even nations. A more gender-egalitarian future is one that can improve our lives. It’s a future with a higher potential for more happiness and satisfaction, reduced stress, better health, better marriages, stronger families, and more successful and profitable companies. Re...

Research shows that expectations can be a major cause of stress, anxiety, and loss of trust and respect in our relationships. This episode challenges the too-common narrative that it is women’s “too high expectations” that cause many of our problems. I introduce a more accurate narrative that serves women by distinguishing expectations(grounded in social norms and stereotypes) from requirements an...

Do you over-apologize, even when you haven’t done anything wrong? Do you deflect compliments? These are topics that I am asked to speak about often and in this episode, I dig into why we as women over-apologize (hint: It’s not our fault) and what we can do to successfully interrupt this pattern. Apologizing when we have done something wrong is a real strength, but compulsive apologizing can presen...

Today marks two years since I launched the Advancing Women Podcast. This episode highlights the evidence-based knowledge and awareness of our reality as ambitious women. The very real biases and barriers that can make our journey more difficult. I continue to hold up to the light, call out, and interrupt the narratives around women’s advancement that too often suggest that we are flawed; that it i...

In the past few decades, we have seen a steady increase of women entering male-dominated fields, yet they are still finding that the good ole boys’ club persists. Studies show that women working in the business of sports trail all other industries on every dimension of inclusion. Women are expected to prove their competency again, and again, and again, while working tirelessly to “fit in.” In this...

It happens each time we turn on the tv, or scroll on our favorite social media app, and even when we visit with good friends. As human beings, we are all driven to try to gain an accurate self-assessment of who we are. If we’re not careful, this passive watching (and sometimes judging) of others can subconsciously begin to make us feel like what we have isn’t enough. Who we are and what we have ac...

Women represent half of the workforce, yet still, it is necessary to call out the subtle and overt ways the narratives surrounding women's contributions in the workforce can serve to reinforce biases. Too often, discussions on women and work, especially women, in a partnership or marriage suggest that work for women is a "choice" or in some way less important than it is for men. This can perpetuat...

Want to know what you can do to show support for your family or friends who have a child with autism? This is the episode for you. April is autism awareness month so here are some things to be aware of. Research shows that mothers of children with autism have elevated levels of depression and stress levels comparable to the stress levels of active combat soldiers! This episode is about awareness,...

“It is no longer reasonable or appropriate to identify everyday communication skills or people skills as soft skills. In a post-pandemic world, leaders, managers, and teammates must trailblaze with empathy and strong emotional intelligence or lose out.” (AMC) Tune in for this pragmatic interview on mindful communication with communications strategist Anna Bulszewicz. After working for nearly 20 ye...

A recent Pew Research Center report is gaining a lot of attention in the media. The study found that  30 percent of U.S. adults are neither married, living with a partner, nor engaged in a committed relationship and nearly half of all young adults are single. Here’s what is surprising, 34 percent of women, and a whopping 63 percent of men are single. Why are so many young men shying from marriage...

February is black history month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans, and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. African American women have too often been overlooked in the history of our fight for gender equity. The struggle against racism, sexism, and all other-isms. All must be addressed simultaneously. This episode honors and quotes many brilliant, b...

Fashion is one of the most visible ways we express ourselves, yet too often we feel compelled to choose what is most flattering. We choose clothing that shrinks us or “sucks us in” versus what makes us feel joyful. Fashion should NOT just be for some, we should all be comfortable and confident enough to enjoy fashion, but that requires dismantling the negative external messaging around women’s bod...

With the super bowl approaching many of us are going to be thinking about and talking about the ads. Recent studies show that despite an increased cultural focus on equality and empowerment movements, women report feeling that major brands are still not effectively acknowledging women’s priorities or communicating with women in an empowering or authentic manner. This conversation is about more tha...

There is NOT an expiration on our goals. It’s our lives and our goals, so it should be on our timeline. We must be mindful though, that our timeline isn’t when things get “less busy” or when “you’re ready.” Here’s the thing warriors, things will NEVER not be busy. You will not likely ever find that elusive “more time” and there is no “perfect time.” We don’t want our goals to be on someone else’s...

Happy New Year! In this first Advancing Women Podcast episode of 2023, we’re talking fresh starts, blank slates, and resolutions. Research shows that the most popular New Year’s resolutions are about self-improvement (living healthier getting happier, improving relationships, meeting goals.) Yet research also shows that less than 10% of people actually reach their goals. So, this reality leaves ma...

As women, we can find ourselves feeling more stressed with all the holiday prep that so often disproportionately drains us of our time and our calm. We feel like if we don’t do all the things, others will be disappointed, or things will fall through the cracks. So, we do everything in our power to mediate that, often at great personal cost to our comfort and joy. This episode focuses on YOUR comfo...

In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we're tackling cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is an assumption we make based on minimal evidence, or without considering the evidence. It is an exaggerated or irrational thought pattern that causes us to perceive reality inaccurately. We all engage in cognitive distortions. We can overgeneralize and interpret one negative event or mist...

According to a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, one in four American workers have said that they have dealt with workplace bullying. Too often, when women experience workplace discrimination and bullying, we internalize that we are the problem and that does NOT serve us. In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, I speak with certified coach, speaker, and anti-workforce bullying ad...

I often say when you sit with warriors, the conversation is different! We all need both challenge and support to thrive in our careers and our lives, but this is especially important for women. As women, we face unique biases and barriers that make #mentors, #sponsors, #coaches, and #community even more important. “When women connect in groups, they experience a sense of validation and inspiration...

“We live in an age of ugly beauty. Reverence for beauty is just an escape from reality, it is the perpetual adolescent in us refusing to accept a flawed world” ~ author, Nancy Etcoff (Survival of the Prettiest). Research shows that society has long impacted our standards of beauty, playing a role in affecting beauty trends, body image, and self-esteem, and increasingly this is exacerbated by socia...

It takes courage to express the things you are passionate about and to transcend the limits of your comfort zone. Connecting to your creativity is connecting to your courage. Creativity, like courage, is energy with which you can connect. It is an essential part of who you are, AND it is a practice. Too often people think about creative people or the arts as being endowed from heaven, but as our g...

The advancing women podcast is where empathy meets pragmatism and today's episode is heavy on pragmatism. As ambitious, warrior women, we spend a lot of time and effort working toward professional goals and advancement. Unfortunately, there are many inequitable, sometimes invisible barriers and bias patterns that create an unlevel playing field for women because the system was not designed by or f...

September is Self-Improvement Month, a time to reflect on all you've accomplished this year and to think about which goals you still want or need to work toward. Self-Improvement Month encourages us to make conscious and intentional efforts to improve ourselves. In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we approach self-improvement from a more compassionate and self-kind approach. Let’s thin...