Beyond Should: women reinventing their lives, careers & owning their power

What if readiness is a myth? Salt & Straw CEO and Co-Founder Kim Malek joins Lucy Reynolds to discuss the moment she finally stopped waiting for certainty and started building the life she actually wanted. From corporate America to entrepreneurship, motherhood, leadership, and health, Kim shares the lessons she’s learned about self-trust, speaking hard truths, asking for help, and creating a l...

Entrepreneur and AI founder Avni Patel Thompson joins Lucy Reynolds for a conversation about invisible labor, ambition, technology, and community. Together, they explore how women can move beyond expectations, trust their own values, and build lives—and solutions—that work for them. More about Avni:  Avni Patel Thompson is a serial founder building at the intersection of technology and modern pare...

What happens when you realize the life you built no longer fits who you’re becoming? In this episode of Beyond Should, Lucy sits down with Michelle Jacobs, co-founder and COO of Womaness, to unpack reinvention, women’s health, leadership, and the cultural narratives women inherit around aging. From walking away from corporate life to building a company dedicated to women in midlife, Michelle share...

This week, we’re pulling a fantastic episode from the podcast vault:  Lucy is joined by a group of extraordinary women who recently completed The Great World Race — running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. It’s hard to believe that Becs Gentry, Jenny Simpson, Chirine Njeim, Hillary Kupish and Ashley Paulson didn’t know each other when they started running, but this experience bonded them lik...

What happens when you stop following the path you were supposed to take—and start trusting what actually feels right? In this episode of Beyond Should , Lucy sits down with creative executive and brand strategist Shena Patel to unpack how letting go of “should” can open the door to a more aligned, expansive career. From switching from pre-med to English lit to building a non-linear path across pub...

When did “I can” quietly become “I should”? Lucy sits down with mountaineer Meg Whicher to unpack the cost of overcapacity, external validation, and ignoring the body’s warning signs. After surviving a devastating fall, Meg reimagines success, boundaries, and what it truly means to honor our limits. For every woman who’s ever pushed past exhaustion in the name of “should.” Connect with Meg:  Meg R...

Sarah Aubrey has spent her career helping shape some of television’s most talked-about stories — from producing films like Bad Santa to leading original programming at HBO Max. But in this conversation, we go beyond Hollywood and into the deeper question many ambitious professionals face: What happens when achievement stops feeling like the goal? Sarah shares candid insights about leadership, navi...

“I shouldn’t talk about money.” “I shouldn’t ask for more.” “I shouldn’t want wealth.” Kim Shappee, Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor with RBC Wealth Management, founder of the Athena Conference, and a Forbes Top Women Financial Advisor since 2022, joins us to unpack the “shoulds” women carry around money. From the cultural conditioning that shaped women’s relationship with wealth to the...

“I should go.” “I should help.” “I should say yes.” Christina Glickman, Head of Community and Experience at THE BOARD, as well as Co-CEO + Founder of I’m Not Dead Media Company, helps us dismantle the reflexive “yes” that leads to exhaustion and resentment. We talk about body wisdom, energy protection, and how boundaries transform not just schedules — but identity. If you’ve ever struggled with gu...

Beyond Should is a podcast about breaking down the barriers of our “shoulds.” “I should stay in this job… I should take that meeting… I shouldn’t say how I really feel… I should, I should, I should.” Sound familiar? But what if everything powerful, beautiful, true, and authentic lives on the other side of should? Hosted by Lucy Reynolds, certified coach and founder of The Murmuration Collective, B...

Happy Summer, Murmuration Collective. This week, Lucy is wrapping season two with a very special guest: her daughter, Maddy! Together, Lucy and Maddy take us behind-the-scenes on how they’ve designed their relationship to be full of care and intention — even as they navigate stress, conflict, and shifting roles. Maddy shares what it’s like to have a coach for a mom, and she tells us how a Murmurat...

It’s time for women to shine and have a voice! In this episode, Lucy is joined by Sarra Fleur Abou-El-Haj and Nicole Fasolino of The What Lies Beneath Project . They discuss Sarra and Nicole’s careers in the fashion industry and how their work led them to launch a new photography project celebrating the essence of women at their strongest, most authentic and beautiful selves. They also pull back t...

Happy Spring, Collective Wisdom listeners! In this episode, Lucy is joined by Chelsea Madeline , the brilliant author of In Her Own Right . Chelsea shares her journey as a writer and community builder — telling us the stories of the women she’s gathered, the family she’s tended, and the words she’s written. This conversation is about all the ways women can support each other as we create tangible...

We all know work-life balance is a lie. But how can we build fulfilling careers without sacrificing our lives or leaving our jobs in the process? In this episode, Lucy is joined by Christiana Smith Shi , a retail executive and management consultant formerly of Nike and McKinsey who is now the co-author of Career Forward: Strategies of Women Who’ve Made It — which just came out in paperback last we...

When we last spoke to Sarah Cunningham , she was trying to figure out how she wanted to show up in the world as both an executive leader and a boxer. Today we’re thrilled to have her back on the show to share how she recalibrated her life, her work, and her values over the past year — and to tell us why she feels more in alignment than ever. Join us for inspiration to meet this moment with creativ...

Today we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations from season one where Lucy sat down with Sarah Cunningham , an executive leader at AKQA and a winner of the Golden Gloves tournament at Madison Square Garden. In this conversation, Sarah shared her inspiring journey from Ireland to NYC and the transformative coaching experience that helped her achieve alignment between her personal and profe...

How do you move forward when you’re not sure what comes next? And what information do you need to make the most aligned decisions? In this episode, Lucy is joined by Tracy Bech , the Author and Co-Founder of 60 Minute CFO . Tracy has launched, run and sold multiple successful businesses, including a website design agency, a designer jewelry e-commerce store, and now a business finance course and c...

So many of us are conditioned to do more, achieve more, and be more. We’re always striving toward the next goal, milestone, or promotion, and we don’t pause to check in with what success looks like for us. Today we’re working on changing that. In this episode, Lucy is joined by Sara Mostafavi , a Murmuration Collective coaching client and community member, who after 16 years of corporate life, fou...

Happy New Year, Collective Wisdom listeners! Today, Lucy is joined by a group of extraordinary women who recently completed The Great World Race — running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. It’s hard to believe that Becs Gentry, Jenny Simpson, Chirine Njeim, Hillary Kupish and Ashley Paulson didn’t know each other when they started running, but this experience bonded them like nothing else as...

How do we balance the need to pause and the need to act? In this episode, Lucy is joined by Natalie Tran , Executive Director of the CAA Foundation and Co-Founder of Civic Alliance and I am a voter . Natalie is a powerful leader, philanthropic advisor, and advocate. In this conversation, she shares how her parents’ immigration from Vietnam instilled her with a sense of optimism, why she treasures...

Life is a series of adventures. Some that we choose and some that we don’t. So how can we approach all of them with optimism, courage, and resilience? In this very special episode, Lucy is joined by her long-time friend Carol Mobley Rowe to discuss their many adventures — including stories of moving to Russia with their families and Carol’s decade-long journey fighting and living with cancer, spec...

In this episode of Collective Wisdom, Lucy is joined by April Uchitel, a corporate leader with C-level experience in beauty, fashion and tech who is now the CEO and Co-founder of THE BOARD . From serving as EVP of Global Sales & Strategy at DVF to CEO at Violet Grey and CBO at Spring , April cultivated decades of experience as a talented strategist, manager and thought leader. She is also a fo...

There are over 70 million women in the US experiencing perimenopause and menopause. But specialized care can be expensive and hard to find … until now. Join Lucy in conversation with Joanna Strober , the founder of Midi Health , a virtual care platform for women in perimenopause and menopause, that brings expert care, covered by insurance, to women nationwide. This episode dives deep into the real...

In this episode of Collective Wisdom, Lucy is joined by Sarah Storelli , a global changemaker whose life purpose is making the world a better place. From serving as Chief Marketing Officer of IBM’s Call for Code to leading various worldwide public sector initiatives at Amazon Web Services , Sarah’s career is focused on driving partnerships and programs that impact business, government, and society...

Welcome to season two of Collective Wisdom!   In this episode, Lucy is joined by Natacha Hildebrand , a corporate and non-profit leader who recently worked in community innovation at Nike and is also a Co-founder of BasBlue , a brand marketing consultant, and a strategic advisor for THE BOARD .   This conversation is about the power of releasing societal pressures, cultivating your many interests,...