Black Woman Leading

From side hustles to those who desire to trade their 9-to-5 in for the CEO title, our community has shown increased interest in learning more about entrepreneurship.  In this episode, our special guest, Dr. Shakenna Williams, Executive Director of the Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College and Founder of Babson's Black Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, comes to s...

The end of the year is a common timeframe for companies to facilitate annual reviews.  In this tactical episode, Laura shares points to help you reflect on the last year of your professional journey, and prepare to communicate the contributions you've made in your annual review. Laura provides a practical approach for you to guide the narrative of your review meeting and confirm your "asks" to adv...

So many of our listeners and BWL community members are leaders across the domains of their life–work, family, community, and so on.  They spend so much time investing in the development of others, supporting the growth of others, and serving the needs of others.  Yet, sometimes they struggle to give this same level of care and priority to themselves.  If this resonates, this episode is for you! Ou...

In this episode, Laura welcomes two members of her personal self-care team to the show - her chiropractors, Dr. Twila Blossom Jones and Dr. Danielle Jones. In this enlightening episode, the doctors share some of the physical manifestations of stress that they consistently observe in their Black women patients.  They go on to provide red-flag indicators that our bodies are communicating with us abo...

  Have you experienced a traumatic work experience, personal life challenge, or major transition that has negatively impacted your confidence?  If this resonates, this episode is for you! Don't be discouraged.  You are not alone.  This is a common experience we hear when people reach out to inquire about our program.  Listen as Laura shares real stories of women who are on this journey of restorat...

In this episode, we welcome Jessica Williams, Vice President of People at Refine Labs and Founder of Hidden Gem Career Coaching. Jessica provides a case study of her organization's recent move to offer a $75,000 minimum salary for all employees. As the lead on this initiative, Jessica provides great leadership insights on her process to craft this strategic move, gain buy-in from key decision-make...

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Shaniqua Jones, restorative justice expert and Black Woman Leading alum.   Dr. Jones breaks down the difference between restorative justice and restorative practice, and how we can integrate these practices into our leadership efforts.  Specifically, she provides insights into how restorative practices can be used as a tool to combat issues related to workplace ostr...

In this episode, we welcome Sonya Ross, a bonafide expert in amplifying your voice.  Sonya shares wisdom and insights about amplifying the voices of Black women from her 30+ years of experience as a political journalist.  This experience included White House coverage and the September 11th terrorist attacks, amongst other historical moments.  Sonya shares about her current work at Black Women Unmu...

Welcome to Season 3 of Black Woman Leading, the podcast!  We are so excited to be back!   This podcast is an extension of the Black Woman Leading learning experience.     The theme for season three is "Own your story. Amplify your voice." We will be putting all of our topics this season through the lens of honoring our VOICE.  What does it look like to find, reclaim, and continue taking up space t...

We are celebrating the completion of our second season!   Our season theme was "Looking Back to Look Forward." Additionally, we uncovered a number of organic themes that consistently resurfaced across multiple episodes– radical collaboration, an encouragement to check yourself before you wreck yourself, a nudge to speak up for what you need, acknowledging and leaning into the shift, exploring the...

We're celebrating the one year anniversary of the Black Woman Leading® podcast today!  If you have listened to one episode and supported this endeavor, we thank you!  It has truly been a labor of love!   In this episode, Laura answers pressing questions from our community on topics related to career development, leadership, wellness, and building relationships.    Resources: The Myth of Bringing Y...

In this powerful and enlightening episode, Laura talks all things BOUNDARIES with special guest, Stephanie Ghoston Paul.  Stephanie highlights that many challenges in the workplace and in our personal relationships can be traced back to boundary violations.    Stephanie shares some of her go-to definitions for boundaries, and provides examples of boundaries we can set with ourselves, with others,...

In this episode, we hear lessons from the C-Suite with Janara Jones, V ice President – Global Taxes and Chief Tax Officer at Albemarle Corporation   Janara shares her career journey and strategies she used to spur her career growth.  She provides tips to help listeners strengthen their influence and visibility, and gives insight into how she uses her platform and position to highlight important is...

In this fun episode, we discuss image, style, and personal branding with stylist and image consultant, Morgan Wider.    Morgan shares her personal style story and how it led to her work today with helping professional women do the heart work and head work to build their confidence and stand in their worth through "authentically appropriate" style.  Morgan shares her two-part definition of executiv...

In this episode, we talk about building community and connection as a Black Woman Leading.  Many of our community members experience a unique isolation as  they are often the "only" Black woman on their level of leadership.  Because of this we put a huge emphasis on building community and having "mirrors" for validation, support, encouragement, and accountability.   Our special guest, Dr. Melissa...

In this episode, we hear lessons from the C-Suite with Dorri McWhorter, President and CEO of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.  Dorri shares how both heart work and head work have been integrated in her leadership approach across various industries and roles throughout her career.  She gives a behind the scenes look of her day-to-day responsibilities as a CEO, and shares her approach and inspiration f...

Happy New Year!  The top of the year is a time when many people have an appetite for establishing their vision, goals, and intentions for the new year.  Additionally, we launch a new Black Woman Leading cohort this month and will be supporting our participants with developing professional goal plans in the program. So, in the spirit of supporting you in your visions, goals, and plans for the new y...

Introduction In this intimate discussion, three alumni participants of the Black Woman Leading Radiance cohort (Tracie Haygood, Jennifer McClain, and Roxann Stafford) share their stories of overcoming challenges, lessons learned, and resilience as they navigate their careers as Black women leaders working in both corporate and non-profit spaces. In our rich discussion, we talk about the importance...

In this episode, our special guest, Monique Childress, non-profit strategy consultant and Principal of Horizon Advisory Group, shares about her community building work in support of  Black women nonprofit leaders. We discuss some of the unique experiences of Black women in the nonprofit space, how Black women are persisting in spite of misdirected and inequitable philanthropy, and Monique's insigh...

Having a sponsor at work has been a key tool for many leaders to skyrocket in their careers. However, sponsor relationships remain elusive for many Black women leaders due to a lack of access to senior leaders and low visibility in their organizations amongst other causes.   In this episode, our special guest, Faith Eatman, discusses her experience with spearheading a sponsorship program specifica...

With the global events of the last two years and the collective trauma of a global pandemic,  the conversation around burnout in the workplace has reached a fever pitch. In this episode, we welcome Karma Hill, positive psychology and leadership coach to share her wisdom on burnout and how activating self-compassion is one of the tools we can use to support our wellness in this area.   Karma vulner...

Have you been feeling like it's time to do something different in your career? Perhaps you have your eyes on a new role within your organization, moving to a new organization, or changing careers altogether… whatever the case, in this episode we affirm your ability to change your mind and pivot on your career journey.   Welcome to Season 2, Episode 3 of Black Woman Leading, the podcast. If the ide...

This episode officially kicks off our season two theme -- Looking Back to Look Forward. In this episode, we are joined by researcher and historian Dr. Crystal M. Moten. Dr. Moten is the curator of African American History in the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History where she specializes in African American business and labor history.  In this episo...

Welcome to Season 2 of Black Woman Leading, the podcast!  We are so excited to be back!   This podcast is an extension of the Black Woman Leading learning experience.   The theme for season two is "Looking Back to Look Forward."  We will pull on our stories and collective experiences to extract wisdom to guide us forward as leaders at work, home, and in our communities.  In keeping with our core p...

We are celebrating the completion of our first season! A unifying theme emerged from this season - ALIGNMENT. The central message of this season was about acting in integrity towards ourselves, identifying our true needs and desires, and moving forward with intention to create that reality in both our professional and personal lives. Tune in to this special bonus episode, as Laura provides a recap...