Brave Women at Work

To be a strong leader and a brave woman at work, I am confident that we need to know what our strengths are and how to harness them. I don’t know about you, but for the longest time I thought I needed to shore up my weaknesses to be “right” for a particular role. On top of that, I was convinced I had to know everything about the role too, all the ins and outs. Wrong. After over 20 years in corpora...

Have you ever wondered if we can get better and more high-performing as leaders and teams with time? Like a fine wine? With the proper ingredients, support from our companies, and the work we do on ourselves, we can reach a new level of emotional maturity. With this emotional maturity, we don’t stand behind our egos as they lead. We stand with humility, grace, self-respect, and self-trust. That’s...

Have you ever been afraid to speak up at work for fear of being labeled bossy, pushy, or aggressive? I have, and for the longest time, I stayed quiet because of it. I was too busy criticizing my own thoughts and worrying about what others thought, rather than sharing my ideas, asking questions, or stating my opinions based on my education and experience. When I have shared my opinions, asked quest...

According to a Harvard Business Review Study, 40% of executives and leaders are introverted. Korn Ferry completed a similar study, and in their study, they found that 40-50% of leaders are introverted.   So, what does this mean? It means that it is important to talk about this because if you are an introverted employee or people leader at work, the chances are that someone you work with is as...

Who knew that I would be so excited to talk about perimenopause and menopause today? The truth is, I have been searching for the right expert to chat with about this important topic. And Georgie Kovacs, my guest today, is exactly the right person to lead us through this. Why? Well, selfishly, I am in perimenopause, and I want to understand how to deal with this. Many of my coaching clients have sh...

For my U.S. listeners, Happy 4th of July! As we celebrate the holiday, it has me thinking about personal and professional freedom. And even better yet, it motivated me to do a solo show. It’s been a while! Hopefully, you will hear more solo shows from me going forward.   Today’s show will focus on my top tips for freedom in five areas of your life:   Money Freedom Time Freedom Mindset Fr...

Since getting back from a season of heavy travel, I have been bombarded with to-dos and meetings. It’s like I’m being penalized for taking a vacation. Have you ever felt this way? I’m in a blizzard of activities this summer at work and with the kids, that I find I’m breathing a bit shallower and not paying attention to what I need to say yes and no to on my calendar.   So, if you follow me on...

So, I met today’s guest, Dominique Luster, at a Women’s Leadership Retreat in Lake Las Vegas earlier this year. I took Dominique’s workshop, Your Mother’s Mother’s Mother, which I found fascinating. The premise of the workshop was to learn how to start tracing the powerful lineage of the women in our family, so we can better understand our brave roots. Maybe your mother went to college when it was...

Quick personal update here. This year, I have been telling people that I am living my best life. During COVID and even beyond, I feel like I was holding back just a little bit and not really going for it. By going for it, I mean take the trip, eat the gelato, make the call, take the action. Yes, I was making an effort, but a little bit of my magic was missing, and I felt like I needed to get it ba...

Do you ever feel like you're constantly giving in to others' needs, but your own go unmet? Are you tired of conversations that leave you feeling unheard and undervalued? Boundaries are the key to creating healthy, fulfilling relationships. Today, Jan and Jillian Yuhas , the authors of Boundary Badass: A Powerful Method for Elevating Your Value and Relationships , discuss the different faces of bou...

When I was coming up in the ranks of corporate, I didn’t know what I was doing. I faced inordinate amounts of Imposter Syndrome and fear. I didn’t have the mental capacity to make purposeful decisions to put self-care at the forefront of my routine, to know what to say yes and no to, to have boundaries, and to determine what type of leader I would become.&nb...

Let’s start with a story. Many years ago, I started as an operations specialist to support a team of financial advisors. (If you are new to Brave Women at Work, I have been in the financial services industry for over 20 years.)  After my first day on the job, my husband asked me where I was sitting in the building. To this day, I don’t know what prompted him to ask, but I told him that I sat...

Are you ready for this statistic?   On average, we spend 90,000 hours at work throughout our lives. This represents over 1/3 of our lives.   If we spend that much time at work, I’m sure you would agree that we want to be happy while doing it. But many times, we stay in jobs because we are comfortable, we have golden handcuffs, and more. We may not factor our happiness into the...

As a mid-career professional, what has your experience been working with or leading Gen Z employees? How would you manage and work with Gen Z employees? My guest today, Stephanie Joong , is a friend and colleague who shares her experiences with Gen Z employees and co-workers. Since Stephanie is a millennial and I am Gen X, I thought it would be helpful to hear her perspective. I learned a thing or...

Hello everyone! How are you doing out there? I wanted to provide you all with a personal update. It’s been a whirlwind so far this year. We’ve done some remodeling on our house after having some water damage issues for the last several years. I traveled to Las Vegas in February to co-host a women’s leadership retreat. And now, I am about to go to Europe with a dear friend for two weeks. Two weeks!...

So, we talk about superheroes with their superpowers in the movies, in books, and when playing with toys with our kids. We may have even believed we had the ability to authentically be ourselves and claim what makes us special and unique, what makes us stand out from the rest of the crowd. Then we grow up and stop believing in make believe and a lot of magic. What if we turned back to that and sta...

Here’s what I thought about my career in my twenties. I need to get a job so I can leave on my own and prove to my mom and myself that I am an adult. In my thirties, here’s what I was thinking about. I need to hustle and work hard. I’m not stopping until I get to the top. And then I hit my forties, and something shifted. Yes, I am still ambitious, but my priorities are changing. I want to be more...

Study shows that color is a powerful communication tool used to signal action, influence mood, and influence physiological reactions. The colors yellow, red, and orange sometimes trigger our appetite, which is why fast-food chains use those colors to paint their establishments. But who knew that color could be a healing tool? In this episode,  Heather Eck , a Synesthesia Artist and Color Alch...

Crafting a career story goes beyond just listing your work experiences on a resume. It’s about weaving a compelling narrative that showcases your skills, experiences, and aspirations in a way that resonates with potential employers. In this episode,  Gina Riley , the Creator of CareerVelocity System, shares her insights on the importance of crafting your career story during career transition....

According to Merriam-Webster, “authentic” means to be “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.” As you will learn during my conversation with guest, Emily Drake, the word “authentic” was also 2023 word of the year. It was one of the most looked up words in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary last year. And the word “authentic” showed up as a top character trait of executive/leadership presen...

Are you ready for a power-packed episode today? Get ready to take notes or listen to this show more than once. My guest,  Shelmina Abji , shared so many wonderful tools on what it takes to show your worth, build your confidence, and emerge as a leader. I wish that I had known Shelmina earlier in my career. Her story was inspiring and motivating to me, and I am sure it will be for you! During...

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “Employers slowed hiring and handed out smaller raises in recent months, signs of fading momentum in the job market that have some forecasters expecting unemployment to rise in 2024.”   This is being done to help the U.S. economy have a soft landing, meaning the Fed is trying to avoid a recession. The Fed is trying to have the labor ma...

According to a 2022 article in Psychology Today, “80% of women in the U.S. are responsible for household healthcare decisions.” Today’s guest tries to make the medical community’s job easier by centralizing patient data. Carolyn Ward , Director of Clinical Strategy at Particle Health , shares the important role of women in the advancement of medical care, breaking down barriers in the medical syst...

Are you an intrapreneur in your organization? Have you dreamed of being your boss and jumping into the entrepreneurial pool? Or do you already have a side hustle and straddle both roles? In this episode, Kiley Peters, a master of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, shares tips to thrive in your intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial journey and become successful at both. Her wealth of experience a...

Sometimes, our lives are like candles with flickering light, but at times, that spark goes out, and reigniting those flames can be difficult. Reclaiming vitality after burnout can be a journey, but it's absolutely possible! In this episode, sharing her burnout story, Sara Spencer shares the details of her journey to reclaim her vitality. She delves into the warning symptoms of burnout and how the...