Brave Women at Work

What is your true north in life? How will your inner wisdom get you there? In this episode, we talk with Churni Bhattacharya , Chief Application Officer at AssetMark . You might want to get a pen and paper as she shares her learnings and what has led to her having a fulfilling career and life. I’m pumped for you to hear this one as it relates to every working woman out there!   During my chat...

It’s an exciting day at Brave Women at Work! Our second book baby,   Brave Women at Work: Lessons in Confidence , comes out in hardcover today! Woo hoo! This book was such a joy to write. I hope that you are inspired and motivated by all the authors’ stories to build your confidence so you can reach the professional and personal fulfillment and success you deserve.   Also, we are hosting...

Have you ever experienced the incredible power of being motivated, pushed, and inspired by someone's energy? And that's exactly what my guest accomplished on today's episode! Besides delivering an enlightening speech, Martha Aviles , the Marketing VP at Gigster in Austin, and I share a profound bond. As a woman, sitting at the top can be lonely, but I found Martha. She even pushed me to get a tatt...

Human capital is an important element to achieve business success. But how can business leaders implement empowering work cultures and guide HR officers to perform at their best? Today, Dr. Keri Ohlrich presents her book, The Way of the HR Warrior: Leading the CHARGE to Transform Your Career and Organization . Regardless of whether you are in HR or not, her book and message surely have something f...

I’m going to start being personal and vulnerable today. When I went through burnout in 2019, I went through the dark muck of depression and anxiety. I had no idea how to leave that place, so I am thankful for medication and therapy. While I went through this experience, I also felt a little weird and secretive about it at the time because I didn’t want my team to think that I was less than them. I...

Here’s a quick personal update. It’s official. I have a kindergartener and a middle schooler. It’s interesting being a mom of kids that are 6 ½ years apart and seeing their different transitions. Just like other moms know, you get a handle on one season and think, “I’ve got this” and then another season comes. And we’re in one of those new seasons in our household. If you are in one of these new s...

Hello everyone! How are you doing out there?   Happy Summer to you! It’s beautiful out in Chicago as I’m recording this. In fact, I’m going to take a walk out there with my dog, Jake. My buddy Jake is almost 17 years old. Yes, that’s right 17-years young. He’s still kicking though and we show him all the love.   I will also tell you something else that my husband, John, gifted me with th...

I recently shared an article by Forbes on executive presence on my social media channels. I thought that would be it on that topic, but nope, I have decided to complete a whole podcast on it because (a) I’m still thinking about it and (b) it’s not talked about enough. So, let’s dive in.   What exactly is executive presence and why should we care?   According to one definition, Executive...

I’m super excited about our guest today, Lydia Fenet . As I mentioned during the show, it was fate that I had Lydia on. So many people kept recommending that I read Lydia’s finished book, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You , so I took it as a sign and grabbed a copy. I loved the book and thought Lydia would be a good guest for the show. And do you know what happened? Poof! I received an em...

I’ve been on a communication kick lately with the podcast. I believe that clear and concise communication is an important ingredient to being a brave woman at work. I’ve brought on a communications expert, Jennifer Furlong , that brought a new and interesting spin to being an effective communicator. Jen talks about communication styles. And this got me thinking about my own communication style and...

Here’s a confession. I think I bought into a lie early in my career. I thought I needed to contort myself into one of the boys to get ahead. I thought if I kept my head down and worked hard, I would be recognized. I thought if I brought up my accomplishments in front of my boss during my annual review, I was being boisterous or not humble.   Guess what? These learnings, and many more, were li...

What do you think about the term mid-life crisis? When I think of that term, this is what comes to mind: ◦       A mid-life man buys a Porsche. ◦       He gets a divorce. ◦       He gets a hairpiece or alters his appearance to look younger. ◦       He starts d...

Are you living your purpose? Do you know what your purpose is if you let yourself really go there? So many of us get out of college and pursue a job because we need to pay the bills, right? We forget our dreams and do the 9-to-5 because that is what we were taught to do. And we’re good at it. And we do well because we are ambitious and work hard. And we’re successful. And we think we are fulfilled...

What are we talking about today? We are going to discuss that uncomfortable feeling when things slow down at work and you aren’t running around with your hair on fire or if a project is winding down or about to complete, and you feel like you can breathe. Here’s how I feel during these times: I feel bad for not running at a million miles per hour. I wonder if something is wrong because I have spac...

Protecting your energy is crucial for building confidence and achieving success. The 'power container' is a tool to maintain energy, avoid burnout, and prioritize what truly matters in your career and life. For today’s episode, we have Jenna Banks , an author and thought leader whose work has been featured in media outlets that include Forbes, POPSUGAR, ABC, NBC, and CEOWORLD Magazine. Today, she...

I’m very excited about our guest today! Annie Leib is someone I met via LinkedIn after watching her create awesome, real, and vulnerable content on LinkedIn. If you have been on LinkedIn in the last few years, real and vulnerable content is starting to emerge, but it wasn’t always that way. Annie was one of the pioneers of keeping it real on this professional platform. And that’s what made her sta...

Do you believe you are a feminist? Does the word “feminist” have a bad connotation to you? Here’s the definition of feminist: “Of relating to, supporting, or compatible with feminism. feminist theory. the feminist movement. The act of speaking is a way women come to power, telling our stories, sharing history, engaging in feminist discussion.” This may sound funny, but even though I run this podca...

Have you had that moment where time seemed to stand still, and you had a ton done without little effort? Like you were in a state of flow? I love it when this happens to me. It feels so good to effortlessly get stuff done and the day is not a slog.   Last year, I was introduced to Hortense le Gentil , an executive coach and author. I picked up her book, Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with...

Have you ever had sweaty palms before a speech? Have you ever felt like you could get sick before a big presentation because of nerves? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Yet, speaking in front of others is a necessary skill, especially if we want to have visibility and success at work and in life. This may sound dramatic, but I believe it’s a life skill. Both of my daughters go to swimming c...

Do you like to take risks? How are you with change? Do you adapt easily, or is it difficult for you? Today’s guest, Christie Hunter Arscott , the author of Begin Boldly: How Women Can Reimagine Risk, Embrace Uncertainty, and Launch a Brilliant Career , dives into a different thought behind career risks and acting boldly at work. Self-doubt and other negative behaviors will hold us from taking good...

I recently read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you haven’t read that book, definitely check it out. As I was finishing up this book, I was introduced to my guest today,  Tamara Castelo . Tamara has written several books, but it’s her most recent work,  The Power of Rituals , that caught my eye. When I think of rituals, I originally thought of witchy or woo-woo. That was a bit...

Do you remember middle school and how painful it was with friendships? Ugh, I shudder at the thought. I will admit I wasn’t a popular kid in middle school or even high school. I always found friendships difficult to navigate. I would attach myself to one or two girls and then be devastated if the friendship didn’t work out. I didn’t feel like I was on solid footing with friendships until college....

For this episode, we have a return guest! Neen James , an Aussie who loves luxury, including Tiffany mugs and especially champagne, is back on the podcast! And this time, she’s going to talk about luxury. What do you think when you hear the word luxury? Does it feel unnecessary? Does it feel indulgent? How about amazing? Or even necessary? As you will hear in my conversation with Neen, she set out...

Are you ready for a scary statistic? Only 9% of women are female CEOs of the biggest companies on the S&P 500. That is 45 spots out of 500, folks. But let’s be positive. It’s up from August 2018, when there were only 24 women in the CEO spot. The question is, WHY? Why aren’t more women in that top spot? And if they go there, why aren’t they sticking? Jenna Fisher , my guest today, decided to f...

How do you feel about stress? Do you think it’s good or bad? What idea about stress did others teach to you? If you’re anything like me, you would think that stress is bad or the enemy, and that we need to manage stress, and it will cause all types of issues physically and emotionally. It almost feels like an enemy or a monster we are afraid of. Today, we will flip the idea of stress on its head....