Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel

How much of your potential is still waiting to be explored? As part of our July series on potential , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Beth Mazza and Victoria Sivrais, co-founders of Female Mavericks, to challenge the beliefs that keep so many women from building the businesses and lives they're capable of creating. After more than 20 years of friendship, mentorship, entrepreneurship, and raising nine c...

Success at work doesn't happen in a vacuum. The way we communicate, resolve conflict, share responsibility, and support one another at home often shapes the leaders we become at work. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia is joined by leadership consultants, therapists, and authors Drs. Jake and Jennifer Dean Hill for a conversation about the connec...

Why do so many successful women thrive in their careers but struggle to find the same fulfillment in their relationships? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with relationship and emotional healing expert Mina Yang to explore the unique challenges high-achieving women face when it comes to love, dating, and partnership. Together, they un...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with renowned dating coach and relationship expert Evan Marc Katz to discuss why finding love can feel especially challenging for high-achieving women and what it takes to build a healthy, lasting relationship. Evan shares the philosophy behind his "GPS for Love" approach, encouraging women to become t...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with leadership coach and BAM Leadership founder Brandon Maslan for a powerful conversation about personal agency, self-advocacy, and what it really means to lead with courage. Brandon shares his journey from overcoming childhood bullying and self-doubt to becoming a trial attorney, executive coach, an...

Most leaders believe they're good listeners. Few have ever been taught how to listen strategically. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Christine Miles, Founder and CEO of The Listening Path and author of What Is It Costing You Not to Listen? , to explore why intentional listening may be one of the most overlooked leadership skills...

Most women have been taught to negotiate with confidence. Cynthia Barnes says that's the wrong starting point. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Cynthia Barnes, founder of the Black Women's Wealth Lab, to unpack the difference between the wage gap… and what Barnes calls the extraction gap . This conversation explores the hidden fi...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel , Dr-Cynthia sits down with Mary Lyons, founder of WealthWoman, to discuss financial agency, abundance, and what it really means to build a life that feels aligned. Together, they unpack the pressure many high-achieving women feel to prove their success, the mindset shifts required to move from scarcity to abundance, and why...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Dr. Keith D. Dorsey, founder and CEO of Boardroom Journey, to unpack what it actually takes for women to intentionally position themselves for corporate board service. From early-career professionals to seasoned executives, this conversation breaks down the long game behind building influence, vis...

What if the problem was never you? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Anna Blue, CEO of Blue Moss Group and creator of the Say She's Right movement, to challenge one of the most persistent narratives in leadership: that women need to be "fixed" to succeed. This conversation goes deeper than confidence tips and career advice. It pul...

What if your success is hiding your exhaustion? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with CEO, author, and speaker Pam Dwyer to unpack the concept of quiet depletion. It's a hidden state where high-performing women look successful on the outside but feel disconnected, exhausted, and stuck in unconscious patterns. Together, they explore ho...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains themes of references involving sexual assault that some viewers may find distressing. Please consider your comfort and well-being before listening to this week's episode.  In this episode of  Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with licensed marriage and family therapist Laurel Wiers to unpack something most professio...

Burnout doesn't always look like hitting a wall. Sometimes, it looks like showing up every day… while quietly feeling disconnected, exhausted, and stuck. In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with corporate professional Elisha Meek to talk about what burnout really looks like, and how to move through it with intention. Elisha shares her ex...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with executive coach and keynote speaker Penny Zenker to explore the power of the "reset mindset." In a world that moves fast and demands even faster decisions, the ability to pause, reassess, and realign is not a luxury. It is a leadership advantage. Penny breaks down how reset moments help individual...

In this episode of  Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with Jacquelyn Lane, President of the 100 Coaches Agency , for a conversation that challenges the way we think about success, growth, and alignment. Jacquelyn shares her journey from engineering to executive leadership—and the pivotal moment that made her realize she was climbing the wrong wall. What...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with global business leader, board advisor, and women's health advocate Amy Kunrojpanya for a conversation that challenges some of the most deeply held beliefs about success. From navigating motherhood in environments where parenthood was often invisible, to building a high-impact career without sacrif...

On this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel, Dr. Cynthia welcomes keynote speaker, author, and former executive Tara Renze for a powerful conversation about identity, courage, and becoming the person you were meant to be. Tara shares the deeply personal origin of her message "Be Who You Came to Be," inspired by a letter her 87-year-old grandmother wrote to her newborn...

In this episode, Dr. Cynthia sit down with Sheila R. Carmichael, an executive coach and leadership adviser with more than 30 years of experience working with top corporate brands. Sheila is the author of Presence: A Self-Coaching Guide for Executive Presence and the creator of the 3D Authentic Presence Framework. Sheila shares how pivotal moments in her career led her to "graduate" from a successf...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault and violence that may be distressing to some listeners. In this deeply moving episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with author, speaker, and founder of the Audacious Women's Summit, Erika Rothenberger. Erika shares the life-altering moment that changed everything: a brutal assaul...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel, Dr. Cynthia sits down with Erica Anderson Rooney, C-suite executive, former Chief People Officer, founder of Her Collective, and best-selling author of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors. The statistics are sobering: at the current rate, it will take 132 years to close the gender pay gap. Women remain underrepresented in senio...

What if you're not burned out… you're just out of flow? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia sits down with two-time New York Times bestselling author and energy mastery expert Christy Whitman to unpack what's really happening when high-achieving women feel stretched thin, disconnected, or unfulfilled despite doing everything "right." Christy share...

In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel , Dr. Cynthia Bentzen-Mercer sits down with Hall of Fame speaker, sales futurist, and CEO of Motion First, Meridith Elliott Powell , for a powerful conversation about leadership, disruption, and what it really takes to thrive in constant change. Meridith's career has followed an unexpected pattern: she repeatedly stepped into...

Join host Dr. Cynthia for a conversation with globally recognized AI expert and futurist, Dr. Ayesha Khanna . Dr. Khanna helps leaders understand not just what AI can do, but what humans must do differently as technology accelerates .  This episode explores why companies must invest in their AI strategy and bring their employees along to drive growth ,  the risks of focusing solely on efficiency a...

Join Dr. Cynthia for a solo episode focused on the belief that human capital is the business strategy .    Drawing from her new book,  Human Capital Investment Strategy ,  she addresses ambitious professional women, both those still navigating their careers and those who are informal or formal leaders .  The episode argues that organizations have often failed to invest in their people, leading to...

In a world where technology is accelerating and traditional advantages are quickly becoming commoditized, what actually sets leaders apart? In this episode of Climbing the Corporate Ladder Without Breaking a Heel, Dr. Cynthia sits down with Josh Linkner, two-time New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, venture capital investor, professional jazz guitarist, and globally recognized i...