Fierce Lab

On this episode, I sit down with Chelsea Cunningham, Founder and CEO of The Title Girl, to talk about building and scaling a business in a male dominated industry.  Chelsea started her company at 24 with limited resources and experience, yet she didn't let that stop her.  As you'll hear, she is comfortable operating in the unknown.  When I asked Chelsea about how she approaches risk, she shared th...

Angie Wisdom is a Life and Business Coach based in LA.  We sat down to discuss her work helping women uncover their core values and how we can use them to silence our inner critic.  Angie says our work can begin by creating a Personal Success Playbook.  The playbook should contain answers to questions such as, "what do you believe and what do you stand for," as well as "what's holding you back." ...

In this episode I talk with Sarah Haggard, founder and CEO of Tribute, a modern mentorship app, to discuss the ins and outs of mentorship.  Sarah started her career at Microsoft and discovered that peer-to-peer mentoring brought so much value to her work life.  And it was that insight that lived shared experiences could be a model for building modern day mentor/mentee relationships.  In our conver...

Claire Wasserman is the modern woman's champion for professional and financial advancement.  She is arguably the leading voice for owning your worth and commanding your career, including fair pay.  What started as a small informal gathering of career women to openly share tips and stories around pay and negotiation has evolved into a community of over 75,000 from across all 50 states with the rall...

Emily Avagliano says there's a science to falling in love and it requires taking risks.  She is the founder of Dating To Get Married and teaches people, women and men, how to use science to fall in love.  Through her work she has discovered that one of the major factors holding people back from finding their soulmate is fear.   On this episode we break down the three stages of love and how we prog...

Jacqueline Twillie and her company ZeroGap are on a mission to eliminate the gender wage gap.  One way she works toward this goal is by teaching women to negotiate to increase the longevity of women in leadership roles within male-dominated industries.  The author of two books including Don't Leave Money On The Table, Jacqueline is an internationally recognized negotiation expert but she credits w...

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach is right for you?  Are you curious about the difference between a coach and mentor?  On this episode, Debby Jewesson, Dallas based coach, consultant and three-time entrepreneur shares what you can and can't expect out of a professional coaching relationship.  She also digs into the power of having a positive mindset and how with the right frame of min...

When Margaret Frazier applied for the Social Media Coordinator position at S'well, she didn't have a portfolio of work to share and limited experience in similar roles.  What she did have was research skills and ambition.  Tracking down the hiring manager on LinkedIn, Margaret worked diligently to secure a first-round interview.  What happened next should be consider a masterclass in "going for it...

Emily Jaenson has built a success career in sports starting in ticket sales with the Chicago Bulls and rising to the ranks of General Manager of the Reno Aces Baseball Club, a AAA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  On our episode she shares her tips for women looking to either break into sports or continue to climb the ladder in a male dominated field.   Emily's tips including guidance for bu...

This special episode is to honor the legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  I'm chatting with two women who share what her life meant to them and how her work has shaped their world. First, I speak with Julie Torres, a print maker in Atlanta, who creates beautiful portraits of Justice Ginsburg.  Julie shares why RBG's career inspired her to begin creating her art.  Her impact was so profound that...

Do you have an idea that you want to turn into a business?   Are you a solopreneur ready to build a team?  Do you need advice for getting funded?  Strategic Business Coach and Advisor, Desiree Younge, breaks down the truths for starting and scaling a business on this episode. Desiree is a third generation entrepreneur who has leveraged her experience to help thousands of women scale their companie...

Does the thought of buying a car feel intimidating to you?  Have you ever wondered if there are secrets to negotiating the best deal?  And what about those warranties and maintenance packages - should you buy them? Kelly Lurz has spent that last six and half years in the luxury car business in just about every sales role to be found in a dealership.  She joins me on this episode to teach us the st...

For this episode of Fierce Lab, Sade Balogun and I dissect risk, rejection and reward through the lens of a corporate career.  Sade's career path has been intentional, starting with an early opportunity at Kohl's as a Business Analyst to now as a Senior Brand Manager at Starbucks.  Between the two she went to business school at NYU and then worked in the fast-paced start up world at Groupon.  With...

Dr. Krista Austin is a woman you want on your team.  A sport scientist, currently serving as a performance specialist for professional and Olympic sport athletes, Krista has spent her career studying and coaching elite athletes for peak performance.  A large part of her body of work is focused on mental health in pro sports, but you don't have to be a professional athlete to benefit from Krista's...

Cate Luzio spent over 15 years in corporate banking and during that time she observed a lot of women's careers stalling - not from a lack of desire to advance but from a lack of knowledge and resources to help them advance.  As Cate learned to navigate networking, new skill development and speaking up for opportunities, others - both men and women - took notice and sought out her guidance.  Before...

When Jenna Alessandrini, while gaming with her dad Steve, found out she couldn't make a female character for the video game, Madden NFL 20, she was discouraged.  She didn't want her player to be male; she wanted a female player that looked like her.  While most would simply let this be a fleeting disappointment, Jenna decided to take action and wrote a letter to the CEO of Electronic Arts (EA), th...

Andrea Karnes is Senior Curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.  She describes her role as a steward for all artists and their work.  She likens pulling together exhibitions to being a lawyer, selecting an argument and defending her position throughout the run of the exhibition.   On this episode we dig in to how Andrea was first exposed to art and how that lead her to a career at The Mode...

Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno and Aparna Rae are the co-founders of Future For Us, a platform dedicated to advancing womxn of color at work through community, culture, and career development.  Last fall, in partnership with The Riveter, they criss-crossed the country on their State of Womxn of Color tour - bringing together data, storytelling and solutions for women of color.  I attended their event i...

Do you ever feel stuck?  Do you have a hard time taking action, especially when that action will propel you rapidly toward your big goals?  Amber Dodzweit Riposta, women's circuit training expert, fitness model and all-around truth teller, knows this feeling well.  On this episode, she shares her journey from "just another girl" to a "woman with a purpose" and she's quick to explain how you can be...

Ivy Awino knows what it takes to lead the way; she's the first female Team DJ for the Dallas Mavericks and only the second woman DJ in the NBA. In 2018, Ivy was asked to provide music for the NBA All Star game — again, a first. But working hard and smashing goals are not new for Ivy. As a teen, she was a ball kid for the Mavericks and an intern at a radio station, K104. As an adult, she has parlay...

Piersten Gaines doesn't consider herself a risk taker, but when her mother passed away unexpectedly she decide it was time to start embracing life.  That unfortunate turn of events led Piersten to explore new ideas and turn them in to action.  While at Harvard Business School she realized there wasn't a place that she could get a quality, affordable and fast blowout for her highly textured hair.  ...

Today Kat Robinson looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink, but that attitude hasn't always come naturally.  As a marketing leader with Microsoft, Kat has learned to cultivate a growth mindset and shares how you can too.  What's her tried and true process?  Embracing discovery in the face of fear is one of the many tips she shares on this episode.  We also chat about mentorship, creative...

When Kadie Smith decided to quit her job less than 6 months out of college and chase her dream of owning a design business, the only person who thought it was a good idea was Kadie. Today, she has built a thriving business, Drop Cap Design, with a loyal and engaged community. So how did Kadie know she would be successful? She trusted her gut. Based in Montana, by way of Dallas, Drop Cap Design is...

Lindsay Perez, Certified Financial Trainer with The Financial Gym, talks to me about her career path from journalism to financial expert.  Her secret sauce?  Don’t say no to yourself.  In this episode we discuss doing a self audit and advocating for your career advancement.  You can connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn at Lindsay-Perez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adele Jackson Gibson, fitness model, coach and wellness expert, joins me on this episode to share how setbacks in life have taught her to listen to her inner voice.  Adele discusses how a daily meditation practice can help you stay centered and balanced.  She says happiness is not a constant but peace can be.  You can connect with Adele via Instagram – her handle is @adelejackson26. Learn more abo...