In Her Words

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you can no longer tell your identity and your work apart? In this episode of In Her Words , Roberta Dombrowski (Founder of Learn Mindfully) sits down with career strategist Amy Santee for an honest conversation about identity, burnout, and the systems that quietly push us to tie our worth to our output. Amy is a career strategist for experienced professionals ask...

Send us Fan Mail If you've ever taken the "smart" next step in your career — the promotion, the raise, the role everyone congratulated you for — and still felt like something was wrong, this episode is for you. I'm joined by Nyam Adodoadji, a somatic practitioner, poet, and guide for creative leaders navigating career transition, to unpack why the most logical next step often i...

Send us Fan Mail This week on In Her Words, I sit down with Dr. Kimberly Murray — applied psychologist, leadership coach, TEDx speaker, and professional photographer — to talk about what it actually means to be multi-passionate. Not the polished version. The real one, with all the shame, the internal conflict, and the cost of spending years trying to fit yourself into one lane. Kimberly and I have...

Send us Fan Mail What if shrinking at work wasn't a confidence problem,but a design problem? In this episode of In Her Words , I'm joined by therapist, coach, and psychological safety consultant Megan Reese for an honest, energizing conversation about why so many high-achieving folks hold themselves back at work and why it's not their fault. We unpack the systemic forces that teach...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to weave together two very different worlds for decades and then finally let that single world become the whole?  In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Carol Rossi, a private yoga instructor and spiritual direction practitioner, who has spent over 30 years moving between the worlds of tech and yoga before retiring from UX research to teach full ti...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to stop squeezing yourself into one identity and finally let all of your passions work together? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Elizabeth Burke, founder of Collective Expansion, who has worn more hats than most. Her colorful history includes work as a corporate event planner, a high school art teacher, a UX researcher, and currently, as a c...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you've burned out not once, not twice, but three times and finally realize you're the common denominator? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Aïcha Doucouré, coach and founder of Wise Wild, who moved from France to the Bay Area by checking a single box on an employee survey and never looked back. Aïcha shares her winding path through GE, Ub...

Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to go from contract UX researcher to business owner?  Not by launching something from scratch, but by buying a company that was already running? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Mary Brown, co-owner and COO of Your Therapy Billing, an insurance billing company supporting small and mid-size therapy clinics. Mary shares how repeated layoffs in...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you stop trying to make a career path linear and start asking what kind of work actually makes sense for you right now?  In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Bianca Gay, owner of Three Coupe Society, a small business focused on crafting intentional beverages and collaborating with local businesses to curate thoughtful drink experiences. Bianca shares...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really look like to grow up inside a business, and then go on to build several of your own? In this episode of In Her Words, I sit down with Pame Barba, facilitator, strategist, and leadership coach, to trace her winding path from a sweater factory in Ecuador to a startup incubator in Atlanta to her current season as a full-time corporate employee who never stopped be...

Send us Fan Mail Over the last two months, I've been doing research with women in tech — and what I found is bigger than my own work with Learn Mindfully. It's a reflection of the moment we're all living in right now. In this solo episode, I'm sharing the themes that surfaced most consistently across my conversations: compounding trauma from repeated layoffs, burnout that gets...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Victoria Montgomery, transition coach and founder of Voice Nerve Motion LLC, to explore her journey from corporate burnout to entrepreneurship. Victoria shares how a growing disconnect from her creative roots and the grief of watching time pass without honoring her values sparked a deeper reckoning in her professional life.  Together, we talk about...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Alaina Shearer, branding expert, storyteller, and founder of Good Is Now, for a conversation about voice, courage, and what it means to take a stand in your work. Alaina shares how storytelling has shaped her life from an early age, from writing and public speaking as a child to building movements as an entrepreneur and even running for Congress. ...

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, I explore a theme that’s been surfacing again and again in my client conversations: how we define success—and how that definition may need to evolve. Many of us fell into our careers through timing, practicality, or opportunity. It worked for a while. But with layoffs, burnout, and shifting priorities, more people are pausing to ask: What does success actuall...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Kitty Gonzalez—coach, yoga teacher, and former L’Oréal marketer—for a grounded conversation about career pivots, identity, and the courage it takes to choose community and alignment over the “shoulds.” Kitty shares what it was like growing up between Mexico City and the U.S., and how living between cultures shaped her adaptability, awareness, and s...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Amy Santee returns to the podcast, only this time, she’s in the interviewer seat as we flip the script and share more of my story. We talk through my winding career path (from biomedical photography to instructional design to product and research leadership), and the moments that forced me to get honest about what I value and what I can’t ignore anymore. We also e...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Alessandra Wall, psychologist, author, and CEO of Noteworthy for a candid conversation about evolution, ambition, and what it actually takes to build a life that can hold your success. Dr. Wall shares her path from child psychology to adult therapy, then into coaching and leadership advisory work, including the real fear (and financial risk) th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Christian Simone, feminine strategist, project manager, podcast host, and Master of Social Work student, for a grounded conversation about ambition, softness, and what it really means to be “the strong one.” Christian shares how her background in tech shaped her views on strategy, and why she’s now pursuing macro social work to build systems that s...

Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, I open season two of In Her Words by reflecting on the growing sense of disappointment and disillusionment many of us are experiencing at work. With layoffs continuing to rise, particularly impacting women, I explore how these moments often force us into deeper inflection points around identity, meaning, and alignment. I share my own experience of being laid...

Send us Fan Mail This short intermission recording features host, Roberta Dombrowski, sharing a candid update on what to expect from season 2 of In Her Words. Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn Connect with Roberta on LinkedIn   Grab Consciously Crafting Your Career Path: https://www.learnmindfully.co/store If this episode sparked new insight, please consider rating, following, or reviewing the show...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I meet with Vivianne Castillo, a multidisciplinary creative, organizational culture strategist, and founder of Choose Courage, Inc. for a powerful conversation about chaos, creativity, and what it means to make things that matter. Vivianne brings her background in psychology, UX, trauma-informed practice, and entrepreneurship to explore how uncertainty can become...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Henry—workshop facilitator, personal finance educator, pageant titleholder, and founder of Living in the Abundance—for a powerful conversation about money, identity, and navigating life as a first-generation college student. Amanda brings candor, humor, and deep reflection as we talk through the realities of debt, generational expectations,...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode, I sit down with Madeline E. Smith, a UX researcher, creative mind, and new parent by adoption, for a grounded conversation about building a family intentionally while navigating the realities of career, caregiving, and the waiting game.  We talk about ethical domestic adoption, centering the child in every decision, and what it looks like to return from parental...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Maigen Thomas, Founder of Level 11 Technology, accessibility consultant, and neurodivergent advocate for a wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and designing spaces where everyone can thrive. Maigen draws from her experience in enterprise UX, accessibility audits, and coaching early-career talent to show how we can e...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Anna Vecchi—a first-generation Chinese Italian American graphic designer—for a deeply honest conversation about identity, generational trauma, and learning to define yourself on your own terms. Anna shares how growing up in a predominantly white community shaped her relationship with culture, creativity, and performance, and how reconnecting with h...