The Art of Speaking Up

CEO turned life coach Brenda Baird unpacks why we feel anxiety, stress, and unhappiness at work.  She talks about how our internal monologue can make difficult situations feel even harder for us, and how our fears and insecurities can catabolize challenges into stress and anxiety.  We also cover:   What burnout looks like and why it happens How fear and our insecurities can amplify stress and anxi...

Whether it’s a frustrating project, a co-worker you don’t get along with, or just mental exhaustion – this conversation with Courtney dives into why we find ourselves feeling agitated and on edge some days at work.    Courtney Clifford is a facilitator, coach, kundalini yoga & meditation teacher based in NYC. She is the founder of TRUE, a transformative experiential development company that genera...

This episode is all about pursuing your career goals without hesitation.  Britt’s story of landing a coveted tech role without an engineering degree or prior experience is proof that opportunities that might seem out of reach are often more attainable than we might think.   In this episode, Britt and I chat about:   How Britt landed a role in tech without an engineering degree or any prior tech ex...

We need more female leaders in Corporate America, which means that as women, dreaming big for ourselves is not just fun, but actually critical to closing the corporate gender gap.   In this episode, Jess discusses what it means to be ambitious and why it’s so important for ambitious women to not sell themselves short in terms of what they want for their careers.  She discusses:   Why it can feel s...

~~ Want to submit a listener question to be answered on the show?  DM @theartofspeakingup on Instagram or email jessica@theartofspeakingup.com ~~   In this conversation, Carrie covers some of the key tenets behind achieving happiness and productivity in work and in life.  Carrie and I chatted about:   Why our brains can get stuck in negative mode, and how to reorient our thinking towards the posit...

~~ Want to submit a listener question to be answered on the show?  DM @theartofspeakingup on Instagram or email jessica@theartofspeakingup.com ~~   Job searching can be tough.  It is time consuming, at times discouraging, and can often put our self-esteem to the test.  This is why I was so excited to sit down and chat with job-search coach Shea O’Dell Scott – not just about the process itself, but...

Once upon a time, before smartphones were the norm, my employer gave me a Blackberry phone so that I could check email on the go.  Did you know that Blackberries have a tiny little light that blinks red every time an email comes in? And remember, this was my work phone, so in my case - the little light blinked red every time a work email came in. My job was high-pressure, rapid-fire, and very dema...

I remember getting feedback early on in my career that told me that I needed to learn to be more assertive.  I also remember being confused and uncomfortable around the idea of assertiveness.  What exactly did this mean?  How and when was I supposed to do it?  And most importantly, why did it feel so foreign and uncomfortable for me? Assertiveness is a complex, multi-layered topic – especially for...

Speaking in front of groups can be not only challenging – but for many of us, it can be extremely anxiety inducing.   I know how frustrating and debilitating it can be to feel deeply uncomfortable at the thought of getting up in front of groups – I’ve been there!   In this episode, I chat all about the fear of public speaking with Olivia Mitchell.   Olivia is a speaking coach who believes that eve...

In part 2 of my conversation with Kaitlin, she talks about the struggles of navigating her early career days as a young woman in the male dominated ad vertical. Kaitlin also answers a listener question about how to build an interpersonal connection with your male manager when you're the only woman on the team.   I was blown away by Kaitlin's ability not only to share important learnings from her o...

This show was designed to do two things: share real stories about personal growth from real working women, and give young women honest, helpful career advice.   Kaitlin Maud, digital brand strategist, seriously over delivered on both of these goals.  I was blown away by her honesty, eloquence, and her intense passion for supporting the inner growth of other women.   In this two-part conversation,...

I would be overjoyed if you promised me this one thing: next time you’re debating whether you should share your idea out loud or not, DO IT.  I really, really, really want you to do it.  I want you to do it so badly that I started and named a podcast around this entire topic.  For a long while, I thought I was the only weirdo who would stew and chew over an idea in a meeting and never actually sha...

In this episode, I share a little bit about my inspiration for creating the show.  Spoiler:  I was incredibly awkward, shy, and insecure in my early 20s.  And I was alone, with no mentors to help me through it.  And it was one of the most un-fun times in my career.    I don’t want any woman to go through some of the struggles I encountered and feel like she’s alone.  Whatever someone’s career stru...