VEST Her Podcast

What is the cost of staying quiet, playing it safe, or waiting until we're "ready"? In this powerful conversation, Erika Lucas sits down with former Oklahoma House Democratic Leader and gubernatorial candidate Cyndi Munson to explore the personal and professional consequences of holding ourselves back and what becomes possible when we choose courage instead. Together, along with VES...

There’s a quiet tension a lot of women are carrying right now. The pressure to keep up. Stay relevant. Adapt faster. Do more. Become more. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, many are starting to ask a different question: What if success isn’t supposed to feel this exhausting? In this episode, we unpack the invisible scripts so many women inherit around ambition, achievement, productivity, i...

There are moments that stay with you, not because they were obvious, but because something about them didn’t sit right. In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast, we explore those moments, the ones where you’ve given your time, energy, or ideas and walked away feeling like something was off, even if you couldn’t fully explain why. In this conversation, we unpack:  What extractive practices are and w...

Speed and visibility are often rewarded in the workplace, but they can also lead to costly mistakes, including leaving money on the table. In this episode, we sit down with Jacqueline Twillie , author, leadership strategist, and founder of Bend AI, for a candid conversation on negotiation, decision-making, and high-stakes communication, especially for women who have been socialized to be “polite”...

What if the fastest way to grow isn’t moving at all?  In this episode, we sit down with Tulsa International Airport CEO, Alexis Higgins, to unpack how a 26‑year journey in one city became a masterclass in influence, trust, and long‑term impact. From a support role to CEO, Alexis shows why deep roots can beat constant motion when you turn visibility, preparation, and relationships into compound car...

At VEST, we talk a lot about careers, money, and women’s economic mobility. But here’s the truth: you can’t fully talk about women building power without talking about the systems that taught us what we’re allowed to want—and what we should quietly accept. For many of us, that system was religion. In this episode of the VEST Podcast, Erika sits down with Reverend Lori Walke for an honest, grounded...

As we begin a new year, many of us are reflecting on what’s working, what needs to shift, and what we truly want, not just in our careers or personal lives, but financially as well. But let’s be honest, for many women, wealth is the last thing we feel comfortable talking about. In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast , we explore how to reset your relationship with money, redefine what wealth mean...

What if you didn’t have to choose between being respected and being liked? In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast , we’re joined by Alison Fragale, organizational psychologist, UNC professor, and author of Likeable Badass, to break down the real difference between power and status, and how women can build both without burning out or selling out. Moderated by VEST Member Autumn Knutson, CEO of Sty...

As the year wraps up, so do the “Top Under 30, 40, 50” lists, power rankings, and glossy features that suggest success is public, polished, and linear. In this episode, we take a clear-eyed look at why these lists can be inspiring but also alienating, and why so many brilliant, hardworking women still feel like they’re falling behind. Then, we shift the focus to a more grounded, sustainable way to...

We’re often told to “build our network” or “think about the impact we want to have” but rarely does anyone show us how. It’s not just about adding connections or chasing influence. What we really need is a Web of Support and a clearer sense of the legacy we're already leaving behind, often without realizing it. In this episode, we slow things down to explore two powerful reflection tools: the...

What if the key to moving from stuck to unstoppable isn’t finding your one big purpose but choosing to live with purpose, every day? In this episode, we sit down with Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and author of New York Bestseller Fired Up, to explore a practical framework for aligning what you value, what you're good at, and what truly matters to you. She calls it the fire for...

Democracy thrives when citizens participate, yet America faces a troubling reality: even in presidential elections, only 65% of eligible voters cast ballots, with participation plummeting in local and primary elections. This democratic deficit has serious consequences, especially for women and historically marginalized communities who continue to face systemic barriers to political participation....

When we talk about startup runway, we obsess over finances, how many months until the money runs out. But what about the founder's emotional runway? That invisible reservoir of energy, resilience, and motivation that keeps a company alive even when the path forward seems impossible? In this deeply personal and practical conversation, Claudia Naim Burt, Co-founder and COO of Keep Company, shar...

How many times have you ended the day exhausted, only to wonder what you actually accomplished? That feeling of spinning your wheels without moving forward is a signal that your workflow isn’t working for you. At VEST, we recently explored this challenge with our members and uncovered some powerful lessons worth sharing.  In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast , we’ll walk you through how to eval...

Burnout has reached epidemic proportions among professional women. The numbers tell a sobering story: 43% of women leaders report feeling burned out compared to just 31% of men at the same level. What's driving this disparity? Our powerful conversation with the VEST Team reveals two key culprits: perfectionism and people-pleasing. Research from the University of British Columbia shows that pe...

The whispers about hormones, perimenopause, and menopause have remained frustratingly quiet for too long. Dr. Kristen Markell , a double-board certified OBGYN and certified menopause practitioner, breaks the silence with game-changing clarity in this essential conversation moderated by VEST Member Alison Anthony . For decades, women experiencing brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, and mood changes during...

Women have long navigated workspaces that weren't built with us in mind, fueling an inner voice of self-doubt that can hold us back. Dr. Amelia Duran-Stanton, author of "The Lotus Within" and Colonel in the US Army with decades of service, shares strategies for quieting that inner critic while building sustainable confidence as a leader. Dr. Duran Stanton explains her book "The...

In this episode, we sit down with Niren Chaudhary , former Chairman and CEO of Panera Bread, and VEST Member Beverly Carmichael , a seasoned corporate board director for several iconic brands. Together, we explore the rising demand for empathetic leadership in today’s volatile and unpredictable world. “Leaders have to be peddlers of hope,”   Niren Chaudhary. For our guests full bio and show notes...

Are you ready to stop waiting for recognition and start owning your strengths? In this episode, we revisit one of our most transformative sessions: Turning Strengths Into Opportunities —an essential conversation for women professionals ready to take charge of their careers. Too often, high-achieving women are so consumed by deadlines, expectations, and the constant comparison trap that they lose s...

Women in the U.S. aren’t just balancing careers and caregiving—they are the invisible backbone of a broken system keeping our economy afloat. In this episode of the VEST Her Podcast , we sat down with Dr. Jessica Calarco , sociologist, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net .  Moderating this discussion was Monica...

In this episode, we dive into why plans, goals, and resolutions often fail—and how to overcome those challenges. We introduce the WOOP Framework (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) to help you create a personalized action plan and share practical resources to keep you on track all year long. We’re also sharing key takeaways from a session we hosted for VEST Members, our peer network of women professio...

In this episode we talked about Ageism at Work with Maureen Wiley Clough, host of the acclaimed podcast It Gets Late Early . In it we unpacked the unique challenges women face as we progress in our career and share actionable strategies for overcoming age-related obstacles and redefining our career trajectories at any age. For our guest full bio and show notes go to www.vesther.co/podcast   This e...

Your personal brand is the sum of how others perceive you—your strengths, the expertise they associate with you, and the way you communicate your skills and personality both in person and online. But why is having a personal brand so important? Throughout your career, one thing is certain: you will need to pivot. Pivots are inevitable, often unexpected. Whether it’s a layoff, taking breaks to care...

Discover the invisible barriers that hold women back from seizing their rightful places in political and civic spaces. In this episode, Andy Moore, founder of Let’s Fix This and Executive Director of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers, speaks with Mia Barros, founder of Voluntarios por Kamala, Blaire Postman, Founder of Cat Ladies for Kamala, and Cortney Tunis, former Executive Dire...

In this episode VEST Member Claudia Naím-Burt co-founder and COO of Keep Company, a group learning platform helping employers care for the caregivers on their teams, talks to Paul Sullivan, former New York Times financial columnist and founder The Company of Dads , a platform supporting “Lead Dads”—men who are the “go-to” parents whether they work full-time, part-time, or are devoting all their ti...