Sherry Lowe is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist turned Silicon Valley marketing executive. She has experience in building marketing programs for rapid-growth tech companies. As a professional that served both in sports journalism and tech companies, she was completely used to being the only woman in the room. Today, she shares how she was proactive in searching for powerful mentors and being very conscious in bringing up younger professional women.

Key Takeaways

• Sherry shares her first experience with being the only woman in the room.
• Sherry focused her efforts on mentoring younger women and preparing them to fill leadership seats.
• How does someone find a good mentor?
• Don't wait for a mentor to find you.
• Sherry's mentors made her feel safe and allowed her to take risks without feeling like she'd lose her job for it. How did she create that/find that?
• What does Sherry do to work on herself?
• A stable and strong support network was huge for Sherry's career.
• Give people the space to find the best way to do a task or the job.
• When it comes to Zoom calls, it's important to look professional despite it being a 'work from home' day.
• Get ready for work.
• Sherry started in the sports industry; did she see a lot of workplace discrimination?
• Whatever you do, speak out. You will pay a price for it, but do it because it is worth it, not only for you but for future employees, too.
• How do you find good companies to work for?
• Interviews are two-way streets. They want you, but you should always want them.
• Trust your first impressions about people!

Resources

Expanse.co

Sherry on LinkedIn

Quotes

Michelle's quote: "Most great leaders work on themselves so that they're more stable within and they're showing up more powerfully."

"The mentorship started with me watching [successful women] and trying to learn, and then asking a lot of questions."

"Don't wait for your mentor to find you."

"Getting space around yourself where you have time to think and create is very important."

Jody DeVere is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, often-quoted industry pundit and spokesperson for the automotive industry on the women's market. Jody's company, AskPatty.com, Inc. serves as the first point of contact for many women who are seeking the very best experience to buy a car and service by visiting Certified Female Friendly® automotive retail locations across the United States and Canada.

Key Takeaways

• Everything needs to be filled with compassion and empathy so that you can properly support your team.
• How do you shift as a leader and tap into your creativity in times of overwhelm and crisis?
• Jody takes an hour every morning to meditate and tap into her creative self.
• What do you want to be known for? Like truly?
• Jody has had to start over a few times. If your goal is to just make money, it's not going to be enough.
• So many women have negative self-talk. Stop it!
• Why are you still doing this? Is it still valuable to you and your goal?
• You stop yourself more than the world is stopping you!
• What is your concept and relationship to money? Is it helping you or hurting you?
• Women are starting their own businesses about 10X the rate of men! Why?
• What was Jody's very first car buying experience?
• Twenty years in, Jody is still passionate and loves what she does.

Resources

Askpatty.com

Jody on LinkedIn

Quotes

Michelle's quote: "Whether you're choosing it or not, your team becomes like you."

"What do you want to be known for? With that, you crystalize that thinking and that vision for yourself, everything else becomes easy."

"Women I talk to, they talk themselves out of a big audacious vision because they feel like they lack something. You stop yourself more than the world is stopping you."

"I have partnered with numerous large brands, joined together on a mission, to make our industry a place where not only women want to work, but know they can break the glass ceiling and work at the highest levels."

Catherine Hamilton is the Vice President of Consumer Services and Strategic Planning at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont. Catherine is also a certified yoga instructor and prides herself on prioritizing her wellness first before serving others. In this episode, Catherine encourages women to not apologize for having good ideas. Be confident in the way you talk, and don't second guess yourself. If you've ever wondered how a superwoman 'can do it all,' then you're asking yourself the wrong question!

Key Takeaways

• How do you do it all?
• Catherine has never really been a perfectionist.
• We put so much pressure on ourselves to appear perfect. Why?
• So many women want to be strong and powerful leaders, but then they also want to be the good girl and not rock the boat.
• Why do smart women feel like they have to apologize for making a good point?
• Speak your truth and do not apologize.
• You have to train your inner voice to speak up and talk.
• As an overachiever, Catherine needs the support of her female friends to help her keep balance.
• Catherine gets asked, "How do you do it all?" But she doesn't think that's the best question to ask.
• Catherine creates time for herself and that helps her get more done.
• When Catherine was 40, she had twin boys. Her pretty stable life was thrown out of control and it took some time to adjust to.
• How was Catherine able to maintain and respect the boundaries she set for herself?
• It's your responsibility to take care of yourself inside before you can show up as a leader.
• Catherine shares how she has adapted her self-care practice now that she is at home and working remotely.
• The more that Catherine gives, the more energized she feels.
• Everyone needs to be careful of their social media use and watching someone else's perfect life.
• How can women better support other women?

Resources

Drsamcollins.com

Catherine on LinkedIn

Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection, by Debora L. Spar

Quotes

Michelle's quote: "I'm not going to let you off the hook. Going inside and taking care of you, establishing practices for wellness day in and day out creates that stable foundation that you need as a leader."

"Although women and men both suffer from perfectionism, women tend to ruminate more and feel pressure to live up to the perfectionist standards they have to fill."

"I make the mistake of trying to please everybody at work and not say anything that anyone objects to."

"If we want to change the world and our organization for the better, we have to be willing to say things that not everyone will like."

Dr. Sam Collins works with communities and organizations to create the right conditions for empowerment, equality, and change. Throughout her 20 years of experience, she has worked with women and has seen some common themes appear over and over, like lack of confidence, fear to speak out and share their voice, and being fit into a blueprint that women have to take on all of life's responsibilities. However, it doesn't have to be this way! Dr. Sam shares her thoughts on this week's episode.

Key Takeaways

• Sam has been doing this for over 20 years. How did she get into this field?
• When Dr. Sam first got into this, well-intentioned people were worried she was alienating half of her target market. Her dad was worried people would call her a — gasp! — feminist.
• As women, we have very unique skills and talents that have not been valued up until now. The good news is, things are changing.
• The whole system needs to change right now. We're at a time where we all want change.
• Sometimes we ask ourselves the wrong questions.
• Women have been given a blueprint that says, if you do this, you will have to sacrifice something else.
• Over the years, Dr. Sam has not seen a lot of progress in a woman's confidence.
• By us sharing our stories, you inspire other women to speak up, too.
• People think you're born brave, the truth is, you have to learn it.
• Sam has consciously worked on being bolder and not worrying about what people think. It's a lifelong journey.
• Sam shares what her experience was like when she first visited the Congo.
• Do not compare yourself to others. You are on your own journey.
• Take your own steps, and they can be small ones! You don't need to take huge leaps and bounds in order to feel productive.
• Sam recognizes it can be challenging to speak up, but people need to hear your voice.
• What does Dr. Sam like to do in her free time?

Resources

Drsamcollins.com

Dr. Sam on LinkedIn

Quotes

Michelle's quote: "It's a time to start challenging ourselves and one another to come together, but to think differently."

"Let's measure empathy. Let's measure femininity. Have you seen a performance review measuring our level of feminism? I haven't."

"There will be a consequence to the things I say, and I am okay with it."

"It's a huge deal to speak up at a meeting when you wouldn't normally and there could be all sorts of judgment and consequences happening as a result of doing that. So, the more we make that okay, that's how we learn and grow."

Tricia Halsey is the thought leader behind Generous Leadership® and the Founder of Big Idea Project®. Tricia is a recovering overachiever and has seen, and felt, its nasty side effects up close and personal. She refuses to let anyone on her team be in their 'striving self' because it only does more harm than good! That doesn't mean they don't show up and work hard, but there is a conscious balance and effort that gets put into how you feel about yourself. You might be a people pleaser or a perfectionist, Tricia says stop! Take time for yourself and become comfortable in your own skin. Tricia covers all this and more on this week's episode.

Key Takeaways

• Are you a perfectionist? People pleaser? Do you overwork yourself? This podcast is for you.
• Have people in your life that are truth-tellers, not just a friend or a colleague telling you what you want to hear.
• Tricia has always been an overachiever. As an athlete, it's all about being in discomfort and pushing yourself.
• … And then Tricia got sick.
• Tricia was forced to recalibrate her values.
• No one on her team is allowed to live in a 'striving' mode. That doesn't mean they don't work hard.
• Why do we overwork ourselves to near-death? Why do we do it?
• Sometimes, there has to be a death before a rebirth can happen.
• When Tricia slowed everything down, that's when she became reborn and healthy again.
• When you incorporate reflection, your productivity goes up!
• Be brave. You need to be brave to reach for the things you don't have yet, but you know it's in you to achieve.
• Michelle shares how her 'striving self' shows up in times of overwhelm.
• Why do we make things so much harder than they need to be?
• There is so much power and calm in just being who you are.
• Tricia would cause herself so much stress because she was such a people pleaser. Now, she has so much peace and comfort in her own skin.
• If Tricia is faced with an uncomfortable situation, she puts herself in their shoes, asks questions about what they might be feeling, and she leads with love instead of fear.
• Tricia has seen the results personally of just letting love lead. People are receptive to it and calm down immediately when they know you are on their side! People trust her more because of it.
• Belief determines behavior.
• Tricia explains what generous leadership is.
• We all go through seasons in life. Sometimes you have to put all of your energy into a project, but you just have to be conscious and know your limits, know when to take pause, and take a break.
• Be okay with the little stuff.
• Tricia breaks down how to practice generous leadership.

Resources

Generousleadership.org

Bigideaproject.org

Tricia on LinkedIn

Quotes

Michelle's quote: "Before we can make a change and see a shift within ourselves, we have to be able to identify."

"In farming, there is a death before a rebirth. We see it, winter comes before spring. It's all over in nature and it's true for us too."

"Our thoughts move a whole lot faster than our heart."

"We can't really truly change behavior until we change what the person believes underneath that behavior."

Jen Coken is an executive coach and recovering stand-up comedian. Jen at an early age knew that she had to be the funny one because she never fit into the traditional archetype of the 'pretty girl.' She went down a journey of self-discovery a few years ago and discovered all of this was a byproduct of imposter syndrome. Today's episode covers what is imposter syndrome, why everyone has it, and how to overcome these thoughts that are weighing you down.

Key Takeaways

• What is imposter syndrome?
• When our brain feels a signal that we're threatened, we start to develop coping mechanisms to help us overcome them.
• Jen learned early on that she was going to be the funny side-kick. She didn't fit into the model of the 'pretty one.'
• Everyone has imposter syndrome.
• Jen takes the lead and begins to coach Michelle on her own show!
• Men struggle with speaking out just as much as women do. However, they're not as verbal about it as women are.
• When Michelle's in a meeting, what is she afraid of?
• Don't let your inner upset eight-year-old ruin your entire life.
• It's only natural that we develop brain patterns to protect ourselves and to play it safe.
• If you didn't have these thoughts holding you back, what kind of person would you be?
• What we see in others, a lot of times, is what we see in ourselves that we don't like.
• What you can't be, robs you of your power. If we are angry and reactive, our power gets robbed from being proactive.
• How do you get your power back? You look within.
• Jen shares a childhood story about anger when she was 15.
• The desire to help women overcome imposter syndrome and the framework to empower women started a long time ago for Jen because of what she had to overcome.

Resources

Jencoken.com

Jen on LinkedIn

Impostorsyndrome.com

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron

Quotes

Michelle's quote: "As you further yourself on the ladder of success, the better chance you have that you will struggle with imposter syndrome to a greater degree."

"If you feel like you have to do it alone because if you asked for help, people would know you really didn't have what it takes — that's imposter syndrome."

"She is looking for people to be critical of her, which is completely shutting down her voice."

"If I wasn't having all of these stupid thoughts questioning myself, who would I be?"

Susan Eick thought she had to act like a man in order to get invited into the corporate boy's club, but it wasn't working! The harder she tried, the fewer things she got invited to, and to top it off, it was exhausting! Why pretend to be something you're not? Susan has learned over the years that being your authentic self is the best way to lead and have people respect/admire you. Women/Men have natural talents and we should leverage them, not try to act like each other.

Key Takeaways

• ● Leadership is a people's game.
• ● Leaders are having time now to really take a step back and analyze where their time is going.
• ● As leaders take more digital meetings, they're not scheduling time for breaks and so they end up feeling more exhausted than before.
• ● Sometimes it can be difficult to innovate, there's a lot of testing that goes into it or they might not have a budget so they don't prioritize it, but Susan is seeing that so many leaders had to innovate overnight due to the pandemic.
• ● They didn't think they had innovation in them, but they were wrong! They were able to get things up and running with no budget, within a week.
• ● Susan explains the difference in culture in Canada vs. the U.S.
• ● What risks are out there for a modern leader?
• ● There's a pent up demand for getting this back to normal as quickly as possible and leaders are forgetting that you still need to communicate to your team!
• ● Susan's first employee retreat, she didn't know if it went well or not. Fast forward to her latest one and she's never felt more connected. The biggest shift in this was Susan and being more open/authentic to her team.
• ● When Susan was coming up in her corporate career, she had to look like a guy and show no emotions.
• ● Susan realized she couldn't be someone she wasn't, so when she started opening up and showing more of her personality, that's when more doors opened for her.
• ● What's next for Susan?
• ● Susan's daughters have better female role models than she did when she was growing up. She is very hopeful for the future.
• Resources
• Refineryleadership.com
• Susan on LinkedIn
• Quotes
• Michelle's quote: "There is a level of importance around keeping the intimacy around human connection and leaders with their team."
• "Leadership's a people's game and we've forgotten that. In the past we thought it was a title, status, responsibility, and people get pushed down."
• "Leaders I've been talking to have said that they're forced to innovate overnight. We have this need and we have to act on it now."
• "Work says they want your best you, but what if your best you is something that is not as beautiful and polished as what they've experienced in the past?"

Michelle Tenzyk advises and coaches CEOs and senior-level executives to create company cultures that attract and retain critical talent at all levels. Michelle shares something so important in today's episode — Tell your story and speak your truth. It's going to be difficult; there will be many people who judge you online, but the more of us that share our story, the easier it will be to bring those walls down!

Key Takeaways

• ● The ability to live in the moment helps manage the constant uncertainty around us.
• ● For most of us, life tends to be more certain. We have routines and there's a sense of comfort happening.
• ● How can women better manage this feeling of 'everything is out of control'?
• ● Look at your feet. Where are your feet right now? This helps bring Michelle back to the present.
• ● What you're experiencing right now is temporary. It will get better. There will be an ending.
• ● Put your oxygen mask on first! Really! Do it!
• ● Leaders are not worried about their people, but about themselves and their family. There's a lot going on.
• ● People are now seeing the inside of your homes and it's opened up for more connection because people can ask about the pictures, etc, that are in your background! Embrace this connection.
• ● We need to break the walls down!
• ● Michelle talks about how online criticism really affected her and how she was able to manage through that.
• ● When Michelle's story went viral, she was ready for everything that would get thrown at her because she had done the work.
• ● Sharing your story gives people hope! By telling our story one at a time, the walls will come down.
• ● There will be judgments made against you. Michelle can't tell you that the path will be rosy.
• Resources
• Easttenthgroup.com
• Michelle on LinkedIn
• Brené Brown
• Quotes
• Michelle's quote: "It's really an honor to be able to create meaningful conversations with powerful women that exude compassion, thoughtfulness, and truth."
• "Look at my feet. Where are my feet right now? I'm planted right here, right now. To help me bring me back to the moment."
• "The situation I'm in right now is temporary. They will be another side to this. Most of the time I don't know how long temporary is."
• "In the corporate and the business world, we need to hear stories like this. We need to know we're not alone. We need to know there's hope."