Too often the advice given to women doesn’t work because it wasn’t designed by or for women. In this episode, we share advice from inspirational women of influence. We break it down and talk about what advice serves us, and what advice…seemingly well-meaning, might lead to unintended consequences. Should we always give 100% in everything we do? Sho…

Want to know what you can do to show support for your family or friends who have a child with autism? This is the episode for you. April is autism awareness month so here are some things to be aware of. Research shows that mothers of children with autism have elevated levels of depression and stress levels comparable to the stress levels of active …

Which leadership traits are ideal and who decides? How important are confidence and assertiveness versus interpersonal sensitivity and empathy? Are we better off with the relaxed, caring, leader who strives to “do it harmoniously,” or the motivated, inspirational leader who strives to “do it together”? The logical, cautious leader who strives to “d…

Do you ever find yourself working on anything and everything but the thing that you should be working on? This episode addresses the inner saboteur and all the things that create resistance and interfere with your creativity and purpose. “Whenever you're feeling bored, bummed, or broken resistance is winning in your life.” ~ Mel Robbins Resistance …

Delivering big creativity starts with small steps and practices you incorporate into your everyday life. Too often we hold back our creative energy because we lack courage, but the truth is connecting to your creativity is connecting to your courage. Creativity = Courage Just like any proficiency, creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised. …

February is black history month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans, and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history and, importantly, in the women’s equality movement. African American women have too often been overlooked in the history of our fight for gender equity. This episode honors and quotes many brilli…

When you sit with warriors, the conversation is different. The power of sitting with warriors is the impact of those conversations. Too many of us are surrounded by people that will always see us as we are, rather than seeing our potential and growth. We need to nurture the right relationships and build a community of people that we can count on, t…

As women, we are often faced with unique barriers and then contradictory advice. This episode is about better understanding the biases that produce those barriers so that we can interrupt them and ditch the contradictory advice with strategies that work FOR WOMEN. Too often the best practice advice that women receive doesn't work for us because it …

Thanks to the sponsor of this episode Center Coach Create™ a personal and professional development company that helps ambitious women develop their mindset, skillset, and toolset with evidence-based strategies designed by and for women, Center Coach Create™ can help you get unstuck so you can transcend and thrive. Learn more at https://centercoachc…

As women, we can find ourselves feeling more stressed with all the holiday prep that so often disproportionately drains us of our time and our calm. We feel like if we don’t do all the things, others will be disappointed, or things will fall through the cracks. So, we do everything in our power to mediate that, often at great personal cost to our c…

Did you know that although women make up half the population, research shows we control or influence most consumer spending (more than 80% of all purchases!) Why then don't more businesses large and small think of women first when creating new products and services AND how dare these companies that benefit so greatly from the decisions women make t…

Have you ever felt Imposter Syndrome? Then #tunein because this is the episode for you! Women in the workplace and in society are too often “problematized” rather than addressing very real biases and barriers we face. We are told if we want to succeed…to belong…we have to fit in and research shows that fitting in is the opposite of belonging becaus…

We are all so busy juggling so many competing priorities for our time and energy. Careers, families, relationships, goals, aspirations, personal growth, wellness, and self-care. It can all begin to feel like too much. Where do we put our energy? Which seeds do we water? This episode is about focus and ensuring that energy flows where attention goes…

Too often culturally we glorify the hustle and grind. The truth is though, we all pay a price for overwork including stress, burnout, and less healthy emotional well-being. Especially for women. This episode of the #advancingwomenpodcast addresses the extreme work model, presenteeism, and a 24/7 work culture where high intensity is the norm, where …

Mansplaining is more than condescension or interrupting, it’s where condescension intersects with power and privilege. Mansplaining is a condescending explanation by members of socially, culturally, or legally privileged groups in their interactions with those who don’t hold the same power and privilege. In this episode, we deconstruct Androcentric…

Too often we as women take on an unfair share of responsibilities and then are blamed for saying yes to every request when we are too busy and feel overwhelmed. But… if we don’t do it, who will? This episode demystifies why it is so difficult for us as women to say no (hint: it’s not your fault, but it is your problem!) I explore with compassion (a…

Can meritocracy make things fairer? Does it level the playing field? A meritocracy is a system where power and advancement are granted to individuals based solely on talent, effort, ability, and achievement. That we will be evaluated based solely on performance as measured through objective criteria and demonstrated achievement. The problem is the …

If you think positive affirmations are a touchy-feely approach to dealing with bias and inequity, think again! Research shows that positive affirmations are an excellent way to combat negative messaging and positively impact our thoughts and actions. Positive affirmations help us to disrupt negative thinking (that often comes from gender bias that …

“You do not rise to the level of your goals, but you fall to the level of your systems” (James Clear, 2018, Atomic Habits). It is crucial for us as women who so often encounter unique, unfair barriers while also hearing conflicting advice (not created by or FOR women!) to transcend and thrive by creating intentional, actionable, steps and strategic…

If you are ambitious and achievement driven, it can be easy to find yourself in an extreme work model and out of balance especially when #presenteeism and constant availability are often erroneously associated with commitment and drive. This outdated “ideal worker” norm is bad for everyone, men and women, but research shows it can be especially dam…

This episode focuses on evidence-based, positive outcomes of gender equity for everyone, men, women, children, businesses, and even nations. A more gender-egalitarian future is one that can improve our lives. It’s a future with a higher potential for more happiness and satisfaction, reduced stress, better health, better marriages, stronger families…

Research shows that expectations can be a major cause of stress, anxiety, and loss of trust and respect in our relationships. This episode challenges the too-common narrative that it is women’s “too high expectations” that cause many of our problems. I introduce a more accurate narrative that serves women by distinguishing expectations(grounded in …

Do you over-apologize, even when you haven’t done anything wrong? Do you deflect compliments? These are topics that I am asked to speak about often and in this episode, I dig into why we as women over-apologize (hint: It’s not our fault) and what we can do to successfully interrupt this pattern. Apologizing when we have done something wrong is a re…

Today marks two years since I launched the Advancing Women Podcast. This episode highlights the evidence-based knowledge and awareness of our reality as ambitious women. The very real biases and barriers that can make our journey more difficult. I continue to hold up to the light, call out, and interrupt the narratives around women’s advancement th…

In the past few decades, we have seen a steady increase of women entering male-dominated fields, yet they are still finding that the good ole boys’ club persists. Studies show that women working in the business of sports trail all other industries on every dimension of inclusion. Women are expected to prove their competency again, and again, and ag…

It happens each time we turn on the tv, or scroll on our favorite social media app, and even when we visit with good friends. As human beings, we are all driven to try to gain an accurate self-assessment of who we are. If we’re not careful, this passive watching (and sometimes judging) of others can subconsciously begin to make us feel like what we…

Women represent half of the workforce, yet still, it is necessary to call out the subtle and overt ways the narratives surrounding women's contributions in the workforce can serve to reinforce biases. Too often, discussions on women and work, especially women, in a partnership or marriage suggest that work for women is a "choice" or in some way les…

Want to know what you can do to show support for your family or friends who have a child with autism? This is the episode for you. April is autism awareness month so here are some things to be aware of. Research shows that mothers of children with autism have elevated levels of depression and stress levels comparable to the stress levels of active …

“It is no longer reasonable or appropriate to identify everyday communication skills or people skills as soft skills. In a post-pandemic world, leaders, managers, and teammates must trailblaze with empathy and strong emotional intelligence or lose out.” (AMC) Tune in for this pragmatic interview on mindful communication with communications strategi…

A recent Pew Research Center report is gaining a lot of attention in the media. The study found that 30 percent of U.S. adults are neither married, living with a partner, nor engaged in a committed relationship and nearly half of all young adults are single. Here’s what is surprising, 34 percent of women, and a whopping 63 percent of men are single…

February is black history month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans, and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. African American women have too often been overlooked in the history of our fight for gender equity. The struggle against racism, sexism, and all other-isms. All must be addressed simultaneously…

Fashion is one of the most visible ways we express ourselves, yet too often we feel compelled to choose what is most flattering. We choose clothing that shrinks us or “sucks us in” versus what makes us feel joyful. Fashion should NOT just be for some, we should all be comfortable and confident enough to enjoy fashion, but that requires dismantling …

With the super bowl approaching many of us are going to be thinking about and talking about the ads. Recent studies show that despite an increased cultural focus on equality and empowerment movements, women report feeling that major brands are still not effectively acknowledging women’s priorities or communicating with women in an empowering or aut…

There is NOT an expiration on our goals. It’s our lives and our goals, so it should be on our timeline. We must be mindful though, that our timeline isn’t when things get “less busy” or when “you’re ready.” Here’s the thing warriors, things will NEVER not be busy. You will not likely ever find that elusive “more time” and there is no “perfect time.…

Happy New Year! In this first Advancing Women Podcast episode of 2023, we’re talking fresh starts, blank slates, and resolutions. Research shows that the most popular New Year’s resolutions are about self-improvement (living healthier getting happier, improving relationships, meeting goals.) Yet research also shows that less than 10% of people actu…

As women, we can find ourselves feeling more stressed with all the holiday prep that so often disproportionately drains us of our time and our calm. We feel like if we don’t do all the things, others will be disappointed, or things will fall through the cracks. So, we do everything in our power to mediate that, often at great personal cost to our c…

In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we're tackling cognitive distortions. A cognitive distortion is an assumption we make based on minimal evidence, or without considering the evidence. It is an exaggerated or irrational thought pattern that causes us to perceive reality inaccurately. We all engage in cognitive distortions. We can overg…

According to a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, one in four American workers have said that they have dealt with workplace bullying. Too often, when women experience workplace discrimination and bullying, we internalize that we are the problem and that does NOT serve us. In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, I speak with certif…

I often say when you sit with warriors, the conversation is different! We all need both challenge and support to thrive in our careers and our lives, but this is especially important for women. As women, we face unique biases and barriers that make #mentors, #sponsors, #coaches, and #community even more important. “When women connect in groups, the…

“We live in an age of ugly beauty. Reverence for beauty is just an escape from reality, it is the perpetual adolescent in us refusing to accept a flawed world” ~ author, Nancy Etcoff (Survival of the Prettiest). Research shows that society has long impacted our standards of beauty, playing a role in affecting beauty trends, body image, and self-est…

It takes courage to express the things you are passionate about and to transcend the limits of your comfort zone. Connecting to your creativity is connecting to your courage. Creativity, like courage, is energy with which you can connect. It is an essential part of who you are, AND it is a practice. Too often people think about creative people or t…

The advancing women podcast is where empathy meets pragmatism and today's episode is heavy on pragmatism. As ambitious, warrior women, we spend a lot of time and effort working toward professional goals and advancement. Unfortunately, there are many inequitable, sometimes invisible barriers and bias patterns that create an unlevel playing field for…

September is Self-Improvement Month, a time to reflect on all you've accomplished this year and to think about which goals you still want or need to work toward. Self-Improvement Month encourages us to make conscious and intentional efforts to improve ourselves. In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we approach self-improvement from a mor…

In this episode of the Advancing Women Podcast, we explore toxic positivity; a phenomenon where positivity is used to minimize one’s experience, and how this has been painfully exacerbated because of social media which thrives on toxically optimistic outlooks. Toxic positivity has perpetuated a brushing over of the real inequities and challenges ma…

In her popular TEDTalk titled Teach Girls Bravery Not Perfection, Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code asserts that we are raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave. Saujani says “I worry about our bravery deficit. The bravery deficit is why women are underrepresented in STEM, C-suites, boardrooms, Congress, a…

In a world where high salaries and titles are often considered the pinnacle of success, we can sometimes overlook things like personal happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and reaching our full potential. Winning, collecting the most toys, making the most money, earning the big title, attaining and dominating...that tends to be the language of success…

Have you been called bossy or pushy at work when you were just doing your job? Have you been tough, when necessary, only to be deemed difficult to work for or with? The explanation for this is Tightrope Bias and the Likeability Dilemma. Research shows that in many workplaces’ women wanting to advance often must take on more “masculine qualities” to…

Warrior women, this is an important and timely episode of the Advancing Women Podcast. Our speech, our “tone”, and even the octave of our voice is under attack! Scrutiny of women’s speaking patterns is the latest frontier in an endless barrage of judgment and undermining women face. It is yet another way to blame women. An attempt to shift the emph…

If you ask people the purpose of life, a lot of people will say happiness, but I would argue the purpose of life is to find purpose IN life. As Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said “The purpose of life is not to be happy, it is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. To have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” I am…

With guest Leah Noonan Medical gaslighting is when a healthcare provider dismisses your complaints or concerns. They don't take you seriously or blame your symptoms on a vague cause (such as stress) and often send you home without a proper diagnosis or treatment plan. This is what happened to today’s guest for decades. We live in a world where much…