Beyond The Ladder

Beyond The Ladder

By Melody KeelBusiness
Download on the App Store

Beyond The Ladder episodes

  • Composing Your Leadership Symphony

    đ‘»đ’‰đ’† đ‘©đ’‚đ’đ’‚đ’đ’„đ’† 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕.

    It's a carrot dangled in front of women, promising that if we just get the equation right, we'll finally have the life we want.

    𝐈𝐭 𝐝𝐹𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡. 𝐈𝐭 đ§đžđŻđžđ« 𝐰𝐚𝐬 đŹđźđ©đ©đšđŹđžđ 𝐭𝐹.

    This episode, I sat down with my dear friend Whitnee Hawthorne, Author of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐯đČ đ–đšđ«đ€đąđ§đ  𝐌𝐹𝐩, and đ“đ„đƒđ± đŹđ©đžđšđ€đžđ«. 


    We talk about why "balance" is a myth. We also get into her 𝟕 𝐃𝐬 of delegation and why burnout is usually a broken system, not a lack of grit.

    Some things we dig into:

     ➀ 𝐖𝐡đČ "đ›đšđ„đšđ§đœđž" 𝐱𝐬 𝐚 𝐩đČ𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 đ„đąđŻđąđ§đ  đ„đąđ€đž 𝐚 𝐬đČđŠđ©đĄđšđ§đČ đ„đšđšđ€đŹ đ„đąđ€đž 𝐱𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝.

     ➀ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟕 𝐃𝐬 𝐹𝐟 đđžđ„đžđ đšđ­đąđšđ§, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡đČ đŹđ­đžđ©đ©đąđ§đ  đ›đšđœđ€ 𝐱𝐬 𝐚 đŹđźđ©đžđ«đ©đšđ°đžđ«.

     ➀ 𝐖𝐡đČ 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐩 đ›đźđ«đ§đšđźđ­ 𝐱𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐱𝐠𝐧 đŸđ„đšđ°, 𝐧𝐹𝐭 𝐚 đ©đžđ«đŹđšđ§đšđ„ đŸđšđąđ„đźđ«đž.

    I'm really glad you're here.

    With Love,

    Melody ❀

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    23 min
  • Stop Putting Your Passions on the Someday List

    đŒ'𝑚 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛.

    But what if today is the occasion? What if there is no "someday" waiting on the other side of the closet door?

    𝐖𝐞 đ€đžđžđ© 𝐭𝐡𝐞 đ›đžđšđźđ­đąđŸđźđ„ 𝐭𝐡𝐱𝐧𝐠𝐬 đ°đ«đšđ©đ©đžđ đźđ©. 𝐖𝐞 đ€đžđžđ© đšđźđ«đŹđžđ„đŻđžđŹ đ°đ«đšđ©đ©đžđ đźđ© 𝐭𝐹𝐹.

    In this episode, I share something deeply personal, losing my dad unexpectedly, and the birthday trip we planned together that he never got to take. 
    I talk about what that loss taught me about time, about waiting, and about all the "good dishes" we keep saving for a day that may never come.

    Journal prompts for you:

     ➀ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐩 𝐈 đœđ«đšđŻđąđ§đ  đŠđšđ«đž 𝐹𝐟 𝐱𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐱𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐹𝐧? 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 đšđ« đ«đžđšđœđĄ? đ’đ­đšđ›đąđ„đąđ­đČ đšđ« đŹđ­đ«đžđ­đœđĄ? đƒđžđŹđœđ«đąđ›đž 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 đœđ«đšđŻđąđ§đ  đ„đšđšđ€đŹ đ„đąđ€đž 𝐱𝐧 đČđšđźđ« đœđšđ„đžđ§đđšđ« 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐱𝐧 đČđšđźđ« 𝐛𝐹𝐝đČ.
     ➀ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐩 𝐈 đšđŸđ«đšđąđ 𝐭𝐹 𝐚𝐝𝐩𝐱𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭? đ–đ«đąđ­đž 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 đŸđžđžđ„đŹ 𝐭𝐹𝐹 đ­đžđ§đđžđ« đšđ« 𝐭𝐹𝐹 𝐚𝐩𝐛𝐱𝐭𝐱𝐹𝐼𝐬. đ˜đšđźđ« đŸđźđ­đźđ«đž đŹđžđ„đŸ 𝐩𝐚đČ đ­đĄđšđ§đ€ đČ𝐹𝐼 đŸđšđ« 𝐭𝐡𝐱𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐩𝐱𝐬𝐬𝐱𝐹𝐧.
     ➀ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 đ°đšđźđ„đ 𝐈 đ©đźđ«đŹđźđž 𝐱𝐟 đŸđžđšđ« 𝐰𝐚𝐬 đȘđźđąđžđ­đžđ«? 𝐍𝐹𝐭 𝐠𝐹𝐧𝐞, 𝐣𝐼𝐬𝐭 đȘđźđąđžđ­đžđ«. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐹𝐰𝐬 đźđ© 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐱𝐭 𝐝𝐹𝐞𝐬?
     ➀ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 đ€đąđ§đ 𝐹𝐟 đ„đąđŸđž 𝐝𝐹 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩đČ đ°đšđ«đ€ 𝐭𝐹 đŹđźđ©đ©đšđ«đ­? 𝐍𝐹𝐭 𝐣𝐼𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 đČ𝐹𝐼 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐹 đ›đźđąđ„đ, 𝐛𝐼𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 đČ𝐹𝐼 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 đČđšđźđ« đ„đąđŸđž 𝐭𝐹 đŸđžđžđ„ đ„đąđ€đž.

    I'm really glad you're here.
    With Love,
    Melody ❀

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    12 min
  • Climbing Without Losing Yourself

    "đŒ'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 đŒ 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝."

    That's the lie the ladder tells you. There is no top where it suddenly gets easier to put yourself first.

    𝐓𝐡𝐞 đœđ„đąđŠđ› 𝐰𝐚𝐬 đ§đžđŻđžđ« 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐹 𝐜𝐹𝐬𝐭 đČ𝐹𝐼 đČđšđźđ«đŹđžđ„đŸ, 𝐱𝐭'𝐬 đŹđźđ©đ©đšđŹđžđ 𝐭𝐹 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐹𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐱𝐧𝐠 đČ𝐹𝐼 𝐝𝐹, 𝐧𝐹𝐭 𝐬𝐹𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐱𝐧𝐠 đČ𝐹𝐼 đđąđŹđšđ©đ©đžđšđ« 𝐱𝐧𝐭𝐹.

    In this episode, I get honest about what it looks like when the career quietly becomes the center of everything. I talk about the moments I missed, the people I leaned on to cover for me, and why I no longer believe grind culture is just "the way it is." 

    I share why I think it's time we all stop and take real inventory: who do we love, what brings us joy, and is that actually front and center ,or have we let something else take its place?

    Journal prompts for you:
     ➀ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐩 𝐈 𝐧𝐹 đ„đšđ§đ đžđ« đ°đąđ„đ„đąđ§đ  𝐭𝐹 đŹđšđœđ«đąđŸđąđœđž 𝐱𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐹𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐱𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭? 𝐓𝐡𝐱𝐬 𝐱𝐬 𝐧𝐹𝐭 đ«đžđŹđąđ đ§đšđ­đąđšđ§, 𝐱𝐭'𝐬 đœđ„đšđ«đąđ­đČ 𝐚𝐛𝐹𝐼𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 đšđœđ­đźđšđ„đ„đČ đŠđšđ­đ­đžđ«đŹ.
     ➀ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐹𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐼𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐹 𝐩𝐞 𝐧𝐹𝐰? 𝐍𝐹𝐭 𝐟𝐱𝐯𝐞 đČđžđšđ«đŹ 𝐚𝐠𝐹. 𝐍𝐹𝐰. 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐱𝐧𝐱𝐭𝐱𝐹𝐧 đžđŻđšđ„đŻđž.

    I'm really glad you're here.

    With Love,
     Melody ❀

    🔗 Join our free community and get your journal copy: https://gobeyondtheladder.com/

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    9 min
  • Becoming a consultant before it was common

    For years, my friends and colleagues said, "đŒ 𝑐𝑜𝑱𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑜 đ‘€â„Žđ‘Žđ‘Ą 𝑩𝑜𝑱 𝑑𝑜."

    Now those same people are calling me, asking how to do exactly that.

    đ˜đšđźđ« đžđ±đ©đžđ«đ­đąđŹđž 𝐱𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐹 𝐹𝐧𝐞 đœđšđŠđ©đšđ§đČ ,𝐱𝐭'𝐬 đČđšđźđ«đŹ 𝐭𝐹 đ©đšđœđ€đšđ đž, đ›đ«đšđ§đ, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 đœđšđ«đ«đČ 𝐰𝐱𝐭𝐡 đČ𝐹𝐼.

    In this episode, I get real about becoming a consultant before it was common — 22 years in clinical research, the mentor who saw it in me before I did, and why I believe so many of us are about to need this skill whether we're ready or not. I also talk about the year I overstacked myself with clients, said yes one too many times, and ended up having a stroke at 40 — and what freedom actually looks like for me now.

    Journal prompts for you:
    ➀ What strengths or expertise do I consistently underestimate?
    ➀ What would I do if money wasn't a factor and what does that tell me about my next step?

    I'm really glad you're here.

    With Love,
    Melody ❀

    🔗 Join our free community and get your journal copy: https://gobeyondtheladder.com/

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    14 min
  • Jamaica Was not a Failure!

    Everyone said it was a failure.

    We moved to Jamaica, downsized our home, pulled our kids out of school... and months later, we moved back home.

    But here's what I learned: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 đ„đšđšđ€đŹ đ„đąđ€đž đŸđšđąđ„đźđ«đž đŸđ«đšđŠ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐹𝐼𝐭𝐬𝐱𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 đšđœđ­đźđšđ„đ„đČ 𝐛𝐞 đ«đžđđąđ«đžđœđ­đąđšđ§, 𝐰𝐱𝐬𝐝𝐹𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐹𝐼𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐱𝐹𝐧 đŸđšđ« 𝐬𝐹𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐱𝐧𝐠 đ đ«đžđšđ­đžđ«.

    In this episode, I get real about the move, the hurricane that hit right after we landed, and why coming home wasn't defeat ,it was exactly the reset we needed.

    Journal prompts for you:
    ➀ What am I learning about trust, faith, or uncertainty right now?
    ➀ Where do I need more courage — and what's my first step?

    I’m really glad you’re here.
    With Love,
    Melody ❀

    🔗 Join our free community and get your journal copy: https://gobeyondtheladder.com/

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    10 min
  • Where Does Trust Begin in a Clinical Trial?

    In clinical trials, trust isn’t a soft skill it’s the foundation of everything. But trust doesn’t just happen between patients and sponsors. 

    It begins with the teams who run the trials. Without strong leadership, mentorship, and ongoing training, operational cracks erode not only team confidence but also trial credibility.

    In this episode, Melody Keel sits down with Cornelia Baumgartner, founder of Cetacea Clinical, to explore how mentorship, professional development, and team culture shape trust across rare disease, early-phase, and lean biotech environments. With over two decades of experience, from study nurse to strategist, Cornelia shares how clinical ops leaders can build resilient teams, embed trust at every layer, and position trials for success.

    What you’ll learn:
    ‱ Why trust starts with leaders who mentor, train, and invest in their teams
    ‱ How ongoing professional development strengthens trial quality and culture
    ‱ The risks of misaligned outsourcing and the need for empowered internal teams
    ‱ The connection between mentorship, operational readiness, and regulatory trust
    ‱ Practical steps for sponsors to embed credibility without unnecessary complexity

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    31 min
  • How Do You Turn Training into a Leadership Pipeline?

    What if your training programs didn’t just meet compliance—but built your next generation of leaders?

    In this episode, Melody Keel sits down with Celeste Brantolino, Senior Director at Exela Pharma Sciences and a 2025 Top 10 OnCon Learning & Development Professional, to explore how pharma and clinical organizations can transform training into a powerful leadership pipeline. 

    Drawing from her success leading scalable development programs and integrating AI-powered learning across operations, Celeste shares how smart L&D strategy drives real business impact.

    In this episode, you’ll learn:

    • How competency-based training can drive measurable promotion and performance outcomes
    • What it takes to scale leadership development in GMP-regulated, cross-functional environments
    • How immersive tech (AI/VR) is transforming onboarding and clinical readiness
    • Why tying learning to culture, feedback loops, and operational systems is key to long-term success

    If you're navigating high turnover, readiness gaps, or building internal talent pipelines, this conversation delivers the blueprint clinical ops leaders have been looking for.

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    41 min
  • When Leadership Looks Like Us

    Building Representation Into the Trial 

    Clinical research can’t scale without inclusive leadership. 

    In this episode, Melody sits down With Danielle S. Mitchell founder of Black Women in Clinical Research (BWICR).

    we go into the operational impact of building leadership that reflects the communities trials serve.

    We explore how representation isn’t just a DEI initiative, it’s a business-critical lever for retention, execution, and trust across trial ecosystems.

    • Why lack of representation drives burnout, turnover, and underperformance
    • How BWICR and Noir Research Collective are shifting the clinical leadership pipeline
    • The link between visibility, mentorship, and promotability in trial teams
    • Why inclusive infrastructure is essential for long-term retention and quality
    • What clinical ops leaders must unlearn to create equitable, high-performing teams

    This episode is for everyone who believes that building diverse, inclusive leadership isn’t just the right thing, it’s what makes clinical research work better for all of us.

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    22 min
  • Redefining Access

    What Clinical Teams Miss About Patient Recruitment 

    Equity in clinical trials isn’t about checking a diversity box, it’s about changing how we think, lead, and communicate.

    In this episode featuring Alyssa Beck, Account Management Lead at 1nHealth and former Creative Strategist, we explore what access truly means in 2025 and why patient recruitment must evolve beyond convenience and assumptions.

    👉 Why rural and underrepresented communities remain overlooked in clinical trial strategies
    👉 How digital-first outreach can drive equity, if it's built with clarity, culture, and care
    👉 What most clinical teams get wrong about recruitment messaging and patient trust
    👉 How cross-functional alignment (Ops, Comms, Vendors) can close access gaps
    👉 What it takes to lead with empathy and make recruitment truly inclusive

    This episode challenges traditional mindsets and offers real-world insights for clinical leaders ready to rethink how trials reach and respect patients.

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    37 min
  • When a Trial Saves Your Family

    Why Inclusion Must Be Intentional 

    Clinical trials aren’t just about data, they’re about people.

    For Denise N. Bronner, Ph.D., that truth became deeply personal when her father achieved remission thanks to a therapy approved through a clinical trial.

    In this episode, Melody Keel sits down with Denise, founder of Empactful Ventures, LLC and a leader at the intersection of science, equity, and strategy, to explore why inclusion must be built into the core of clinical research, not added on as an afterthought.

    What you’ll learn:
    👉Why equitable trial design is essential, not optional, for real-world outcomes
    👉How Denise operationalized DEI through data, dashboards, and site strategy
    👉The emotional and systemic stakes of exclusion in research
    👉How post-approval patient stories can uncover overlooked gaps in trial design

    Whether you’re running a single trial or shaping global research, this episode shines a light on why equity isn’t optional, it’s essential for impact that truly lasts.

    Make sure to subscribe on your favorite platform đŸ€
    And leave us a review â˜ș

    #ClinicalTrials  #DiversityInResearch #ClinicalOperations #InclusionMatters 

    #BeyondTheProtocol

    You can catch it on :

    đŸ“ș LinkedIn Live

    đŸ“ș YouTube ▶https://www.youtube.com/@Beyond.the.ladder


    34 min

About Beyond The Ladder

From the publisher's feed

Most of us were taught to chase the next title, until we realized the ladder was never actually leading anywhere we wanted to go.


𝐁𝐞đČ𝐹𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 đ„đšđđđžđ« is a podcast for