Bossed Up

Why are organizations overlooking the mental health of their greatest assets? Political campaigns, much like other advocacy and caregiving professions, attract a certain type of person: hard-working, dedicated to the cause, and highly empathetic. Unfortunately, the willingness of this deep-feeling population to run themselves into the ground for the cause is all too often taken advantage of, and their wellbeing is consistently undersupported. 

In this episode, I speak with the founder of Mind the Movement, a non-profit that raises awareness for and develops mental health benefits for campaigns and other underserved initiatives. Ashley Williams shares her refreshingly practical take on what’s missing and what’s needed to help these essential organizers stay well and return to fight the good fight another day.

Discover how organizers and employees alike can start prioritizing their mental health:

• The business argument for caring about the wellbeing of short-term staff;
• What a psychologically safe workplace looks like;
• The link between caring deeply and campaigning;
• How to manage the constant overwhelm that’s become our new normal.

Related Links:

• Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleycwilliams/ 
• Follow Mind the Movement on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/mind-the-movement/ 
• Follow Mind the Movement on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mindthemovementfund/ 
• Follow Mind the Movement on Substack - https://mindthemovement.substack.com/ 
• 2024 Campaign Staff Mental Health Report - https://bit.ly/24MTM 
• The Unmute Yourself Toolkit - https://mindthemovement.org/toolkit/ 
• When We’re In Charge by Amanda Litman - https://www.amandalitman.com/wwic 
• Episode 518, How Millennial and Gen Z Leaders are Changing What it Means to be in Charge - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode518 
• Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter - https://bookshop.org/p/books/unfinished-business-women-men-work-family-anne-marie-slaughter/aa05ce9043ac07ad 
• New America Think Tank - https://www.newamerica.org/ 
• TAKE ACTION with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/takeaction
• HIRED: a job search accelerator video course - https://www.bossedup.org/gethired 
• LEVEL UP: a leadership accelerator for current and aspiring women managers - https://www.bossedup.org/levelup 
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ 
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ 

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What if the best way to keep AI from taking your job is to make it work for you? The public has a lot of hot takes on AI, especially as it impacts women. It’s a source of unlimited potential or the destruction of work as we know it. We need to be embracing it wholeheartedly or avoiding it at all costs. As usually, the levelheaded answers to these questions fall somewhere in the middle. In this episode, communications pro Shira Fine joins me to share her experience implementing AI into her business and her take on how we can do the same without overshadowing our expertise or erasing our jobs.

Start leveraging AI without selling your soul to Big Tech:

• How to make the chatbot work for you without training it on your data;
• The erroneous assumptions we make when we let AI intimidate us;
• Why it isn’t cheating to use AI for your repeatable tasks;
• The promise and limitations of this ever-evolving technology.

Related Links:

• Connect with Shira on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shirafine/ 
• Find out more about Shira’s firm, Bryson Gillette - https://www.brysongillette.com 
• Episode 540, “The Double Disadvantage: AI, Women, and the Future of Work” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode540 
• Episode 542, “Why AI is Giving Women the Ick” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode542 
• Episode 546, “The Hidden Force Keeping Women From Using AI” - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode546 
• LEVEL UP with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/levelup
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/ 
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/ 

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How do you know if you’re on the right financial track for retirement? Once you hit the midway point of your career, when you’re feeling settled enough (or maybe just exhausted enough) to start looking ahead, retirement is a good thing to start thinking about. But in this current economic climate, financial futures feel more uncertain than ever. Will your savings actually enable you to retire when you want?

If you’re worried at all about your prospects, a financial advisor is a good place to start. Lorie Jones is the owner of Fearless Financial Advisors. She takes a practical and compassionate approach to helping high-income and entrepreneurial women sort out their money questions and build financial confidence. Women are unique when it comes to job security, investing, and spending. Lorie brings both extensive education and first-hand experience to the table to offer some hard-won and practical advice.

Map out your financial future so you know where you stand today:

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What do uneven benefits changes from mega corporations tell us about how these workplaces value women? In the past few months, both Deloitte and Zoom have publicly announced significant changes to particular portions of their employee benefits packages. These adjustments amount to telling certain employees (mostly women) that they matter less than others. 

By slashing paid family and medical leave and paid time off for “support roles,” Deloitte is effectively hamstringing the predominantly female portion of their staff - those workers in positions like finance, admin, and HR (and the changes also impact IT and marketing). Comparatively, they confirmed that no deductions will befall employees in client-facing positions. In this episode, I break down what companies are saying when they curb vital childcare and parental benefits for the portion of their workforce that shoulders the bulk of caregiving responsibilities.

Learn more about this “gender-scrubbing” form of sexism that perpetuates workplace inequity, including:

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When’s the last time you got caught up in a mental spiral, going over and over a past event or constantly reimagining a future one? Research shows we’re more prone to this habit than ever. That cycle that peaks your anxiety and distracts you from what’s happening at the moment is called rumination, and my guest wrote a book all about it.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an acclaimed science journalist whose new book, “Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist,” explores the neuroscience behind why we fall into these repetitive patterns. Her knowledge of the topic is informed by all the latest research, and she has even developed her own framework for dealing with it; I experience that approach first-hand, right in the middle of our conversation. 

This episode is essential listening for anyone who wants the tools to break out of those stressful spirals once and for all. Stop spiraling and ramp up your power over your own mind:

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How do you do more without burning out? People often ask me how (and why) I do so many things. From running multiple businesses to raising two young children, from the outside I understand how my life can seem chaotic and primed for collapse. But what if my latest “side hustle” isn’t the final nail in the exhaustion coffin? What if it’s the very thing keeping me from burnout?

In today’s episode, I get real about the how and why behind my newest business endeavor. Are you one of those people who finds your daily grind exhausting, not because of the physical or mental toll but because some intangible piece is still missing for contentment? Then this hot take might resonate: sometimes adding to your plate - not subtracting - is the key to increasing your engagement. Let’s break down how realigning your priorities may be key to contentment - no matter what era you’re in now:

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What can you do to improve your executive presence? Perception of your leadership abilities directly impacts your career trajectory, for better or worse. You’ve likely heard of executive presence before, but even though it often comes up in the context of something to improve, it’s difficult for many people to identify a clear path to make that improvement.

My guest, Dr. Alexa Chilcutt, is an executive communication expert at Johns Hopkins University and wrote the book, “The Presence Principle.” In it, she offers a 3-step framework to demystify this confusing but vital professional trait once and for all. Alexa joins me on the podcast to get into the weeds about what executive presence is and how we can cultivate it to become more impactful leaders.

Give your career trajectory a boost with Alexa’s research-backed perspective:

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What does attribution bias have to do with women adopting AI? Research has shown that women are more reluctant to embrace these new technologies than men and that this discrepancy is creating a whole new kind of workforce gap. One big reason for this reticence is a belief that using AI is somehow “cheating.” As an April 2026 study from Lean In shows, this assumption is backed up by a whole lot of concrete evidence.

If you’ve been avoiding AI and can’t quite put your finger on why, this episode might shed some light. Women are no strangers to attribution bias, and the ever-growing rise of this tech is a whole new field for unequal expectations to play out on. Workers who use AI tools see big productivity and career benefits. However, we can’t just dive into AI and expect the playing field to even itself out. We must also address the root causes of women’s reluctance and opposition to this new technology.

Fight the bias and reap the career rewards by learning more about:

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How do you manage your anxiety-driven overachieving without losing your competitive edge?

There’s a good chance that, if you’re an avid Bossed Up listener, the spiral of the do-it-all overachiever is familiar to you. You’re stressed out, maybe burnt out, and potentially navigating anxiety, too.. Maybe you fear that seeking more balance means losing the drive that makes you successful and sought-after.

Dr. Lindsay Pfister-Kerr is a recovering anxiety-driven perfectionist turned coach and the author of “From Perfectionist to Empowered: A Makeover Guide.” She’ll be the first to tell you that you don’t have to choose one or the other. In this episode, she speaks with me about the reverberating impact our perfectionism and stress have on those around us and how we can make moves toward a better balance without giving up our high-achiever status. Lindsay’s insights will give you hope that you can step out of the stress of perfectionism and embrace a more intentional, fulfilling life.

Create empowerment without abandoning your ambition:

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How can a strong value proposition help you stand out in your job search? If you can’t explain how your skills and experience make you perfect for a position, you’ll have a hard time convincing a hiring team to choose you. That’s why, whether you’re looking to rise in the ranks at your current organization or go in an entirely new direction, selling yourself with clarity and confidence is essential. 

In this episode, I walk you through building a powerful value proposition, from brainstorming and data collection to getting outside support. You have all the experience you need to write the perfect sales pitch, one that sums up why your past experience and impact make you the best choice for that exciting new job or promotion.

Get confident and concise with your value proposition:

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