In this episode, I'm joined by two incredible women, Monica Varela, owner of The Brow Foundry in Old Pasadena, and Kalei Mahi, Chief Legacy Officer of NextGen Legacy NIL. Both of them took the leap from stability into the unknown, building businesses rooted in integrity, purpose, and a deep commitment to the people they serve.

Together, we talk about the truth behind betting on yourself, the pivots you don't expect, the boundaries you learn to hold, the imposter syndrome that creeps in, the intuition that guides you, and the courage it takes to walk away from the safety of an 8-to-5 to build something with your own name on it.

Monica and Kalei share what it's really like to be mothers, partners, and business owners while trying to create a life that honors their values. They speak honestly about fear, burnout, learning to ask for help, and the emotional stretch of navigating the early years of entrepreneurship. Their stories are powerful reminders that the leap isn't perfect but it is possible.

If you've been sitting on a dream, feeling the tug to do something different, or talking yourself out of taking the next step, this conversation is for you. My hope is that you hear something that reminds you that you're not behind, you're not alone, and you are absolutely allowed to choose yourself.

This episode is an invitation for the gifted, tired woman holding so much, the woman sitting on a dream she hasn't fully given herself permission to pursue, to trust her intuition, set boundaries that protect her peace, and remember that she's not behind… she's standing at the edge of her next pivot.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

• Taking the leap often starts with a quiet realization: "I can't keep living my life this way."

• Boundaries around time, energy, and integrity are the backbone of a sustainable business and a grounded life.

• Unlearning corporate conditioning (people-pleasing, over-functioning, equating worth with output) is essential to building a business that reflects who you are.

• Asking for help is not a weakness; it's a practice of self-preservation that makes space for presence, purpose, and well-being.

• Women supporting women, through referrals, encouragement, and honest conversation, expands what's possible for all of us.

Monica Varela is the owner of The Brow Foundry, a brow and beauty studio in Old Pasadena. A brow artist with over 14 years of experience, she's known for her naturally defined brow style and her ability to make clients feel seen, safe, and at ease the moment they sit in her chair. Monica built her business in the midst of the pandemic, relying on intuition, deep client relationships, and a commitment to creating a one-on-one space where people can relax, connect, and leave feeling like the best version of themselves.

🌐 Learn more about "The Brow Foundry Pasadena" 🔗 Connect with Monica on social media through @THE.BROW.FOUNDRY

Kalei Mahi is the Founder and Chief Legacy Officer of NextGen Legacy NIL, where she helps high school and college athletes and their families, navigate partnerships, contracts, financial literacy, and personal branding in the evolving NIL landscape. With more than 15 years of experience working with brands such as AT&T, The Coca-Cola Company, Sony, Lexus, and YouTube, and her background as a record-holding Division I swimmer, Kalei brings both expertise and empathy to her work. She teaches athletes how to protect their value, understand the business behind their opportunities, and make informed decisions that will serve them long after their playing careers end.

🌐 Learn more about NextGen Legacy NIL 🔗 Connect with Kalei and NextGen Legacy NIL Instagram: @nextgenlegacy_nil LinkedIn

Dr. Debra Y. Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. She currently serves as Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools in Los Angeles, where she leads network-wide equity strategy focused on college readiness, belonging, and postsecondary completion for more than 13,000 scholars across 25 schools. With over 25 years in education and leadership, Debra now supports women of color leaders navigating transition, carrying a lot, and still committed to leading transformative change, in their organizations and in their own lives.

🌐 Learn more about coaching and consulting at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

So many of us hold ideas we love, a script, a podcast, a book, a creative project that keeps tapping us on the shoulder but something gets in the way of actually beginning. Fear. Perfection. Comparison. Not knowing the "how." Or simply believing we need everything in place before we take the first step.

In this episode, I sit down with Valerie Frugé, an actor, audio producer, and creative who is developing a limited series rooted in history and storytelling, and Steve Moreno, a music enthusiast and host of the upcoming podcast Nostalgic Jamz, who brings a deep passion for the songs that shaped us. Both of them have been carrying powerful ideas for years and both are now choosing to move from intention into action.

Together, we talk honestly about what holds us back, why starting often feels so heavy, and what shifts when you finally give yourself permission to begin. We explore fear, perfection, comparison, and the stories we tell ourselves that keep us stuck. And we talk about support, how the right conversation, the right question, or the right person can open the door to momentum.

This episode is for anyone sitting on a dream… anyone who knows there's more they want to create… and anyone standing in that uncomfortable space between knowing and doing.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and You Tube. It's time to move toward the thing you keep thinking about.

• The first step doesn't have to be big, it just has to be real.

• Fear shows up when something matters, not when we're unqualified.

• Comparison keeps us stuck in our heads; community helps us move.

• Perfection is a distraction from purpose.

• Support and accountability make starting possible.

Steve Moreno is an actor, audio producer, and creative based in Los Angeles. With years of experience in voiceover, comedy, and audio production, including work with Comedy Central, he brings a deep love of storytelling and collaboration to every project. He is currently developing a limited series inspired by historical events in Los Angeles, focusing on themes of identity, justice, and community.

Valerie Frugé is a creative, dancer, and lifelong music enthusiast based in Los Angeles. A self-described Xennial with a deep love for 70s–2000s music, she is the host of the upcoming podcast Nostalgic Jamz, where she explores the stories, memories, and meaning behind the songs that shaped a generation. Passionate, thoughtful, and rooted in connection, Valerie brings music and storytelling together in a fresh, grounded way.

Dr. Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and host of the Do Better with Debra podcast. As Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, she leads the network's equity, belonging, and postsecondary strategy. Through Do Better Executive Coaching, she supports women of color leaders navigating transitions and designing lives and careers anchored in clarity, power, and purpose.

🌐 Learn more at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

Jasmine Brett Stringer, MAPP, is a dynamic keynote speaker, award-winning author, television personality, and Founder & CEO of Carpe Diem with Jasmine LLC. Known for her vibrant presence and grounded wisdom, Jasmine blends the science of positive psychology with real-world experience to help individuals and organizations flourish.

In this episode, Jasmine and I talk about the R.E.S.T. framework she created, born out of one of the hardest seasons of her life, while studying positive psychology and caring for her father through illness. Her framework, designed especially with Black women in mind, reframes rest not as a luxury but as a necessity for our healing and wholeness.

Together, we explore how recovery, emotional agility, support, and time can transform the way we lead and live. Jasmine shares what it means to practice emotional agility, redefine strength, and reclaim time as an act of self-preservation. This conversation is an invitation for every woman holding so much to pause, breathe, and give herself permission to rest.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Key Takeaways

• Rest is not a reward—it's a requirement for your well-being.

• Emotional agility helps us feel, name, and move through emotions with awareness.

• Support means offering what's in your toolkit and receiving help with grace.

• Reclaiming your time is an act of self-love, not selfishness.

About Jasmine Brett Stringer Jasmine Brett Stringer, MAPP, is a keynote speaker, award-winning author, television personality, and Founder & CEO of Carpe Diem with Jasmine LLC. Through her signature frameworks, A.C.I.R., R.E.S.T., and Seize Your Life. she helps people build emotional agility, overcome overwhelm, and unlock joy. Jasmine's clients include the Federal Reserve Bank, Land O'Lakes, Airbnb, General Mills, Bayer, and the University of Minnesota. Based in Minneapolis, she holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and brings both warmth and rigor to her work helping others flourish.

🔗 Connect with Jasmine on LinkedIn 🌐 Learn more at jasminebrettstringer.com

About Dr. Debra Griffith Dr. Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. She currently serves as Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, where she leads the network's equity strategy focused on college readiness, belonging, and postsecondary success across 25 schools serving more than 13,000 scholars. With over 25 years in education and leadership, Debra now supports women of color leaders navigating transitions and leading transformative change.

🌐 Learn more at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

Rodolfo "Rudy" Elizondo is an equity-driven leader who has spent more than two decades in public education and the nonprofit sector. Recently appointed Chief of Education at College Track, Rudy brings deep experience as a system-level strategist, a champion for first-generation scholars, and a leader whose philosophy centers real-world problem solving, collaboration, and trust.

In this episode, Rudy and I reflect on our rare partnership as two Chiefs working side by side one grounded in data and analysis, the other in intuition and human connection. We talk about what it takes to build trust across differences, how generosity and humility change the way leaders show up, and why leaving ego at the door creates space for the work that really matters. Together, we explore moving past imposter syndrome, leading with our whole selves, and creating partnerships that allow us to focus on scholars, not titles.

This conversation is for every leader navigating complex systems who has ever wondered: What would it feel like to lead without ego?

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Key Takeaways

• Leadership without ego creates space for trust, generosity, and impact.

• Partnerships thrive when leaders align on purpose, not titles.

• Imposter syndrome loses power when you choose to lead as your full self.

• True collaboration honors both data and intuition as sources of wisdom.

About Rudy Elizondo Rodolfo "Rudy" Elizondo is the Chief of Education at College Track, a national organization equipping first-generation and underserved students to earn their bachelor's degrees and lead lives of purpose and power. Previously, he served as Chief Instructional Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, overseeing 26 middle and high schools serving nearly 13,000 scholars. A first-generation Mexican-American, Rudy's leadership is grounded in equity, innovation, and a belief in education as a pathway to mobility and transformation. He is a Broad Fellow, a Cambiar Catalyst Fellow, and trained in Culturally Responsive Principal Supervision at the NYC Leadership Academy.

🔗 Connect with Rudy on LinkedIn

About Dr. Debra Griffith Dr. Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. She currently serves as Chief Equity Programs Officer at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, where she leads the network's equity strategy focused on college readiness, belonging, and postsecondary success across 25 schools serving more than 13,000 scholars. With over 25 years of experience in education and higher education leadership, she now supports women of color leaders and executives navigating professional transitions and leading transformative change.

🌐 Learn more at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

Dr. Jonathan Grady is an influential leader, scholar, and equity strategist whose work centers transformative justice, radical imagination, and leading with love. As Senior Associate Vice President for Equity & Belonging at Cal Poly Pomona, he brings more than 17 years of experience driving systemic equity strategies, cultivating holistic workplace cultures, and building communities where people can recognize their inner strength, brilliance, and magic.

In this episode, Jonathan and I talk about what it means to lead with love inside systems that often strip away humanity, and how his framework, The Helper's Story, offers language for the cost of constant caregiving while also pointing us toward healing and sustainability. We talk about legacy, connection, and why true leadership requires vulnerability, accountability, and joy.

This conversation is for every leader who has ever given until emptyand is ready to believe that caring for themselves is not indulgence but resistance.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Key Takeaways

• Love is not just a feeling, it is an action, a framework, and a leadership practice.

• The Helper's Story invites us to begin within, make meaning, embody action, and embrace transformation.

• True leadership creates healing spaces where mistakes become opportunities for learning.

• Rest, joy, and boundaries are revolutionary acts for helpers and caretakers.

About Dr. Jonathan Grady Dr. Jonathan Grady is the Senior Associate Vice President for Equity & Belonging at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. A nationally recognized scholar, speaker, and administrator, his work challenges us to rethink how we show up for ourselves and others. Through his Helper's Story framework, he helps leaders and organizations cultivate cultures rooted in love, healing, and accountability.

🔗 Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn

About Dr. Debra Griffith Dr. Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. With a career rooted in education and equity-centered leadership, she now supports women of color leaders and executives navigating professional transitions and leading transformative change.

🌐 Learn more at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

Anna Malaika Tubbs is a bestselling storyteller and truth-teller whose work pulls back the curtain on the erasure of Black women and the systems never built for us. Her latest book, Erased: What the American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us, is part manifesto, part mirror, helping us see the system clearly and reminding us that our stories matter.

In this episode, Anna and I talk about what it means to live and lead boldly inside structures designed to silence us, and how she turns painful erasure into powerful storytelling. We talk about joy, creativity, and faith as acts of resistance, and why young people deserve these conversations just as much as adults do.

This is a conversation for every woman who has ever wondered if the problem was her only to discover the truth: it was always the system.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Key Takeaways

• Patriarchy is not personal, it's structural, and we can name it.

• Writing and sharing our stories is a radical act of visibility.

• Young people are not too young for the truth, they are the leaders who will carry it forward.

• Joy and creativity are not luxuries; they are tools of survival and power.

About Anna Malaika Tubbs Anna Malaika Tubbs is the New York Times bestselling author of The Three Mothers and Erased: What the American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us. Her work has been featured in TIME Magazine, CNN, The Guardian, and more. A sought-after speaker and educator, Anna is dedicated to celebrating difference, advocating for women of color, and helping us all see the systems around us more clearly.

🔗 Connect with Anna on Instagram: @annamalaikatubbs 🌐 Learn more at annamalaikatubbs.com

About Dr. Debra Griffith Dr. Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. With a career rooted in education and equity-centered leadership, she now supports women of color leaders and executives navigating professional transitions and leading transformative change.

🌐 Learn more at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

The Courage to Choose You with Maria Elena De Guevara (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our conversation, Maria Elena introduces the ACE framework a powerful tool she's used throughout her life and leadership journey to navigate hard choices with clarity and intention.

We talk about knowing when to accept what is, when to push for change, and when to make the brave decision to walk away.

Maria shares how she used this framework during one of the most demanding seasons of her life, and how it helped her hold onto her values while navigating toxic systems.

We also get into salary negotiation, advocating for your worth, and why leadership at its core is personal.

Maria doesn't hold back, and this conversation is full of the wisdom, strategy, and heart she's known for.

If you've ever struggled to speak up for yourself, stayed too long in a role that drained you, or needed a reminder that your values don't make you difficult, they make you powerful, this episode is for you.

The ACE Framework is a leadership tool. Accept, Change, Exit, three options for navigating challenges with intention, clarity, and power.

Toxic environments don't define your worth. Sometimes staying is strategic. Sometimes leaving is survival. Either way, you get to decide.

Advocating for yourself isn't selfish, it's strategy. Do your homework, know your impact, and speak their language when it comes to salary and worth.

Leadership is deeply personal. The way you show up fully, unapologetically is as important as the systems you try to change.

Legacy isn't just what you do, it's who you empower. Maria Elena's impact lives on through the women she mentored who now lead with courage of their own.

Maria Elena De Guevara is a retired Director of Human Resources with over 40 years of leadership experience across city, county, manufacturing, and higher education. As Principal Consultant of HR Works!, she has guided organizations and individuals in building stronger systems and healthier workplaces.

🔗 Connect with Maria on LinkedIn

Dr. Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. With a career rooted in education and equity-centered leadership, she now supports women of color leaders and executives navigating professional transitions and leading transformative change.

🌐 Learn more at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

The Courage to Choose You with Maria Elena De Guevara (Part 1)

My friend and former colleague, Maria Elena De Guevara, is someone I've admired for years. She's a brilliant HR leader whose career spans higher ed, government, and county leadership but what makes her unforgettable is how she's navigated those spaces with courage, heart, and honesty.

In this episode, Maria shares how she learned to walk away from environments that demanded everything and gave little back. We talk about what it means to reclaim your power, protect your peace, and decide that choosing yourself isn't selfish it's survival.

This is a conversation for anyone who's ever felt the weight of toxic leadership, questioned when it's time to move on, or wondered if it's possible to lead without losing yourself in the process.

Part 1 is about the decision to leave the turning point that reshaped Maria's relationship with work and herself.

Listen in and take what you need.

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

• Leadership isn't just titles: it's how you reclaim your power in spaces not built for you.

• Healing is part of leadership: walking away, reflecting, and returning stronger is as valuable as any strategy.

• Legacy lives in people: the impact you leave behind is measured in lives touched, not job descriptions.

• Courage is a practice: choosing yourself, your values, and your joy is leadership in action.

About Us

Maria Elena De Guevara is a retired Director of Human Resources with over 40 years of leadership experience across city, county, manufacturing, and higher education. As Principal Consultant of HR Works!, she has guided organizations and individuals in building stronger systems and healthier workplaces.

🔗 Connect with Maria on LinkedIn

Dr. Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and the voice behind the Do Better with Debra podcast. With a career rooted in education and equity-centered leadership, she now supports women of color leaders and executives navigating professional transitions and leading transformative change.

🌐 Learn more at Do Better Executive Coaching 🔗 Connect with Debra on LinkedIn

Don't Wait to Hit Empty with Lindsey Fuller: Burnout, Boundaries & Microdosing Wellness

What if you didn't wait until you were completely depleted to take care of yourself?

In this episode of Do Better with Debra, Lindsey Fuller, Executive Director of Teaching Well shares why she's committed to healing out loud and how microdosing wellness has become her way to stay grounded, present, and whole.

We talk about:

• The real cost of burnout — emotional, financial, and relational

• Why rest is not a luxury, but a daily practice

• The power of trusted confidants in your healing journey

• How to choose boundaries without apology

If you've been running on empty, this episode is your reminder: you don't have to break yourself to serve others.

🕒 34 minutes | Authentic, heart-centered conversation

If this episode spoke to you, follow Do Better with Debra on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube (coming soon) and share it with someone who needs the reminder.

Lindsey Fuller (she/her) Executive Director of Teaching Well

Lindsey Fuller is a leader, visionary, and advocate committed to creating trauma-sensitive environments that sustain the adults at the center of schools. Through her leadership at Teaching Well, she helps educators and leaders reimagine wellness as a daily, necessary practice not an afterthought. Lindsey's work centers on resilience, boundaries, and healing out loud.

📩 Contact Lindsey

• LinkedIn: Lindsey's Fuller

• Website: Teaching Well Website

Dr. Debra Y Griffith Founder & CEO, Do Better Executive Coaching & Do Better by Design

Debra Griffith is an executive coach, consultant, and host of Do Better with Debra. With over 26 years of leadership experience across K-12, community colleges, and universities, she partners with women of color leaders to navigate career strategy, resilience, and transformative leadership. Debra's work is rooted in equity, authenticity, and the belief that we don't have to wait for permission to lead differently.

📩 Contact Debra

• LinkedIn: Debra Griffith

• Website: dobetterexecutivecoaching dobetterbydesign

• Email: [email protected]

• Instagram: @dobebrawithdebra

In this episode, I sit down with muralist, creative visionary, and founder of Artfully United, Mike Norice, someone whose message stopped me in my tracks when I first heard him speak to a group of high school students about purpose and staying true to your dreams.

We talk about legacy, discipline, joy, and what it means to choose alignment over approval. Mike shares how he moved from survival to purpose, from painting for a paycheck to creating from a place of deep integrity and vision.

This conversation is about owning your gift, redefining success, and creating a life rooted in intention, not imitation.

Learn more about Mike's work: www.artfullyunited.com Follow Mike on Instagram: @artfullyunited

Connect with me: www.dobetterexecutivecoaching.com Instagram: @dobetterwithdebra Email: [email protected]

If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who's ready to say yes to their purpose.