Embracing Enough

In this powerful episode of Embracing Enough, I sit down with my friend and fellow coach, Meredith Waters - a high-performance coach, strategic consultant, and founder of Thriving at Waters Edge. With nearly two decades of leading international development projects across more than 25 countries, Meredith brings a unique blend of global perspective, hard-won wisdom, and heart-centered leadership.

Together, we dive deep into the concept of the fallow period - those seasons of life and career when ambition gets disrupted, whether by external shocks or internal misalignment.

Meredith vulnerably shares her own journey through disruption, from missing her ROTC run time by 21 seconds to navigating a blood disorder, unexpected career pivots, and even being fired. Each disruption cracked the “armor of achievement” she had built - and taught her to embrace those cracks as places of growth, resilience, and ultimately becoming shatterproof.

We also unpack the recent upheaval in the international development consulting industry and what it means to redefine productivity, reclaim joy, and give yourself permission to pause. Meredith introduces us to her “sandbox” approach - experimenting, playing, and replenishing in ways that help you realign your compass and rediscover what truly lights you up.

This conversation is an invitation to rethink what ambition looks like when life doesn’t go as planned, and to honor the sacredness of the pause. Because sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is stop, breathe, and allow ourselves to be reshaped.

This episode is an invitation to rethink what ambition looks like when life doesn’t go as planned, and to honor the sacredness of the pause. This episode is for you if you’re navigating a career disruption, questioning your next step, or simply craving permission to slow down and rediscover what lights you up.

Follow Meredith Waters and her work through Thriving Edge

https://www.thrivingatwatersedge.com/ and follow her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithwaters/

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's definition of success and start creating your own, you don' t have to do it alone. Whether it's ⁠⁠⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Leadership Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠ there's a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I've got a free resource just for you! Download the Unstoppable Leaders Blueprint to help you kick perfectionism to the curb and lead with bold, grounded confidence. Grab it now at the⁠⁠⁠⁠ link⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Embracing Enough, Dina sits down with her longtime friend and powerhouse leader, Arivee Vargas, an award-winning executive coach, bestselling author of Your Time to Rise, and host of The Humble Rising Podcast.

From their shared roots in small-town Massachusetts to global boardrooms and stages, Dina and Arivee unpack what it really takes to unlearn the stories we’ve been conditioned to believe about success, achievement, and worthiness.

Together, they explore the messy, liberating journey of redefining identity outside of titles, navigating the golden handcuffs of corporate life, and stepping into a season of unapologetic joy and leadership on your own terms.

This conversation is a masterclass in peeling back the layers of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the constant need to prove yourself.

Arivee shares the raw truth of her own breakdown and breakthroughs - from the pressure to always perform to the radical decision to rewrite her life by leading with authenticity and alignment.

If you’ve ever wondered who you are without the titles, the email pings, or the accolades - or if you’re ready to rise into a definition of success that actually feels like yours - this episode is for you.

To learn more about Arivee Vargas, head to www.ariveevargas.com, follow her on Instagram at @ariveevargas and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariveevargas/

Check out her book, Your Time to Rise: Unlearn Limiting Beliefs, Unlock Your Power, and Unleash Your Truest Self wherever books are sold.

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's definition of success and start creating your own, you don' t have to do it alone. Whether it's ⁠⁠⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Leadership Lab⁠⁠⁠⁠ there's a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I've got a free resource just for you! Download the Unstoppable Leaders Blueprint to help you kick perfectionism to the curb and lead with bold, grounded confidence. Grab it now at the⁠⁠⁠⁠ link⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Every time you say yes when you mean no, you’re paying a leadership tax - one that drains your influence, erodes your credibility, and chips away at your self-worth.

In this solo episode of Embracing Enough, I pull back the curtain on one of the most common traps leaders fall into: overcommitting out of a desire to be liked, prove themselves, or avoid disappointing others.

I share my own hard-earned lessons, including the career-shaping moment that forced her to deconstruct what leadership really means.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why people-pleasing and perfectionism sabotage your leadership potential

• The hidden costs of saying yes too often (it’s more than just burnout)

• How self-worth shapes every leadership decision you make

• A simple 3-question filter to turn reflexive yeses into intentional yeses

• How to say no with clarity and without guilt

If you’re ready to stop leading from exhaustion and start leading from power, this episode will give you the clarity - and the permission - to do just that.

🎧 Press play and take the first step toward ending the leadership tax for good.

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's definition of success and start creating your own, you don' t have to do it alone. Whether it's ⁠⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠The Leadership Lab⁠⁠⁠ there's a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I've got a free resource just for you! Download the Unstoppable Leaders Blueprint to help you kick perfectionism to the curb and lead with bold, grounded confidence. Grab it now at the⁠⁠⁠ link⁠⁠⁠.

🔗 Listen in. Take notes. And remind yourself: you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be real.

What if true inclusive leadership isn’t about ticking boxes—but about how you choose to show up, even when no one’s watching?

In this electric and deeply honest episode of Embracing Enough, I sit down with Kendra Okposo, Director of Change, Transformation & DEI at BTS, social justice advocate, certified emotional intelligence coach, and co-founder of a dog rescue for shelter animals deemed “too much.” The two dive into the layers of what it really takes to lead from the inside out.

Kendra shares her story of starting her career in big law, navigating systems never built for her, and experiencing a pivotal moment in law school that cracked her wide open - teaching her the true meaning of empathy.

From that point on, she committed to not just fighting injustice, but learning to lead with compassion and emotional fluency. We talk about rage, boundaries, self-compassion, the myths of “belonging” in the workplace, and the radical act of saying no.

This episode is a masterclass in unapologetic leadership and dismantling performative inclusion in favor of real, heart-led transformation. Kendra’s journey will inspire you to unlearn the need for external validation and remember the truth: you don’t need permission to take up space.

Follow Kendra Okposo here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-okposo-b819611a/

and stay tuned for her forthcoming website for important resources on inclusion and equity.

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's definition of success and start creating your own, you don' t have to do it alone. Whether it's ⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠The Leadership Lab⁠⁠ there's a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I've got a free resource just for you! Download the Unstoppable Leaders Blueprint to help you kick perfectionism to the curb and lead with bold, grounded confidence. Grab it now at the⁠⁠ link⁠⁠.

🔗 Listen in. Take notes. And remind yourself: you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be real.

What if the most powerful thing a woman leader could do... was trust herself?

In this episode of Embracing Enough, Dina Scippa sits down with Serena Williams (no, not that one - but a force of nature in her own right) for a raw, no-BS conversation about what it really takes to grow as a leader.

Serena opens up about her journey through The Leadership Lab, how she faced down career upheaval, and the unexpected lessons that came from leaning into vulnerability, not away from it.

This episode isn’t about perfection. It’s about resilience, emotional truth, and why mentorship and community aren’t just “nice-to-haves” - they’re lifelines.

If you’ve ever questioned your worth, felt alone in your leadership, or wondered when it would finally get easier… this one’s for you.

What you'll walk away with:

• Why resilience isn’t a buzzword; it’s a survival skill

• The truth about why emotional support matters more than strategy alone

• How vulnerability isn’t a weakness, but the root of authentic leadership

• The role of empathy, self-trust, and community in rewriting your leadership story

This is what happens when women stop hiding, start trusting themselves, and lead from the inside out.

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Want to bring this kind of transformation to your team?
Book a discovery call with Enough Labs and let’s talk about how we can help your leaders build confidence from the inside out.

Visit https://calendly.com/enoughlabs/organizational-discovery-call to get started.

Let’s get one thing straight: you were not put on this earth to be liked by everyone in your office.

In this powerful solo episode, I'm diving headfirst into the tangled web of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the trap of approval-seeking - especially how it’s playing out in the workplace for women.

I gets real about my own journey of chasing gold stars and external validation, and how it left her burnt out, underpaid, and questioning my worth. Sound familiar?

You’ll hear:

• Why so many brilliant women are still waiting for permission to lead

• The subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways approval-seeking shows up at work

• How these patterns hold us back from our power, pay, and peace

• A fierce call to stop performing and start reclaiming your voice

This episode is the permission slip you didn’t know you needed to stop editing yourself for other people’s comfort—and start leading like you already know.

Because you do.

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's definition of success and start creating your own, you don' t have to do it alone. Whether it's ⁠1:1 coaching⁠ or ⁠The Leadership Lab⁠ there's a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I've got a free resource just for you! Download the Unstoppable Leaders Blueprint to help you kick perfectionism to the curb and lead with bold, grounded confidence. Grab it now at the⁠ link⁠.

🔗 Listen in. Take notes. And remind yourself: you don’t have to be perfect—you just have to be real.

In this episode of Embracing Enough, we’re digging into a truth too many women know but rarely name: what’s happening at home doesn’t stay at home.

The mental load, the invisible labor, the pressure to be everything for everyone—it doesn’t just live in the kitchen or the carpool lane. It bleeds into how we lead, how we love, and how we measure our own worth.

This week, Dina is joined by author Kate Mangino, whose book Equal Partners: Improving Gender Equality at Home offers both a wake-up call and a blueprint for change. Together, they explore how perfectionism and people-pleasing are deeply rooted in the way we’re taught to care—and overcare—for others. And how it can hold us back from leading authentically.

You’ll hear about:

• How “being the default” at home leads to burnout
• Why men often dismiss women’s household labor as “extra”
• What true partnership looks like without martyrdom
• Why true partnership is good for men, too!
• And how to start unlearning the systems that keep us stuck

If you've ever wondered why “doing it all” feels so exhausting—it’s because it is. This conversation will help you name it, question it, and start to shift it.

Kate also shares about a very exciting new workshop being held later in 2025 called ⁠MOVE Your Marriage⁠: a 1.5 Day“WeTreat” for dual career couples. It’s a first of its kind workshop to tackle some of the most pressing issues couples face when juggling career, kids, and money. Spots are limited - and Kate promises a special discount for my listeners! If you're interested, fill out a ⁠form⁠ and tell them - Dina sent you!

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's definition of success and start creating your own, you don' t have to do it alone. Whether it's ⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠The Leadership Lab⁠⁠ there's a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I've got a free resource just for you! Download the Unstoppable Leaders Blueprint to help you kick perfectionism to the curb and lead with bold, grounded confidence. Grab it now at the⁠⁠ link⁠⁠.

🔗 Listen in. Take notes. And remind yourself: you don’t have to be perfect—you just have to be real.

What if the bravest thing you could do as a leader wasn’t having the answers—but telling the truth when everything’s falling apart?

In a world obsessed with optics, this episode is a gut-check and a rally cry for every leader who’s done performing and is ready to lead with radical honesty, unwavering integrity, and a heart for people over perfection.

In this raw and powerful episode, host Dina Scippa pulls back the curtain on what it really means to lead when the pressure is mounting and the playbook gets tossed out the window. Leadership in times of crisis? It’s not about being polished or perfect. It’s about being real, honest, and relentlessly people-first.

Dina dives into three core pillars of transformational leadership—transparency, integrity, and putting people first—sharing candid stories from her own experience and coaching sessions with women leaders navigating storms in their workplaces.

From confronting team burnout and donor chaos to resisting the urge to “keep it all together,” this episode offers both soul and strategy for the kind of leadership that doesn’t crumble in the chaos—it rises.

You will walk away with:

• Practical tools to lead transparently without adding to the overwhelm

• A reframing of integrity as consistency and accountability, not just moral high ground

• A people-first lens that centers empathy without sacrificing outcomes

If you’ve ever wondered how to lead when you don’t have all the answers—or questioned whether your values can survive the storm—this episode is your blueprint.

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you're ready to stop chasing someone else's definition of success and start creating your own, you don' t have to do it alone. Whether it's 1:1 coaching or The Leadership Lab there's a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I've got a free resource just for you! Download the Unstoppable Leaders Blueprint to help you kick perfectionism to the curb and lead with bold, grounded confidence. Grab it now at the link.

🔗 Listen in. Take notes. And remind yourself: you don’t have to be perfect—you just have to be real.

In this raw and real episode of Embracing Enough, recorded on Mother’s Day, Dina Scippa—women’s leadership coach and founder of Enough Labs—dives deep into a truth too many of us are avoiding: healing can’t happen when we’re stuck on the hamster wheel of overachievement.

Dina calls out the Busy = Worthiness trap so many women fall into, especially those of us in purpose-driven work where burnout is practically glorified. From her globe-trotting career in international development to the moment she nearly collapsed in a workshop, Dina shares personal stories and hard-earned wisdom about the cost of constant striving—and the radical power of pausing.

This episode is your permission slip to stop glorifying exhaustion and start protecting your peace. Dina breaks down:

• Why your productivity does not determine your worth

• How pausing and doing less actually makes you a stronger leader

• The myth of “things will slow down eventually”

• The steep cost of postponing your rest, healing, and joy

• A bold challenge to start doing less—and reclaim your time

Whether you're hiding in your car for a moment of quiet or walking to remember who you are, this episode will meet you exactly where you are—with compassion, clarity, and a loving kick in the pants. Because rest isn't a reward. It's leadership. And it starts now.

✨ Take action: Share this episode with someone who needs the reminder. Or drop a ❤️ in the comments to show you're reclaiming your time, your energy, and your worth.

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you’re ready to stop chasing someone else’s definition of success and start creating your own, you don’t have to do it alone. Whether it’s ⁠⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠The Leadership Lab⁠⁠⁠ there’s a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I’ve got a free resource just for you! Download The Unstoppable Leadership Blueprint to start redefining success in a way that actually feels right for you. Grab it now at the ⁠⁠⁠link⁠⁠⁠. 🚀✨

What does it look like to go from performing on the grandest stages in the world… to helping women reclaim their voice and live a life rooted in truth?

In this episode, Dina sits down with the incredible Shirin Eskandani—life coach, writer, speaker, and founder of Wholehearted Coaching—to talk about the messy, magical path of reinvention. From her early days as an award-winning opera singer to becoming one of the most respected voices in the personal development space, Shirin shares what it takes to walk away from a “dream life” and follow your inner knowing.

Together, they unpack:

• How our identities are shaped by external validation—and how to unlearn that

• The power of redefining success and honoring your intuition

• Why mindset isn’t everything (and what’s missing from most coaching spaces)

• The fascinating link between performance, presence, and personal transformation

• What it really means to live a wholehearted life

This is not just a conversation about career pivots. It’s a masterclass in self-trust, voice reclamation, and living life on your own terms.

Whether you’re in the middle of your own reinvention or just beginning to ask, "What if there’s more?"—this episode is the permission slip you didn’t know you needed.

To learn more about Shirin's coaching certification program, click here: https://www.wholeheartedcertification.com

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Ready to dive deeper?

If you’re ready to stop chasing someone else’s definition of success and start creating your own, you don’t have to do it alone. Whether it’s ⁠⁠1:1 coaching⁠⁠ or ⁠The Leadership Lab⁠⁠ there’s a space for you to step into your power and lead with confidence.

And to get you started, I’ve got a free resource just for you! Download The Unstoppable Leadership Blueprint to start redefining success in a way that actually feels right for you. Grab it now at the ⁠⁠link⁠⁠. 🚀✨