Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 59, with guest, Janine Vanessa Heinrich. As a woman, and especially a woman of color, there are biases that we face when pitching to investors. Janine is sharing some tips for crafting a successful pitch as a woman of color.

Janine is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the realm of entrepreneurship. She is the founder and host of the On the Up & Up podcast that ignites crucial conversations within the startup ecosystem, amplifying the voices and stories of the underrepresented and underestimated, and inspiring a new generation of visionaries to leap into entrepreneurship.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 59: Intersectionality And How It Influences The Experiences And Resources of Minority Female Founders.

Key Discussion Points:

01:00 Pitching to Investors as a Female Entrepreneur of Color: Pitching to an audience that doesn’t understand your problem is not a disadvantage rather, it sets you up as an expert. 

04:38 Promotion vs. Prevention Focused Pitch Questions: Women often get asked prevention focused questions in pitches that don't put them in positions of power. We need to be able to reframe the questions so they are more promotion focused. 

06:58 Relating to Potential Investors: Storytelling is a key element to a successful pitch. Try to tell the story from a perspective that your audience will understand and relate to.

09:27 Finding the Right Investors: You don’t want someone who is constantly questioning your expertise and who doesn’t trust you as an investor. Rather focus your energy on the right investors.

In Summary: Janine Vanessa Heinrich challenges us to own our expertise, strategically frame our pitch, and select the right investors who believe in and trust us. She encourages us to turn prevention-focused questions into promotion-focused answers, ensuring a position of strength.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Janine on Linkedin or check out her website.

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 58, with guest, Farah Harris. You might have been told that emotions don’t belong at the office. This couldn’t be further from the truth because everything we do is based on emotions whether we are cognizant of them or not.

Farah is a psychotherapist and trailblazer in workplace belonging and well-being. As the founder and CEO of Working Well Daily, she's reshaping our work environments with a keen focus on emotional intelligence and the psychosocial dynamics of our professional lives. She is also the author of the international bestseller, The Color of Emotional Intelligence.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 58: The Workplace Revolution We Need: Emotional Intelligence, Authenticity & Belonging.

Key Discussion Points:

00:59 Challenging the “No Emotions at Work” Myth: Big corporations are looking for emotions like happiness but they are not doing the work to cultivate genuine happiness at work.

02:51 Changing the Narratives Around Emotions: We tell little boys to “man up” and little girls to “stop being emotional” and then we expect them to turn into adults who can empathize and who have social awareness.

05:17 Identifying Our Emotions: There is no such thing as negative or positive emotions. Rather we have natural emotions that can have negative and positive responses.

07:36 Strategies for Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: It’s not about getting rid of your emotions as a leader, it’s about having a safe space to process your emotions.

In Summary: Farah Harris urges us to challenge the notion of emotional insensitivity in corporate environments. She challenges us to acknowledge and process our feelings to foster psychologically safe and effective workplaces.

Resources from this episode:

The Color of Emotional Intelligence: Elevating Our Self and Social Awareness to Address Inequities by Farah Harris

Follow Farah on Linkedin or check out her website. 

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into strategies for women to thrive in corporate spaces with leadership consultant, executive coach, and trailblazer in women's leadership strategy, Kisha Wynter. Discover the importance of investing in yourself and how to navigate corporate politics with confidence and integrity.

Kisha has over two decades of corporate experience and as the visionary founder and CEO of Wynter Rich Enterprises, she has a rich track record of developing and training leaders in over 50 countries. Her firm is dedicated to guiding organizations and creating inclusive cultures where every individual can thrive regardless of their background. Kisha is the author of Your Power Unleashed which is based on her company's proprietary framework, The Diva Method.

Key Discussion Points:

01:58 Addressing Systemic Biases Within Organizations That Prevent Women from Getting Ahead: The same traits that are labeled ‘too aggressive’ for women are praised in men. It takes courage to address this as you may face backlash.

08:33 The Physical Symptoms of a Toxic Workplace: Workplace harassment and bullying can lead to physical symptoms that impact daily life.

14:44 The Importance of Allies: Transformation can not just sit on the backs of women of color. The burden must be shared with people who can help us be heard.

19:52 The Diva Method: Kisha’s leadership framework focuses on the internal work needed for individuals to advance professionally and how to navigate organizational politics.

26:24 Developing Leaders: Organizations promote amazing individual contributors to leadership roles without preparing them or giving them the tools necessary to lead.

28:48 From Invisible to Credible: You can’t wait for an organization to invest in you, you have to invest in yourself and work on your communication skills.

In Summary: Kisha Wynter urges us to invest in a coach and stop using diminishing language in the workplace. She challenges us to make allies to support transformation in the workplace.

Resources from this episode:

Your Power Unleashed: How Savvy Women Use Courage to Get Promoted, Get Paid, and Find Fulfillment by Kisha Wynter

Diminishing Language Cheat Sheet

Follow Kisha on LinkedIn or check out her website.

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 57, with guest, Elaine Lin Hering. This episode explores the complexities of speaking up in the workplace and how to foster a more inclusive and supportive communication culture in your workplace.  

Elaine Lin Hering is a facilitator, speaker, and writer who works with organizations and individuals to build skills in communication, collaboration, and conflict management. Elaine has worked on six continents and with a wide range of corporate, government, and nonprofit clients. Her book, Unlearning Silence, was released earlier this year.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 57: Unlearning Silence, why 'Just Speak Up' isn't enough.

Key Discussion Points:

00:59 “Just Speak Up” Is Bad Advice: This advice ignores all of the silence that we’ve learned and all the times that we’ve had to deal with retaliation for speaking up. 

04:10 Unlearning Silence: Unlearning silence is not only about individuals unlearning their silence and speaking up, even though that is necessary. It is also about leaders unlearning the ways that they are silencing those individuals. 

07:55 Design Your Communication Flow: Design a communication flow that works for you instead of defaulting to the set communication patterns.

09:58 The Babble Hypothesis of Leadership: Most people associate the frequency or quantity of words that come out of your mouth with leadership potential no matter the value of the words said.

In Summary: Elaine Lin Hering challenges us to rethink workplace communication and leadership norms. She urges leaders to design intentional communication flows that empower all team members.

Resources from this episode:

Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully by Elaine Lin Hering

Follow Elaine Lin Hering on Linkedin or check out her website.

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into how you can reclaim your power with Sinead Sharkey-Steenson, a renowned leadership and menopause coach dedicated to preventing the menopause talent drain. Learn why we need to change the narrative around menopause and how shining a light on your strengths can set you up for success.

Sinead has over 20 years of experience as a motivational speaker and trainer and has focused the last 10 years on supporting women in business and sport. She has empowered over 10, 000 women to elevate their career impact and her menopause journey coupled with extensive professional expertise fuels her passion for helping women succeed and fostering supportive workplace cultures.

Key Discussion Points:

03:43 The Importance of Identifying What You Want: Only when you take the time to identify what you want and act on that rather than outside forces, can you create the life and career you want.

10:31 Step Into Your Power: When a woman's strengths, skills, and self-confidence align with her ability to execute, she becomes unstoppable.

20:05 Embrace Your Brilliance: If you don’t recognize and value the things that you are fantastic at, nobody else will. Shine a light on what you do rather than underestimating it.

34:50 Perimenopause, Menopause, and Postmenopause: There are so many myths and misconceptions around this stage in a woman’s life. Many of which link to ageism and sexism.

40:15 Changing the Narrative Around Menopause: Menopause has been stigmatized but it is a time when women become more purpose-driven and build supportive communities for themselves.

In Summary: Sinead Sharkey-Steenson challenges us to embrace and shine a light on our strengths rather than underestimating them. She urges us to do our research and change the narrative around menopause.

Resources from this episode:

Sinead’s TEDx Talk: Menopause: smashing the last glass ceiling

Sinead’s free end-of-year workshop

Impact Players Conference

Follow Sinead on LinkedIn or check out her website.

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals.

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship.

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 55, with guest, Martha Aviles. If you’re not being paid for your worth, or you’re long overdue for a promotion, then it’s time to negotiate. 

Martha is a fierce marketing leader in tech with over 20 years of experience across start-ups, private, and public companies including Aventus, Gigster, Talroo, and more. She is gifted at building and growing high performance marketing teams and inspiring thought leadership. 

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 55: Being bold and letting your feet do the talking.

Key Discussion Points:

01:00 Negotiation Tactics: When it comes to negotiations, come prepared, ask for what you want, and have the courage to have uncomfortable conversations. 

03:28 Let Your Feet Do the Talking: If you are constantly being told that you need to do/be/have just one more thing before you can get a promotion, it is time to find another job.

04:44 The Power of the Pause: If you are having a conversation with your supervisor about a promotion, ask them to tell you more and then sit quietly and wait. Don’t try and fill the silence.

06:23 Seek New Opportunities: Don’t let one rejection decrease your self-worth. There are so many opportunities out there for you to seek out.

In Summary: Martha Aviles challenges us to have uncomfortable conversations. She urges us to not let the fear of rejection stand in our way of asking for a raise or a promotion because the only thing worse than rejection is not trying.

Resources from this episode:

Follow Martha on Linkedin.

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 54, with guest, Kelly Ann Winget. Money is a topic so many of us do not love to talk about, but it is time for us to take control of our financial well-being and change our mindset to achieve financial freedom. 

Kelly Ann is the founder of Alternative Wealth Partners, the first private equity firm founded and led by a millennial, openly LGBTQ+ woman. With over a decade of experience, she has raised close to $1 billion in capital for startups, energy companies, manufacturing ventures, real estate, and other key emerging markets.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 54: Changing the Face of Wealth: Empowering Women in Financial Literacy.

Key Discussion Points:

00:57 Access to Financial Information: As a woman, it’s not your fault that you don’t have access to financial information. It has been ingrained into society that women are not responsible with money when the reality is very different. 

04:47 Female Financial Empowerment: In the last three years there has been a shift towards more female financial empowerment which comes down to an increase in access to information.

05:43 Money Mindset: The first step to creating financial freedom for yourself is to work on your mindset around money. 

10:28 Overcoming Historical and Generational Financial Barriers: While you are holding the weight of past generational trauma, the reality is that you are your own entity and you have to do the work to understand your own needs without carrying the burden of everyone else.

In Summary: Kelly Ann Winget challenges us to actively engage in our financial lives and take ownership of our financial well-being. She urges us to start by shifting our mindset around money and defining our financial goals.

Resources from this episode:

Pitch the Bitch: Grab your Financial Future by the Bags by Kelly Ann Winget

Follow Kelly Ann on Linkedin or check out her website.

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are doing another real talk and we have some spicy topics to get into. Olivia recently held a workshop with some women leaders who wanted to understand how to win in the workplace. Three themes kept on coming up - getting clarity on what you want, getting comfortable talking about money, and not waiting to be tapped. 

Key Discussion Points:

00:57 Finding Alignment: Are you doing what you’re doing because it aligns with your values and goals or are you doing it because other people think you should or someone told you you couldn’t?

07:47 Understanding Your Priorities: Your life should not only be about work. If you find the rest of your life responsibilities are neglected, you are in misalignment.

16:10 Talk About Money: Many women have a fear of money. It is essential to know how much money you need to live your ideal life and not just scrape by.

21:07 Taking Control of Your Goals: Stop waiting to be tapped. Know what you want, drive towards your goals, and take the reins of your career.

24:53 Thriving Despite the Statistics: Stop listening to the statistics telling you that you can’t reach your goals. You can thrive, but you have to be willing to put in the work.

In Summary: Archita and Olivia challenge us to get clarity on what we want, understand our priorities, get comfortable talking about money, and stop waiting to be recognized for our brilliance.

Resources from this episode:

Where will you be five years from today? by Kobi Yamada and Dan Zadra

Ready to make a change?

→ If you are struggling to navigate your corporate career but are ambitious and have goals you want to accomplish quickly, Olivia is the coach for you. She can help you reach your goals. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit oliviacream.com.

→ If you are ready to leave corporate or you want to start a profitable side brilliance but you’re unsure of the next steps, Archita can guide you through a successful transition to entrepreneurship. 

Reach out to her on LinkedIn or visit architafritz.com.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we are featuring one of the most impactful moments from episode 45, with guest, Dr. Rana Dajani. It’s time to reimagine what success means, particularly in workplaces that were not designed with women in mind.

Dr. Rana Dijani is a molecular cell biologist professor and one of the world's leading Muslim women scientists. In addition to this, Rana is specifically interested in raising the health, education, and societal status of women and children in the Arab world. Her goal is to help shape our future world.

This episode is just a short snippet that highlights the best and most powerful learning moment from a past episode. You can listen to the full episode (filled with more wisdom) here: Episode 45: Butterfly Wings with Dr. Rana Dajani.

Key Discussion Points:

00:58 Gender Disparities in STEM: The assumption that there are fewer women in STEM is a projection from Western data. The Arab world has a much higher percentage of women in STEM.

03:01 The Global Problem of Fewer Women in the Workplace: This is not because women are uneducated and while some workplaces may not be friendly to women, this is not the reason either.

05:10 Creating a Paradigm Shift in the Workplace: The workplace as we know it today has been created by men, for men. We need to change this.

07:51 Redefining the Measurement of Success: The measurement of success is male-centric, females and minority groups rarely fit into this measurement system.

10:09 Creating System Changes in Corporate Spaces: COVID has shown us that systems in the workplace can be changed very easily. If more women are creating policies, we have an opportunity to create something new.

In Summary: Dr. Rana Dajani challenges us to embrace diverse definitions of success that resonate with our own lives and values, rather than adhering to the traditional definitions of success, particularly in the workplace, that have been established by men.

Resources from this episode:

Five Scarves: Doing the Impossible - If We Can Reverse Cell Fate, Why Can’t We Redefine Success? by Rana Dajani

Follow Rana on Linkedin.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms

Episode Highlight: On this episode of the "Embracing Only" podcast, we delve into how being “too emotional” can be your superpower with Rachel Radway, a certified leadership and executive coach, Mastermind facilitator, and author. Highly perceptive individuals often feel like they are crazy, broken, or the only person who feels this way. This is not true, there are so many of us out here, including many incredibly successful women. 

Rachel has more than 25 years of leadership experience across tech startups, not-for-profits, and Fortune 500s. She's particularly passionate about helping women leaders who are wired a little differently create the conditions they need to thrive.

Key Discussion Points:

02:33 Exploring High Sensitivity Perception: 30% of people are affected by high sensitivity perception. This comes with its own challenges and superpowers. 

08:32 Strategies for Managing Sensory Overload in Our Increasingly Connected Workspaces: While you may not be able to control your environment completely, there are ways you can create conditions for success.

13:55 The Stigma of Being Labeled as Highly Sensitive: Women face so many challenges in the workplace, the last thing they need is another label attached to them that is often associated with weakness.

17:46 Navigating Extreme Self-Expectations: Brain research has shown that the brains of highly sensitive people optimize for successful group outcomes rather than individual outcomes.

23:04 Understanding How Your Brain Works: This work can be intimidating because there are so many deep-seated social expectations of us. The first step is to get support.

29:49 The Power of the Pause: One of the biggest gifts we can give ourselves is to pause before we take action and to start listening to ourselves.

37:34 The Pressure to Be Likable: Likability and authenticity sometimes feel in dissonance with one another. There are ways you can navigate these feelings.

In Summary: If you think you are highly perceptive and you are struggling, Rachel Radway urges you to give yourself grace, reach out for support, listen to your body, and take care of yourself.

Resources from this episode:

Perceptive by Rachel Radway (coming summer 2025)

Follow Rachel on Linkedin or check out her website.

Connect with your hosts:

Follow Archita on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Olivia on Linkedin or check out her website.

Follow Embracing Only on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook, or check out the website.

_________

Produced by Ideablossoms