You asked, and we answered!  In this listener question episode, I invited a guest host to join me in answering your questions.    I am joined by Jen Andrus, SVP of Production at Abel McCallister Abel, to provide you with insightful answers to questions. Our combined expertise will help unravel some of the most thought-provoking and challenging questions submitted by our listeners. 

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Links:

Game of Her Own - Ep. 159 | How to Master Presentations with Confidence with Jahana Balke, Career Coach for Women in Sports, Consultant and Podcast Host

Game of Her Own - Ep. 152 | How to Work Large-Scale Sporting Events with Jahaan Blake, Career Coach for Women in Sports, Consultant and Podcast Host

Abel Mcalister Abel: https://abmcd.com/ 

Stephani’s Podcast - If the Walls Could Talk: https://shorturl.at/bizV2 

Connect with Jen:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenonaroll/

Email: [email protected] 

Music By:  Quanzaa 

I got to sit down with Connie Falcone, Founder and President of the Firefly Group, a company that she recently founded that helps athletes plan and activate charitable initiatives. 

Connie has an incredible nonprofit background. Most recently, she was President of Northwestern Memorial Foundation, the fundraising partner to Northwestern Medicine’s 11-hospital system. Connie also served as Executive Director of Cubs Charities and Director of Community Affairs for the Chicago Cubs. 

Join us as we talk about her incredible journey and talk about things like 

• How to understand your value
• What she said to her boss when she learned she was being compensated fairly compared to others 
• Why she decided to quit being a lawyer early in her career 
• How she found work and a career that makes her “soul sing”
• The strong attributes that leaders possess  

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Links:

Firefly Group: https://fireflygroupadvisors.com/ 

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: https://us.laneige.com/products/lip-sleeping-mask 

Connect with Connie:

Email: [email protected] 

Connie is currently a Fellow at Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative and recently started her own business, Firefly Group LLC, helping athletes plan and activate charitable initiatives. Connie led nonprofit organizations of all sizes and stages. Most recently, she was President of Northwestern Memorial Foundation, the fundraising partner to Northwestern Medicine’s 11-hospital system. Connie also served as Executive Director of Cubs Charities and Director of Community Affairs for the Chicago Cubs where she oversaw all development, philanthropic and program initiatives for Cubs Charities as well as player, alumni, and employee outreach. Previously, Connie also served as the Finance and Development Director for Urban Initiatives, a Chicago nonprofit focused on sports-based youth development, after making the switch from a for-profit career following 12 years in private equity investments with Devers Group.

Connie holds a BA from Colorado College, a JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In 2019, Crain’s Chicago Business named Connie to the list of 50 notable women in healthcare.

Music By:  Quanzaa 

Whether you're pitching an idea to your boss, delivering a report to your team, or presenting at a conference, presentations are a critical part of many jobs. But presenting can be nerve-wracking, especially when you're speaking to leadership.  The stakes feel so high.  

Honestly, for those of us who are anxious achievers, they feel high all the time! 

So how do you make sure things like anxiety, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome don’t get in the way of you delivering a great presentation? 

If you feel this way, don’t worry I’ve been in your shoes.

I share ten easy-to-implement tips to help you master all of your presentations with confidence. And to keep things real, I also share a few embarrassing stories! 

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Links:

Free Resource | Managing Your Mindset: https://jahaanblake.com/mindset/ 

Music By:  Quanzaa 

I know that motherhood can be isolating and it's why I wanted to sit down with experts Megan Dalton and Lauren Hays, the Co-founders of The Matrescence to dive into what it’s like being a working mother.  

This episode is for you if you are like me and don’t have children, but manage women who do.  

This episode is also for you if you are thinking about having children or have little ones running circles around you as you listen to this episode. 

Listen in as we talk about:

• The tools to help manage the anxiety that comes with being a  working mom
• Why it’s ok to change your mind about what your life looks like with a family 
• Learning how to relinquish control
• How to identify what balls are plastic and what balls are glass 
• The community they created to help mothers reduce anxiety, stress and empower them to make informed and intuitive choices

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Connect with Megan and Lauren:

Website: https://www.thematrescence.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thematrescence/ 

The Matrescence was born out of a desire to help other women navigate their personal experiences with motherhood while providing a community to support, uplift, and empower one another. Each of our offerings comes from a desire to sift through the overwhelming opinions of today’s digital world and curate an intimate and personalized experience for each woman who comes to this space with a promise that all guides and support will come directly from experts.

Personal bouts of anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, and rage led us to create a members-only digital community to connect and educate women! We believe mental health and complete wellness should be a priority for women who too often put themselves last.  We know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to recognize a problem and find the resources you need.

Lauren recognized a need in maternal mental health in both her personal and professional life as a licensed and trained registered nurse in the NICU and made a career shift to focus on mental health. She is a mom of three precious little men who turned her pain into passion.  Lauren is now a board certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, focusing on women’s health and wellness. Megan splits her time developing marketing strategies for national brands and chasing three toddlers.

Music By:  Quanzaa 

From Ball Girl to CMO - that’s the name of Melissa Proctor’s new book. Before Jahaan read her book, she already thought she was a total boss.  A black woman who is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. When Jahaan started her career in sports she didn’t see anyone who looked like her in positions like Melissa’s.

Jahaan is excited for you to hear her conversation with Melissa.   She talks about her role as a CMO, what keeps her up at night, how she deals with rejection, how to approach change in your organization and Melissa talks about the guiding principles she uses to make decisions in her life.

Get your hands on Melissa’s new book from Ball Girl to CMO (Jahaan highly recommends it):  melissamproctor.com/

Connect with Melissa: 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/melissamproctor/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-m-proctor

Website: melissamproctor.com/

Connect with Jahaan: 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: jahaanblake.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Imagine having over 18 years of experience, being a Forty under 40 recipient, being named Business Woman of the Year, and Business Elite 40 Under 40 for North America, only to have people mistake you for the secretary or assistant in meetings.  

That’s exactly what has happened to Co-Founder and CEO of FanSaves, Shannon Ferguson. Now as much as that infuriates all of us, you will love hearing how her male co-founder Chris handles it.  You will also enjoy Shannon’s incredible insights on leading a team. 

Shannon is super candid about mistakes she made, how she has grown as a leader, and how that has helped her company succeed.  

We talk about:

• The cheat code to holding your team accountable
• How being a perfectionist impacted her managing her team and how she pivoted 
• How to be in tune with your team and the value it will bring your company 
• The question she asks herself in order to stop micromanaging and let her team fully own their projects  
• The value of realizing that you are a bottleneck for your team and how to stop it 

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Links:

FanSaves: https://www.fansaves.com/ 

Connect with Shannon:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonferguson12/

Email: [email protected] 

Shannon currently leads the growing team at tech startup FanSaves, as Co-Founder & CEO. With over 18 years of marketing and sponsorship experience, she paired her creativity and digital skills with her love of entrepreneurship in 2017 to co-found FanSaves; a digital couponing platform that connects fans to offers from sponsors of their favourite sports teams and events.

Growing up as a competitive hockey player, Shannon continuously transfers lessons from the ice to the boardroom, where she leads with empathy, a desire for excellence and a team-first mentality. She has been featured in Forbes and was a 2021 Young Leaders of the America's Initiative fellow. FanSaves won the 2021 Best Ottawa Business Award for Best Leaders for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and in 2022, Shannon was a Forty Under 40 recipient in Canada's National Capital Region and Ottawa’s WBN Businesswoman of the Year (Emerging Entrepreneur). Most recently, she was named a 2023 Business Elite 40 Under 40 for North America and FanSaves won the 2023 Ottawa Bootstrap Award for Marketing.

Shannon is also a TV & Podcast Host, a public speaker, and a mentor. As a woman in Sports Tech, she is committed to using her voice to encourage people from underrepresented groups to follow their dreams and have an impact in industries where they are traditionally the minority.

Music By:  Quanzaa 

I had the honor of sitting down and interviewing one of my mentors. Donna Latson Gittens, Founder and CEO of MORE Advertising.  

We first met back in my Red Sox days when Donna served as a consultant who later went on to win the first Annual Jackie Robinson Award for Most Valuable Diverse Business Partner from the Boston Red Sox. 

I was always and still am in awe of Donna starting and running a successful business. Not to mention the added layers of being a black woman in Boston!  

Listen in as we dive head-first into:

• How race impacted how she approached building her business 
• How she learned not to take things personally and lived by a philosophy of if someone told her “no” they really weren’t talking to her
• Why and how she has four Boston Red Sox World Series Championship Rings
• How she got a contract with the Boston Red Sox three years into her business
• Her inspiring advice on the power of living outside your bubble 

And you know there is so much more. 

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Links:

Cantu Beauty: https://www.cantubeauty.com/ 

Maria Tallchief: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Tallchief 

Connect with Donna:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.donnalatsongittens.com/ 

Donna Latson Gittens, Founder and CEO of MORE Advertising in Watertown, left a successful broadcasting career at WCVB-TV to pursue her long-time passion for launching a media and marketing firm to promote critical social issues and support mission-driven public, private, and nonprofit organizations.

 Her firm, located in Watertown, is known as “The Agency of Change” and focuses on social marketing campaigns to promote changes in behavior and attitude. Gittens launched the company following a ground-breaking, twenty-year career as a corporate executive at WCVB-TV (Boston’s ABC affiliate) an innovator in community programming.

Donna’s public position, activism, and expertise in social change prompted countless invitations for her to chair or join panel discussions, present keynote speeches, and participate on numerous committees. She is a Board member of The Village Bank, Newton; also serves on the Executive Committee of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts and is a member on the Cummings Foundation Final Grant Selection Committee. Her professional associations include

The Boston Club and the International Women’s Forum of Massachusetts.

Donna's numerous awards and honors include: the Pinnacle Award for Achievement in Entrepreneurship presented by the Women’s Network of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce; the 1st Annual Jackie Robinson Award for Most Valuable Diverse Business Partner from the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball; The Boston Club Women in Business Racial Equity Award; Alex Cora Leadership Award presented by the Boston Area Church League, a program of the Boston Red Sox; and winner of the 1st Annual Shark Tank competition held in 2014 by the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council.  She is also an enormously proud owner of four Boston Red Sox World Series Championship rings.

Ms. Latson Gittens holds a BA from Park University, an MBA from Northeastern University, and an honorary doctorate degree from Elms College in Springfield MA.

She is a frequent keynote speaker, host, and moderator for corporate and community organizations. (donnalatsongittens.com) Her passion is mentoring young women and female entrepreneurs. 

Music By:  Quanzaa 

In this episode, our guest has always worked for iconic brands including Walt Disney World, and the Chicago Cubs, and is now making her debut as an executive for the Phoenix Suns. Vanessa Ward, Vice President of Event Services for the Suns, dives in and talks all about her journey. 

Listen in as she talks about: 

• What it was like making the leap into a different industry 
• How she managed the guilt she was feeling when looking for a new job 
• How she was persistent in advocating for herself to advance her career for close to a year
• Why it’s important to build and share your story when trying to get to the next level 
• How she has approached the first few months of her job with the Suns

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Connect with Vanessa:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-ward-11907759/ 

Email: [email protected] 

Vanessa Ward serves as VP of Event Services for the Phoenix Suns, Mercury and Footprint Center, joining the organization in late 2022. In this role, she oversees the Guest Services, Security, and Traffic Support teams, focusing on the end-to-end guest experience. Prior to joining the Suns, Vanessa served as Director of Guest Services for the Chicago Cubs, leading the organization and execution of events at Wrigley Field. She also spent 7 years at Walt Disney World in a variety of guest services and project management roles. In addition to her roles at the Cubs and the Suns, Vanessa has worked marquee events including the 2016 World Series, 2019 & 2021 MLB All-Star Games, Super Bowl LIV, and over 40 major concerts.

Music By: Quanzaa

What would you do if you found out your male co-worker who is also your counterpart was making $50,000 more than you? Well, Callie Welch, Director of Alumni Relations and Marketing for the Las Vegas Raiders is going to tell you exactly what she did!  Listen in as Callie talks about the salary disparity and how she handled it along with: 

• How you can avoid feeling alone and helpless when you are in a toxic work environment 
• The power of saying no to protect your energy and your goals 
• The value of your  manager creating psychological safety 

And you know there is so much more.  

This episode is jam-packed with incredible insights and will leave you feeling empowered and also rooting for Callie and her career journey. 

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Links:

Game of Her Own Ep. 152 | How to Work Large-Scale Sporting Events: https://apple.co/40J3xFS  

Connect with Callie:

Email: [email protected]

Callie has been with the Las Vegas Raiders since 2020 and is currently the Director of Alumni Relations and Marketing. Prior to the Raiders, she spent 5 years with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association procuring and executing paid marketing and licensing opportunities for former players. Prior to the MLBPAA she spent a season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a Community Relations intern and a number of seasons in the ticketing office of the Philadelphia Phillies at their minor league facility in Clearwater, Florida. Sprinkled in between were Executive Assistant roles and a contracting role with AT&T to assist with their Super Bowl activations. 

She holds a bachelors in Sports Management from the University of Tampa and a Masters in Sports Law from New York University.

Music By:  Quanzaa 

Whatever you want your career to look like, you can design it to be exactly that. Is that always easy? Of course not, but if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.  Here is how I’m going to help you. A lot of you have asked me how you can work events like the Super Bowl, MLB All-Star, and other large-scale sporting events. I’m going to share everything I know. Take what you need, and leave the rest. And hey do me a favor, if this is helpful, can you send me a DM on IG or a message on LinkedIn? I would love to hear from you and your biggest takeaway from this episode.  

Connect with Jahaan: 

Learn more about working with Jahaan and see if it’s the right fit for you: https://JahaanBlakeAppointmentScheduling.as.me/LetsTalk

Join Jahaan's VIP Email List: https://bit.ly/3yccwAP 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jahaanblake/

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://jahaanblake.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jahaanblake/

Links:

Game of Her Own - Ep. 6 | Networking Series: How to Get Someone You’ve Never Met to Say Yes to Meeting: https://apple.co/3Z40WVv 

Connect with Katie Dixon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-dixon-43b1905/

Connect with Julie Hershkowitz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliehersh/

Game of Her Own - Ep. 122 | Julie Hershkowitz: https://apple.co/3yWT3a3 

Connect with Elle Kehoe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle-kehoe-0ab05820/

Game of Her Own - Ep. 9 | Elle Kehoe: https://apple.co/42vWORb 

Music By:  Quanzaa