Heroine

The world of work has seen a lot of change in recent years, and it can be tough to keep up. What do these changes mean for your career and leadership? Alex Cavoulacos breaks it down and shares her career expertise in today’s episode. Named one of INC’s 15 women to watch in tech and Forbes 30 under 30, Alex is co-founder and COO of TheMuse.com, a career platform and community helping millions of Millennials find inspiring careers.

Alex talks about making the leap from her job as a consultant to starting this groundbreaking company, and dives into their book The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating your Career. Alex also shares her productivity hacks, her genius approach to to-do listing, and how to create your personal brand authentically.

Show Notes:
-On her strong, self-driven personality growing up, and the grit and rigor she learned from her schooling outside the U.S. [2:43]
-Some of the lessons she learned in school, like dealing with pressure and separating efforts from results. [8:47]
-Alex’s college years: throwing previous training out the window, exploring new fields, and getting a clearer sense for how she wanted to go about impacting the world. [15:00]
-How Alex met Kathryn and what drove them to get started with The Muse. [20:25]
-The pain points that came up in deciding between staying at her job and taking a chance with The Muse, and how she ultimately made the leap. [28:32]
-Diving into their new book, The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career. [21:06]
-The main difference Alex has noticed between men and women when it comes to career work, and how The Muse helps less-traditional workers be successful. [35:41]
-On the importance of personal branding and how to create your brand authentically. [38:15]
-Alex’s productivity hacks and insights, plus her genius approach to to-do listing. [43:48]
-On saying no, the difference between an employee mindset and a leader mindset, and what Alex has reclaimed on her journey. [47:52]

References:.
TheMuse.com – https://www.themuse.com/
Get their book, The New Rules of Work, available now – https://www.themuse.com/thenewrulesofwork

Episode Sponsor:
Lingo App – http://bit.ly/lingo-app

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – https://lucia.bandcamp.com/

Last year, Veronica Belmont hosted HBO’s Red Carpet Premiere for Game of Thrones. But after spending ten years as an online media personality, she decided to leave the world of video behind her and become a product manager.

On today’s show, she shares about the ups and downs of being a freelancer, switching careers after ten years and embracing a new and unknown path, and how she’s becoming an expert in her new field. If you’re thinking about transitioning your role or industry and jumping over into something kind of but not really related, this is the episode for you.

Show Notes:
-Veronica growing up: A rough and tumble kind of girl who loved gadgets and tinkering with toys. [2:01]
-Her fascination with computers and games, joining the punk rock scene in high school, and studying Audio Production at Emerson. [5:54]
-Veronica’s first taste of feeling blocked because she was a woman, and how she ended up moving to San Francisco. [11:10]
-The hustle phase: Using Craigslist for everything (even her mattress), facing lots of rejections, and landing an internship at CNET. [15:53]
-Diving into her audio career, shifting from behind-the-scenes work to sharing her voice and co-hosting, and the leap to video. [23:45]
-Going from a super high to a super low: Veronica’s huge opportunity to host the HBO premiere of GOT, and her mistake of reading all the nasty comments about it afterward. [31:36]
-“It’s okay to know yourself well enough to know when you need a change.” Veronica shares about her decision to end all her contracts and stop video work. [34:39]
-On freelancing, the podcasts she continues to work on and how they’ve evolved, and her transition into Product Management. [38:53]
-The importance of becoming an expert in your domain, joining Bot Makers, and Veronica’s advice to people wanting to break into a new field. [42:32]
-The tendency women have to disqualify themselves from new opportunities (while men seem to do the opposite), and Veronica’s words of encouragement. [47:55]
-What Veronica has reclaimed for herself on her heroine’s journey. [50:45]

References:
Veronica’s personal website – http://veronicabelmont.com/
Sword & Laser podcast – http://swordandlaser.com/
Growbot website – https://www.growbot.io/

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Jaime Derringer started the blog Design Milk even though she wasn’t a designer – she was simply curating what she thought was beautiful. Today it’s one of the best-known design blogs out there dedicated to modern design – offering what’s new in art, architecture, fashion and technology, and more.

In today’s episode, she and our host discuss the importance of having clarity on your hobbies versus your job, while still embracing all that you are as a creative renaissance woman. Jaime also talks about her depression and anxiety during her twenties, and shares the mindset shifts and energy management tips that helped her to leave it in the past.

Show Notes:
-Growing up: On being an independent girl who preferred the art store to the toy store, expressing herself with piercings and pink hair, and struggling to find herself. [1:52]
-Why she chose to major in Asian Studies in college, even though it was a “useless” degree to her. [7:37]
-On her depression and anxiety during her twenties, and the exercise that saved her. [10:22]
-Moving around, becoming a mom, and how she got started with Design Milk. [12:55]
-Jaime talks about how long it took to find a job where she felt comfortable, how she had to fake it ‘til she made it, and having the confidence to figure things out. [16:58]
-On taking on new challenges, being multi-modal, and her hobbies for relaxation. [23:34]
-Jaime and Majo talk about identity and wearing different hats, plus the big aha Jaime had that expanded her creative freedom. [27:03]
-Some of the common pitfalls of working through big projects, plus tips on energy management. [32:09]
-Jaime shares her final words of wisdom on increasing her capacity and what she’s reclaimed on her journey. [36:07]

References:
Design Milk – http://design-milk.com/
Jaime's personal website – http://www.jaimederringer.com/
Dog Milk – http://dog-milk.com/
Adorn Milk – https://adorn-milk.com/

Find Jaime on Twitter:
@designmilk @jaimederringer

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Ashley C. Ford is a writer, editor, and speaker who has written and guest-edited for publications like The Guardian, ELLE, BuzzFeed, Slate, and many more. But only a few years ago, she had a very different story. After getting fired from all her part-time jobs at once, she hit rock bottom, but was able to find the inspiration to move forward after reading a self-help book.

Soon after, she became friends with Lena Dunham, started writing for BuzzFeed, and is now a senior writer at Refinery29 while also working on a personal memoir. As a survivor of sexual assault, Ashley talks about letting go of shame and the relationship between personal hardships and creativity. She also shares her perspective on Black Girl Magic and what she’s reclaimed on her heroine’s journey.

Show Notes:
-Ashley as a little girl: A precocious, early reader who asked a lot of questions and was highly skeptical of adult authority. [2:57]
-On hitting puberty as a young woman – “It’s not about us, it’s about the way the world starts to react to us.” [10:11]
-Ashley talks about her father, who was in prison for most of her life, and how their relationship was further complicated after learning what his crime had been. [17:46]
-On personal experiences relating to creativity, why Ashley struggled so long to figure out what she wanted to do, and how she ended up becoming a writer. [21:04]
-Diving into Ashley’s transition to becoming a writer – from surviving on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to checking out all the self-help books at the library to getting a job at Buzzfeed. [26:57]
-Some of the beliefs she had to let go of in order to lead, plus her beautiful perspective on "black girl magic". [32:05]
-Ashley’s advice for making yourself more visible and vulnerable, her wisdom on shame, and what she’s in the process of reclaiming for herself. [38:25]

References:
Ashley's website – http://www.ashleycford.net/

Episode Sponsor:
UENO - http://ueno.co/

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Today’s episode features a powerful interview with Jessica Bennett – a journalist who writes on gender, sexuality, and culture. She recently authored the book Feminist Fight Club, an office survival guide for a sexist workplace that’s packed with hilarity and insights on the subtle and sneaky sexism that still exists in modern workplaces today.

Jessica talks about how women have been programmed to feel competitive with each other, whether it’s okay to cry at work, and shares practical tools and techniques for dealing with sexism at work. She also shares how she overcame imposter syndrome to write for big names like the Times, and how you can overcome self doubts too.

Show Notes:
- A “geeky” girl with unyielding ambition and lots of lofty goals. [0:00]
- How she began to notice that the men around her were getting promoted faster and published more often, and how that led to uncovering an amazing story about women in the 70s who had felt the same frustration… [1:56]
- Growing up in liberal Seattle, Jessica admits that she wasn’t always interested in gender issues, and shares how she came to form the first feminist fight club. [6:03]
- Majo and Jessica talk about the subtle and insidious nature of sexism even in modern and progressive workplaces. [10:30]
- Diving into the book, Feminist Fight Club: How we self-sabotage, dealing with imposter syndrome, and more. [11:13]
- How women are programmed to feel competitive with each other: “It doesn’t have to be this way… we have the power to change this.” [15:52]
- To cry or not to cry at work? Jessica breaks down the stigmas around crying. [20:29]
- How communication and speech impacts the way we are perceived, and other stereotypes on how women are supposed to behave. [25:55]
- On reclamation, and the importance of bringing humor into issues like this. [31:49]
- How we can bring men into this conversations, the surprising thing that Jessica has reclaimed on her journey, and her advice to women. [35:26]

References:
http://www.feministfightclub.com/
http://www.jessicabennett.me/

Episode Sponsor:
UENO - http://ueno.co/

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

What is creative freedom – and when do you feel it most? Shyama Golden is an artist and designer who has found a range of ways to express her artistry. As a daughter to scientist immigrants, her parents encouraged her to pursue something practical. But after ten years of taking that route, Shyama felt the time was right to let her artsy side shine.

Shyama shares when she has felt the most and least creative freedom on her journey to becoming a sustainable artist – from her work in graphic and interactive design, to her paintings of families living inside of dinosaurs and a giant Sasquatch made of cats. This episode will get you wondering what phase of creative freedom you're in, and whether it’s time for a change.

Show Notes:
-Shyama as a little girl: an introverted, only child who liked trying new and “weird” things. [2:56]
-On her immigrant parents, college years, and how the nature of her first job affected her creative freedom. [7:12]
-How rejection and getting laid off turned out to be a blessing in disguise. [13:18]
-From full-time work, to freelance work, to a sabbatical focused on making her own art. [17:28]
-How a chance opportunity to participate in an art exhibit helped quiet her inner critic and revealed the positive power of deadlines. [21:58]
-Deciding to move to SF for new challenges and opportunities, and the regret she felt initially. [27:09]
-Shyama’s insights on sustaining herself as well as having mentors and patrons. [35:14]
-The internal shifts Shyama has made to protect her creativity, plus her progress on Catsquatch. [40:38]

References:
Check out Shyama's work – http://shyamagolden.com/

Episode Sponsor:
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Interested in learning how to de-condition away from fear and towards bravery? According to Caroline Paul, girls are socialized to be fearful instead of brave — and it’s not doing us any favors. As one of the first women in the SF Fire Department and author of the children’s book, The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure, Caroline has great insights on the relationship between being adventurous and being creative.

Caroline talks about how interacting with nature can help us cultivate bravery, and shares powerful insights on the relationship between fear and exhilaration. She also does a fantastic job of breaking down the cultural rituals between men and women, which can help explain why women sometimes feel uncomfortable in male-dominated workplaces.

Show Notes:
-Growing up as the shy twin: how being an identical twin uniquely shaped Caroline growing up. [4:52]
-Discussing the research on girls during the pivotal pre-teen years, and what that time was like for Caroline. [9:39]
-College years, being baffled by the idea of careers and what she wanted to do, and how she came to be one of the first women at SF Fire Department. [13:32]
-Caroline shares about the early difficulties of working in such a male-dominated field, and the different cultural rituals between men and women. [19:35]
-Being the first to volunteer for things, striving to out-brave the men and the backlash that came with that, and the different flavors of bravery. [26:25]
-On why parents protect girls more than boys, and the revelation Caroline’s mother had that led her to encourage her daughters to be more adventurous. [29:24]
-On Caroline’s book, The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure. [32:09]
-How we begin the process of de-conditioning ourselves away from fear: Caroline’s advice to practice bravery in small steps, and her powerful final thoughts. [35:08]

References:
Caroline’s website: http://www.carolinepaul.com/

Get Caroline’s book, The Gutsy Girl: https://www.amazon.com/Gutsy-Girl-Escapades-Your-Adventure/dp/1632861232

Caroline’s TED Talk, “To raise brave girls, encourage adventure”: http://www.ted.com/talks/caroline_paul_to_raise_brave_girls_encourage_adventure

Caroline’s New York Times Op-Ed, “Why do we teach girls that it’s cute to be scared?”: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/opinion/sunday/why-do-we-teach-girls-that-its-cute-to-be-scared.html?_r=0

Episode Sponsors:
UENO – https://ueno.co/careers
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

On the heroine’s journey, a lot of our speakers find that they return to the magic, playfulness, and confidence they had as little girls. Linda Liukas is a beautiful example of this cycle. A computer programmer and children’s book author, she hopes to create a more diverse and colorful perspective of technology – starting with the poetry of coding.

Linda’s coding book for children quickly became one of Kickstarter’s most highly funded children’s books, and her recent TEDx talk has garnered over 1.5 million views. Her unapologetic, girlish enthusiasm is contagious – she’ll get you thinking back to what you were like as a little girl and perhaps remind you of parts of yourself you’d like to reclaim.

Show Notes:
-Linda as a very imaginative little girl who loved role-playing with friends and tinkering on her dad’s computer. [3:51]
-How she came to develop a brave and curious attitude towards technology, plus the hilarious story of teaching herself to build a fan website for her girlhood crush, Al Gore. [7:30]
-Thoughts on identity: Linda talks about how pre-teen girls often feel like they have to define themselves in very binary terms. [13:20]
-Linda’s decade away from computers and technology, what she did instead and why, and how she found her calling. [18:20]
-The small steps that led to her true career, early opportunities, and the start of her children’s book. [21:48]
-On getting swept up by projects, never graduating, and moving to New York to work with a new start-up. [28:34]
-Dealing with self-doubt as her book started to take off, and the importance of taking time and creating empty space for deep work. [34:45]
-Launching her kickstarter: How she dealt with imposter syndrome as she started to see huge success. [41:04]
-On her TEDx talk and speaking more broadly about her work, plus Linda’s insights on being many things at the same time. [48:27]

References:
Hello Ruby website: http://www.helloruby.com/
Linda's TEDx talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/linda_liukas_a_delightful_way_to_teach_kids_about_computers

Episode Sponsor:
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Debbie Millman is a writer, educator, artist, brand consultant, and host of the radio show Design Matters (the world’s first podcast about design). In this episode, she shares her wisdom on dealing with criticism, what to do when you’re in an ‘inner critic storm’, and how to funnel your energy towards your one non-negotiable.

More about this episode: majomolfino.com/blog/2018/1/27/creative-revival-with-debbie-millman

She and Majo also discuss Debbie’s darker childhood days, facing rejection in her twenties, and achieving great success in her thirties as a brand consultant. More recently, she realized a connection to her true creative spirit was missing and that she needed to circle back to it. As a creative woman now in her fifties, Debbie’s wisdom and words of encouragement strike a powerful chord.

Show Notes:
-Debbie opens up about her difficult childhood, touches on her coming-of-age years, and shares how she was recently astounded by a picture of herself from when she was two. [5:01]
-The evolution of her creative expression: From making perfumes and writing bad poems as a girl to editing newspapers and magazines in college. Plus, how her twenties came to be dubbed “experiments in rejection and failure”. [10:45]
-On rejection and feedback, the idea of the “good girl myth”, and the parts of herself she disregarded in order to please her inner misogynist. [15:28]
-Debbie talks about her success as a branding consultant, circling back to her creative roots, and how it’s taken a long time to feel comfortable in her own skin. [20:56]
-On getting bullied by a design blog, taking responsibility for our choices, and achieving your one non-negotiable. [25:16]
-“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” Debbie offers advice on making things happen for yourself. [32:27]
-How Debbie deals with criticism and feedback today. [37:08]
-Debbie and Majo discuss an issue many women grapple with, and how they each are working to overcome it. [43:11]


References:
Majo's website – majomolfino.com
Debbie's website: http://debbiemillman.com/

Episode Sponsors:
Adobe Creative Residency – adobe.com/go/creativeresidency
UENO – ueno.co/careers

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Grace Bonney started the blog Design*Sponge many years ago, and today it’s one of the most trusted places online to go for creative inspiration. Her journey has had several points of big changes, like when she decided to pursue her blog full-time, when she came out as gay, and when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She’s an excellent example of how we sometimes must cycle through the heroine’s journey more than once.

Grace is also the author of the recently released book, In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs, and shares Heroine’s mission to support and empower creative women from all walks of life.

In this episode, you’ll learn the mistakes Grace has made in order to grow, and the lessons she’s learned as her business has evolved.

Show Notes:
-Grace growing up: A quiet and shy girl who struggled to feel like her natural self was accepted. [4:17]
-Transferring to a small liberal arts college after feeling like NYU was too big for her, and how that shifted her path for the better. [10:22]
-Dealing with pushback and criticism, coming out at thirty, and the importance of transparency. [14:30]
-On her early career, the evolution of Design*Sponge, and some deeply-seated patriarchal beliefs that she had to unlearn in order to lead. [21:08]
-Majo and Grace discuss misconceptions about women, like the false sense of competition, and Grace shares how a lot of her growth has come from making mistakes. [27:24]
-On setting boundaries and letting go of guilt, redefining herself and her business, and the aftermath of being diagnosed with diabetes. [34:11]
-Defining success in your own way: Grace shares what a successful day looks like for her. [40:12]
-Digging into her book, In The Company of Women. Grace reveals the huge myth that almost every women she interviewed had learned to let go of. [44:19]
-Discussing some of the most important messages to women in Grace’s book, including the encouragement to take up more space. [50:17]

References:
http://www.designsponge.com/
http://www.designsponge.com/book
http://www.thehivery.com

Episode Sponsors:
InVision – https://www.invisionapp.com/company
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com