IntHERrupt

For many working professionals, the typical day-to-day is a constant stream of projects and tasks. As soon as one project is finished, we immediately move on to the next job, leaving little time to celebrate our accomplishments and successes. But is this the right approach? On today’s episode of IntHERrupt, Linda is joined by the founder of The Woman Behind the Smile and best-selling author Debby Montgomery to discuss the importance of celebrating your accomplishments. 

We all have losses, whether we admit them or not.

• After her husband’s death, Debby started online dating to put herself out there. She fell for a relationship scheme, losing over one million dollars over two years. This event inspired her first book, “The Woman Behind the Smile.”
• After being hurt financially, emotionally, and spiritually, Debby realized this is a much more common problem than she thought; many women have encountered similar issues and are too afraid to admit it.
• For the last six years, she became the woman to advocate for those who have fallen for online scams and tries to prevent more women from falling for it.
• Her second book, “A Gift Called Fearless,” was created to understand that we have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. We can get out of our comfort zone to help others move forward.

It’s hard for people to accept a compliment.

• Particularly for mothers, accepting a compliment is challenging. We are giving people, and we tend to focus the spotlight on others rather than ourselves.
• While selfless, this doesn’t work long-term. Everyone needs a balance, and that includes being able to give and receive positive energy from others.

What does Debby do to celebrate her accomplishments?

• She started her own podcast, Stand Up and Speak Up. The most rewarding aspect of her podcast is the positivity and interest it generates in those who listen to her content, particularly her parents.
• We have a tendency to view large celebrations as selfish, which goes against our desire to be seen as selfless.
• For some people, the celebration isn’t always a big spectacle. It can be as simple as seeing family and spending time with loved ones.
• Green Light on Audible by Matthew McCaughnahey stands up and owns his experiences about rising to fame, and it’s great.
• People need to know they aren’t alone. To Debby, she loves knowing she can connect and impact other people by helping people understand they aren’t alone.

To anyone listening who has recently experienced the loss of a loved one, expected or unexpected, remember that life goes on. You can honor the person, and there is nothing wrong with crying. Do what you need to accept what has happened and find a way to move past it. Go to thewomanbehindthesmile.com to find out more about Debby’s story and her books. If you’ve been a victim of a relationship scam, you aren’t alone. Reach out to Debby at debby@thewomanbehindthesmile to talk to Debby and 

To get in contact with Gina, follow her on LinkedIn Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals. Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

Working in corporate America means you’ll encounter people with all sorts of different personalities, for better or worse. But as a team leader, you need to support and create a healthy atmosphere for the entire team. In today’s episode, Linda is joined by Gina Stracuzzi, cofounder and director of the Women in Sales Leadership Forum, to learn how to foster unity in your organization, even with different personalities. 

People with different personalities require different forms of support.

• It’s very easy to alienate people in a business setting. Especially as people return to in-person work, they might not be used to all the socialization and communication.
• Use emotional intelligence to mirror the way people speak. Match someone’s communication style to help them be more comfortable in their environment.
• Building trust is integral. Gina had difficulty with people when she made assumptions about what they wanted or needed. 
• Building trust and rapport will help you determine how, where, and when someone communicates, and thus how you can best support them and make the greatest impact.

Gina’s tips for building rapport:

• Don’t be in a hurry to get the sale.
• Be a listener, not a talker.
• Use questions that show you’re listening and want to know more.
• Consider taking notes
• Periodically repeat things back to the speaker to prompt them to elaborate.

Practice kindness and empathy.

• Kindness and empathy have been the guiding force to get us through the pandemic. Even the most rigid bosses have to be kind and patient about people’s situations.
• You don’t have to like somebody or be their friend. But you should be kind. If someone shows up to the office in a bad mood, it’s usually because something is happening. 
• Ask if everything is okay or if everything is alright with them. If that’s too direct, ask if anything is new. The key is to offer an opening for the person to express their problems.

What does Gina do to build unity within an organization?

• Think about who you’re working with and how they communicate. What’s important to them? Are you asking them to think differently than they might be used to?
• You can’t tailor everything to everyone, but you can be mindful of what motivates people.
• Some companies pit people against one another, which can cause a lot of tension. Women, in particular, are pitted against each other for opportunities for advancement.
• Instead of creating rivalries, build teams that work together and have healthy competitions.
• Brené Brown talks about managing with shame. Depending on your role, make sure you aren’t using shame in an innocuous way to the point that it becomes part of the culture.
• If you’re being managed that way, have a conversation with whoever is doing it. Repeat it back to them, and use their language. Have them explain how it will help instead of why because “how” is a much less aggressive way of speaking.

Has Gina ever been interrupted?

• Yes, especially in corporate America. But Gina learned a technique from another trainer.
• If someone typically dominates a meeting, go up to the perpetrator before the meeting. Ask them how much time they think they’ll need today during the meeting because you also have things you need to say. 
• It will make them aware that they’re speaking and make them aware that you’re aware that they’re speaking.

To get in contact with Gina, follow her on LinkedIn Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals. Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

Regardless of your profession or career, there will always be times you need to say no. But even though it is a necessary skill, many people find it difficult to say no in personal or professional situations. In today’s episode, Linda is joined by the CEO of Cleo and Coco Suzannah Raff to learn how to say “no” and be okay with it.

Suzannah has worn many hats throughout her professional career.

• After receiving an MA in business, Suzannah worked in high technology before pivoting to a tech startup that eventually went public.
• She later went on to receive another MA in social work and worked another five years before launching her brand Cleo and Coco, where she is the current CEO.
• Cleo and Coco make clean and luxurious personal care products, transforming the personal care industry by putting “care” back in personal care.

She’s had to say “no” in virtually all of these career steps.

• As a brand founder, she has values for her product that she holds firm. 
• She found that manufacturers will say they can produce her products more cheaply by using an alternative ingredient that isn’t as clean or pure. Suzannah has to hold firm and say no in those instances.
• As a Sabbath-observant Jewish woman, Suzannah doesn’t look at her phone or computer for 24 hours, starting at sundown each Friday. She has had huge business opportunities occur within that timeframe that she’s had to turn down (like going on-air for QVC) because they went against her values.
• But Suzannah doesn’t feel guilty about saying no because these instances go against values she has for herself and her life.

How can someone learn to say no?

• It’s much easier to say yes and keep the peace (saying no can cause conflict.) But to start saying no, Suzannah has three strategies:
• Stop and think about the situation or problem. 
• Have a list of your values and what is important to you. Run it against your list of values, and if it goes against any of them say no.
• Instead of saying “no,” determine the smoothest route to accomplish the same goal. Explain why you can’t do it, say complimentary things about it, come up with another solution or compromise.

When to say “yes” instead of “no”:

• If the opportunity or problem doesn’t go against anything on your list, ask yourself why you want to say no in the first place. 
• The opportunity might be a chance to push yourself and try something new. 
• Suzannah also says yes anytime something is within her bandwidth and brings value to someone else. But remember, it must be within your bandwidth for it to be worth it. 

How did Suzannah discover her values?

She makes lists for any major life decisions she has to make.

Where is she at now? Where does she want to be? What does she need to do to get there?

Have a brainstorming session with yourself, write down all of your ideas, and turn it into a list of your top 10

What would you say to someone struggling to say no after saying yes

Sometimes just talking it out with somebody might make you feel better. Recognize that there are times you just need to set a boundary, find a friend, and vent to them to get it out of your system.

Barrier looking to break?

Access to capital for female founders.

Less than 10% of venture capital goes to female founders.

Been interrupted?

SHe’s interrupted her own career a couple of times

Throughout those interruptions, how has overcoming them been helpful?

Beginnings are always difficult, but Suzannah enjoys the challenge and likes starting new things.

Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.

Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

Leading a team in the workplace can be tough. What can make it even more challenging, however, is when situations at home force you to devote more time, energy, or resources away from business aspirations. On today’s episode of IntHerrupt, Linda is joined by Abbi Perets to discuss how to lead a team when you have special needs children, aging parents, or other commitments that can impact your professional aspirations.

But first, who is Abbi?

• Originally your typical corporate professional, Abbi transitioned to freelance writing upon the birth of her first child.
• Now Abbi has five children, with two having special needs. Her third child has Soto syndrome and her youngest child only has one ear.
• While unintentional, freelancing was incredibly helpful for Abbi. When she found her days full of therapy and doctor’s appointments for her kids, she was still able to work.

Balancing work and her personal life is critical. 

• For Abbi, the key to balancing everything in her life is sacrificing things she is willing to sacrifice.
• She doesn’t worry about having a perfectly organized home. Clean laundry can stay in baskets, and dishes can be in the sink overnight because she picks and chooses where to put her energy.
• Letting something go doesn’t mean letting go of it for life. It’s simply reprioritizing based on what’s happening at the current time.

How does Abbi stay positive?

• Apart from thriving on sarcasm and very dark humor, Abbi believes that happiness is a choice. 
• When her son and mother both had cancer, Abbi got the help she needed to remain hopeful and optimistic.
• Women in particular struggle in silence. But there’s nothing wrong with taking medication, getting counseling, or anything else to find happiness.
• She looks for small things that bring joy to her, like reading, a good cup of coffee, celebrating with her kids, and walks with her husband around their neighborhood.

How does Abbi manage her client’s expectations? 

• When her son was diagnosed with cancer, she immediately contacted her clients and said she wouldn’t be able to work for the foreseeable future, and it wasn’t until he finished treatment that she began to work again.
• She is a huge believer that your calendar is not an aspirational document. You need to be realistic about how to plot out a calendar, which means scheduling time for yourself. 
• Being honest about the amount of work she can do helps her set realistic expectations with her clients and deliver work on time.

What are things listeners can do to be more sensitive to team members who deal with these types of issues?

• Ask them to be honest with you about how much work they can take on. 
• Be cognizant, but also hold people accountable. Some people like to be very engaged in work during difficult times because it is a routine. If a coworker or employee wants that, respect it. Don’t decide what they need.
• If your employees can do things better for you and themselves by working remotely, welcome that chance to help people balance their values.

To connect with Abbi, visit her website https://successfulfreelancemom.com/. 

Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.

Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

When juggling the responsibilities that come with motherhood and a career, nobody understands the struggles more than today’s guest Veronica Romney. As the founder of MyModernBrand, she works to help great people and great companies clarify their brand message and market themselves authentically, all while she raises two kids! In today’s episode, Veronica shares her secrets to juggling responsibilities between motherhood and her career. 

Veronica and her husband started a company months after their first child was born.

• The most shocking thing she experienced as a new mother was the amount of guilt she felt. She felt guilty delivering subpar work in her career but also felt guilty giving herself time to rest or traveling for work. 
• After overcoming the shock of how difficult balancing everything would be, Veronica realized finding balance is impossible, because there are times her kids need her more than other commitments. 
• Instead, she believes in being honest about how much capacity she has for her workload. For example, if she’s going to take on a particular project, how much space will it take from the allotment she’s given to her children?

Veronica had to learn how to give time for herself.

• At first, she was delegating and asking her family for help. But, after moving to North Carolina, she isn’t around family members to support her. 
• Instead, she calls on babysitters, cleaners, and even gardeners for help. Not all the time, but for the times when she doesn’t have the capacity to handle everything on her plate.
• You as a human being have to constantly reprioritize and decide what is best for you. 

What has been Veronica’s biggest challenge in being a mother and working professional? 

• If she doesn’t prioritize herself, everything else suffers. She needs sleep, food, and time for herself to give more to her family and job.
• What she doesn’t do is go into life with the mentality “I can just wake up early and go to bed later.” - That’s how people experience burnout.
• Overcoming this challenge meant safeguarding her own boundaries. If that means 30 minutes to herself, away from family, she gives herself that time.
• Women are taught to set boundaries for themselves in the workplace and stick to them, but that process falls by the wayside in personal applications. But Veronica found that in expressing that she needs time to herself, her kids learned how to practice self-care for themselves. 

What accomplishment has given Veronica the most pride?

• Besides the birth of her children (the easy answer), it’s being married. Of course, nobody teaches you how to be married. But even after over a decade of marriage, Veronica and her husband love each other and communicate their needs.
• Her secret? Be fully present in whatever you’re doing. When you try to juggle bowling balls, they’re all going to fall. So put down the extra balls and focus on one at a time.

To contact Veronica, connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and visit her website, https://www.veronicaromney.com/. 

Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.

Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

Whether you’re overcoming imposter syndrome or just want to feel supported in your career, addressing the difficulties to find empowerment is critical. Today on IntHERrupt, Linda is joined by Heather Fueger, sports marketing director at RSM, to learn how she found empowerment and support through sports and physical activity.

Heather was involved in sports from a young age.

• Growing up in the midwest meant sports was a cultural necessity. That and her professional golfer of a dad meant she was immersed in sports her entire life.
• While Heather played multiple sports until junior high, it was clear she was far better at golf than anything else.
• She realized she had to either hone in on golf (to play in college) or just have fun in multiple sports. Heather chose the former.

What critical skills for her future career does Heather attribute to sports?

• Organization: Playing collegiate golf meant learning to balance school, sports, and her social life. 
• Time management: Her busy life meant prioritizing responsibilities was necessary for success.
• Teamwork: Despite golf being an individual sport, Heather was still a part of a team and relied on her relationships to improve.

It’s essential for women to be in sports.

• Being active can dramatically help anyone’s mental health. 
• Utilizing a gym or participating in a club sport is an opportunity to network and meet like-minded people. In fact, meeting others through golf was how Heather networked her first job.
• Beyond a professional career, you can play several lifelong sports like golf and tennis as you grow older.

How does Heather continue to grow in a male-dominated industry?

• She knows her strengths and weaknesses and leverages her strengths to perform her best.
• A direct boss who is supportive can make all the difference in career advancement.
• A supportive boss means Heather has the freedom to make decisions, knowing that it would merely be an opportunity to learn if she were to mess up. 

To get in contact with Heather, connect with her on LinkedIn.

Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.

Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

Working around the clock might help you find success at your job, but what’s the value if you feel burnt out? Now more than ever, finding a work-life balance that works for you is essential. Today Linda is joined by Amanda Abella, CEO and founder of Make Money Your Honey, to talk about the value of rest and relaxation and how Amanda finds balance in her own life.

The benefits of finding time for rest and relaxation:

• Having time for relaxation helps generate better ideas, feel better physically, and be more emotionally balanced.
• These criteria not only affect your work productivity, but also your general mental health and ability to find meaning and happiness in your life. 

How does Amanda relax?

• Personally, Amanda goes to the beach. But, for building her business, Amanda likes to think she’s on a mission to fire herself. 
• To build stability and time for relaxation within her business, she thinks with the end in mind.  Most business owners don't think about the end result and take whatever comes to them. 
• When Amanda hired her first assistant, they sat down and planned their vision. Amanda only wanted to sell and make connections through podcasts. That's it. 
• It took them over two years for Amanda to get to that goal. But she started with that vision in mind and made decisions to reach it. 

Amanda’s experience with letting go: 

• Amanda naturally just generates ideas, so a big part of shutting down was accepting that's how she’s wired, and there’s nothing wrong with it. 
• Instead of fighting it, which was draining, she just accepted it. However, just because she lets herself develop ideas doesn’t mean she starts implementing them all tomorrow. 

Why relaxation is essential to Amanda’s community:

• Amanda doesn’t want her or her team to be running ragged because that doesn’t help anybody. 
• She teaches sales to women, who are notorious underearners. Women are conditioned to overwork for little pay and not ask for what they want, and it creates a perpetual cycle of overworking and underearning. Amanda wants to teach women not to accept this.

What can someone do if they have a hard time relaxing? 

• If you have a hard time relaxing, there's something you aren’t owning or something you're trying to avoid.
• Do some self-inquiry to determine why and what the problem is.
• For Amanda, realizing there's a difference between recognizing her vision and goals and allowing herself to become overworked and overloaded feels different. 

Episode Resources:

• If you’re a woman, join her free Facebook group, where they do complimentary training once a week. 
• Find her podcast and videos on her YouTube channel, and connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 
• Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Houston (formerly Barbara Stanny) changed Amanda’s life and revealed how to earn what you deserve and live at your full potential.
• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks describes the zone of genius - things you love to do and are good at. 
• Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.
• Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. 

Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

You know those days you just want to quit your job? On today’s episode of IntHERrupt, Linda is joined by Nicole Tschierske to discuss why you might not want to immediately quit and look for your next opportunity. As a scientist and positive psychology coach, Nicole helps her clients strategically turn their career frustrations into a renewed love for their work.

Why shouldn't you find a new job when you're feeling under-challenged or overwhelmed? 

• There will be situations you just have to get out of, such as discrimination or if you’ve tried to make changes without success.
• But, especially if you work at a larger company, there are often many areas and new opportunities within your company.

Nicole had to overcome feeling under-challenged in her career.

• At a previous job, Nicole had to knock on her manager’s door to ask for new opportunities. 
• She tried everything to remain challenged at work, and management told her she just had to be patient. But soon, an entire year went by without change. 
• When these monotonous feelings began to seep into her personal life, she looked for a coach for help.

Her advice to someone who feels under-challenged or overwhelmed:

• It's normal to have a perceived plateau of learning.
• If you feel you have to leave your company to grow, stay another year and use that extra bandwidth you have from no longer struggling with technicalities; use it to learn a whole set of other skills you might need for your future career.

Nicole’s guide to job tweaking:

• What is job tweaking? It’s changing your daily work routine to make it more worthwhile or fun for you.
• Look at the tasks you have to do, and find a way to switch them up. Can you change tasks with someone? Can you stack the most difficult ones at the beginning of the day? 
• Look at your relationships. Who energizes you? Or is there someone you have to manage your emotions around? Find ways to work on more challenging tasks with those you like to work with and vice versa.
• Think about what you do and find meaning behind it. Who are you helping? What are you providing? Asking these questions can give your work meaning beyond the mundane. 

How can you get noticed in the workplace to progress?

• Take on tasks beyond your realm of responsibility, especially cross-functional projects that help out multiple people. 
• Try to work with people who bring out your best work. 
• Enjoy your work. If you can find joy, even in a mundane task, you’ll make progress. Just remember, you likely won’t be at that job forever. But while you're there, you might as well make the best of it.

Has Nicole ever been interrupted, and how she’s overcome it:

• Nicole has definitely been interrupted, but she has also been accused of interrupting others.
• To overcome being interrupted, Nicole asks herself what is important: standing up for herself or ensuring the point she’s making reaches the audience. Depending on the context, she uses different strategies to achieve the outcome she wants.

Want to get in contact with Nicole? Connect with her on LinkedIn or visit her website.

Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.

Subscribe to the Int-HER-rupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. 

Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.

Building alliances in the workforce is critical in finding an environment in which you can work successfully. Today on the Int-HER-rupt podcast, Linda is joined by the founder of The C-Suite Edge, Olivia Roehm, to discuss how you can build strong alliances and relationships in your professional life. 

Why is building effective alliances important?

• You typically expect different departments, especially finance and marketing, to be at odds - but their goals can and do align. It’s critical to come together and figure out where those goals align.
• A study from the wall street journal shows the average tenure of a chief marketing officer has gone down to 41 months.
• The relationships you build at a C-suite level can have long-term implications in your career, so fostering those relationships is critical.

How has Olivia personally created those alliances?

• Olivia acts on things within her control she can do quickly.
• One thing is building relationships - it takes just seconds to send that LinkedIn message or email.
• She noticed many women tend to struggle to give themselves proper credit within their industry, but showing your competency helps foster those meaningful alliances.

Has Olivia broken off or set boundaries in an alliance?

• There are always challenges, regardless of who you work with. But you have to realize which relationships you should nurture and which ones aren’t.
• However, this is a much larger issue in client relationships. Determine which clients provide long-time value, and dedicate your time and effort to maintain those relationships. 
• If a client is not a good alliance member and isn’t critical to your long-term success, evaluate if you truly want to do business with them.

Where do you feel is the easiest place to start building an alliance?

• Look to mentors and those you want to learn from, train with them, or ask for training opportunities.
• This training wasn’t a part of Olivia’s KPIs. But she made it part of her goals because she wanted to provide more value for clients, giving her long-term value.

And Olivia been interrupted? And how has she overcome those interruptions?

• Yes, and as a result, she’s worked to surround herself with leaders who support people in a respectful way.

Having leadership that will back her up and says, “This is not okay, we're not accepting this within our relationship,” is an excellent sign of a strong alliance. Cultivating those relationships has made Olivia’s life career stronger because she understands where the respectful disrespectful boundaries lie in the workplace.

Want to get in contact with Olivia? Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.

Subscribe to the Int-HER-rupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. 

Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.