IntHERrupt

Tech companies recruit men and women into their workforce equally. So why do we still see relatively few women in positions of leadership? Trends seemed to be heading in a more equal direction until the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. That’s where the work of Kelley O’Keeffe seeks to change everything. In this episode, our host Linda Yates has a conversation with O’Keeffe about her work as an advocate for women’s empowerment.

O’Keeffe’s Background

• Starting at a very young age, O’Keeffe was a very ambitious student. After finishing her MBA, she began working with many companies, from Fortune 100 to smaller startups
• At the beginning of the pandemic, she was balancing a challenging work schedule and starting her family
• O’Keeffe made the leap into being self-employed to serve as an advocate for women’s economic empowerment 

 3 Tips: How to Become a Successful Woman in Leadership

1. Dealing with Microaggressions: Don’t allow yourself to be derailed when dealing with microaggressions. If you can’t find a way to ignore them, it’s okay to move laterally to step away from working with people who have a pattern of this kind of behavior.
2. Find your Mega Champion: More than a mentor - find someone you report to and build a strong relationship with them. This should be someone who is familiar with how hard you work and how much effort you’re willing to put in. They will be your ally and keep your name in the running for leadership decisions.
3. Get Recognized: Put yourself in a situation where your skillset can really shine. Look for places in your company where you’ll stand out.

“Think of those insecure thoughts as thought-trash, and just put them in the trash, and keep going. We’re wasting too much time.” – Kelley O’Keeffe

Resources

Kelley O’Keeffe on LinkedIn

McKinsey “Women in the Workplace 2022” Report

Empowered Engagement LLC - Kelley O’Keeffe’s website

Check out the Int-HER-rupt Website at www.intherrupt.com! You can reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to you. 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 achieve 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 it’s time to take a leap of faith, what holds you back? Think of how much more you could accomplish if you weren’t afraid to leave your comfort zone. In this episode of the Int-HER-rupt podcast, your host Linda Yates sits down with Marianne Lentini, a private investigator with over 25 years of experience investigating white-collar crimes, and the CEO of Evidence PI. Lentini has taken big, calculated risks, and those bold moves have brought her to where she is today.

 Lentini’s Background

• Went to school to be a lawyer and began working in that field
• When the opportunity to try being a private investigator arose, she decided to take the risk from a safe, stable field into one that is more dangerous
• Later, she also took another risk and started a company (Evidence PI)

 How Do You Decide Whether to Take a Big Risk?

• Go with your gut. Use your intuition to guide you – when you have a feeling like, “I should definitely do that,” trust your instincts
• If the risk you take has repercussions that could cause harm to someone else, avoid those risks
• Think about what the impacts on you will be if things don’t go well, and take precautions to reduce negative outcomes

 3 Tips for Safety from a PI

1. Don’t put yourself in situations you can’t get yourself out of.
2. Stay aware of your surroundings – don’t stare at your phone, know where exits are.
3. Don’t let yourself get too paranoid. 

 “So much of it is knowing not just what you know, but knowing what you don’t know and just finding those people to fill those roles. You CAN run a business. You CAN take on the world… You just have to find the right people and they will lift you up and make you successful.” – Marianne Lentini

Resources

https://www.evidencepi.com

Check out the Int-HER-rupt Website at www.intherrupt.com! You can reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to you. 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 achieve 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 with a team that makes you feel heard, seen, and valued is one of the best feelings in the world. On the other hand, having your ideas squashed and feeling afraid to make mistakes can make the workday feel like it never ends. On this episode of the Int-HER-rupt Podcast, our host Linda Yates has a conversation with Paige Garrido, the Assistant Director of Executive Education at FAU’s College of Business and leader of the FAU Women in Executive Leadership Program. Garrido works with mid- to senior-level professionals, helping them to enter the C-suite. Even successful people experience feeling silenced, or like they don’t belong. Listen in to hear about why an inclusive workplace generates more success, and get some tips on improving your company culture.

Why Should Workplaces Be Inclusive?

• Garrido refers to Dr. Rob Bogosian’s idea of “The Culture of Voice”: when employees feel like they belong and can speak up. Bogosian 
• Open, engaged employees feel safe to bring up concerns, and have more creative ideas
• Teamwork boosts engagement and innovation
• Employees don’t want to work hard for people who aren’t inclusive, even though they may seem to due to fear of reprimand

Tips for Creating an Inclusive Workplace

1. Start with you. Leaders who want to create an inclusive workplace need to start by doing some self-reflection and evaluating their strengths and challenges. Listening and connecting with others are huge responsibilities and they start with vulnerability.
2. The stories we tell ourselves dictate our success. If you don’t see yourself in a good light, you can exclude yourself because you’re cutting yourself down. Be aware of any negative self-talk.
3. If there are things you need, ask. Come up with a strategic plan or a list of things you need to help yourself be more successful, and try to ask for what you need.

“We always look at inclusion from the company’s perspective – “How do we make people feel more included?’ But I would say, it’s the message that we’re telling ourselves about our roles in our organizations.” - Paige Garrido

Check out the Int-HER-rupt Website at www.intherrupt.com! You can reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to you. 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 achieve 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.

In this episode of the Int-HER-rupt Podcast, your host Linda Yates meets with Shawna Williams. Williams had an unconventional journey, but ended up finding herself at a crossroads that many people inevitably face; should she take on a managerial role? We hope you enjoy Williams’s positive spirit and direct approach as she takes us through how she made her decision and how she knows it was right for her.

 What to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Career Path

• Continue doing what you’re doing until you’re ready to take on the hard work that goes into making a big shift. Regardless of what you choose, you have to have the desire and bandwidth to put more on your plate.
• Some aspects of what you choose might not be natural to you - you might need to do some self-study or professional development.
• Look at the whole picture of the company you’re looking to work with. Figure out how you fit in - you might need to make some adjustments to your plan, or find a new place to work.

 The Pros and Cons of a Managerial vs. a Technical Path

• Management pro: You get to work in a support role for a lot of different people. If helping others gives you a sense of accomplishment, management might be right for you.
• Management con: Balancing the needs of a lot of people can get pretty complicated. There are a lot of moving parts to any team, and you should be committed to understanding all of them.
• Technical pro: Regardless of where you work, your job will be fairly similar. Once you learn how to do it, you can relocate and change companies fairly easily. 
• Technical con: At some point, you will plateau. Once you learn everything you can about your job, you can either decide to stay there, or you have to make a big shift to change your career path.

 Do These 3 Things Before You Make the Leap

1. Consider your personal life. Will this change impact your family life or how often you get to see friends? Make a choice that fits into the lifestyle you want to have.
2. Do you buy into the company vision? If you don’t feel aligned with your company’s values, it will be a lot harder to put in all the extra work it takes to make a big shift.
3. Be ready to listen. Reach out to others who have more experience than you, and ask questions and really listen to their perspectives.

 “Don’t let any change in your day be a speed bump in your map. That speed bump might be an opportunity for something you’d never dreamed of that has such a positive impact on your life. You just never know who’s going to walk into your office and change your life for the good.” - Shawna Williams

 Resources

“Getting Things Done” by David Allen on Amazon

Shawna Williams on Linkedin

You can reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to you. 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 achieve 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.

In this episode of the Int-HER-rupt podcast, host Linda Yates and her guest Misha Ford are here to inspire, and light a fire! Ford describes how she went from working a regular corporate job to becoming the founder and CEO of 3TG Staffing Solutions. Hers is a journey of determination, ambition, and fearlessness. Listen in as she offers tips on overcoming the “glass ceilings” we all face, both in the workplace and inside ourselves.

 Misha Ford’s Background

• Ford worked a corporate job and, in 2010, started 3TG as a Virtual Assistant company doing back-office work for big companies
• Working two jobs meant not having enough time for her family, so she had to make a change - she left her corporate job in 2017

 To Break Glass Ceilings, Overcome Fear

• Know who you are. You have to do internal work to progress. This means digging deep to understand what motivates you, what you care about, and what your fears are.
• Surround yourself with supporters. Break the glass ceiling by avoiding the “sticky floor” - people who would hold you down by telling you you aren’t good enough. Find mentors and coaches who believe in you.
• Only YOU can hold you back. Understand that you are the person who will slow you down the most, and actively choose not to do that. Find an internal sense of encouragement.

 If You’re Stuck In a Job, Ask These Questions to Get You Moving Again

• You’re replaceable to the job, is the job replaceable to you?
• Are you staying out of loyalty? What are you actually loyal to (family, prosperity, stability, etc.)?
• Are you worried you won’t find a better job? (Spoiler alert: you will!)
• Why are you still there? What are they giving you to stay?

 “Everybody’s not nice. Everybody’s not going to be nice to you. But you are NOT going to be scared, and they WILL respect you.” - Misha Ford

You can reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to you. 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 achieve 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.

In this week’s episode of the Int-HER-rupt podcast, Linda Yates brings you an amazing, moving conversation with Ruth Rathblott. Rathblott is a best-selling author, a TEDx and expert keynote speaker, and an award-winning leader in the nonprofit sector. Together, they delve into what it is like to hide the differences that make you who you are, and how to escape a cycle of perfectionism and shame in your personal and professional life.

Ruth Rathblott’s Background

• Ruth was born with a limb difference, and wanting to fit in caused her to hide
• Hiding became a pattern in her life, but it was exhausting and lonely
• As a leader in business, a pattern of hiding and perfectionism caused her team to reflect that – her staff felt like they had to be perfect, and didn’t always feel comfortable enough to be themselves

3 Tips for Coming Out of Hiding

1. Understand the part of yourself that feels “different.” Ask yourself questions: what part of yourself are you trying to hide? What are the social and cultural ideas about it? How are they impacting you?
2. Find a place to share your difference. This can be a friend, partner, therapist, or even a journal - start to create space in your life for the part of yourself you’re hiding.
3. Connect with other people. Once you start sharing, you may find a community that you relate can relate to, and who share some of your experiences and challenges. A community can offer you support, and you can also become a role model for others.

Unhiding in Leadership

• Vulnerability starts with leadership - if leaders are willing to share some things about themselves, they model this behavior for others
• Empathy in the workplace can create a better, more informed work environment
• This is different from “spilling”, or oversharing - unhiding is sharing when you are in need of support

“It starts with leadership. Leaders need to be the ones that model vulnerability. They need to be the ones that come with an understanding of their own differences and where they have felt different, that they need to share some parts of themselves that are vulnerable that they think may, in some ways, make them look weak, but it actually makes them look strong.”  - Ruth Rathblott

 Resources

Simple Abundance by Sarah Branbreathnach

Ruth Rathblott on LinkedIn

Ruth Rathblott on TEDx

Singlehandedly book

Ruthrathblott.com

You can reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to you. 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 achieve 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.

This week, the Int-HER-rupt podcast brings you a conversation between our host Linda Yates and women’s leadership expert Helen Appleby. They discuss some of the issues that face women in business, and how to find a role model or mentor who can guide you along your personal journey. Appleby has worked in six different countries, led a billion-dollar company, and is now an executive coach, author, and podcaster, sharing her journey with women all over the world.. Take a listen, and check our resources to connect with her - she just might be the role model you’re looking for.

Appleby’s Background

• She has worked for and been in leadership roles in several major businesses, including GlaxoSmithKline, where she led the $1 billion Respiratory Health business in Consumer Healthcare. 
• She was performing well and attending courses to improve her skills, and began to notice that the challenges that women face in the industry are often different from the ones men face.
• Her book, The Unwritten Rules of Women’s Leadership, helps women to navigate their careers and meet their own definitions for success. She also now has a podcast, which continues the discussion.
• She is now an Executive Coach and Womens’ Leadership Trainer, helping women step into their power.

Superhero, Role Model, or Mentor?

• A role model is someone who can be quite distant from you, but who has achieved some of the same goals you have. You can learn from them by reading their work, listening to interviews, etc.
• A mentor is someone who is two steps ahead of you in your goals. Ideally, you can speak to them personally and ask them questions. This is someone you learn from, who is helping you grow.
• Yates and Appleby differentiate this from a superhero - this is someone who is so far ahead of you, the goals seem unattainable. It’s not helpful if the person you look up to is on a pedestal - role models and mentors should be relatable.

How do you find a role model or mentor?

1. Get clear about what you want in your career.  Choose 3 ways you want to grow and develop.
2. Figure out who is two steps ahead of you on the journey. Find people who have done what you want to do, and try reaching out to them and asking them questions. Whether it’s a goal or a skill - find someone who has been there, and reach out to see if they’d be willing to meet with you.
3. It doesn’t need to be someone who has accomplished it all. Sometimes people who are much further along the journey can have a tough time mentoring because they forget what it’s like to be in your position. Talk to someone who can relate to you.

Quote: “On our own, we can figure stuff out… but if you do it by yourself, you can tend to stumble through. Having mentors, which are a bit closer than role models, can be a career accelerator.” - Helen Appleby

Check out the episode, where Yates and Appleby go into more depth about why role models are so important, what to do if your role model disappoints you, and what to do if you get interrupted!

Helen’s book, The Unwritten Rules of Women’s Leadership, is available on Amazon. Check out her podcast of the same name and so much more at her website, HelenApplebyCoaching.com. You can also reach out to her on LinkedIn. You can reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to you. 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 achieve 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.

In this week’s episode of the Int-HER-rupt podcast, our host Linda Yates spent some time in a conversation with Monique Jenkins. Jenkins is an HR leader who has worked for the state of Georgia for a decade. Her infectious energy and leadership skills come through in this podcast as she discusses how she has recovered from various setbacks over her life and career, and what gave her the strength to stay motivated to achieve her goals.

Background

• Jenkins enlisted in the army at 18 and planned to stay for four years, but ended up coming back to Mississippi and attending university. Leaving the army was an early setback that she overcame
• She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Mississippi University for Women (the first public school for women!)
• In 2009, Jenkins moved to Georgia and began working for the state supporting HR professionals

How Jenkins Recovered After a Major Professional Setback

• After planning a major event, due to a hurricane, the conference had to be stopped. The entire team that had planned it had to quickly change focus, pivoting to ensuring the safety of all of the guests, and recovering from the loss of a fundraising opportunity
• Jenkins had a strong team. They were all involved in decision-making, developing plans, and changing those plans.
• After the event, Jenkins took some time to process and recover and encouraged her staff to do so as needed.
• She also thought back through all the decisions that were made, and gave credit to her and her team for doing the best they could given the information they had at the time.

3 Tips for Motivating a Team After a Setback

• Acknowledge their concerns. Then help them see the big picture, and have perspective on the larger goals you are all looking to achieve.
• It’s okay to be vulnerable. Demonstrate to your team that it’s okay to take a step back and recover if that’s what they need to do. Create a safe environment where it’s “okay to not be okay.”
• Remember that we are all human. Things are not always going to go our way - as Jenkins says in the episode, “the path is not always straight.” If the leader can remember that, they can remind the team of it as well.

Jenkins acknowledges that it’s not always easy to see the bigger picture right after a setback happens. She encourages people to process and feel the emotions of disappointment and sadness that may come with crises, large and small. But once those emotions have been processed, staying focused on the goal and carrying on is the next, and most important, step.

If you connected with this message and you’d like to reach out to Monique Jenkins, you can find her on LinkedIn. You can also reach out to Linda and let her know how this episode relates to the challenged you’ve faced. 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 achieve 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.

In this episode of Int-HER-rupt, our host Linda Yates has a conversation with Cheryl Nye. They discuss the importance of trust and how to respond when trust is broken - whether in the workplace or in life.

Cheryl’s Background:

• After dabbling in being an entrepreneur, Cheryl found her niche in corporate America. She is a data consultant and has been working with the same company for 17 years.
• As a member of the Toastmasters Club Sensor Toast, she gained confidence in communication and leadership. This experience created the foundation for the work she does today.

The Importance of Trust 

• Nye calls trust the “foundation of all relationships” - whether at home or in the workplace.
• Without trust, communication falls apart. If someone doesn’t trust their team leader to respect them, they won’t come forward if something is going wrong. Similarly, if a leader can’t trust members of their team to follow through on projects, the work will fall on a few individuals or on the leader themselves.
• Once trust is lost, it can be hard to regain it, regardless of whether the person losing it is in a leadership position or not.

How to Recover From Broken Trust

• Communication: If you have lost trust in someone in the workplace, communicate this with them as clearly and compassionately as possible. As Nye says in the episode, “Speak with love.” Understand the problem you’re having, and be up front about it without condescension or negativity.
• Accountability: If you have broken someone’s trust, take responsibility. Take the time to listen and understand how the other person is feeling. Apologize and make a plan for how to improve - then follow through on that plan.
• Nye and our host Linda Yates both place a lot of importance on leading with the heart. When time is taken to truly listen, understand and change, trust can be rebuilt, even when it takes a long time.

Learning to Trust YOURSELF Again

• If you’ve been the one to make a mistake or mess up, it can be hard to believe in yourself and can cause more stress than is actually helpful. 
• Nye’s advice is to use the “5 Why’s” to assess the root cause of the problem. She gives the following example: If you’re chronically late to work, ask yourself why you’re late. If it’s because the meeting wasn’t in your calendar, ask why it wasn’t in the calendar. Why? Maybe the calendar is not set up in a way that is easy to use. Knowing this, you can seek out a new calendar to try. Once you reach the root cause, you can turn it into action.
• Practice trusting your instincts. Listen to your gut - it is often right. Ask yourself how you feel about a stressful situation, and really listen to yourself.
• Finally, take a step back. Zoom out. Listen to others as well, and see how they’re responding to you. Self-reflection is a huge part of self-improvement, and Nye attributes this skill to helping her grow and develop her interpersonal communication skills to where they are today. 

Trust in the workplace is what helps create the bonds that makes a team strong. Without healthy communication and the knowledge that fellow teammates will follow through, a team will always suffer and lose their ability to work cohesively. If that trust is broken, accountability and actively listening can create a safe environment where trust can be rebuilt.

If this episode connected with you, reach out to Linda and let her know. 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 achieve 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.

In today’s episode of the IntHERrupt podcast, our host Linda Yates meets with Vidette Pires to discuss leadership lessons women can learn from men.

What Women Can Learn From Men

• Men are good at supporting each other and promoting one another. Women can learn from this.
• Men are better at managing their insecurities. Women can also learn from this.
• A lot of networking events are catered more toward men and drive away women. Women can AVOID setting up networking events like this.
• There aren’t many mentors for women to look up to. Again, women can fill this role and help mentor one another.
• Occasionally, men will take credit for work women have done. Women can combat this to get the credit they, or other men in some instances, deserve.

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 achieve 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.