Lead Like a Woman

Katie McLaughlin is the Founder, Chief Strategist, and Transformation Artist at the McLaughlin Method, a boutique consultancy specializing in leadership and skills training for executive leaders of mid to late-stage startups. She is passionate about creating happier and healthier workplaces by stopping workplace hurt. In her business, Katie leverages her decades of experience driving organizational change, transforming processes and training programs, and applying principles of adult behavior and performance to create people-focused leaders and team cultures. Companies that work with her learn from the benchmarks and successes of over 15 software companies that have coached and trained with her.

Katie believes that culture must be consistently reinforced and brought into all interactions at work. Through leadership development programs, executives and rising leaders learn how to inspire and motivate their diverse teams, making inclusion and engagement a priority in the team culture. Katie believes all training must develop real skills and go beyond theory, so her sessions are highly interactive, employing theater exercises and games to go deeper while cementing the learning.

To be a great leader, you must be a person who is willing and ready to learn constantly, make changes in your leadership strategies where necessary, and be good at relating with other people. The best way to learn people skills is by practicing them constantly through interacting with different types of people.

Katie McLaughlin's mission of helping leaders become better and more transformational people has allowed her to work with different executives from various companies. She believes that leaders should pay attention to their team's varied perspectives, nurture them, and acknowledge their great potential.

Katie McLaughlin, the Founder of McLaughlin Method, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about nurturing better leaders and living a transformational life. Katie also describes how her theatrical background has impacted her corporate work and explains how the McLaughlin Method helps develop great leaders.

Dr. Kara Johnson is a physician, CEO, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and international public speaker. Educated at Harvard University and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and trained at the world-renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dr. Johnson was well-equipped to create Mountain View Medical Center, a multi-specialty medical center that brings world-class medicine to the people of Alaska. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Dr. Johnson grew Mountain View Medical Center from the ground up and created the most technologically advanced medical and surgical center in the state.

But Dr. Johnson didn't stop there. She also founded the international nonprofit, Gift of Sight, and co-founded the Prevention of Global Blindness fellowship, which empowers recent graduates to join this international community. Most recently, she started Troy Medical, a novel telehealth company that offers long-term subspecialty medical care to remote areas. In addition to this, Dr. Johnson is a member of the Seattle chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO).

Growing up, the best piece of advice Dr. Kara Johnson ever received was from her mother. She was told that she could do anything she wanted to — and this inspired her to become the woman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist she is today.

Over the years, Dr. Johnson has learned that if you put all your energy and power into doing something, you can achieve so much more than you ever thought you could. With this in mind, Dr. Johnson has become a strong leader who leverages her passion for her work, team, and family to achieve great feats and give back to people in need.

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Dr. Kara Johnson, the Founder of Mountain View Medical Center and Troy Medical, to talk about carving your own path, taking care of your health, and building a successful medical practice. Dr. Johnson talks about the passion behind her success, the challenges she faced building her business, and how she helps correct eye problems through her nonprofit organization.

Jessica Devine is the Founder of Todayist, an app that helps busy people be happy one step at a time. She is a former finance and management consultant and worked at the corporate level before jumping into entrepreneurship. Her previous roles ranged from personalized technology to creating the birthday fundraiser on Facebook. She leverages technology to scale a social impact for good.

While she firmly believes that degrees are in no way a measure of a person's abilities, Jessica had a fourth-grade math education and a subpar GPA — Santa Monica Community College offered her a gateway of opportunities. She holds a BA from the University of Southern California and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

At some point in life, we all need help making the most of each day. Stress can make you feel pained and disconnected — and when you are busy creating an empire, it is difficult to stop and breathe.

Jessica Devine is an entrepreneur and a mother — and she struggled with the pain of taking care of herself, which is why she created Todayist to give purpose to each day. Her social enterprise finds a sustainable way to focus on yourself, creating a moment of clarity in a murky world.

Jessica Devine, the Founder of Todayist, joins Andrea Heuston in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show to talk about creating community and doing good. Jessica talks about the importance of practicing self-care, looking through a different lens for a positive mindset, and being authentic and placing value in yourself. Plus, Jessica shares how you can get a discount code for the Todayist app!

Diane Najm is the Founder and CEO of PhotoPad. After practicing social work for over 20 years, Diane leapt into the entrepreneurial world to launch two tech platforms in the photo and digital content marketing space. Her first product was PhotoPad, a consumer photo app on Facebook in 2010, and PhotoPad for Business in 2016.

Diane's passion and leadership continue to empower women in business by providing resources and connections. She serves on the board of directors of Women in Wireless and Women in Tech, is a past director of Founder Institute, is a mentor to startups, and was invited to the Seattle White House Digital Tech Summit. Diane regularly speaks about entrepreneurship and leadership, and she's passionate about making the world a better place.

Businesses are never perfect, and the smartest (and most successful) entrepreneurs see the various failures in business as stepping stones to greatness. Such experiences are meant to make you stronger, wiser, and a better business owner. However, it is important that entrepreneurs don't get stuck in the past or compare themselves to others because this limits their success.

Diane Najm believes in thinking big, believing in yourself, and growing a business with a big vision. She advises women to own their dreams and be persistent in going after them. For her, thinking big also means having the right people around you from the time you start your business. Diane also guides others to trust their intuition, not only when hiring new employees, but also when it is necessary to fire some of them.

Diane Najm, the Founder and CEO of PhotoPad, joins Andrea Heuston in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show to talk about the importance of thinking big when starting and building a business. Diane also talks about her background in social work, developing a photo app, having the right team, and building a company's culture.

Ariel Gliboff is the Founder and Executive Director of The Emotional Abuse Discussion nonprofit and the host of the Domestic Violence Discussion podcast, which is focused on domestic abuse from the perspective of a survivor.

As a first-generation Chinese American, Ariel's goal is to create educational tools for survivors of color. She is also an Ironwoman and has a focus on exercise as a form of self-care.

Are you confident to go for what you want instead of what others think you need to have? Are you willing — and ready — to chase after your dreams regardless of what your friends and family say?

Some children grow up in households or communities that teach them to do what their parents want, even though it may not be what they want for themselves, and this often leads to unhappy and miserable lives as adults. Ariel Gliboff found herself in this situation but decided to change and follow her own path. She made a decision to go for what she wanted and now lives a happy and fulfilled life.

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Ariel Gliboff, the Founder and Executive Director of The Emotional Abuse Discussion, to talk about the effects of emotional abuse and how Ariel has been helping survivors heal. They also talk about the importance of being kind to yourself, practicing self-care, and what actions women can take to live happier lives.

Kerri Garbis is the Founder, President, and CEO of Ovation, a communication skills training firm. Kerri has trained hundreds of executives internationally on presentation skills, storytelling for business, etiquette, and emotional intelligence. At the helm of Ovation, a 30-person global training firm, Kerri ensures that every Ovation engagement delivers the highest level of client-focused professional training. Dedication to this standard sets Ovation apart from the competition and ensures multiple repeat engagements and many long-term clients.

A professional actress since childhood, Kerri has starred in productions such as Evita, Singin' In The Rain, and The Lady With All The Answers. You may also have seen her catching a pass from a New England Patriot, singing a Christmas carol, or complaining of bloating in a television commercial. She is also a member of the Actor's Equity Association. Kerri is a business etiquette expert certified by The Emily Post Institute and an emotional intelligence expert certified by The Hay Group. She is also the Founder of Be Ready, a nonprofit initiative offering Ovation's professional presence training to the black youth of America.

To be a successful leader, you need to understand how you show up and influence your audience — whether that is your employees, fellow business leaders, or speaking at an event. You need to think about how you communicate with your voice and body language.

According to Kerri Garbis, leaders should start by becoming more self-aware in order to become strong communicators. With good training, you can learn to alter your messages and method of delivery for different situations. Kerri also advises leaders to recognize their strengths, surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are, and find the right resources to get where they want to be.

Kerri Garbis, the Founder and CEO of Ovation, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show where she talks about using her professional acting skills to build a communications firm made up of actors as facilitators. She also talks about her company's continuous learning platform, Studio G, and her new nonprofit, Be Ready, which offers training to the black youth of America.

Danielle Lindblom is a life coach and the Founder of Danielle Lindblom Coaching. After a degree in mechanical engineering and a career in lean manufacturing, running events, and climbing to leadership positions, Danielle experienced debilitating anxiety that had her hiding in dark conference rooms. Being laid off in 2017 was a blessing in disguise — it's what she needed to make a big change in her life. She dove full time into her then side business of dog training and canine behavior consulting and lived a life that she loved. After five years of success with that business, she transitioned to life coaching, which brought all of her experiences and skills to the arena.

Danielle is an adventurer, a badass, and a life coach. She helps her clients cultivate more authenticity in their lives through self-acceptance, self-trust, and courage. With her background in change management, process improvement, and behavior science, she brings these skills and experiences to her work, helping people change their lives.

Transitioning from the corporate world to becoming your own boss can be challenging for many new entrepreneurs. Most people shy away from self-employment because of the uncertainties associated with it and choose to stay formally employed — even when they are unhappy.

However, the changes witnessed all over the world in the past year have proven that uncertainties do exist, even in formal employment. The pandemic has also shown that there are many opportunities you can take advantage of — if you let go of fear and go after your dreams. Through her work as a life coach, Danielle Lindblom has been helping people build courage and have the confidence to go after their dreams, whether they are still in the corporate world or already in entrepreneurship.

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Danielle Lindblom, a life coach and the Founder of Danielle Lindblom Coaching, joins Andrea Heuston to talk about carving one's path and finding happiness while at it. Danielle explains how her parents' entrepreneurial life impacted her career decisions and why she started a dog training business. She also talks about her transition to becoming a life coach and what she learned from her various career moves.

Deborah Brenner is the Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits. She graduated from the University of Delaware with degrees in English and Journalism, and was soon hired by a television and film technology company that required international travel to countries for whom wine is a part of everyday life. After over 20 years in the male-dominated field of high-end technology — and owning a marketing and public relations firm — Deborah discovered during a fortuitous trip to Napa and Sonoma that, like herself, many women in the wine industry were under-recognized.

Compelled to tell their stories, she authored a best-selling collection of profiles on women in the wine industry, Women of the Vine: Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste, and Enjoy Wine, which Wine Spectator named a Critical Read of 2007. Through the process of writing the book and championing its subjects, Deborah became inspired to enter the wine business herself, releasing wine from a first-of-its-kind collective of seven artisan women winemakers from Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles. This endeavor led to the inaugural Women of the Vine Global & Spirits Global Symposium in March of 2015. What started off as a one-off event and a grassroots movement quickly expanded into a global organization, with corporate and individual members connected across 23 countries. Women of the Vine Global & Spirits Global Symposium has become a catalyst for creating a positive impact in the alcohol beverage industry by giving women across the world a platform and a voice to thrive.

A person's character is not judged by how many times they fall down but by how many times they get up and move forward. It is normal to have self-doubt once in a while, but that should not make one abandon their dreams or stop pursuing their goals.

Women often have a problem facing their critical self which limits how much they can achieve in their lives. Deborah Brenner advises fellow women leaders to stop dwelling on mistakes made in the past. When things don't work out as planned, just bless, release, and move on to other things. You also need to have faith, believe in yourself, and work towards overcoming fear. Want to learn more about becoming a strong leader who empowers others?

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Andrea Heuston is joined by Deborah Brenner, the Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits, to talk about wine, social entrepreneurship, and being a woman in a historically male-dominated industry. Deborah also talks about overcoming fear, the Women of the Vine & Spirits Foundation, cultivating a more equitable world, and her advice to women on reinventing themselves.

Katty Douraghy is an entrepreneur, facilitator, podcast host, and author. She is the President of Artisan Creative, a staffing and recruitment agency focusing on digital, creative, and marketing talent, and the Founder of Inspiring Hiring, an online resume and job posting portal. Katty is also a team and retreat facilitator, working closely with entrepreneurs to become better versions of themselves.

Raised in San Francisco, London, and Tehran, Katty brings a multicultural perspective to her interactions. She recently published her first book, The Butterfly Years: A Journey Through Grief Toward Hope, to share the lessons learned during a long period of grief and mourning that has led to a path towards help. She is currently working on her second project, bringing together her experience with grief and her background in facilitation to create a daily journal tentatively called Hope in Grief, to be released in 2021. She believes we all have a story to share, and that our greatest journey towards hope and healing is through self-reflection and self-discovery.

At some point in life, everyone goes through a phase of grief due to the loss of a loved one, be it a family member, a friend, or a work colleague. Every person's pain or experience of loss tends to be different from others, even if they all knew the deceased.

When Katty Douraghy lost very close members of her family, she went through a tough time and often judged herself harshly on whether or not she was grieving enough. In addition to this, she often compared herself to others. However, she soon came to realize that grieving does not have to be the same for everyone: it is okay to do it your own way.

Katty Douraghy, the President of Artisan Creative, joins Andrea Heuston in this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show to talk about her experience and advice on dealing with grief. Katty also talks about writing her book, The Butterfly Years, and how being a member of Entrepreneurs' Organization has impacted her life.

Audrey Darrow is the Founder and CEO of Earth Source Organics, which produces Righteously Raw Chocolate bars. A survivor of breast cancer, Audrey experienced firsthand the debilitating effects of chemotherapy, radical surgeries, and long-term radiation. On her journey to recovery, she was overwhelmed by the expense of the nutritious foods she needed to help her heal. To afford those foods, Audrey took a job at a local health food store. While her body was still dealing with all the negative effects of the treatment, she worked long hours at a painful — and often emotionally draining — job just to be able to eat healthy. This led her to create her first chocolate product in 2007, and Righteously Raw Chocolate and Earth Source Organics began to come to light.

Audrey began the journey of creating and building a manufacturing facility for her organic, raw chocolate line and a co-packing business to help other small businesses get their dreams off the ground. Three months after launching Righteously Raw Chocolate, the most horrific event in Audrey's life happened when her beautiful daughter, Jaymie Rose Darrow, passed away suddenly from a drowning accident. Audrey knew that Jaymie was still very much a part of her vision, and so together in spirit, Jaymie helped her mom follow her dream.

Every entrepreneur gets excited about starting a new business, despite all the possible challenges they are likely to face in their entrepreneurial journey. There are times when you will hit walls and need to go back to the drawing board. However, in order to grow and scale as an entrepreneur, you must believe in yourself and your businesses.

Growing a successful business involves making the right decisions. Entrepreneurs must be confident, courageous, and believe in themselves, even if other people don't acknowledge their ideas. Audrey Darrow advises entrepreneurs to never allow anyone to define their identity. They should instead believe in their intelligence, their capabilities, and their ideas.

In this episode of the Lead Like A Woman Show, Audrey Darrow, the Founder and CEO of Earth Source Organics, joins Andrea Heuston to talk about her entrepreneurial journey and what she has learned about believing in herself. Audrey also explains how her daughter helped market her young business, what she learned about hiring the right people for her business, and how her hardships have driven her to pursue fulfilling opportunities.