Look What She Built by Jaime Foster

Erin Smith spent six and a half years inside Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, before founding Driven Beyond Excellence. She's also married to a retired Navy SEAL, and together they run the Seal Leadership Challenge, an immersive experience that pressure tests leadership capacity through physical obstacles.

In this episode, Erin and Jaime dig into why people wrongly believe a big transition means starting from zero. They walk through Erin's six laws of becoming: reflection, discernment, polarity, expansion, embodiment, and integrity. Erin shares the moment she almost turned down a public speaking class (and met her husband there instead), how she landed a TEDx talk with two days notice, and why avoidance, not pressure, is the real enemy of growth.

What you'll learn

• Why "starting over" is a myth in massive transitions, and what to look for instead
• The six laws of becoming: reflection, discernment, polarity, expansion, embodiment, integrity
• How to tell the difference between discomfort worth pushing through and a situation you should leave
• Why lived experience builds confidence faster than intellectual understanding
• How Erin turned fear of visibility into a TEDx talk and a pageant platform

Memorable moments

• The "research weekend" journal exercise for tracking what triggers you
• Why the boss who intimidates you might be revealing exactly what you need to develop
• The family at the Seal Leadership Challenge who called out their mom's self-talk in real time
• How saying yes to an earlier class date led Erin to her husband

About Erin Smith

Erin Smith is a sport psychologist and executive coach who accelerates the careers of high-performing female executives navigating male-dominated industries. Before launching her coaching practice, Driven Beyond Excellence, LLC, she spent six and a half of her twenty professional years in the research department at Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world. With a master's degree in sport psychology and a close understanding of Ray Dalio's management principles, Erin coaches executives across private equity, tech startups, biotech, hedge funds, maritime, mortgage lending, and insurance.

She's also the host and creator of The Driven Women Project podcast, profiling successful women in leadership roles across STEM fields. She's an investor in underrepresented founders, a certified yoga instructor, and a keynote and TEDx speaker.

Connect with Erin

• Website: sealleadershipchallenge.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erinsmithedm
• Instagram: @thedrivenwomenproject
• Email: [email protected]
• TEDx Talk: "You Don't Have to Act Like a Man to Succeed Like One"
• The SEAL Leadership Challenge: https://sealleadershipchallenge.com/
• The Driven Beyond Excellence Group: https://www.linkedin.com/company/driven-beyond-excellence-group/

Every word you choose either builds your credibility or chips away at it. In this episode, Jaime sits down with leadership and executive coach Marissa McCourry to unpack the three buckets of leader language and the surprisingly common habits that are quietly undermining how others perceive you.

Whether you lead a team of two or two hundred, this conversation will make you rethink the way you ask questions, structure your sentences, and deliver your ideas. You will walk away with concrete, immediately applicable tools to communicate with more confidence, more gravitas, and more impact.

If you have ever caught yourself saying "does that make sense?" or ending a statement like it was a question, this episode is for you.

What You Will Learn:

How the questions you ask either invite collaboration or shut it down. Why "does that make sense" is self-doubt on full display and what to say instead. The sentence structures that quietly signal insecurity and how to eliminate them. Why period, pause, power is the simplest shift you can make to increase your leadership presence. What uptalk is, why it undermines your gravitas, and how to stop doing it. Why plain talk is not the same as unprofessional talk and how the best leaders use both.

About Marissa McCourry:

Marissa McCourry helps leaders navigate challenge and change, sharpen their emotional intelligence, and expand their leadership capacity. Her coaching is marked by a blend of compassion and candor, offering plain talk, grounded insight, and practical tools that drive lasting behavior change. Clients consistently describe her approach as clarifying, confidence-building, pragmatic, and immediately applicable.

With over 25 years in HR, talent, and executive development, Marissa has coached senior executives across industries to increase their impact, strengthen their teams, and thrive in complex environments. She brings a cross-sector perspective having held leadership roles at global companies including Vanguard and Visa, consulted for Fortune 500 firms, and served as a senior leader at a top-ranked executive education institution.

Connect with Marissa:

icf-coaching.org/mfluence

linkedin.com/in/marissamccourry

[email protected]

Courage isn’t about being fearless.
It’s about choosing what matters more than fear.

In this powerful episode of Look What She Built, Jaime sits down with Amy L. Riley, internationally renowned speaker, leadership consultant, and author of the #1 international bestseller The Courage of a Leader.

Together, they unpack what courageous leadership really looks like in practice, especially in moments of discomfort, doubt, and uncertainty. From giving hard feedback to stepping into leadership without having all the answers, Amy shares what separates leaders who inspire trust from those who unintentionally erode it.

This conversation is a reminder that leadership isn’t about titles, perfection, or confidence without fear. It’s about conviction, clarity, and the willingness to go first even when it’s uncomfortable.

If you’ve ever felt fear, imposter syndrome, or hesitation before speaking up, making a bold decision, or leading change, this episode is for you.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why courage is not the absence of fear (and what it actually is)

• The defining moments where great leaders choose conviction over comfort

• How leaders unintentionally erode trust by telling instead of asking

• Why asking better questions builds engagement, ownership, and loyalty

• What it means to declare your leadership legacy and live into it daily

• The difference between working in the business vs. on the business

• Why leadership is evolving and must honor the whole human, not just performance

• How courageous leadership creates long-term impact, not just short-term results

Learn More:

Courage Of A LeaderAmy's LinkedIn

If you’re building something incredible but staying quiet about it, this episode is your loving (and slightly spicy) wake-up call.

In this conversation on Look What She Built, Jaime Foster sits down with Keenya Kelly, Visibility & Authority Strategist, keynote speaker, and creator economy expert, to talk about what visibility really is (hint: it’s not vanity) and why staying invisible has a cost most women underestimate.

Keenya shares her powerful story of rebuilding after deep personal and financial challenges and how showing up on camera became more than a strategy. It became a lifeline. Together, Jaime and Keenya break down how women leaders can step out of the shadows, build real authority, and use video and AI ethically to grow influence without losing their voice.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The moment Keenya realized visibility wasn’t optional, it was survival

• What it looks like to rebuild from the ground up (and the mindset it requires)

• The real cost of staying invisible, even when your work is better than everyone else’s

• Why “the best burger in town” still loses to McDonald’s (and what that means for your business)

• How women can get on camera when they feel “allergic” to video

• Keenya’s practical approach: record 10 videos you’ll never post to build confidence fast

• What to focus on in your first 90 days to build authority sustainably

• The biggest mistake leaders make: trying to do filming, editing, posting, and engagement alone

• How to outsource visibility so you can stay in your CEO lane

• Oversharing vs storytelling: how to set content pillars so your brand stays clean and consistent

• AI opportunities + risks and how to use it as a tool without losing trust

Learn more:www.keenyakelly.comInstagram

TikTok

What do you do when the thing you built is still “working”… but it feels like a sweater that shrunk ten sizes too small?

In this episode of Look What She Built, Jaime Foster sits down with Bri Seeley (Subconscious Success Strategist, TEDx speaker, and up-and-coming tech founder) for an honest, powerful conversation about what happens when you outgrow a business, an identity, or a season of life and you find yourself in the in-between.

Bri calls it the hallway: you’ve left one room, but the next door hasn’t opened yet. It can feel lonely, disorienting, and wildly uncomfortable, but it’s also where the next version of you gets built.

If you’re in a pivot, facing a big identity shift, or quietly wondering “Is this still for me?” this episode is a deep exhale and a flashlight.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How to tell the difference between a rough season and a true understanding: “period statements” vs question marks

• Why women have been conditioned to “effort” their way into success and why that stops working

• What happens when your identity hasn’t caught up to the level you’re stepping into

• Bri’s 3-step subconscious process (garden metaphor): uproot the weeds, shift perspective, reinforce the new rulebook

• Why you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your identity

• The fear of disappointing people who benefited from the old version of you

• Harmonies, octaves, and why shrinking to keep others comfortable costs you

• How to practice your future before you walk into triggering rooms (hello, family gatherings)

What happens when your business looks successful on the outside… but behind the scenes, you’re exhausted, overbooked, and quietly resentful of your own calendar?

In this episode of Look What She Built, Jaime Foster sits down with Tarletta Williams, Business Systems Strategist and founder of Your Marketing Mechanic, for a powerful, honest conversation about burnout, boundaries, and how AI can be used as a protector not a productivity bully.

Tarletta shares the quote that hangs on her kitchen wall and becomes the heartbeat of this episode:
“You can’t pay me my worth, but I will get my rate.”

Together, Jaime and Tarletta unpack what it really looks like to stop overdelivering, stop people-pleasing, and start designing systems that support your energy, time, and humanity not just your revenue.

This is not a techy episode.
This is a relief episode.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why “charge what you’re worth” is terrible advice for women entrepreneurs

• How burnout sneaks in when retention, boundaries, and systems are missing

• What an offer-led ecosystem is and why it beats “just get more clients”

• How Tarletta uses AI and automations to say no gracefully (without guilt)

• Why your calendar is actually your real boss and how to reclaim it

• What “CEO Habits” look like when you’re a solopreneur wearing every hat

• How to use AI in a way that still feels feminine, intuitive, and authentic

• The difference between systems that replace you and systems that protect you

• Why freedom isn’t about avoiding consequences, but choosing them consciously

Learn more about Tarletta Williams:

Your Marketing Mechanic

LinkedIn

What if the real problem isn’t that you’re not doing enough… but that you’ve been doing too much in survival mode?

In this powerful conversation, Jaime sits down with leadership coach and mental wellness advocate Jackie Roby to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface for high-achieving women who look wildly successful on paper but feel emotionally exhausted behind the scenes.

Jackie shares why worry is “just fantasizing about what you don’t want,” how anxiety can drown out intuition, and why so many women are taught to perform excellence instead of actually living it. Together, they explore the invisible mental load women carry, the pressure to assimilate in male-dominated spaces, and what it truly means to lead from calm, confidence, and authenticity.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding your life together with emotional duct tape, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why chronic worry keeps high-achieving women stuck in survival mode

• The difference between intuition and anxiety (and how to tell which voice you’re hearing)

• How “performing excellence” leads to burnout and disconnection

• Subtle signs a leader is operating from overwhelm instead of strategy

• Practical tools to calm your nervous system in real time

• How mindfulness can shorten emotional recovery from weeks to hours

• Why being “basic” is the fastest way to lose your power and presence

Learn more about Jackie Roby

What would make a top sales rep walk away from a $250k career to chase a whisper she couldn’t ignore?

In this episode of Look What She Built, I sit down with the incomparable Melissa Bauknight, former corporate sales leader turned sacred business catalyst and founder of The Nova Global, a growing constellation of communities for soul-led women who are rewriting the rules of leadership and success.

We explore Melissa’s decade-long journey from closing deals in corporate boardrooms to co-creating sacred business circles in Tulum. What started as a nudge of curiosity became a full-blown movement helping women integrate strategy with soul, trust their inner knowing, and create communities rooted in values, not transactions.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Leaving a high-paying sales career to travel South America and start fresh

• How Melissa built The Nova Global from the ground up, and how ChatGPT played a role in naming it

• Why so many women are craving depth, not just networking

• The role of the sacred feminine in business (and how we’re all relearning what power really looks like)

• What to do when you’re in the messy middle of change and don’t know what’s next

• Practical tools to reclaim your voice and reconnect with your purpose

Whether you’re in transition, dreaming of something more, or ready to lead with your whole self—this episode will remind you that you’re not lost, you’re remembering.

Contact Information:

• Explore Nova Constellations or request a chapter in your city: The Nova | A Global Women's Community

Connect with Melissa:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_bauknight/

Loved this episode?

Share it with three women who need to hear it, and leave us a review so more soul-led leaders find the show.

From a factory town in Ohio to building and selling a $250M+ company, Christina Winters has lived the kind of entrepreneurial journey that belongs in a business hall of fame. In this powerful conversation, Jaime sits down with the nationally recognized business luminary to talk about what really drives outrageous vision, consistent results, and transformational leadership.

Christina’s story is one of grit, bold decisions, and unwavering belief in mindset as the foundation of success. She shares how she went from a broke, divorced 20-something with no college degree to a top sales leader, company founder, and purpose-driven consultant helping others scale with clarity and heart.

Whether you're a solo entrepreneur or leading a team, this episode will challenge your thinking, inspire your next big move, and remind you of the power already inside you.

In this episode, we explore:

• ✨ How Christina sold her company for 4x the industry average—and what she teaches others to do differently

• ✨ Why every thought you have becomes a result in your life and business

• ✨ The mindset practices she still uses every day (including Post-it notes!)

• ✨ What most business owners get wrong about leadership and sales

• ✨ Why 70% of businesses fail in 5 years—and how to make sure yours isn’t one of them

• ✨ How to shift your thoughts, your team, and your trajectory—on purpose

You will love this episode if you’re:

• Building a vision bigger than yourself

• Managing a team and wondering why they’re not showing up the way you want

• Ready to own your story and lead with purpose

• Struggling with self-doubt and need a mirror back to your potential

Quotes Worth Posting:

💬 “If you're building a company, you can't have people around you who haven't bought into the vision and purpose.”

💬 “Your thoughts are creating your results. You want better results? Change your thoughts.”

💬 “You can’t blame your way to freedom. You have to take responsibility if you want to lead.”

Contact Information:

• Christina Winters’ Website: Revolutionofachievement.com

✨ If this episode lit a fire in you—share it with three women who are building their own bold vision.

🌟 Don’t forget to rate + review Look What She Built and help us amplify the voices of purpose-driven women in business.

Is perfectionism secretly running your business (and burning you out)? In this episode of Look What She Built, Jaime sits down with Magdalena Chainska—a sales and mindset coach, former corporate high-achiever, and recovering perfectionist, to talk about what it really takes to create a fulfilling business without letting fear and pressure dictate your decisions.

Magda shares her powerful story of leaving behind a 23-year corporate career, investing in herself for the first time, and shifting her identity from exhausted overachiever to thriving entrepreneur. If you've ever felt stuck in "analysis paralysis" or like your work is never quite good enough to share, this conversation will feel like a deep breath and a loving nudge forward.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why perfectionism is sneaky—and how to recognize when it’s creeping back in

• The identity work and daily practices that helped Magda break free

• What to do when you’re spinning on a task or project that “isn’t ready yet”

• Making bold moves (like quitting your job) without losing your mind

• How to set meaningful goals when your nervous system isn’t on board yet

• The difference between excellence and perfection

• Why “just start messy” is more than a mindset—it’s a strategy

You’ll love this if you’re:

• Tired of spinning your wheels trying to make things “just right”

• Curious about who you could become without perfectionism running the show

• Ready to commit fully to your business dreams—even if it’s not perfect yet

If this episode gave you a permission slip to be imperfect—pass it on.

• Share it with 3 women who need a reminder that done is better than perfect.

• Subscribe and leave a review to help more women discover Look What She Built.

Contact Information:

• Email:[email protected]
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magdalena-chainska-19a253231/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magdalena.piela