Mavens Do It Better

In this episode Heather interviews Hailley Field, founder and head chef of HomeCooked and Cheese Executive Officer for Whisps.   

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:   

That comes from my mom.  

Hailley's introduction to food and cooking from her "perfect home cook" mother and how that inspired her.  

It definitely started by accident.  

How HomeCooked came to life.  

The whole landscape completely changed.  

Days away from shooting the pilot for HomeCooked the series before the first shutdown hit, Hailley had to reset and shift to adapt her plans to the new normal.   

I'm seeing that this is a creative opportunity in disguise.   

How Hailley became the Cheese Executive Officer for Wisps.  

That’s what I genuinely thought would be my career path.  

How Hailley shifted from working as a confidence coach for men to becoming a food personality.  

That was a defining, validating moment to combine your authenticity with your marketability.  

Getting her first MC job as the Quiz Princess seats Hailley in who she is now.  

For full show notes and more visit the episode page.

In this episode Heather interviews Richard Campbell, tech consultant and host of the RunAs Radio and .NET Rocks! podcasts. 

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"It was an accelerant."

How the pandemic shifted our focus to how the tools serve us to build healthier workplaces and patterns and brought wellness to the forefront.

"We're never getting to the bottom of our to-do list."

The evolution of business process automation and how the low code/no code revolution has opened doors to traditional and non-traditional developers.

"I'm literally a lifer."

With an early start at the age of eight programming cash registers for his dad and his first job in computer repair at the age of 12, Richard's career in tech was supported by his parents and inspired by curiosity.

"I was able to translate bad documentation into better things."

How Richard's career transitioned over the years and led to consulting and podcast hosting.

Our tools are simply amplifiers of our behavior. - Heather and Richard get into the human side of work and share experiences of how teams succeed and fail.

"I'm not going to put energy into things I do not want more of."

How the birth of his second child was the catalyst that pushed Richard to take charge of his career path and drive it in the direction he wanted.

In our first episode of 2021 Heather interviews Karin Reed, CEO and Chief Confidence Creator of Speaker Dynamics, a corporate communications training firm. 

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"I work in an area with two things people hate." - As Chief Confidence Creator Karin works to help people build confidence in public speaking and being on camera.

"I loved being able to hear everybody's different stories and that's where I found my joy." - Karin's career in media starting out at a local CBS affiliate and then up to an NBC owned and operated station in Providence, Rhode Island where she earned an Emmy for her documentary special needs adoptions.

"I think I can help people to do this better." - A growing family led Karin to move out of the broadcast world and into the executive coaching world.

"I went form training the executive team to the entire enterprise." - How COVID has affected her work and the projects the company has developed to keep up with the new demand.

"You kind of need a guidebook when you're in this new modality." - With the sudden switch to remote work, Speaker Dynamics  saw a huge demand shift from coaching executives to coaching the entire company. This inspired Karin to team up with Dr. Joseph Allen to write Suddenly Virtual: Making Remote Meetings Work, a data-based guide to virtual meeting best practices.

"People need to be more intentional about the kind of work that is being done in these meetings." - Why "This could've been an email" needs to be thought about before scheduling virtual meetings to prevent "Zoom Fatigue". She also shares a couple of quick tips to ensure you show up as your best at your next virtual meeting or presentation.

Tune in to the Mavens Do It Better podcast 2nd Anniversary Special. In this episode host Heather Newman is joined by podcast producer Annelise Sexton. Heather and Annelise wrap the year with lessons learned, how Mavens Do It Better has evolved, plans for next year, and favorite moments from 2020's guests.

Thank you to all of our guests, listeners, and supporters - you stories, ears, and cheers keep this podcast going.

With this episode we are closing out 2020 and hope you'll listen in next year when we return.

In this episode Heather interviews Dr. Tammy Nelson, Certified Sex and Relationship Therapist and Licensed Counselor, speaker, podcast host, and author.   

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:  

"We're sort of living in this moment of uncertainty." - The effects of the pandemic on couples and individuals and how they are coping with lockdown and a contact-free society.  

"How come there's no graduate program for sex?" - Dr. Tammy's career journey from art therapist to relationship and sex therapist.  

"Set up a sex date." - The importance of creating time and space for sex and erotic anticipation in your relationship.  

"We change and grow as people and we develop in a relationship." - Why Dr. Tammy recommends couples create and continuously update a Monogamy Agreement so their implied assumptions don't get the better of their relationships.  

Visit the show page for full show notes and more!

In this episode Heather interviews Jerry Palm, sports writer and bracketologist for CBS Sports.

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“I've never been a big fan of that word.” - Dubbed a Bracketologist, Jerry explains the basics of what he does and how he blends the data with behavioral science to make his predictions for NCAA Tournament selection and brackets as well as College Football Playoffs.

“I kinda put the geek in sports geek. But, when I'm on television I can't really geek it up too much because people's eyes will glaze over.” - Jerry's work at CBS Sports on and off the screen.

“I never thought anybody would care about this.” - With the goal of developing his programmer skills, how Jerry got started with sport predictions and took it from a hobby to a career.

“It's hard to social distance on a football field.” - Predicting during COVID and how it has impacted college athletics and the communities built around them.

“We got bought by one bank too many.” - How getting downsized in 2002 from his banking job pushed Jerry to pursue his passion.

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and more.

In this episode Heather interviews Carolyn Wang, Head of Communications at Verily Life Sciences.

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My world got turned upside down in March - How a mention in a presidential press conference shifted Carolyn's work into high-gear supporting their COVID-19 initiatives like Project Baseline providing testing sites and Healthy at Work helping businesses and schools return to work safely.

Empowering our scientists with some communication skills would be very valuable right now. - How a BS in Biology led to and supports Carolyn's work in communications and the importance of both.

Collecting, organizing, and activating healthcare information. - Verily's work to build tools that collect better data, organize it so knowledge can be extracted from it, and develop interventions and tools to support care and research with a focus on preventative and value based care.

Going in with a flexible mindset and the desire to learn as much as possible. - Carolyn's advice to young people looking to go into communications and finding one's career path.

Striving for something that's bigger than us, and this bigger beauty, and something we can achieve in our own power. - Reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand in high school left its mark on Carolyn and permeated her life.

Visit mavensdoitbetter.com for full show notes and more.

In this episode Heather interviews James Underdown, Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry-Los Angeles, paranormal investigator, podcast host, and writer.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

"Skepticism is not the same as cynicism, which is not the same as denialism." - James' work with the Center for Inquiry and what the goals of the CFI are.

"Oh, man, it's convoluted." - How stand-up comedy, filmmaking and playwriting eventually led James to a career at the CFI.

"We get the least amount of time and have to exercise the most patience of anyone on the show" - From calling out psychics to debunking flat-earthers, James often appears as a guest on TV programs as a skeptic, often leaving him feeling like the wet blanket.

"It's basically the same set of things that you value for humanity." - James breaks down what atheists, humanists and secular humanists are.

"The scientific world's PR people have not been the best over the years." - How skeptics get a bad rap and why they are so important, especially in these times.

"And I proceeded to lie me a$$ off to him." - How being held back in Sunday school and his first confession sparked the skepticism that drives him now.

Visit mavensdotibetter.com for full show notes and more.

In this episode Heather interviews Zoe Smiles, jewelry, self-care, and clothing designer and founder of Happy Goods.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

"Handmade products for Happy People" - The inspiration behind Zoe's playful jewelry and accessory line Happy Goods.

"I think I have an additional passion besides Harry Potter." - How Zoe started designing at the age of 15 and decided to pursue that as a career.

"There should be an evolution in your life journey." - Zoe's family believe you will have three careers in your life. How doing something you are passionate about, does good in the world, and being able to make a living at it will build and grow throughout your life leading to multiple career paths.

"I couldn't see smiles anymore." - Bringing joy and color to her mask designs and how the pandemic forced her to shift her business model.

"Any sale for me is really not about the dollar, it's really about the person." - Use code "welikeyou" for 10% off your order. If you are a healthcare worker or first responder message Happy Goods for a personal discount code good for an entire year.

"Life doesn't give up on us." - Zoe's belief that you'll always get opportunities to do what you are passionate about and how she tries to listen the first time.

"What you can do is you can love people." - The amazing advice from Zoe's mom given to her at a young age and how that sparked her to bring happiness into people's life and is at the foundation of her business and her life.

In this episode Heather interviews Joel Frauenheim, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft.

Tune-in to hear their conversation on:

"The only kilt I ever owned." - Joel's history with Heather and the original Microsoft SharePoint team and his career journey in IT.

"I look at her and she has a smirk on her face." - The importance of mentoring and allyship in Joel's career and life.

"I reserve the right to be smarter tomorrow." - Joel's journey understanding his privilege and learning from others to continue to grow and how allowing yourself to be vulnerable, while scary, is an integral part of the process.

Connect with Joel

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/joelf

Twitter - JoelTF

Joel Frauenheim

Joel Frauenheim is a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft. He started his career at IBM, and then joined USA TODAY to help kick off USA TODAY Online. After initially joining Microsoft as a developer in the Internet Products and Tools group, Joel joined Visio and then back to Microsoft when Visio was acquired. Joel was involved with building up the SharePoint Products and Technologies partner ecosystem.