My guest today grew up in small-town Iowa as a biracial first-generation Afro-Latina American and has always had a strong passion for inclusion and diversity. As the first family member to attend University, Alicia Jessip, learned early on that her path was not only to build a more inclusive community but to be a light and bridge for other underrepresented people to realize their personal and professional potential. Having served in the education, start-up, marketing, and now technical sector with TEKsystems, the nation's leading IT Services and Staffing firm, she understands the nucleus to how every company thrives: by emphasizing their people. With multifaceted experience and moxie, Alicia is here to help companies take a look at their current workforce, realize their talent opportunities, and create plans that impact teams individually and organizationally. Alicia has her degree from the University of Northern Iowa and is the founder of the largest Women In Tech MeetUp organization based in Denver, CO. 

Join us today to listen in on our recent conversation about the impact of silence, empathy, equity, and inclusion and why understanding all of this is so necessary and still so hard.

Claudia Schabel is a D&I professional who works with Fortune 100 and 500 companies. She has seen first hand the entrenched systematic barriers that womxn in Tech encounter daily.  I this episode we dig into our shared conclusion: Meritocracy in Tech is Dead.  In fact, we go further than that and expose the system and belief framework that holds womxn back.  

I think all our episodes are great, but if you are a womxn working in a male-dominated industry you can't miss this one.

Episode 11: Show Notes.

This week we explore the challenges of landing an entry-level position in the cyber-security discipline and how tough that is for one woman — even with a Master’s degree in criminology, with a focus on cyber-crime. On today’s episode of MOJO Maker, we welcome Gaylynn Fassler, an information security professional, based in Raleigh, NC. Gaylynn works as an information security analyst focusing on security education and awareness. She is passionate about security and enjoys being able to share her knowledge with others to help them understand how to be more secure. During our conversation, Gaylynn shares with us the path that finally landed her a role as a cyber-security professional, how paying it forward paid off, and what she would change in our industry if she had a magic wand. She turns the tables and asks me, your host Karen Worstell, a great interview question as well! So stay tuned for the show to hear Gaylynns’ candid and refreshing perspective as one of the up and coming cyber-security professionals in our community.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Gaylynn shares her education pathway to information security.
• How Gaylynn uses her experience to break down barriers and help women get into cyber-security.
• How she would change the industry if she had a magic wand: How we hire people.
• The problem with the lack of diversity in the cyber-security industry.
• Gaylynn shares the best thing about the industry she’s discovered thus far.
• The distinction between a mentor and a sponsor and how they are beneficial.
• Gaylynn asks our host a great interview question.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Create Your Leading Edge Challenge

Karen Worstell

MOJO Maker

Gaylynn Fassler on LinkedIn

Gaylynn Fassler on Twitter 

ISSA

Interpersonal communication can definitely be challenging, not only when the goal is working together effectively and in a fun way, but also when producing an excellent end result. There is always a spectrum of personalities that come together — quiet, reserved voices and loud, overbearing voices — but it’s finding the most effective way for the team to all feel empowered to share their ideas and engage equally, for the best outcomes. Our guest today is Brenda Batista, entrepreneur, engineer, and management consultant and founder of Inspiring Company Culture. Brenda was compelled to find out why, when her team did transformational work for a client, the changes didn’t last. On our episode today, Brenda will be sharing some surprising insights and a valuable communication tool called The Five Voices, which will change the way you look at communications and how your team works together to deliver quality results that stick.

Welcome back to another episode of the MOJO Maker Podcast. The world is a different place; everyday things are changing and we are finding and navigating new normals in every aspect of life. Whether it’s your job, your family, how you have fun, or even how you cope with stress — everything seems to be changing. Today’s guest, Dr. Manuel Astruc, is a practicing psychiatrist and also a coach.

His philosophy and background are all focused on helping us live the most impactful life and the importance of understanding the impact of things that we do, which create our own barriers to having the kind of life that we want. As we continue in this swirl around COVID-19, Dr. Astruc is the perfect guest to have on the show. During our conversation, we discuss a lot of different topics relating to stress and burnout, empathy, and gratitude — a great guide whether you’re an executive or whether this pandemic is impacting you as an individual.

Listen carefully and take out a notepad because there are so many nuggets in this episode!

Then head over to BeAnAlly.today to get your free gift: our guide on How to Flameproof Your Career (and Life) and Handle Adversity Like a Boss.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Dr. Astruc shares the background story of his path into psychiatry and coaching.
• We hear some strategies that individuals can apply during this difficult time.
• The power of hope and what it can do for the individual.
• The importance of making manageable changes and doing things differently, consistently.
• How negative environments can lead to depletion.
• Principles for implementing exercise or movement, without “falling off the wagon.” 
• Dr. Astruc shares his “Gratitude Practice” and keeping to something bigger than ourselves.
• The importance of living with a “Radical Amazement” attitude.
• How to up-level your empathy and why it’s important.
• We need to remember that we should be honored to lead others.

Caroline Wong, the Chief Strategy Officer at Cobalt.io, is known for her practical information security knowledge that stems from her diverse experiences as a Cigital consultant, a semantic product manager, and day-to-day leadership roles at both eBay and Zynga. Caroline teaches cybersecurity courses on LinkedIn Learning, is a member of the Forbes Technology Council, and was named 2019’s Cyber Educator of the Year in the 6th annual Cyberjutsu Awards. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, holds a Certificate in Finance and Accounting from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and authored the well-known textbook, Security Metrics, A Beginner’s Guide. In today’s episode, we have a personal and candid conversation with Caroline about the influence of her father in her decision to study engineering and her approach as a woman in the tech sector. She not only shares key leadership insights but also talks about how she shifted from relying on unhealthy coping mechanisms to a philosophy focused on meeting uncertainties and challenges with the perspective that it can be figured out once you get there. 

Today we are fortunate to be joined by Cindy Miller, a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) professional, one of GolfDigest’s top 50 women teachers in the US, and a certified behavior, motivation, and emotional quotient analyst. Her no-nonsense yet approachable style helps individuals and teams make better decisions, overcome frustrations, and reach their full potential. Cindy is also a sought-after speaker for major events of mega brands like Pepsi, Microsoft, Deloitte, and KPMG. In this episode, Cindy talks about having the resilience and perseverance to keep going after her dreams, even after she was repeatedly told that she was not good enough. She describes being motivated both by a drive to avoid pain and the pursuit of a reward, speaking candidly about growing up in an abusive home and discovering golf as an escape from her home life—a situation which also fuelled her dream of playing the LPGA Tour. She talks about how women find innovative ways of overcoming the barriers presented by male-dominated environments, sharing how she learned to adjust her communication style to get what she wants. It is not about manipulating others though, but rather applying wisdom to exert your influence in ways that will produce the desired results. Be sure to tune in for more from Cindy! 

Episode 05: Show Notes.

Whether you are navigating critical business transitions, transitioning to the next generational leadership, or just making sure you have the right organizational culture in place, our guest today knows all about it! Michelle Bonahoom is the founder of VisionOne High-Performance Group. She is passionate about working with mid-market business owners to increase their value in preparation for sale, strategic acquisitions, and transferring to the next generation of leadership. Through VisionOne, she’s worked with over a hundred different companies as they prepare for key, critical transitions and she is also a managing partner of a family-owned private equity company focused on acquiring and driving value with an integrated portfolio of manufacturing-related acquisitions and investments. In today’s episode, we are diving into Michelle’s personal back story. She blew me away with her own pivotal story when her out of control work-life balance got worse and she anchored herself in what was truly important for her. From simply knowing what she wanted, Michelle was able to convert tragic loss into multiple thriving businesses, great relationships with her teams, and a healthy weight loss of over 100 pounds. Join us in our conversation as we talk about powering through adversity, finding the balance you crave, and showing up in a powerfully authentic way that plays to your strengths, even in a male-dominated culture.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Michelle shares her career journey with us.
• The importance of servant leadership as a role in the foundation of who Michelle is. 
• How the tragic sudden death of her husband leads to a turnaround in her life. 
• Applying her own advice of navigating critical transitions to her life. 
• Knowing your why is important for bringing about change. 
• We talk about her book, Unstoppable — a guided journey. 
• The 7 P’s: Passion, Purpose, Principles, Practices, Proficiencies, Platform, and Performance.
• Platform: The importance of culture support and accountability in the new work-from-home environment.
• Three principles from Michelle for women in a male-dominated organizational environment. 
• Embracing change and the conflict that accompanies it. 
• The importance of knowing who you are, how you’re wired, and being authentic in conflict.
• Michelle shares a few of her biggest life lessons.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Create Your Leading Edge Challenge

Karen Worstell

MOJO Maker

Michelle Bonahoom on LinkedIn

Michelle Bonahoom on Twitter

VisionOne

Brene Brown

Episode 4: Show Notes.

When you have a passion to do good and make a difference, there is nothing better than having credible, compassionate, vocal allies in your corner. For women in tech and STEM, Brad Johnson and David Smith are those allies. In their books, Athena Rising and the soon to be released Good Guys, as well as in multiple Harvard Business Review articles, they give us all a guide for putting gender equity on the fast track in the workplace. In this episode, we talk about allyship, especially now that work-from-home has made painful barriers and inequities so obvious. We talk about what it will take to turn a COVID-19 work from home disruption into a game changing, win-win opportunity for everyone, and what companies need to do to make sure that we develop change that lasts. Brad and David share some surprising observations about work-from-home life and actions that men and companies need to take right now to help all of us move forward.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Brad explains his research and why he writes about gender in the workplace with Dave.
• Dave introduces himself and explains the motivations for their upcoming book, Good Guys.
• How the inequities in the workplace are related to the difficulties of working from home.
• Brad explains how their research for Good Guys would have been affected by COVID-19.
• Suggested strategies for companies going forward, including paid sick leave and childcare.
• Brad talks about how to be both an interpersonal ally and a public systemic ally to women.
• Dave talks about where to start to encourage federal and company policy changes. 
• The ‘wimp penalty’, how it has kept men on the sidelines, and how to reverse it.
• Avoiding self-proclamation, actually doing the work to be an ally, and encouraging others.
• Dave notes that one of the motivations for Good Guys is to teach men how to communicate.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Brad Johnson Website
David Smith Website
Brad Johnson on LinkedIn
David Smith on LinkedIn
Harvard Business Review
Athena Rising
Good Guys Pre-order
Create Your Leading Edge Challenge
Karen Worstell
MOJO Maker