Real Women's Work Podcast

Some people find their calling in the most unexpected places.

And for Brenda Sullivan, that calling happened… in the cemetery.

In this two-part conversation, I'm joined by the fascinating, funny, wildly knowledgeable founder of The Gravestone Girls — cemetery artists and historians who are helping people all over the country reconnect with history, symbolism, mortality, and the stories literally carved into stone.

I first discovered Brenda's work a couple of years ago when my daughter and I attended one of her talks at a library here in New Hampshire. I honestly didn't know what to expect — I assumed it might be spooky or "oddity-adjacent."

But within minutes of listening to her, my entire world expanded.

What Brenda does is deeply fact-based, richly historical, and surprisingly emotional. She teaches us that cemeteries are not just places of death — they are places of culture, meaning, artistry, community, and connection.

Brenda shares her incredible story of leaving behind a high-powered corporate career — what she calls a "soul-sucking day job" — to fully step into the work she truly loved.

She talks about:

• Being a "corporate dropout" and finally changing her seat

• How a hobby turned into a thriving business and national following

• Why the cemetery world is much bigger and more mainstream than people assume

• The surprising hunger people have to be "invited in" to these spaces

• How gravestones tell us not only who died — but how people lived

We also explore the powerful idea that the more specific you get about what you love, the bigger your world becomes.

Our conversation deepens into the history and symbolism of early New England burial grounds.

Brenda walks us through:

• The earliest burial practices in the 1600s

• Why colonial gravestones were meant as messages to the living

• Winged skulls, hourglasses, soul symbols, and the "scared straight" visual language of death

• How modern medicine has changed our relationship with mortality

• Why Victorians picnicked in cemeteries — and what we've lost in our disconnection from death

This is one of those conversations that makes you look at something familiar — a graveyard, a headstone, a symbol you've passed a hundred times — and suddenly see an entire world underneath it.

Brenda is passionate, hilarious, deeply thoughtful, and proof that following what fascinates you can open doors you never imagined.

This episode is split into two parts at around the 42-minute mark — so make sure to listen to both.

I cannot wait for you to step into this world with us.

Find Brenda and her work by clicking here.

Some places change you the moment you arrive. Alnoba is one of them.

In this conversation, Wendy Peirce, Vice President of Salles, shares how her path led her to Alnoba—and why this land, this work, and this community feel so deeply alive. What begins as a leadership and team development retreat quickly reveals itself as something much more: a space where nature, spirituality, and real human connection come together in a way that's hard to put into words… but impossible to forget.

We talk about the vision of Alnoba's founders, Alan and Harriet Lewis, and their deep reverence for the land—how conservation, philanthropy, and community impact aren't side notes here, they're the foundation. Wendy reflects on how being in nature naturally softens us, opens us, and invites the kind of curiosity and honesty that real growth requires.

There's a strong throughline in this conversation: growth doesn't happen when we're comfortable. It happens when we're willing to step into the unknown, ask better questions, and stay present—even when it's uncomfortable. Alnoba creates the conditions for that kind of transformation, both for individuals and for teams trying to lead with more alignment, purpose, and heart.

This episode is about leadership, yes—but it's also about listening, relationships, and what becomes possible when we slow down enough to let a place work on us.

Find Alnoba by clicking here.

We have all heard the term "Life Coach" but what does it actually mean? What does a LIfe Coach do?

Trisha Gudka was at a dangerous point in her life. The joy was gone. As a mom of two young children the expectations and realities did not line up. This led to unhappiness and depression. She was at a critical moment.

Fortunately, Trisha was able to find resources, tools, and practices that brought her out of deperession and into happiness, joy, and love. Now, she spends her life helping other mums who want it do the same.

This interview is so relatable. We all know the moment of responding to our children in a way that is disconnected, not present, and even unkind. We wish we had done better.

This is where Trisha's work comes in. She helps busy mums who are looking for it find tools and resources to help them get connected to their life again. To help them do what might feel impossible... find joy in the every day.

I know it sounds grandiose or like a pipe dream. But a lot of people experience a major shift when they use the right tools and practices.

Trisha spends her days not only finding tools and resources but learning how to put them into practice. She runs group coaching programs so that mums can learn together and from each other. Trisha's work provides hope-- often times to those who need it the most; mums.

Listen in as Trisha shares her vulnerable story, what led her to this work, and how she does it.

Find Trisha by clicking here.

Yes, Cheryl Holling talks about what it was like to create a podcast out of thin air and bring it to a multiple award winning pocast. Yes, Cheryl talks about her exiting work as a voice talent.

This conversation veers deeper. In her incredible, love-filled voice, Cheryl offers us practical inspiration on how to offer kindness to those who are having a hard time. Her experience with her two pocasts; 19 Stories and The Voice Kitchen meld together beautifully to remind us why belonging matters, how kindness and love can positively shape a life, and the importance of staying flexible.

Listen in not only to Cheryl's unique experience but to her beautiful thoughts and words that can make each of our lives better!

Find Cheryl and her work by clicking here.

Not a sports fan? No worries—this episode is still absolutely for you.

Sasha Graham, former Walt Disney executive and Oregon farm kid turned award-winning podcaster, joins me to talk about what it really means to live a life that feels good, positive, and meaningful. Her podcast, Sports Will Save Us All, has earned multiple awards and now sits in the top 2% of podcasts globally.

I wasn't just curious about how she built all this as a fellow podcast host—I was curious as someone who's ambitious, but who sometimes lets self-doubt get in the way. So when our conversation quickly turned toward self-limiting beliefs, it felt perfectly on cue.

Yes, we talk about sports. But we also talk about the warm, vulnerable space Sports Will Save Us All creates in the world, and the unexpected real-time coaching Sasha gives on how to bring an idea not only to life, but beyond anywhere we imagined it could go.

Listen in as Sasha and I explore how sports—and storytelling—just might save us all.

Find Sasha here: Sports Will Save Us All Website

Sports Will Save Us All on Instagram

In this episode, I step back from interviewing and instead reflect on what I learned while hosting my three-part series on the Salem witch trials. These conversations left a mark on me—deeply, unexpectedly—and today I'm sharing the insights that stayed long after the microphones were turned off.

Rebecca Nurse hauntingly accepted her fate at the gallows with little objection. She was 71 years old — frail, devout, and undeserving of the cruelty that met her. Her story is one of the saddest and most human of all the Salem Witch Trials.

In this episode, we focus on one life lost amid the hysteria — and in doing so, the conversation goes somewhere I never expected. Yes, we talk about who Rebecca was, the circumstances surrounding her conviction, and how Kathryn Rutkowski, President of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, works to preserve and share her story. But about twenty minutes in, the discussion takes a deeply moving turn.

By speaking about a woman she knows so well — someone who lived more than 300 years ago — Kathryn helps us touch something timeless. Through Rebecca's story, we explore not only what it means to be human, but what it would look like if we truly showed up for each other with compassion in real time, rather than centuries later.

This moment wasn't planned. It unfolded naturally, and I feel deeply honored to have been part of it.

If you want to understand more about the Salem Witch Trials, I encourage you to listen to the full episode — it offers rich context, even if you're not already drawn to the subject. But if you want to hear one of the most powerful and heartfelt conversations I've ever had, start around the 18-minute mark.

Rebecca Nurse hauntingly accepted her fate at the gallows with little objection. She was 71 years old — frail, devout, and undeserving of the cruelty that met her. Her story is one of the saddest and most human of all the Salem Witch Trials.

In this episode, we focus on one life lost amid the hysteria — and in doing so, the conversation goes somewhere I never expected. Yes, we talk about who Rebecca was, the circumstances surrounding her conviction, and how Kathryn Rutkowski, President of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, works to preserve and share her story. But about twenty minutes in, the discussion takes a deeply moving turn.

By speaking about a woman she knows so well — someone who lived more than 300 years ago — Kathryn helps us touch something timeless. Through Rebecca’s story, we explore not only what it means to be human, but what it would look like if we truly showed up for each other with compassion in real time, rather than centuries later.

This moment wasn’t planned. It unfolded naturally, and I feel deeply honored to have been part of it.

If you want to understand more about the Salem Witch Trials, I encourage you to listen to the full episode — it offers rich context, even if you’re not already drawn to the subject. But if you want to hear one of the most powerful and heartfelt conversations I’ve ever had, start around the 18-minute mark.

Deep down, I think we all know that history matters. Yet for many of us, the way we learned it in school made it feel distant and inaccessible. It was out of context — abstract, detached from real people and real lives.

But when we recall a story from the past centered on an individual, something shifts. Suddenly, we're interested. The details stop feeling like a "history lesson" and become a human story — something that happened to someone. We lean in, curious, engaged, wanting to know more.

Paula Richter, curator of the Salem Witch Trials 1692 exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, brings that human element to life. She not only personalizes the experiences of both the accusers and the accused, but also models a powerful way of thinking: that learning new perspectives matters. Evaluating information through a fresh lens can broaden our understanding and reshape our views. Recognizing that every story is influenced by countless factors — circumstances, relationships, and individual choices — helps us feel more connected to one another and to reality itself.

By exploring the Salem Witch Trials more deeply, I've come to realize that we're learning about far more than the late 1600s in what would become the United States. Gaining a clearer sense of what life was like then, how events unfolded, and how people responded in the aftermath reminds me that nothing is ever purely black and white. Living in the gray gives me more space for compassion, curiosity, and acceptance.

Make no mistake: this episode focuses on the facts of the Salem Witch Trials as they're currently understood. There was no intention to make it about anything else. Yet what I took away from this conversation — and from this entire series — has truly shaped me into a better version of myself.

Listen in as Paula helps us uncover more about the individuals at the heart of the Salem Witch Trials — the accused, the accusers, the murdered, their neighbors, ministers, and government officials. They were all real people, and we talk about all of them. We also explore how we know so much about this period, and how our understanding of history continues to evolve as historians discover more and technology advances.

Listen in now!