Lara shares a new framework for setting your goals – and specific questions to ask yourself so you actually achieve them!

Plus, a conversation with author and criminologist Dr. Marcia Morgan on how women and girls can reach their full potential.

Dr. Marcia Morgan brings a wealth of experience helping women reach their potential. 

Drawing on more than forty years as a national consultant, researcher, trainer and author on gender and crime, this sought-after motivational speaker and best selling author tackles the casualties of women's dreams, and presents tools on how to recapture those dreams, in her latest book for women and girls, called “GO! How to Get Going and Achieve your Goals and Dreams at Any Age.”

Marcia has such an interesting perspective on goal-setting, one that combines the best of techniques like mindfulness, visualization, and tenacious planning – pulled from the worlds of sports, business, and personal development – and from cultures all over the world.

Sally Helgesen’s most recent book, How Women Rise, co-authored with legendary executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, examines the behaviors most likely to get in the way of successful women. As an author, speaker and consultant, Sally has been identified by Forbes as the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership and was named by Leadership Excellence magazine as one of the top 50 authorities on leadership.

Since the publication of her classic book, The Female Advantage, in 1990, Sally’s primary mission has been to help women around the world recognize, articulate and act on their greatest strengths.

Nothing, says Sally, is more essential to developing a strong leadership presence than self-care. And it’s not just about food, exercise, and sleep.

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Prioritizing self-care is challenging enough on our own; what happens when you add a partner into the mix?

Sonya Brewer, MA, is a body-centered psychotherapist and relationship expert in Albany, CA, where she specializes in helping women, couples, and partners of all sorts create extraordinary relationships.

Sonya and I talk about the frantic pace of modern life and the toll it takes on relationships; how to navigate differing views about self-care with your partner; and sex. (Yep. We go there.)

Original broadcast date: 2/13/18

As a successful marketing executive and ‘woman to watch’ in Silicon Valley, Lisa Abramson knew how to hustle. But when she found herself burned out, stuck, and feeling lost at the top of the corporate ladder she’d been climbing for so many years, Lisa began searching for a new definition of success.

Thus began Lisa’s exploration of meditation, mindfulness, and the scientifically-backed claims of reduced stress that came with them. Her journey led to the creation of her business, where she ‘inspires high achievers to be present in their lives and experience love and joy on a daily basis.’

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Keita Williams, Founder and Chief Strategist of Success Bully – an elite accountability practice for visionaries who need a professional butt-kicking to create momentum in their personal and professional lives – is my guest on this week’s episode of Women on the Rise.

Keita graciously agreed to get real about a recent – and major – health scare that forced her to recalibrate what really matters in business and life.

We also talked about…

• What Keita views as her biggest professional failure – and how she got back on track by plugging into a community of women
• How Keita moved past self doubt to finally launch her own business
• How slowing down in her business after her health scare resulted in stronger revenue and new opportunities
• The difference between being impactful vs. busy in business (and why you need to understand it to be successful)

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Nancy Jensen and Sarah Duenwald are co-founders of The Swing Shift, the destination for women in career transition.

Sarah spent the last decade focused on business development and sales operations in the software and high-tech consulting industry. Nancy is also a tech industry veteran, including many years overseeing operating system, server and early SaaS products for Microsoft. They both believe that women should not be penalized for taking care of their families, and that they should be able to re-enter the workforce on their own terms after career breaks.

So they created The Swing Shift to equip women with the tools they need to get back in the career game.

We talked about the vital skills needed by women re-entering the workforce; why women can’t “have it all” (at least not in the way most people mean); and how to create personal boundaries at work to allow for family time. We also revealed some of our “guilty pleasures,” because – well – why not?

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Aparna Khanolkar is a mother, entrepreneur, and Ayurvedic lifestyle counselor.

In the past, Aparna served as the head chef – and later a menu consultant - for the Chopra Center for Well-Being in Carlsbad, CA. In addition, she developed curriculum for the Ayurveda program at the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts in Austin, TX.

I invited Aparna to be on the podcast because I and many of the women I speak with are intrigued by the idea of Ayurveda – an ancient system of living from India – but don’t know much about it, or how it might benefit them. I first learned about the theories of self-care rooted in Ayurveda during my training as a health coach, and have often found them useful in helping clients understand their unique food, movement, and stress management needs.

Aparna and I discuss how to bring the tools of Ayurveda into modern life – so that you can feel more peaceful, calm, present, and connected to your purpose.

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“I’ve learned to say yes to things that scare me, and to be in tune with myself and really understand if it’s the right thing for me or not.” -Nicole Miyuki

Nicole Miyuki is a freelance artist, graphic designer, teacher, and the author of two hand lettering books - By Hand: The Art of Modern Lettering and The Kids’ Book of Hand Lettering. 

In 2015, Nicole began teaching in-person workshops to students who were curious about the hand lettering craze. In 2018, she wrote and published her two books – a journey that was quite unexpected. We had such a great conversation about mindfulness, creating space, and human connection.

We also talked about…

• How Nicole’s unexpected experience of writing two books in a year helped her get more in touch with herself and her self-care needs
• The simple (but not easy) perspective shift that allows you to be open to possibility instead of making decisions from fear
• How to know when to plan and when to leave space for the unexpected, in life and in work
• How creative pursuits like hand lettering can be a mindfulness practice (especially for people who don’t like meditation)

Dr. Samantha Brody is a licensed naturopathic physician and acupuncturist and the owner and founder of Evergreen Natural Health Center in Portland, Oregon. She’s also the author of the soon to be released book Overcoming Overwhelm: Dismantle Your Stress from the Inside Out.

We talked about...

• How to align your self-care choices with your values (and how to figure out what your values are in the first place!)
• Why Dr. Samantha thinks stress is different from overwhelm, and how they’re related
• How reexamining what we do and do not have control over in our lives sometimes produces surprising (and freeing) results
• Dr. Samantha’s tips for navigating the overwhelm of the holiday season (so you can feel the way you want to feel, and make space for what really matters)

Erin Stutland is a mind-body wellness and fitness expert, and host and life-style coach of Z Living’s cable series, Altar’d.

I first met Erin through her signature Shrink Session workout (for which I’m an affiliate partner), and love her approach to creating change in your life through movement – or as Erin says “movement in your body creates movement in your life.”

As a new mama and soon to be published author, Erin’s life has changed a bit since the last time we talked; so I invited her on the podcast to talk about her new book, Mantras In Motion (being published by Hay House in January 2019), why she believes that combining words with movement is the key to creating change in your life, and how becoming a mom changed what she does to feel well, but not her definition of being well.

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